Tik Tok experiments

@kevfcomicartist #coloringbook #colouringbooks #eurovision #eurovision2022 #eurovision2022🇮🇹 ♬ Waterloo - Swedish Version - ABBA

A while back I dabbled with Tik Tok, turning a couple of Socks videos into Tik Tok things. They got next to no views, naturally. But this week, having read about #BookTok and how some authors were managing to flog book through Tik Tok videos, I made a few little films of me flicking through my colouring books. I got a bit of traction.

The video you see above has been the most successful so far, getting 9100 views, 790 likes, and 44 comments. More interestingly, it shifted some books. I mean, only 4 copies so far, but that was after more than a week without a sale (of the Unofficial Eurovision Pop Star Colouring Book), and definitely coinciding with the Tik Tok vids.

That said, none of the other vids have had much traction or shifted many books. Results look like this:

1990s book (first vid uploaded) - 596 views

Punk & New Wave - 149

1970s - 128

1960s - 119

Bowie - 133

Scottish Pop - 149

80s Superstars - 166

Rom Com - 161

Bowie (animation) - 120

Replies to Tik Tok comments, with photos, get between 110 and 470 views (especially Maneskin)

UPDATE: Mar 31 (one day later) The above Eurovision video has 10.3K views, and two further ones have 967 and 1406 views. 

UPDATE: April 30 (one month later) Eurovision video remains my only near-viral vid, settling at 12.5K views. The other two Eurovisions settled at 1443 and 2004. A set of Comic Cuts videos only get 75 views each; Midsummer Nights Dream Team pieces to camera get 75-130 views; some Findlay Macbeth page-flips get 90 - 400 views; most things freeze at 150.

@kevfcomicartist The Comic Book of Esther out now in paperback and Kindle#purim #bibletok #torah #comictok #torahtiktok #bibletiktok #comicsA ♬ Tubthumping - Chumbawamba

An attempt to repeat this success with picture-sequence videos for Comic Book Of Esther hasn't had the same traction. Seven videos have only managed between 60 and 90 views apiece, with no likes or comments. Meanwhile a second Eurovision colouring video racked up 281 views, and a third has 110. 

It's an imprecise science, and one that I've only dabbled in, largely because it's been impossible to get on with any proper work (ie writing) since we moved into the new house. This week more than ever since this is the week they fit the central heating. I'm currently typing in a freezing lounge while gas fitters have the floorboards up in pretty well every room of the house, all while listening to the horror that is Smooth Radio (who knew how much bland music there is out there?)

Kev F Sutherland, as well as writing and drawing for The Beano, Marvel, Doctor Who, Shakespeare & The Bible (no, really), runs Comic Art Masterclasses in schools, libraries and art centres - email for details, and follow him on Facebook and Twitter. View the promo video here. (Also works with the Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre).