Lessons from BookTok and Barnes & Noble
Barnes & Noble is opening more stores than ever. When I saw this headline in Good Housekeeping, I admittedly did a double take. Behind the growth? Creators breathing new life – and community – into reading. How is TikTok, or more specifically #BookTok, supporting retail – and what can we learn from it?
What exactly is #BookTok?
The subcommunity emerged in 2020 and continues to help revive the sale of physical books. It all started with a hashtag. Cait Jacobs of @caitsbooks created the community which has become one of the largest communities on the TikTok platform. More on the history of #BookTok here.
Community is key
Reading is usually a solo activity, but #BookTok has made reading feel communal again – kind of like an online book club where can people from all over the world can chat and engage about what they are reading. Barnes & Noble was smart enough to listen. The brand has leaned in by monitoring trends and hosting in-store events for creators and their audiences, including a #BookTok festival and creator panel.
Authenticity matters
The creators on #BookTok? They aren’t celebrities, far from it. They’re everyday readers with ring lights and a love for page turners. They develop a community and focus on engagement and connection over shared interests.
Brand can evolve – if they listen
Instead of seeing #BookTok as a threat, Barnes & Noble embraced it as an opportunity. By paying attention to cultural trends and conversations, the bookseller is welcoming new audiences and growing.
The bottom line
Whether you’re in books or B2B (just look at how Adobe is tapping into creators) the lesson holds: creators aren’t just nice-to-have. The influence these individuals and their unique audiences carry is powerful – powerful enough to help a brand like Barnes & Noble make a big comeback, to the tune of 60 new stores across the country this year.
Megan Irvin
Megan spends her days doing media relations, community relations, content creation and events for clients like Kroger Mid-Atlantic, Federal Realty and Mercy Chefs. Her favorite part of her job is working with clients and providing strategic counsel — and garnering media attention for clients in outlets like TODAY, Esquire, USA Today and Bon Appetit.
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