Your bio link gets one tap and a few seconds of attention. Someone saw a cover in your video, got curious, and wants the answer now. Everything on your page should help that person find the book, trust your take, and come back for more. Here's what earns its place, in order of importance.
1. The books from your latest videos
This is the reason most people tap. Put the books you talked about recently right at the top, or connect each video to the books in it so followers can find them by post.
A good habit: every time you publish a video, add its books before you post. It takes a minute and it means the link in your caption works from the very first view.
2. Currently reading
A “Currently reading” shelf makes your page feel alive. It changes every week or two, gives returning visitors something new, and starts conversations (“wait, how far are you? did you get to that chapter?”).
Keep it honest and short. Two or three books is plenty.
3. Favourites, your all-time recommendations
New followers want to know your taste fast. A favourites shelf does that better than any bio text. Ten to twenty books is a good size: enough to show range, few enough that each one feels chosen.
If you read across genres, consider splitting favourites into two or three shelves, like “Favourite fantasy” and “Favourite thrillers”, so nobody has to scroll past horror to find the romcoms.
4. A TBR shelf
Your TBR is surprisingly popular. Followers like to read along, suggest what you should pick up next, or discover books before you've reviewed them. It also makes for easy content: “Pick my next read from my TBR” videos practically write themselves.
5. Themed shelves that match your content
This is where your page starts to feel like you. Mirror the formats you already post:
- trope shelves like “Enemies to lovers” or “Found family”
- mood shelves like “Cozy autumn reads” or “Books that broke me”
- challenge shelves like “Booktok made me read it” or “Under 300 pages”
Give each shelf a name you'd actually say out loud in a video. People search for the same words. For more ideas, see our list of bookshelf ideas for BookTok and Bookstagram.
6. Ratings and a one-line review
A star rating alone tells people what you thought. One sentence tells them why, and why is what convinces someone to buy. Compare:
“4.5 stars.”
with
“4.5 stars. Slow first act, then I stayed up until 3 am.”
You don't need full reviews. One honest line per book is plenty, and it is far more useful than a long blurb copied from the publisher.
7. Buy links, done tastefully
If you're in an affiliate programme, a buy button on each book is the most natural place for it. The follower already wants the book; you're just making it one tap away.
A few rules keep it trustworthy:
- Link to the exact edition you show in the video when you can.
- Don't add buy buttons to books you rated badly. It reads as a cash grab.
- Mention somewhere on your page or in your bio that some links are affiliate links. It's good practice and in many countries it's required.
What to leave out
A focused page converts better than a full one. Consider dropping:
- Duplicate social links. People came from TikTok or Instagram; they already know where to find you.
- Ten generic shop buttons. One buy button per book beats a wall of “Amazon”, “Waterstones”, “Bookshop”.
- Old giveaway links. Nothing kills trust like a link to a contest that ended last spring.
- Walls of text. Keep your intro to one or two lines. The covers do the talking.
A five-minute setup
If you're starting from zero:
- Claim your page name and add your profile photo.
- Import your Goodreads library, or add the books from your last five videos by hand.
- Fill Currently reading, Favourites and TBR.
- Add one themed shelf that matches your most popular video.
- Put the link in your TikTok and Instagram bio.
You can grow it from there, one video at a time. A page that's 80% done and live today beats a perfect page you publish next month.