A TikTok Business Account is a public, professional account meant for brands and organizations to build their marketing strategy on TikTok (Types of TikTok Accounts). It provides access to TikTok’s advertising and analytics tools.
However, some users may have initially set up a Business Account but later decide they want to use TikTok for personal uses. There are a few reasons why someone may want to switch from a TikTok Business Account to a personal account:
- They no longer need the analytics or advertising capabilities of a Business Account
- They want to separate their professional and personal content
- They find the Business Account features too complicated or restrictive
Fortunately, it is possible to change a TikTok account from Business to Personal. This article will explain the steps involved.
Reasons to Switch from Business to Personal
There are a few key reasons why someone may want to switch their TikTok account from a Business account to a Personal account:
Reach a broader audience – Personal accounts show up more readily in people’s ‘For You’ feeds, allowing you to reach a wider range of viewers. Business accounts have more limited visibility. Switching to a Personal account can help grow your audience faster (Hootsuite).
Showcase your personality – Personal accounts allow you to better highlight your own style, interests and personality. This can help you connect more authentically with viewers.
Access more features – Certain TikTok features like longer videos are only available on Personal accounts initially. Switching allows you early access to test out new capabilities.
Requirements to Switch Accounts
To switch your TikTok account from a business account to a personal account, there are a few requirements your account must meet:
Your account must have at least 100 followers. According to TikTok’s support page, “Your account must have at least 100 followers before you’re able to switch to a Business account.” This requirement ensures your account has an established audience before accessing business features.
Additionally, your account cannot already be connected to a business manager account. If your TikTok account is currently linked to a business manager, you’ll need to unlink it first before switching to a personal account.
Make sure your account meets these prerequisites before attempting to change the account type. Having at least 100 followers and no current business manager connection allows TikTok to process the switch from business to personal smoothly.
Preparing to Switch Accounts
Before making the switch, it’s important to prepare by downloading your data and saving your contacts. Here are some steps you can take:
- Go to your account settings and download a copy of your TikTok data, including your videos, messages, likes, profile information, etc. This way you have a backup if anything gets lost when switching accounts.
- Export your contacts and followers list. In your settings, go to “Contacts” and tap “Export contacts” to save a list of your connections.
- Note down any important account information that you may need later, like your username, email, phone number, etc.
- Consider saving drafts or notes that you want to keep.
- Back up any videos you want to hold onto outside of TikTok.
Taking these steps before switching accounts allows you to preserve your data, contacts, and creative work. It’s especially important if you have a Business account with lots of connections and content. With your information backed up, you’ll be ready to transition smoothly.
Switching the Account Type
Switching your account from a Business account to a personal account on TikTok is simple when you follow these steps:
- Open the TikTok app and go to your profile page.
- Tap on the three dots in the top right corner to open the menu.
- Select “Settings and privacy” from the menu.
- Tap on “Manage account” under the Account heading.
- Under “Account control,” tap on “Switch to Personal Account.”
- Confirm that you want to switch to a personal account.
And you’re done! TikTok will change your account type to a personal account. Keep in mind that you will lose access to certain business features like TikTok advertising and analytics. But your content and followers will remain unchanged when switching from business to personal.
For more details, see TikTok’s support article on switching between personal and business accounts.
Transferring Ownership of the Account
If you want to transfer your TikTok account to another user, unfortunately this is not possible according to TikTok’s policies. Once you create a TikTok account, you are the sole owner and cannot officially transfer it to someone else.
Some users try to unofficially transfer their account by giving the login details to another person. However, this violates TikTok’s Terms of Service. If caught, TikTok may ban the account.
The only option is to create a new account for the other person. You can help them rebuild their follower count and content, but they have to start fresh with a new account.
Sources:
https://www.coderchamp.com/blogs/social-tipster/tiktok-transfer-of-ownership
Impacts on Content and Followers
When you switch your TikTok account from a Business account to a Personal account, your existing content and followers will remain unaffected. According to TikTok’s support page, “Your account details, followers, videos, likes, comments, and all other account information will stay exactly the same” (source).
The conversion process essentially just changes the account type while retaining everything else. So you don’t have to start over or recreate your profile when going from Business to Personal. Your followers will stay followers. You’ll keep the same username, bio, profile photo, and all previously posted videos.
However, if you switch from Personal to Business, you will lose the ability to use some Personal account features like adding links to your profile bio. But overall, the transition from Business to Personal is designed to be seamless for both you and your audience.
Differences in Features
There are some key differences in the features offered for personal accounts versus business accounts on TikTok. According to TikTok’s Creator Portal, business accounts have access to more advanced analytics tools such as audience insights and growth analytics. Business accounts can also use TikTok’s messaging features to communicate directly with followers. Personal accounts do not have access to these analytical tools or messaging features.
In addition, business accounts have access to marketing capabilities like TikTok pixel and API integration for ads. They can also use professional tools like TikTok for business managers. Personal accounts lack access to these specialized marketing and management capabilities. However, both account types can use hashtag and user challenges to promote content. Overall, business accounts offer more advanced options for analytics, communication, marketing and advertising.
Promoting Your New Personal Account
With a new personal account, it’s important to let your existing audience know about the change so they can follow you on the new account. Here are some best practices for promoting your new personal TikTok account:
Make an announcement video on your old business account explaining that you’ve switched to a new personal account. Include the username for your new account and ask people to go follow you there.
In the caption of the announcement video, include the link to your new personal account profile. This makes it easy for viewers to click and follow.
Use relevant hashtags like #newaccount and #followmenewaccount in the announcement video to help viewers who are interested in following new accounts discover it.
Consider running a follow-for-follow campaign on your new account, where you follow back everyone who follows you for the first few days. This can help grow your new follower count quickly.
Post consistently right away on your new account. Use your best-performing video concepts from your business account at first. This helps retain existing viewers.
Link your other social media profiles like Instagram or YouTube in your new TikTok account bio. This allows your audience on other platforms to easily find and follow you.
Use TikTok’s Promote tool to run an ad campaign targeting your existing audience and followers from your old account. This can drive them to rapidly follow your new personal account.
Leverage your connections with other creators by doing collab videos or having them announce your new account to their followers. This taps into their audience.
Be active in commenting on other videos using your new account in the first few weeks. This raises awareness of your new profile.
Conclusion
If you have a business TikTok account but wish to change it to a personal account, the process is relatively straightforward. The main steps involve switching your account type in the app settings, transferring ownership of the account, and promoting your new personal account.
The primary benefits of switching to a personal account are gaining access to more features like analytics, having more creative control over your content, and building a following based on your personal brand rather than your business. While you may lose some business-oriented features, you’ll open up more opportunities for self-expression and connecting with viewers.
Overall, by following the steps outlined here, you can successfully convert your TikTok account from business to personal. Just be sure to fully prepare for the transition and promote your new account properly to retain as much of your existing audience as possible. With some strategic planning, you can unlock the full potential of TikTok for your needs.
