What is TikTok?
TikTok is a short-form video sharing app owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. It first launched in 2016 under the name Douyin in China, before expanding internationally as TikTok the following year. The app is extremely popular with Generation Z users and is known for its viral dance trends, challenges, and lip-syncing videos.
As of January 2024, TikTok has been downloaded over 2.7 billion times worldwide, making it one of the most downloaded apps in recent years (https://wallaroomedia.com/blog/social-media/tiktok-statistics/). It saw tremendous growth in 2019 and 2020, with 693 million downloads in 2019 and 850 million downloads in 2020 (https://www.businessofapps.com/data/tik-tok-statistics/).
With its simple interface and addictive algorithm that delivers a tailored “For You” feed, TikTok has become the go-to destination for short-form mobile video. Its popularity stems from its participatory culture and the app’s ability to make anyone with a smartphone into a creator.
Why get a TikTok account?
There are several great reasons to create a TikTok account:
Post and share your own short videos – TikTok allows you to create and post fun 15 second to 3 minute videos showcasing your talents, interests, and personality.
Watch, like, and comment on others’ videos – Browse the seemingly endless stream of videos from people around the world and interact with ones you enjoy.
Participate in trends and challenges – Take part in popular hashtag challenges and viral trends as a creative outlet.
Gain a following/build an audience – Accumulate followers who look forward to your next videos and engage with your content.
TikTok has become one of the main places people go for entertainment, community, and creative expression through short videos. Getting an account opens up all of these opportunities for free.
Signing Up for a TikTok Account
Signing up for a TikTok account is easy and only takes a few minutes. Here are the steps:
First, download the TikTok app from the App Store if you have an iPhone, or Google Play if you have an Android device. Once downloaded, open the TikTok app.
On the sign up page, you’ll need to provide some basic information including:
- Your email address
- A password
- Your birthday
You’ll also need to agree to TikTok’s Terms of Service and Privacy Policy before creating your account. Make sure to read through these documents to understand how TikTok uses your data.
The last step is choosing a unique username. This will be your identifier on TikTok so make it fun and memorable!
Once all the steps are complete, you’ll have successfully created your new TikTok account and can start engaging with videos!
Source: https://support.tiktok.com/en/getting-started/creating-an-account
Completing Your TikTok Profile
One of the first things you’ll want to do after creating your TikTok account is personalize your profile by adding a profile photo, bio, and linking any other social media accounts you have. This allows viewers to get a quick glance at who you are and what type of content you plan to post.
To add a profile photo, tap on the default profile icon in the ‘Me’ tab and select ‘Edit profile’. You can choose a photo from your camera roll or take a new photo directly in the TikTok app. Be sure to use a clear, high-quality photo of yourself.
You can also add a short bio with a description of your account and interests. Include relevant keywords and emojis to make your bio engaging. The bio is limited to 80 characters. For example: “Sharing my passion for food! 🥞🍔🌮 Foodie since ’09.”
Under ‘Edit profile’, you can link other social media accounts like Instagram, YouTube, Twitter or Facebook to your TikTok profile. This allows users to easily find and follow you on other platforms.
Don’t forget to also customize your privacy settings and enable notifications under account settings. This allows you to control comments, messages, and likes as your account grows. With notifications on, you’ll stay up-to-date each time you get new followers, messages or interactions on your videos.
Taking the time to complete your TikTok profile helps present a polished, professional image as you start engaging with the TikTok community.
Following Other TikTok Users
One of the best ways to get the most out of TikTok is by following other accounts. You can search for accounts to follow either by name or by interest. Try searching for your favorite celebrities, brands, influencers, or creators to stay up-to-date on their latest videos. Following friends and family is also a great way to stay connected and see what they’re posting.
The accounts you follow will determine what types of videos appear in your For You feed. Tailor your feed to your interests by following accounts related to cooking, animals, comedy, dance, DIY, and more. The algorithm will notice what you engage with and show you more of that type of content.
You can also discover new accounts to follow based on hashtags and sounds. If you come across a video you like, check out the hashtags and sounds associated with it to find similar content and creators. TikTok makes it easy to follow accounts with just a tap, so don’t be shy about following accounts that spark your interest!
Following a diverse range of accounts is the best way to ensure your For You feed stays fresh and entertaining. Don’t just follow your friends – branch out to expand your interests.
Posting Your First TikTok Video
Once you have your TikTok account set up, it’s time to post your first video. You have two options for posting videos on TikTok – recording directly in the app or uploading existing videos from your camera roll.
To record directly in the TikTok app, just tap the + button at the bottom of the screen. You’ll be taken to the camera where you can record a video up to 60 seconds. TikTok makes it easy to shoot high-quality videos directly within the app. You can tap record multiple times within the 60 seconds to stitch together different clips.
If you already have videos you want to upload, you can do that too. Tap the + button and select “Upload.” Choose a video from your camera roll. The video can be up to 10 minutes long.
TikTok has powerful creative tools to enhance your videos. You can add effects, soundtracks, voiceovers, captions, and more. Browse TikTok’s extensive audio library to add music and sounds to your video. Use text and stickers to caption your clips. There are lots of built-in effects like filters, transitions, and AR effects to spice up your content. Get creative and make your videos visually appealing!
Once your video is ready to post, write a compelling caption, add some hashtags to help it get discovered, and hit post. Congrats – you just shared your first TikTok video!
Engaging with Other Videos
Engaging with other videos is one of the best ways to increase your own engagement and reach on TikTok. When you actively interact with other videos, the algorithm takes notice and starts promoting your content more as well. Here are some tips for engaging with other TikTok videos:
Like videos you enjoy – Tapping the heart icon is the easiest way to engage. It tells the algorithm you enjoyed that video and want to see more like it. Liking videos related to your niche and content style signals the type of content you want recommended to you and your followers. According to Adobe, giving engagement helps you get more engagement in return.[1]
Comment your reactions – Leaving a comment builds connections with creators and shows you actively watched their video. Come up with unique, value-adding reactions beyond just “Nice!” or “Awesome video!” Comments should spark further discussion and encourage the creator to check out your channel.
Duet or stitch together videos – These tools allow you to record a video reacting and responding to another user’s clip. Duets display both videos simultaneously, while with stitches you can incorporate parts of their original footage. Dueting and stitching viral videos in your niche helps expose your content to new audiences already interested in that topic or meme.
Participating in Trends and Challenges
One of the best ways to get more views and engagement on TikTok is by participating in popular trends and challenges. TikTok makes it easy to discover what’s currently trending. On the Discover page, you’ll see rows dedicated to trending hashtags, sounds, and effects.
When you tap on a trending hashtag or sound, you can view related videos and get inspiration for creating your own take. Putting your unique spin on a trend is a great way to showcase your personality and creativity. You’ll also reach viewers who are already interested in that trending topic.
Challenges go viral all the time on TikTok, like dance challenges set to popular songs. Watch some examples to learn the moves, then record yourself doing the challenge. Feel free to add your own flair as well!
Overall, making timely content related to current trends is a proven way to get more eyes on your videos. Track what’s trending each day or week, and brainstorm creative ways you can put your own stamp on it.
Check out sites like TikTok’s 2022 report and trend roundups for inspiration on popular trends you can try.
TikTok Settings and Privacy
TikTok allows you to control various privacy settings for your account. Here are some of the key settings to manage:
To limit who can comment on your videos or message you, go to Settings > Privacy and toggle on “Restricted Mode” and select the level of filtering you want. You can restrict comments and messages to just people you follow or friends of people you follow. See TikTok’s instructions for details.
To make your account fully private, go to your profile and tap the three dot menu in the top right. Select “Privacy and safety” then toggle “Private account” on. This means only people you approve can follow you and see your videos. Learn more in TikTok’s privacy guide.
In Settings > Privacy, you can also toggle off features like “Suggest your account to others” and “Allow others to find me” to limit TikTok’s data collection and how your account is recommended to strangers. See TikTok’s privacy policy for more details on data practices.
Tips for TikTok Success
Here are some tips to help your TikTok account gain more followers and engagement:
Post consistently but not too often. Experts recommend posting at least once per day. But be careful not to oversaturate your followers’ feeds. Aim for 1-3 posts per day for the best results (Hubspot).
Use relevant hashtags. Include a good mix of popular and niche hashtags related to your content. This will help the right people discover your videos (Buffer).
Engage with your followers. Like and comment on their videos, and respond to comments on your own videos. Building relationships is key on TikTok.
Analyze performance metrics. Pay attention to views, likes, comments, shares, etc. This data can reveal what types of content resonate best with your audience.
