TikTok is a popular social media app that allows users to create and share short videos. When you create a TikTok account, your profile and videos default to being private. This means that only people you approve can view your content.
TikTok also gives you the option to have a public account. When your account is public, anyone on TikTok can view your profile and videos without needing your approval. Public accounts make it easier to gain new followers since your content is visible to all users.
Changing your account from private to public is simple to do through the TikTok app settings. However, it’s important to consider the pros and cons before making your account public.
Check Your Current Account Status
To view your current TikTok account status, open the TikTok app and tap on the “Me” icon in the bottom right corner. This will open up your profile page.
Next, tap on the three horizontal lines in the top right corner to open the menu. Select “Settings and privacy” from the menu.
Under “Account,” you will see “Private account.” If the toggle is enabled, your account is set to private. If it’s disabled, your account is public.
You can also see who can view your content under “Who can view my content.” If it says “Friends,” your account is private. If it says “Public,” your account is public.
Checking these settings in your account is the easiest way to see your current TikTok account status and whether your profile is private or public. This section of TikTok’s Settings clearly labels account status for quick reference.
Understand the Differences Between Public and Private Accounts
TikTok allows users to choose between having a public account or a private account. This setting controls who can view and interact with your profile and videos.
With a public account, anyone on TikTok can view your profile information, watch your videos, comment, like, and follow you without needing your approval. This allows your content to reach the widest possible audience.
According to Social Expert Tips, with a private account, only people you approve can view your videos, comment, and interact with your profile. This provides more privacy and control over who engages with your content.
Public accounts tend to gain more followers and views since your videos are discoverable by all TikTok users. Private accounts are better if you prefer limiting your audience to only people you know and trust.
Pros and Cons of a Public Account
There are benefits as well as drawbacks to having a public TikTok account. Here are some of the main pros and cons to consider:
Pros:
- Increased discoverability – your videos can be seen and engaged with by anyone on TikTok, allowing you to gain more followers.
- Virality – public videos have the potential to go viral and reach a huge audience overnight.
- Brand building – businesses and creators can grow their brand presence and recognition.
- Monetization – creators can join the TikTok Creator Fund to earn money from videos once they reach 10,000 followers.
Cons:
- Less privacy and control – anyone can see, comment on, and potentially misuse your content.
- Overwhelming attention – viral videos can lead to more exposure than some users want or can handle.
- Inappropriate comments – public accounts tend to get more unwanted comments.
- Stalkers and harassment – obsessive followers can attempt to contact you beyond the app.
Overall, a public account provides more growth opportunities but fewer privacy protections. Consider your goals and comfort level before making your account public.
Change to a Public Account
Making your TikTok account public is a simple process that can be done right from the app. Here are the step-by-step instructions:
1. Open the TikTok app on your device and tap on your profile icon in the bottom right corner.
2. Tap the three horizontal lines menu icon in the upper right corner.
3. Select “Settings and privacy” from the menu.
4. Tap on “Privacy” under the “Account” section.
5. Toggle the switch for “Private account” off so it turns gray. This makes your account public.
Your TikTok profile is now public, allowing anyone to view your content. You can always toggle it back to private at any time if you change your mind.
Adjust Privacy Settings
After making your TikTok account public, you may still want to adjust some privacy settings for more control. According to TikTok’s support article on account privacy settings, you have several options:
You can limit certain content to only be viewed by your followers. Go to Privacy and select “Private account” to enable this. You can also toggle on “Suggest your account to others” if you want TikTok to recommend your account.
Under “Comments” you can choose to filter all comments, turn off comments entirely, or limit commenting to only people you follow or mention. The “Who can react to your videos” setting also lets you restrict reactions.
The “Who can see your liked videos” option gives you control over liked video visibility. You can hide these or make them public.
For more granular video privacy, you can set each video post to be “Public”, “Friends only”, or “Private” under the sharing options. You can also turn on video downloads and duets here.
Overall, TikTok’s privacy settings allow you to curate a public account with limited visibility for certain content if you choose. Adjust these to your comfort level.
Manage Comments
Moderating and filtering comments is crucial for cultivating a positive community on TikTok. You have several options for managing comments:
Turn off commenting: You can disable comments on individual videos or disable commenting entirely on your account through the privacy settings. This removes the ability for people to comment.
Filter comments: Enable keyword filtering in your privacy settings to automatically filter comments containing certain words or phrases. You can add custom keywords.
Report comments: Tap the share icon on a comment and select “Report” to notify TikTok of any harassment, bullying, dangerous acts, spam, scam, or other concerning content.
Delete comments: Tap the comment and select “Delete” to remove any unwanted or inappropriate comments. You can also enable auto-delete of comments containing specific keywords.
Pin comments: Heart/pin select comments to feature positive, relevant, or witty responses at the top of your comments. This can encourage the types of comments you want.
Block users: Block individual commenters to prevent them from viewing your content or commenting. Their past comments will also be deleted.
Moderate live streams: Add moderators to help filter comments on your live videos. Moderators can report, delete comments, and block users in real-time.
Use third-party tools: Services like Brandbastion allow you to manage TikTok comments across multiple videos at scale, using filters, blocks, and deletions.
Staying on top of moderation helps avoid toxic or irrelevant discussions. Focus on cultivating the types of responses that foster community.
Block Users
One way to protect your privacy on TikTok is to block specific users from interacting with your account. Here are the steps to block individual users on TikTok:
- Go to the profile of the user you want to block.
- Tap the three dots in the upper right corner of their profile.
- Select “Block” from the menu.
- Confirm that you want to block the user.
Once blocked, that user will no longer be able to view your videos or interact with your account in any way. You can unblock users at any time if you change your mind. Blocking is a useful tool for limiting harassment, bullying, or just users you don’t want accessing your content.
For more information, check out TikTok’s guide on blocking users: https://www.tiktok.com/discover/block-users-on-tiktok
Utilize a Business Account
Switching your personal TikTok account to a business account unlocks additional features tailored for brands, businesses, and creators. According to this guide, some key benefits of a TikTok business account include:
- Access to TikTok analytics – View detailed data on your content performance.
- Advertising options – Run paid ad campaigns to promote your brand and content.
- Tools for audience engagement – Use special features like quizzes and hashtags to connect with your audience.
- Customized profile – Edit your bio, profile category, contact info and more.
Overall, a business account helps establish your presence on TikTok and provides insights and tools to grow your following. It’s ideal for anyone using TikTok to represent a brand, business, organization or as a content creator.
Promote Your Account
Once your TikTok account is public, there are several best practices you can follow to grow your audience and increase engagement:
Make high-quality, engaging content. Consistently post original, creative videos that are relevant to your niche and audience. Use trends, sounds, effects, humor, or information to capture viewer attention. Focus on quality over quantity.
Optimize your profile. Fill out your bio with relevant keywords, link your other social accounts, and select a profile photo and username that reflect your brand. This helps viewers quickly grasp what your account is about.
Use relevant hashtags. Include a mix of popular and niche hashtags in your captions to get discovered by viewers interested in those topics. You can research the top hashtags in your niche.
Interact with your audience. Take time to like, comment on, and respond to your viewers. Engagement helps the TikTok algorithm show your content to more people.
Collaborate with others. Do duets, stitches, or other collaborations with creators in your niche to tap into their audiences. This cross-promotion can help grow both accounts.
Run contests or challenges. Contests that encourage viewers to create content or use a hashtag can increase engagement.
Analyze your data. Check your analytics to see which posts perform best. This can inform the type of content you should create more of.
Promote outside of TikTok. Share your best TikTok content on other social platforms, your website, email list, etc. to drive viewers to your profile.
Consider ads. TikTok ads can help new accounts gain more visibility. Target your ads to your ideal audience based on keywords, interests, demographics, and more.
Consistency and patience is key. It takes time and sustained effort to build a large, engaged following on TikTok. Focus on providing value instead of getting views.
