Launched in 2016, TikTok is a short form video app owned by Chinese company ByteDance that has quickly become one of the most popular social media platforms in the world. As of January 2024, TikTok has over 1.1 billion monthly active users and is one of the most downloaded apps globally (TikTok Statistics You Need to Know in 2024). The app allows users to create and share 15 to 60 second videos featuring music, effects, filters, and more. TikTok has been praised for its addictive short form video format and powerful recommendation algorithm that learns each user’s interests. The app’s user base skews young, with 41% of its global users between the ages of 16 and 24 as of 2021 (46 TikTok Statistics For 2024 (Users, Creators & Revenue)). Given TikTok’s growing influence and popularity, especially among younger demographics, understanding how to best leverage the platform is key for digital marketers and creators.
Posting Limits
There are some limits in place for how frequently regular users can post content on TikTok. According to comments on Reddit, the algorithm seems to work best when users post 4-6 videos per day. There doesn’t appear to be a strict limit enforced, but posting too much content too frequently may lead to lower engagement.
An article by Planly states that for regular TikTok users, it’s recommended to post no more than 5 videos per day and space them out rather than posting them all at once. Posting too many videos close together may be seen as spam. Additionally, regular users seem to be limited to posting 1 video per hour at most.
So in summary, while no hard limits are enforced, regular TikTok users should aim for 4-6 videos maximum spread throughout the day, with no more than 1 video posted per hour for optimal engagement and to avoid possible spam restrictions.
Verified Accounts
Verified and creator accounts on TikTok are subject to different limits compared to standard accounts. According to research by Planly, verified accounts have a higher daily limit of 5,000 follows per day compared to just 200 for standard accounts (https://planly.com/tiktok-limits/). The hourly follow limit is also increased to 600 follows per hour for verified accounts.
In addition, only accounts with over 1,000 followers can live stream on TikTok based on Social Media Today’s infographic on TikTok limits (https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/tiktok-limits-and-restrictions-infographic/578999/). This allows TikTok to restrict live streaming privileges to more established accounts.
Overall, verified status allows larger accounts to grow faster and access more features on TikTok. But limits are still in place to prevent spamming and maintain the user experience.
Live Streaming
Live streaming on TikTok allows users to broadcast live video to their followers in real-time. There are some limits in place for live streaming:
- Length of streams – Live streams can last up to 4 hours continuously. After 4 hours, the live stream will automatically end.
- Frequency – There is no limit to the number of live streams a user can start in a day. You can go live multiple times per day.
- Stream start requests – Verified users can request to start a live stream at any time. Unverified users may need to request a live streaming key and can only stream during approved hours.
- Viewers – Live streams can support up to 1,000 viewers at once initially. As the stream gains viewers, the capacity will scale up dynamically to support more concurrent viewers.
So in summary, while stream length is capped at 4 hours, there is no limit to the frequency for verified users. Unverified users may experience more restrictions. The number of concurrent viewers supported also scales dynamically based on demand.
Duets & Stitching
Duets and stitches are ways for TikTok users to respond to and collaborate with other creators’ videos. With duets, users can record their reaction video alongside someone else’s original video. With stitches, users can clip and incorporate parts of someone else’s video into their own new creation.
There are some limits in place on duets and stitches to prevent harassment. According to this article, TikTok gives creators the ability to limit or turn off the ability for others to duet or stitch their content. Creators can limit duets and stitches to people they follow, or turn them off completely. This gives creators more control over who can reuse and interact with their content.
TikTok also allows users to report inappropriate duets or stitches. If a duet or stitch violates community guidelines, TikTok may remove it. So while duets and stitches foster creative collaboration, TikTok does limit the potential for harassment through these features.
Video Length
On TikTok, video length limits can vary depending on the type of account. Standard TikTok users are limited to videos that are 3 minutes or less. However, accounts that are verified have an increased limit of 10 minutes for their videos.[1] For regular users, anything over 3 minutes will be truncated.
The maximum length recently increased in early 2022 from 60 seconds to 3 minutes for standard accounts.[2] This allows more flexibility in content creation. However, it’s still important to keep videos short, engaging and optimized for the platform. The ideal length for regular users is likely 15-60 seconds.
References:
- [1] https://boostmeup.com/blog/change-tiktok-video-length/
- [2] https://www.addvaluebusiness.com/the-best-tiktok-video-length-for-2023/
Hashtags
TikTok has a limit on how many hashtags you can include in each post’s caption. You are allowed a maximum of 100 hashtags per video according to TikTok’s community guidelines.
Going over the 100 hashtag limit may cause your video to be removed or your account to be suspended for violating the rules. It’s best to stay under the limit.
TikTok actually recommends using only the most relevant hashtags for your content, ideally around 5-10 hashtags. Using niche hashtags makes it more likely to be discovered by users interested in that specific topic.
The algorithm may also flag accounts that spam excessive hashtags, so quality over quantity is advised. Stick to hashtags directly related to your video for the best results.
According to experts, the ideal strategy is to use a mix of popular hashtags and niche hashtags relevant to your content. For example, combining trending hashtags like #fyp and #foryoupage with niche ones like #cookingtips and #bakingideas.
Research popular and niche hashtags in your area of interest and experiment to see which hashtags perform best to get more views and engagement on each video. But always stay under the 100 hashtag limit.
Cite: Using trending hashtags tiktok – hashtag limit – best on to go viral
Comments
On TikTok, there are some limits in place for commenting on videos. According to an article on TikTok’s website, Why Does TikTok Limit My Comments, when you first create an account, TikTok imposes restrictions on commenting for anti-spam purposes. New users will get a pop-up saying comments are limited, and you can only comment a certain number of times per day at first.
The commenting limits are gradually lifted over time as you engage more on the platform. Verified accounts have higher commenting limits. There is no public official limit disclosed by TikTok, but commenting limits seem to range from 50-100 comments per day for new accounts. The limits are slowly raised over days and weeks of activity, to eventually unlimited commenting for established accounts.
If you repeatedly comment spam or violate community guidelines, TikTok may impose temporary commenting bans as well. Overall, commenting limits seem designed to prevent spam and abuse, while rewarding genuine engagement over time by lifting limits.
Songs & Sounds
There are some limits in place when reusing audio from other videos on TikTok. According to Quora, TikTok will automatically cut off any audio after 24 seconds if it detects potential copyright infringement. This is why sometimes a sound will get cut off before the full clip has played, even if the video itself is longer than 24 seconds.
Additionally, TikTok’s Music Terms of Service state that there are limitations around including music in live streams. Users cannot use Sounds or Commercial Sounds when live streaming on TikTok.
So in summary, there are copyright protections in place that limit reusing extended clips of audio, especially in live streams. Keep audio clips short and avoid reusing full songs whenever possible.
Conclusion
TikTok has several limits in place to ensure users have a quality experience on the platform. While verified accounts get more flexibility, all users face restrictions on things like video length, live streaming, stitching, duets, comments, hashtags and sounds. The main posting limits include:
- 10 minute maximum video length for all users
- 4 hour maximum for live streams
- Limited to 1 live stream at a time
- 5 stitches/duets every 24 hours
- 100 characters maximum for comments
- 30 hashtags per caption
- Only publicly available songs can be used
TikTok reserves the right to change these limits at any time. While users may find them restrictive, the limits help maintain quality and fairness on a platform with over 1 billion monthly active users. Moderation and guardrails are necessary with that amount of content being produced daily.
