Feeling overwhelmed about how to get started on TikTok? Here’s how to use your time in quarantine to get yourself up to speed.
Why Should Creators use TikTok?
For starters, TikTok is one of the fastest growing social media in the world, and it’s a great way to reach a younger, creative audience. In fact, according to Oberlo, TikTok is ranked number nine for social network sites, above LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest, and Snapchat. Forty-one percent of TikTok users are between the ages of 16 and 24.
What makes it different from other video platforms such as Youtube, Instagram or Snapchat is that it is designed for content creators. In an ever changing social media landscape, it’s important to not get complacent with the following you have on any single platform; you should expand your creative business to new horizons to keep your personal brand relevant and ahead of the curve.
How Can You Get Started?
Getting started on a new social media platform can be a daunting task, especially if you have an established following elsewhere. Here are some quick, first steps to get you started.
Familiarize yourself with the app. Explore all of the app’s different features and keep an eye on the explore page to see what is trending.
Join in on trends. Now that you’ve done your research, it’s time to participate! Join in on dance or audio track challenges to get your content into the mix.
Post frequently. Post at least once a week if not every single day. The more content you post, the higher your chance is of getting visibility and traction.
Hold their attention. Create content that makes viewers want to watch until the end. TikTok’s algorithm examines engagement such as likes, comments, shares, and re-watches. To boost your engagement and presence, you must be entertaining!
Engage with other accounts. Expand your audience by engaging with other fellow TikTokers. After all, TikTok is a very new community, and everyone is trying to grow together!
Use caption space wisely. The platform allows only 100 characters for captions. Make sure your captions are short and sweet to leave room for hashtags.
What about brand partnerships?
As TikTok surpasses more than 800 million users, creatives are being presented with opportunities to monetize their accounts as more brands ask that they post to TikTok exclusively. While receiving brand collabs on a new platform is exciting, we are living in unprecedented times, and creatives must be mindful of audience sentiments amidst a global pandemic.
Many influencers are being challenged about being “tone deaf” or pandemic-irrelevant with regards to their collaboration choices, tone, captions, and visuals. It’s important to stay conscientious of the current state of affairs while maintaining the monetization of your platform. Many people are worried about where their next paycheck meal is coming from. Now is not the time to boast partnerships that do not provide value to your audience during this time.
Keeping all of these tips in mind, it’s time to get on TikTok and start creating! Don’t just sit back and spectate; in a time where we all have to stay indoors, now is the time to be ACTIVE, and get ahead of the game!