How to Use TikTok and How To Grow Quickly
When I first downloaded TikTok, I was hesitant too. As a 20-something who has been creating Serious Content for over seven years, I wasn’t sure what a platform for dancing and lip-syncing could really do for me and the audience I was hoping to attract from my content. What I did know was that I wasn’t feeling as inspired to create for platforms that used to excite me the most like Instagram, Pinterest, and even this blog.
So even though I’m not a teenager I figured “fine, I’ll just do it.” I asked a friend of mine, “okay but how do you even use TikTok anyway?” and she said, “just download it and you’ll figure it out.”
The first hour of scrolling seemed odd and almost pointless but it was actually a rapid-fire education in how the TikTok platform works. Now a little more than three months later I have 6,500 followers, over 150,000 likes across my videos, and well over 2 million views since I started. That is more than quadruple the number of views I’ve gotten on YouTube after two and a half years on the platform. Oh, and I’ve been asked to speak on a panel explaining Gen Z to brands SPECIFCIALLY TO TALK ABOUT TIKTOK.
I truly don’t know if I’ve ever cursed on my blog before, but seriously, what the fuck?
Now I hope you’re excited but I want to throw out some caution as well. We don’t know how involved the Chinese government is in this app. Just because I have all of these views and these followers, I have no way of knowing how real they are. A view on TikTok is nothing compared to a view on YouTube, which requires you to watch content for at least 30 seconds where as most TikTok videos on average are 15 seconds in total. Also in my TikTok analytics it will tell me the gender breakdown and geographic location of my followers (notably that 94% are in the United States which makes me think that they must be pretty real?) and the time that they’re most active on the platform but it does not tell me their age or age range. Based on what we know about the platform though, I can assume that out of all of the social media platforms I’m on my audience on TikTok skews young.
How To Create Great Videos on TikTok by austentosone on Jumprope.
Here are some tips for using TikTok to grow a new audience outside of Instagram:
First things first, you’ll want to get used to the platform and how it works. Take an hour to scroll through the platform and figure out what it’s all about. See what videos on the For You page (TikTok’s answer to the explore page on Instagram) are getting served to you and think about why that video is getting circulation.
Try recreating trending content like dances or funny scenarios (similar to tags on YouTube) and eventually put your own spin on them.
Pay attention to trending songs and hashtags as they might give your content more visibility. I typically only choose songs for my videos from the trending page.
If you have a video go viral, create similar content like that so you cater to the people who follow you after viewing that video.
Figure out how TikTok’s in-app editing tools work. The videos that are most successful on TikTok are often cut perfectly to music and the editing tools in the app will allow you to do that.
I see a lot of people saying that you should pick a niche on TikTok but I think in the early days of a platform you have to be willing to experiment. Try a bunch of stuff and see what sticks and then after a while you can decide on a niche. I’m primarily a fashion and beauty content creator but the videos I share on TikTok of New York City restaurants often go viral so I’m always thinking about ways to incorporate fashion into those videos with a cool outfit.
For more tips on TikTok you can watch this video and leave any questions in the comments as always.
yours,
Austen
