I’m sure you’ve spent at least a bit of time on TikTok by now, I mean – who hasn’t… It’s easily become one of the most popular social media platforms and since its launch, gained over 1 billion users! The exposure you can get is truly next-level. And while these numbers may sound intimidating or like it’s too late to get in – don’t worry because that is definitely not the case.

Since there is so much to talk about when it comes to TikTok, we decided to split the topic into different posts. Over the next few weeks, we will teach you more about the TikTok algorithm, give you some content ideas, and show you how you can make money with TikTok. But today I want to start with the basics and share some tips for getting started on the platform!

What is TikTok and who is it for?

Now, you probably already know the platform is, but on TikTok, you can create short videos of yourself, your product, or your business for up to 3 minutes (even though short videos of 15 – 60 seconds are preferred), and share them with the entire world. While other social media platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram are focused on sharing different types of content, TikTok is only about sharing videos, which opens a whole new level of connection with your audience.

When you open TikTok, you will find many different types of video content. From music or comedy to storytelling and of course the famous dance and lipsync videos – on TikTok, you can basically find anything. A lot of people also use the app to express themselves and share their lives in a unique way or introduce their small businesses, but large companies have also hopped on the trend and are crushing it. The aim is to create videos that grab users’ interest within the first few seconds to stop them from scrolling.

The great thing about TikTok is that anyone can do it, and more importantly, anyone has the chance to go viral and get millions of views. Your follower count doesn’t really matter. Someone with just a handful of followers can have their video go viral – one of the biggest advantages compared to Instagram, where it’s much harder to get that many views. For example, we posted the exact same video on TikTok and on Reels. The result: 50,4 MILLION views on TikTok and only 210k views on Instagram. And this is not an exception – another one of our videos got 18,4 million on TikTok and 721k on Instagram.

What are the key ingredients to being successful on TikTok?

Now you’re probably wondering what it takes to be successful on TikTok, and while there is not a one size fits all rule that will guarantee you to grow big, there are a few key ingredients that you should stand by. Just like on any other social media platform you will need to get clear on your personal brand, show up authentically, and have a process for creating content. Authenticity is key when you’re establishing a strong personal brand that your audience can relate to. People want to see who you are. TikTok is really all about showing up as your authentic self and creating genuine and unstaged content. So, let’s go over some tips that will help you to get started on your journey!

FIND YOUR NICHE

The first thing you need to do is to decide on a niche that you are going for and your specific point of view. Just like on Instagram, or anywhere else really, you need to find your niche and stick to it. You need to find something that people will know you for.

Now, as a brand, you probably have an idea of what you want to share. Your product, your business, how it can help others, the value they get from it, maybe how you make it, or how you package it. Regardless of what your videos look like at the end, at least you know the topic that your account will be all about.

Well, if you don’t have a business and just have to be yourself it can be hard to know what will work best for you. It could be a talent of yours, a hobby, your travels, cooking videos, or some dance moves. So, think about what it is that you want to do – the good thing is that there is a niche for EVERYTHING, you just need to find yours.

FIND “YOUR THING”

Once you know what your videos will be about you will need to add a little “extra” if you want to stand out from the crowd. It might be a certain way of doing things, one type of video format that you always repeat, the way you cut your videos, a sentence you always say, or a facial expression that you do that people will remember you by. It’s kind of like your trademark.

There are obviously endless ways to do certain things and it doesn’t even have to be anything crazy. It might also take you some time to find your special something. Just start creating and after a while, you will see what is a recurring factor in all your videos. And once you find it, make it yours. It’s often just the little things that make people recognize your videos. It’s the consistency within your feed that will make you successful. Of course, not every TikToker has such a trademark but the majority of the ones that succeed do.

SHARE GOOD CONTENT

Finally, you’ll have to start creating. As soon as you have your niche figured out, it’s important to create content that people will enjoy watching and that provides them with some sort of value. And when it comes to TikTok, quantity tends to go over quality. I’m not saying upload just anything, but don’t worry if things are not perfect. As I mentioned before, TikTok doesn’t want the perfectly edited content that portrays a perfect world. People want authenticity. And while you create as much as you can, it’s a great way for you to experiment and figure out what works. If possible, post at least two to three videos a day. That consistency and posting multiple times a day is really how you’re going to figure yourself out. Be sure to make use of all of the features TikTok offers – from stitching to dueting and video replies to comments, all of this will help you to really get your content out there.

And there you have it – the basics to getting started on TikTok. Soon we will share with you the content that works best on the platform but until then just create and try to hop on the trends! If you struggle to find trending sounds or video ideas then I suggest signing up to our VIP list to hear about our new project that is launching very soon!