Is TikTok taking over the world? With over one billion monthly active users, it definitely feels like this video-based social networking platform has reached global domination status. If you haven’t joined in yet, it’s time to get on board.
We’ve gathered up a list of the best TikTok tips and tricks: think getting views, increasing engagement, monitoring comments and using TikTok Live. Sure, TikTok is taking over the world — but now it’s time for you to take over TikTok.
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TikTok tips and tricks for 2023
1. Start with a hook
TikTok moves fast. If you don’t grab a viewer’s attention right away, you risk losing them to whoever is next on the endless scroll.
When creating a video on TikTok, start with a hook: ideally, the first second or two will reel in your intended audience. You can do this through audio or visual means.
For example, the makeup tutorial below shows the text “Makeup Placement Tips for Glasses Wearers” right from the start. There’s no waiting to see what the video will be about; instead, the TikTokker introduces the subject right away, giving you a reason to stick around and see what the advice is.
@stxph.h
I’ve been wearing glasses for over 10 years and these @JINS Eyewear glasses are one of the most comfortable, lightweight ones I’ve tried! #sponsored #jinseyewear #jinsxigari #makeupforglasses #makeuptips #makeuphackseveryday
♬ Roxanne – Instrumental – Califa Azul
Here’s another example from a chef. They start off the video with “Here’s a trick I learned from working in kitchens” and show a dirty pot. The chef isn’t giving anything away, but a viewer very quickly learns what the video is about and why they should keep watching (everyone loves a cleaning hack).
@abbyinthegalley
Little Chef Tips #tips #hack #kitchenhacks #caramel #tiktokchef #littlechef #tiktokfood #fyp #fypã‚· #foryou #easy
♬ Le Festin (From “Ratatouille”) – Movie Sounds Unlimited
2. Give viewers a reason to comment…
On TikTok, comments are king (sorry, that’s a lie—technically, Lewis Capaldi is king, but more on him later). The more comments you get on a video, the more likely TikTok’s algorithm will favour it, meaning more people will see your content.
There’s lots of ways to get comments on your TikTok, but the simplest strategy (and really, the simplest strategy to get anything you want) is to just ask.
For example, Dylan Mulvaney made a TikTok asking for follower’s suggestions for a Halloween costume. She got fifty thousand ideas — that’s enough to dress up in costume every day for 136 years straight, if you’re counting.
@dylanmulvaney
Day 207- HALLOWEEN COSTUME HELP!!! #trans #halloween #costume
♬ Halloween ・ cute horror song – PeriTune
3. … and answer as many comments as possible
Another way to get more comments on TikTok? Make them yourself. Replying to the comments you get on your own TikToks is good for the algorithm, plus it helps to establish a more genuine relationship with your audience.
With 3.6 million followers, TikTokker @erikatitus could easily ignore the comments flowing into her videos—but she replies often, increasing her engagement and also making her fans feel loved.
@erikatitus
lol
♬ Sirtaki (Zorba the Geek) – LucasGitanoFamily
Knowing that the creator is likely to reply is a good incentive for viewers to leave comments, too. Which brings us to:
4. Make TikToks from comments
On the topic of incentive to comment: one of TikTok’s most unique features is creators being able to make videos that reply to a specific comment. In fact, some TikTokkers have built their following based off of audience-requested original videos — like @poppincandy official.
@poppincandyofficial
Reply to @ash3r_fl00f5 WATERMELON MIX! #fyp #fypã‚· #foryoupage #watermelon #green #red #asmr
♬ original sound – Poppin Candy
This brand makes most of its Tiktoks in the form of a reply. It’s a great strategy for engagement: their videos get a ton of comments, all from users hoping to get a reply.
It’s tricky to keep track of all of your comments, especially if you don’t want to be online 24/7 (ah, the ultimate goal).
To make sure you don’t miss anything, use Hootsuite Streams to monitor TikTok comments. You can view, delete, and reply to comments from within the Hootsuite platform.
Try for free
5. Post at the right time
Did you know that there are optimal times to post on TikTok? The best time to post is when most people are going to be actively scrolling, because TikTok rarely shows videos that are more than a week or so old. That time varies depending on day of the week: 9:00 p.m. is a great time to post on Monday, but not on Saturday.
Okay, so we found that 7:00 a.m. on Sunday is a good time to post—does that mean you have to work on the weekend? Luckily, no: you can use tools like Hootsuite’s post scheduler to organize your content ahead of time, and guarantee a video will go live when it is most likely to get a lot of views.
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6. Learn from your successes (and mistakes)
Pay attention to your TikTok analytics. See which kinds of videos are the most successful and try to recreate that success. This isn’t to say you shouldn’t experiment with content or give up on a strategy that doesn’t go viral—you should make content you feel passionate about, it’s not all about the numbers.
Still, if you’ve struck gold, try striking it again. For example, if you find out that your audience goes bonkers (and gives you over 400,000 likes) because of your shockingly accurate Kardashian impression…
@_angelomarasigan
Replying to @:/ mmyeah… #kardashians #kuwtk #realitytv #realitytvclips #comedytrending
♬ original sound – Angelo
…you should try that Kardashian impression again. Maybe even start taking user’s requests for iconic lines (and who knows, perhaps hit 2.1 million likes).
@_angelomarasigan
Replying to @mjpsbucket this is one of my fav quotes from Kim #kardashians #kuwtk #realitytv #realitytvclips #comedytrending
♬ original sound – Angelo
To get the most out of your TikTok metrics, use Hootsuite to analyze your performance. It’s the easiest way to see what’s working and what’s not.
[screenshot of Hootsuite TikTok analytics page would be good here!]
7. Find your niche
This is the kind of advice you’ll get in almost any social media-related blog post: finding your niche (and the community of users who love that niche) is key to establishing your personal brand, whether you’re using TikTok for business or just for fun.
The narrower your niche, the more specific your audience will be: so don’t be afraid to get really specific. For example, this creator has earned over 320,000 followers for making food in an electric lunchbox. Their content is instantly recognizable, and they’re known for that niche content.
@timetoletergo
Changing my name and leaving the country before the Italians see this It was worth it #YellowstoneTV #ChevyEVSongContest #cookingatwork #electriclunchbox #timetoletergo #lasagna #fypã‚·
♬ original sound – Allison
8. Use trending sounds
If you’re ever stuck in a TikTok rut, the best way to get inspo for new content is to scroll through the platform yourself. See what sounds are trending and what folks are using them for, and think about how you can put your own twist on them — and we’re not (just) talking about making lip-sync videos.
Meghan Trainor’s “Made You Look” was big on TikTok in late 2022: there’s over 1.7 million videos made using that audio clip, and the dance blew up so much that Trainor herself made a TikTok doing it.
@meghantrainor
Loving all ur videos to #madeyoulook
♬ Made You Look – Meghan Trainor
Of the 1.7+ million TikToks using that sound, the best ones are the videos that show the TikTokker’s unique personality—like these builders, who might not be quite as glamorous (or rhythm-aware) as Trainor but have that really authentic vibe that the TikTok audience loves.
@sjrbuildingsolutions0
#sjrbuildingsolutions #fyp @meghantrainor
♬ Made You Look – Meghan Trainor
9. Jump on trends
Not all trends are based on audio — there’s also challenge- and game-based trends, which are a great way to incorporate some lighthearted fun into your content. Simply using voice filters is emerging as a huge TikTok trend, and some folks are combining the voice filters with other trends (double whammy).
@greenybeany420
got him #littlefroginmyhand
♬ original sound – ave marin
10. Keep it short and sweet
Editing TikToks is an art in itself, but for the most part, you’ll want to stick with short, snappy clips, a.k.a. keep the viewer’s attention by always giving them something new to look at. This likely means cutting out quite a bit of content in order to show the most action, or even speeding certain clips up. It might be difficult to distill your work down to just a few seconds, but that’s the kind of video that reels viewers in.
@nami._.artist
#namiartist #xuhuong #fanart #speedpainting #art #acrylicpainting #fpy
♬ original sound – XVX – XVX
A great example of this are the TikToks that visual artists make: many of them cut together clips of their process, showing their audience short snippets of their work and how a project goes, step by step. The actual art would take much longer, of course, but cutting it into more digestible pieces is the best way to keep an online audience engaged.
11. Experiment with new forms of videos
TikTok is always changing—the kinds of videos that went viral in 2020 are different from the kinds of videos that are going viral today. It’s important to be constantly experimenting and adapting (and that’s also part of what makes TikTok fun).
Lewis Capaldi (named the King of TikTok by… himself, actually) is an icon on the platform, largely because he’s constantly trying new things. After the singer teased a new love song on TikTok, couples started using it to make romantic videos—and Capaldi started stitching those videos showing how “lackluster” his own love life is.
@lewiscapaldi
#duet with @robyn_mitchellbird93 #lonely
♬ original sound – Lewis Capaldi
It’s an unconventional way to promote the song, but it’s also refreshing how authentic Capaldi is on the app. And the irony in his video stitches is pretty hilarious. Eyerolling at lovey-dovey couples is common on TikTok, but doing it to your own love song is not.
@lewiscapaldi
#duet with @jaronatlas throwing up is my only moment of peace
♬ original sound – Lewis Capaldi
12. Use popular hashtags
Make yourself easier to find on TikTok by using trending hashtags that relate to your content. This helps the platform understand what kinds of videos you are making, and what kinds of users to show those videos to.
This TikTokker makes a lot of content related to food in Sydney, Australia, and they use hashtags to make that content more SEO-friendly.
For example, the video below about Woolies (short for Woolworths, a popular supermarket chain down under) uses the hashtags #placesinsydney, #woolies, #woolworths, #wooliesfinds, #woolworthsfinds, #cheapeats, #hashbrown and #sweetpotatohashbrowns.
@adrianwidjy
So easy and convenient to just toast this sweet potato hash brown! Crispy and yum! Vegan friendly and for $6.50 a bag. It is by *Strong Roots* Go check them out! #placesinsydney #woolies #woolworths #wooliesfinds #woolworthsfinds #cheapeats #hashbrown #finds #grocery #haul #sweetpotatohashbrowns #strongroots
♬ original sound – Places in Sydney Foodie
If you’re not sure what kinds of hashtags to use, try doing a competitive analysis of other TikTokkers who are finding success in a similar niche. Imitate it ‘till you make it!
13. Don’t take yourself too seriously
Making a successful TikTok marketing strategy is serious work, of course. But part of the beauty of the platform is that you don’t have to be traditionally “professional” all the time. A lot of TikTok users just want to scroll through and have a laugh, and it’s okay to show some vulnerability.
Creator Chris Olsen’s charming and relatable sense of humour has garnered an audience of over 9 million. After his viral success, he’s constantly collaborating with celebrities and attending high-profile events, but his content isn’t all about his achievements. In fact, he has an entire second TikTok account with many videos strictly devoted to making fun of himself. It only makes him more charming and relatable.
@notolsennchris
#duet with @njbuckeye #citiconcertseries
♬ original sound – New Jersey Buckeye
Bonus: 5 tips for going live on TikTok
1. Announce the live before you do it
Generate some hype before you go live by posting about it on TikTok. Let your audience know when you’ll go live and what you’ll be talking about, so they can “attend” if they wish to.
Hint: you can also do this across multiple platforms: Post on your Facebook, Instagram and Linkedin to advertise your TikTok live.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by MAKEUP & SKIN SPECIALIST (@charleneomalleymakeup)
2. Plan out what you’re going to say
You don’t need a script for going live on TikTok, but it is a good idea to have a general plan of what you’re going to be doing. Make yourself an outline of talking points or things you want to touch on before going live.
This is especially important if you aren’t super comfortable being on camera—having a plan will make you feel more at ease, and that confidence will come across to your viewers.
3. Title your live appropriately
Because your audience can join your live at any time, it’s important to check in with them and remind them what the purpose of your TikTok is. For example, a viewer that joins 5 minutes in would likely have missed your introduction, and you don’t want them to scroll away because they don’t know what’s going on.
Make sure your whole audience is up to speed by titling your live appropriately (for example, “Teaching my dog how to roll over” or “Q&A with a fireworks scientist” so that viewers immediately know what your live is about. You can also plan verbal reminders every few minutes: just say a few words to catch up anyone who tunes in late.
4. Thank your viewers
The main difference between regular TikTok videos and TikTok Live is that your audience can interact with you in real time. Make sure you’re taking advantage of that by engaging with them: acknowledge comments, answer questions and mention viewers by name if you can.
It’s an effective strategy for creating a more genuine connection with your followers, and who doesn’t love a shoutout?
5. Make a call to action
Your TikTok Live might be the first time some viewers are seeing you, and you don’t want it to be their last. Encourage viewers to follow you (on TikTok and on other platforms, if you have it) and to leave likes and comments. That’s engagement that will help you when it comes to TikTok’s algorithm.
You can say your call to action verbally or even squeeze it into the title of your Live.
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The post 13 TikTok Tips That Will Help You Go Viral in 2023 appeared first on Social Media Marketing & Management Dashboard.
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