Like many others, I vowed to myself at the start of the year that I wouldn't join TikTok. Alas, as soon as lockdown 1.0 ensued, I finally caved in — and it was rather surprising to see that the app didn't just consist of dancing pre-teens. In the past month or so, I decided to take the plunge and start making content myself. Granted, there's still a long way to go, but there's a couple of tips and tricks that I have learnt in my first month that I wanted to share with you today. Before we get into the heart of the matter, do feel free to leave a comment in the comments section below with any thoughts or additional tips!
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Understanding the Algorithm is Key
What arguably made TikTok such a popular app in the first place is its highly curated 'For You' page — and it is by getting your content on this page that will allow you to grow your audience. The key to getting your content on the 'For You' page is engagement. You see, a video will only be shown to a small number of users after it is first uploaded. If these users respond well to your video — be it by watching it in full or dropping a like/comment — your video will continue to be pushed out to other users. This is why some videos tend to get far more views than others on the app.
Luckily, there are several easy ways in which you can boost your engagement. One of the most effective for me has been to think carefully about my titles. If you saw the titles "How I Got A*A*A*A at A-Level" and "How to Ace Your A-Level Exams", which one would you pick? I would argue that it would be the first one. Think, how are you going to increase your overall watch time if you cannot convince users to watch your video in the first place? Similarly, it is much easier to achieve a higher percentage of watch time if your videos are shorter.
Luckily, there are several easy ways in which you can boost your engagement. One of the most effective for me has been to think carefully about my titles. If you saw the titles "How I Got A*A*A*A at A-Level" and "How to Ace Your A-Level Exams", which one would you pick? I would argue that it would be the first one. Think, how are you going to increase your overall watch time if you cannot convince users to watch your video in the first place? Similarly, it is much easier to achieve a higher percentage of watch time if your videos are shorter.
Posting Times Are a Lot More Important Than You Think
Leading on from the above, the time and day in which you post can help you to positively trigger the app's algorithm. Generally speaking, in the United Kingdom, the best times to post are generally in the early morning or late evening. The specific times do vary day by day and for that, I would recommend looking at some graphics online. Similarly, I think it is worth upgrading to the free Creator account so that you can analyse the times and days in which your followers are most active.
Hashtags, On the Other Hand, Are Not
For the most part, I will include the hashtags #fyp or #foryoupage in my captions, as they have been shown to help videos reach this curated page of content. Beyond that, however, I have noticed that hashtags that I chose to use did not make as great a deal to my video performance as did other factors. That being said, I think a clear strategy can be helpful nonetheless. Recently, I have been trying to incorporate more popular, trending hashtags with ones that are less popular to reach a wider audience.
Use Trends to Your Advantage
This one, I'm sure, will not come as a great surprise to you. Participating in trends, be it a video trend or simply using trending audio, can be a great way to allow new users to find you — particularly if you are early to the trend or create your own take on it. Getting the audio right has been an important one for me, as I notice a substantially higher number of views on videos that tend to have popular audio tracks playing, as opposed to those with only a few hundred videos featuring it.
Understand The Platform
In addition to understanding the app's algorithm, it is crucial to understand the platform itself. More specifically, understanding the demographic of TikTok users and the general style of content will help you to tailor your content to what users are interested in seeing, which will ultimately bring you a greater return. The most popular videos on my feed are those that are well put-together but not overly edited in the mode that is customary on Instagram, for example. Similarly, playing into the above point about trends, there is usually a style of video at any given time that is doing particularly well. Could you incorporate that video idea into your content?
