This is one of the most open ended questions we’ve been asked, yet it’s one which many social media users who haven’t yet branched into TikTok reach out to us with.
So, we thought we’d create a short beginners guide to TikTok – looking at what’s available, what makes it different, and how to maximise your user experience on the app.
What is TikTok?
TikTok is a social media app which emphasises video content. It started by enabling content of just 15 seconds, gradually expanding the limit until in 2022 it announced that videos could last up to 10 minutes in length.
TikTok videos are renowned for their potential to go viral. The vast editing options and the features which allow users to add voiceovers, split screens, layered videos, and more, mean that the app is incredibly engaging. As such, certain video concepts will become trending or viral ideas, which are picked up and mimicked by other creators who add their own spin to the same idea.
These include things like dance challenges, video templates, reaction videos, and more.
How to Enjoy TikTok as a User
The best thing about TikTok is that when you first join the app, it will ask you for some things that you are interested in. This, combined with your ongoing engagement and the types of TikTok videos that you view, will further inform the app so that it can fill your feed with content that it thinks you will like.
As a user, you are free to use the search button in the top right hand corner of the home feed screen whenever you want to search for a specific topic, style of content, or a user.
This same search area is also filled with trending topics and themes that are being regularly searched by other users. This information in particular is what helps creators to stay relevant and ensure that their content is always on-trend and in line with what’s popular in the moment.
You can also follow friends and people you know, with TikTok connecting you to accounts you many want to follow based on your Facebook friends, contacts, and other suggested accounts.
How to Become a TikTok Creator
The most important thing you need to do to become a TikTok creator is to start making and sharing content.
Engagement is a make or break for budding creators, so consider a niche content category that you can slot into and start creating content which will appeal to your chosen niche and target audience.
Over time, you will find that hashtags and a quick response to trending topics will cause more users to follow you. When you have enough follows, currently 1,000, TikTok will enable you to start live stream content which connects you even more to your audience and allows you to start really start growing a community on the app.
TikTok Tips to Make The App Easier to Use
- Clicking on a video will pause it – clicking on it again will start the TikTok playing again
- If you don’t want to watch an entire video on your feed, swipe up to move onto the next video
- If you want to share a TikTok, comment on it, or engage in some other way, you need to use the buttons which run down the right hand side of the TikTok
- Your inbox is where you can send messages directly to other users
- The TikTok shop feature is integral for brands and businesses to get their head around, if they want to use the app for direct marketing. For users, this is where you can identify and find products which are trending across social media
- If you favourite any videos on the app, you can access and revisit them easily via your own profile
- If you like a specific soundtrack that’s attached to a TikTok, you can transfer this to your own content by clicking on the audio image at the bottom of the engagement icons on the video screen. This will open a page dedicated to that sound, showing you other TikTok’s that have used it and inviting you to use it yourself
The more time you spend on TikTok, the more features you will discover and the easier you will find it to navigate and find content that resonates with you. We hope this helps you to get you head around the most basic actions on TikTok! Look out for more articles like this for ongoing guidance and support.
