Tik Tok has taken the social media world by storm in 2020. Formerly known as Musically, Tik Tok is home to millions of content creators sharing everything from dance videos, tutorials, funny skits and so much more. The app’s algorithm is designed to favor content over following, so it doesn’t matter if you have ten followers or ten million, if you produce entertaining videos, you have the chance to go viral. If you are thinking about creating a Tik Tok account, we have put together everything you absolutely need to know to get started. 

The basics: 

• When you first open the app, you have two options of content to watch. You begin on your “for you” page, similar to Instagram’s discovery page, which is a feed of videos that their algorithm thinks you will like. If you swipe right, you will see your “following” feed. This is where videos from your followers will appear. Your following page will be empty if you don’t follow anyone just yet. To follow someone, their profile picture should appear in a circle above the other options on the right side. Simply click on the circle to follow them, or you can go to their profile page and tap “follow.”

Making a video: 

• To make your first video, select the + button along the bottom of the screen. One thing to know before getting started is that your video has to be at least 15 seconds long. The red check mark won’t work to upload until you have a full 15 seconds, but you can make it as long as 60 seconds if you like. 

• Making videos is fairly simple once you get the hang of it. To record, all you have to do is hold down the red button and you can stop and start as frequently as you want. You can also upload videos from your camera roll. 

• If you don’t want to use your own sound, you can select “sounds” at the top center and browse through endless sounds made by other creators. Once you pick one, it will play over your video and you are good to go! This is how trends and different dances go viral, everyone uses the same sound. 

• Filters in the Tik Tok app are similar to other photo platforms. You can pick any that you want and have fun with them! 

Other things to know: 

• If you like a particular sound or song in a video, you can click on it along the bottom under the caption. This takes you to the “sound” page, which is similar to a hashtag on Instagram. Every video that uses that sound will appear on this page, with the most popular first. You can select “use this sound” and film a video to it from here, or search for it when you make a video as described above. 

• The “heart” icon on the right of videos is the like button, located just under the circular follow button for the user. When you “like” videos, they appear on your profile when you swipe right under the heart icon (to access your profile, click on the bottom right icon that says “Me”). Tik Tok keeps your liked videos private so only you can see them. This is a great way to save your favorite recipes or dance ideas that you want to come back to later! 

• Hashtags work on Tik Tok just like Instagram. While it is better to use a popular sound and get discovered on the “music” page, hashtags can help your videos appear on the “for you page” as well. The most common are #ForYouPage or #fyp. Creators use these hashtags to help their chances in the Tik Tok algorithm. The way to go viral is to appear in peoples “for you” page, so anything that helps you get there is worth a try. 

• Odds are you have probably been sent a Tik Tok to watch by a friend or family member recently. You can share videos quickly by tapping the arrow on the bottom right of videos below the like and comment icons. This arrow leads you to options for sharing. You can either choose someone within the app to message or you can copy the link and paste it in a text or email. They also give you the option to share on Instagram, Snapchat, and numerous other platforms. They make it easy to share and bring in more users every day! 

There is a lot more to Tik Tok than we can fit in just one blog post, but hopefully we covered the basics for new users. As soon as you download the app you are ready to get started, no login necessary! We hope you enjoy the new social media platform as much as we do. If you need more assistance getting started or if you're wondering if Tik Tok is a good option for your social media strategy, be sure and reach out to us at info@theburnetteagency.com or give us a call at 404.850.2081.