What You Should Know before Joining Tiktok

Owned by ByteDance, TikTok was first launched in the international market in September 2017. Before too long, the short-form video sharing social networking platform went viral, and has since become one of the fastest-growing apps in the world.

TikTok is used to create and share short videos, from genres like dance, comedy, lip-sync, education, and challenges. Users can upload videos of up to 10 minutes in length, and the app has a variety of editing tools to help users create their videos.

During the pandemic, TikTok's popularity exploded in the US, and it hasn't slowed down since.

Despite its rocky relationship with the international governments, TikTok topped the list of most downloaded apps in the world in 2022. It was the most downloaded app on both the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store. This trend is expected to continue in 2023, as TikTok remains the most downloaded app to date.

‍

Contrary to what many people think, TikTok isn't only popular among teenagers; the platform also caters to independent creators and small business owners who use it as a way to make money on the platform.

In this article, we'll answer some questions our users have asked, and discuss other points you should know before joining TikTok.

How Long Are TikTok Videos?

Regular TikTok videos can be 15 seconds to 3 minutes long when recorded within the app, and up to 10 minutes long when uploaded separately.

TikTok Stories are limited to 15 seconds each, but you can post multiple stories in a row.

Should You Join TikTok?

You may have wondered whether TikTok is for you; whether it's worth your time to join. 

Just so you know, its popularity is soaring not only among lip-syncing teens and celebrities or artists but also creators, influencers, small businesses, and brands of all sizes.

Many wildly popular influencers started their successful careers after going viral on TikTok. One example is Charli D'Amelio, who was a competitive dancer for more than 10 years before starting her social media career. Now, with 80 million fans, the 17-year-old is the most followed creator on TikTok.

And now with the brand new text-based posts feature, launched July 24, 2023, it’s clear that TikTok wants to become more inclusive, making ways for more creators to join its platform who are still in their initial stages of video marketing.

TikTok is a great platform for anyone with a creative mind, regardless of their niche.

For example, Kat Norton's educational videos on MS Excel have helped her get 927.9K followers and 2.1M likes as of July 2023.

So if you know how to come up with fun, entertaining ideas to create and promote your content and make them interesting, TikTok is for you.

Here are some interesting facts about TikTok:

• It has over 1.5 billion active monthly users.
• With over 150 million users, the United States tops the list of countries with the most TikTok users in the world.

• The average user spends 95 minutes, that’s more than 1.5 hrs, on the app per day.
• It has been downloaded over 3.5 billion times worldwide.
• It has been used to create some of the most viral videos of all time.
• The app is available in over 150 countries and is translated into 75 languages.
• TikTok has a variety of features, including the ability to create and share videos, duet with other users, and live stream.
• The app is constantly being updated with new features and content.
• TikTok is a great way to discover new content and trends.

Things You Should Consider Before Joining TikTok

If you’re considering TikTok as your go-to social media destination for brand or business promotion, or as a potential platform to get new followers and become an influencer, consider factors like target audiences, content types, and TikTok algorithms, among others.

1. Audience Groups

Entrepreneurs and influencers looking to grow revenue and followers on TikTok should know if they’ll find their target audience there. According to Statista, 7 in 10 American teens are on TikTok.

‍

As noted earlier, teens may be the biggest TikTok users, but they are not the only TikTok users. According to a February 2021 survey by Fortune magazine, 21 percent of millennials (aged 25 to 40) have a TikTok account and another 17 percent plan to create one.

2. Content Type and Niche

Text-based posts are just launched, so it’s still early to gain any kind of insights into this and say which type of content is performing better than others. 

Based on historical data, song dance challenges have found a special place in the TikTok community because entertaining videos are at the core of the platform. Social media challenges are also popular among Tik-Tokers.

3.  For You Page

The "For You" page is TikTok's main feed, where users can discover content based on their interests. The algorithm analyzes your behavior, such as the videos you like, share, and interact with, to tailor the content shown on your "For You" page.

4. TikTok Algorithms

TikTok algorithms are a bit tricky. From your location to hashtags and interaction patterns, all are taken into account to curate For You feeds.

As TikTok explains:

"When you open TikTok and land in your For You feed, you're presented with a stream of videos curated to your interests, making it easy to find content and creators you love. This feed is powered by a recommendation system that delivers content to each user that is likely to be of interest to that particular user."

Some important factors that influence TikTok algorithms are:

• User engagement: Videos you create, like or share, and comment on; accounts you follow.
• Video information: This might include details like hashtags, captions, and sounds.
• Device and account settings: Language preference, country, and device type are taken into consideration to optimize the user's experience.

However, TikTok also says: "A strong indicator of interest, such as whether a user finishes watching a longer video from beginning to end, would receive greater weight than a weak indicator, such as whether the video's viewer and creator are both in the same country."

And, most importantly: "Neither follower count nor whether the account has had previous high-performing videos are direct factors in the recommendation system."

Tips to Become Successful on TikTok

So now you want to join TikTok – great decision! Let us help you by sharing some useful tips:

1. Create a List of Hashtags

Look at the example we shared from Quincy’s Tavern (scroll up),and  notice the caption with hashtags. As we previously discussed, hashtags are one of the factors that help shape the For You page. Using hashtags ensures that your content is visible to your potential audience.

With so many types of hashtags out there and a 100-character limit, it can be confusing to find the relevant hashtags for TikTok. We recommend using our app, Hashtag Expert, so you can leave that worry to us and concentrate on your videos.

2. Explore Feeds and Discover

Once you've determined the best hashtags to use, you can invest your time and energy into exploring the For You and Discover pages. This will give you an idea about what type of content can work well with users. Now, try to create similar videos and experiment with them.

3. Be Creative

If you love to express your creativity or fun side, you’re in luck with TikTok no matter how ‘boring’ you might think your topic is.

It wasn't dance challenges or beauty-tips that made Kat Norton aka Miss Excel famous on TikTok. She wanted to help others by sharing spreadsheet and productivity tips, and then she went viral which eventually helped her build a business that generates more than $2 million a year.

Who on earth would have thought creating educational videos on Excel could be fun? And that she’d find her target audience on TikTok?

If you need a little help with coming up with creative ideas for your content, consider following other creators from your niche who are successful on TikTok.

Apart from that consider these things too: shoot videos from different angles, mix the clips, and match up with the beats. Use the in-app editing tools and TikTok filters to make your clips look cool. And most importantly, don’t be afraid to experiment because that’s the only way to find out what works for your audience.

4. Participate in Trending Challenges

There are often trends and challenges that circulate on TikTok, encouraging users to participate and create their own videos within that theme. Participating in these challenges can help you gain visibility and followers.

5. Leverage the Editing Tools

TikTok provides a range of editing tools and effects, including filters, transitions, stickers, and augmented reality features. These tools allow users to enhance their videos and create engaging content.

6. Try Out Text-Based Posts

Not comfortable with creating videos during the initial days of marketing?

No time to create and edit videos at scale?

Thanks to TikTok's new feature, now you can post text-based content and keep your followers engaged.

The new text-based updates on TikTok resemble Instagram Stories in terms of appearance.

Users can customize their posts by adding a background color, editing the text style, and including music and stickers.

However, there is a 1,000-character limit for each post.

7. Don't Forget the Musical Elements

TikTok originated as a music-focused app, and its roots are still evident. Users can easily add music to their videos, with a vast catalog of licensed songs available, as well as the ability to add their own original audio.

In fact, TikTok allows you to add music to your text-based posts, which we highly encourage you to do. This will help keep your readers engaged as they groove to the tunes.

If you're new to TikTok, try posting consistently, and keep your expectations real. Your first few weeks are best spent learning about the app, and exploring its features and content.

This will make you more confident and give you the knowledge you need to develop a plan for your own content, create your videos, and share them on TikTok.

Have fun, and good luck!