If you follow me on IG you may have noticed via stories how obsessed with TikTok I am. I don’t use the word obsessed lightly. I truly spend so much time on this app learning recipes, seeing DIY’s, getting  fashion Inspo and just being entertained by all the crazy  talent on it. I’m always trying to convert people (seriously, if you haven’t already, download it! and let’s be friends.) Not only is it a super entertaining and raw social media platform, but it’s growing bigger every second and the chances of going viral and grow a community (if that’s what you are after) are high. It’s a great place to be a part of especially since a lot of todays pop culture references, memes, slang and popular music were birthed on TikTok.  Once you get a hang of the app you can really start to grow a little community. Best part is that it’s still new enough to where anyone could grow and build a community on there if they do it right.  If you’re thinking of joining but don’t understand how it works.. here are a few tips!

• Spend time on the app. Duh right? But what I mean by this is pay attention to what the app is about. In order to do well on this app you have to really be a part of the community which means spending time seeing what people are doing. If you don’t know what’s trending, then it will  be harder for you to grow. Spend time to understand TikTok culture (which is super different from other apps).

• Know how to identify trends and use them to your advantage. The thing about TikTok trends is that they move quickly! You have to be a part of the conversation while it’s happening and sometimes that can be only a few days to a week tops.  If you scroll through the ‘For You Page’ you may start to hear the same sound over and over on everyone’s videos. Thats a huge indicator there is a trend going on. See what the videos are about. The trick is to see what the trends are, see if they would work for you and add your own spin to them that has to do with your niche. Not all trends may be for you! There are new trends EVERY DAY so just jump on the ones that seem fun and go with your niche. Why do you want to jump on the trends? Because if you hop on quick enough you have a higher chance of it going viral. Tiktok pushes content that is trending and the community responds because it understands the “inside joke”. I like to refer to trends as an inside joke because you either get it (because you are a part of the community) or you don’t because you spend no time on the app. If you have trouble at first, you can also just use any of the “recommended audios” when creating a song. Those are usually trending.

• Use Smart Hashtags. On the note of using what’s trending, pay attention to trending hashtags as well!  You can find what hashtags are trending by clicking on the “discover” page. Tiktok is always doing collaborations with brands where  they use specific audio plus a specific hashtag and get it trending by paying creators to use the audio and hashtag. This starts a trend so if you hop on the trend by using the hashtag (and audio if possible) you could easily get more views and likes opening up your profile to new community members.

• Keep them watching. People’s attention spans are so short! Keep that in mind when making your video. If your video isn’t interesting immediately within the first 3 seconds you might be scrolled past. Watch time on this app is super important. The algorithm pays attention to how many people actually watch your whole video so keep this in mind when creating. Typically keeping it under 15 seconds (even though you can upload longer videos) is best. Your first three seconds should be aesthetically pleasing or surprising or interesting.. anything to keep them watching. Text also helps like adding “what would you do if..” or “I can’t believe this happened” and that sort of thing.

• Engage: Just like any other social media platform you should be engaging! Not just with your audience but with other creators and profiles that are interesting to you and also have to do with your niche. Comment like and build relationships with the accounts you really like. You don’t want to be on tiktok just do gain followers, you want to join in on the community and be a part of it!

• Find your target audience. While you don’t have to niche down necessarily, it can be VERY helpful to do so if you want to build an engaged community. The more specific you get the better. I personally haven’t narrowed down because I love doing a little bit of everything but I know from watching other creators that the more hyper specific you get, the better your chances are of growing. It helps your audience know what to expect from you and new people know what you are all about.

• Be Unique. Tiktok is all about celebrating the unique creators out there. Come up with a new transition, make a brand new sound, start a trend or try something that is already trending and put your own creative spin on it. Following the trends is fine but try and get as original as possible with it whenever you can. Your community will thank you for the effort and come to you as an authority figure who they respect.

• Have fun! If you aren’t having fun, you shouldn’t be on tiktok! It defeats the purpose of the app. Just have fun, experiment, try new things and be yourself.