The best way to Use TikTok: Novices Begin Right here

Okay, it’s official: you possibly can’t ignore TikTok anymore.
It’s the seventh most-used social media platform on the planet, with 689 million global active users, and it’s been downloaded greater than 2 billion times. This isn’t a fad — it’s a social media phenomenon. And it’s time to get on board (and eventually discover out who on earth Charli D’Amelio is).
In the event you’re new to the video-sharing platform, we’ve received you lined. (Traditional us!)
Learn on for all the things it’s worthwhile to learn about getting began with TikTok and honing your video modifying chops.
Bonus: Get a free TikTok Growth Checklist from famous TikTok creator Tiffy Chen that shows you how to gain 1.6 million followers with only 3 studio lights and iMovie.
What is TikTok?
TikTok is a platform for short-form mobile videos. Customers could make movies that vary between 5 seconds and three minutes lengthy, and use a large music library and enjoyable results to shortly edit collectively bite-sized digital movies.
However past the enjoyable of shortly taking pictures and modifying movies out of your cellphone, what makes TikTok downright irresistible for therefore many individuals is discovering content material by way of TikTok’s finely tuned algorithm.
TikTok’s For You web page (the app’s dwelling display) delivers an infinite stream of movies from different customers, and will get smarter and smarter about what you want as time goes on. (Perhaps even too sensible, as some users fret.) It’s like a personalised TV station that caters to each your pursuits and our shortening consideration spans!
TikTok’s unimaginable maintain on the Gen Z market has turned it right into a advertising powerhouse. Songs go viral (hello, Doja Cat!). Stars are born (shout out to Addison Rae, who pivoted a TikTok dance profession right into a starring position in He’s All That). Traits unfold like wildfire (keep in mind while you couldn’t find feta to save lots of your life?).
Lengthy story brief: it’s a wonderful alternative for manufacturers to get in there and construct some critical buzz.
@grilledcheesesocial Baked feta pasta viral recipe! Impressed by #uunifeta by way of @liemessa & @tiiupiret #learnontiktok #foodtiktok #foodie
It’s necessary to notice how central music and dancing are to the TikTok ecosystem — the app was born of a merger between ByteDance and Mysical.ly.
@flawlessdancegroup Needed to hit this traditional to a traditional DC : @swooshflawlessuk #tryagainchallenge #rocktheboatchallenge W/ @anthony_a_d
It’s additionally necessary to notice that the app has confronted its share of controversy, due to high-profile privacy and safety issues.
However clearly, these points haven’t stopped millions of users worldwide from embracing the app. Right here’s how one can get in on the enjoyable, too.
The best way to arrange a TikTok account
1. Obtain the TikTok app from the iOS App Retailer or Google Play.
2. Open the app.
3. Go to Me.
4. Select a way to enroll.
You probably did it! You’re a TikTok-er now! No takebacks!
The best way to make a TikTok
After all, a TikTok account is only one step within the journey in direction of complete social media domination. You must, you realize, make some content material, too. Fortunately, it’s simple and enjoyable.
1. When you’ve received your account arrange, faucet the + image on the backside of the display to enter Create mode.
2. Earlier than you begin recording, you’ll have the ability to pre-select a wide range of modifying parts to use to your video clip from a menu on the right-hand aspect of the display. Flip to your front-facing digicam, tweak the velocity, apply a softening magnificence lens, play with completely different filters, arrange a self-timer or toggle the flash on or off.
3. On the prime of the display, faucet Add sound to organize sound clips and music.
4. Able to file? Maintain down the crimson button within the backside heart to file video, or faucet it as soon as to snap a pic. Alternatively, faucet Add to the proper of the file button, and look at your digicam library to add a photograph or video from there.
5. In the event you’d like so as to add extra movies or pictures to the sequence, comply with steps 2 via 4 once more.
6. If you’ve created your whole “scenes,” hit the checkmark icon.
7. You’ll then have an opportunity to edit additional, including textual content, stickers, extra filters, voiceovers and extra.
8. If you’re completely happy along with your video, click on Subsequent so as to add a caption or hashtags, tag buddies, add a URL or toggle numerous privateness choices on or off.
9. Publish by tapping Publish!
Scheduling a TikTok
In the event you’d quite not put up immediately, you need to use Hootsuite to schedule your TikToks for any time sooner or later. (TikTok’s native scheduler solely permits customers to schedule TikToks as much as 10 days upfront.)
To create and schedule a TikTok utilizing Hootsuite, comply with these steps:
- Report your video and edit it (including sounds and results) within the TikTok app.
- If you’re performed modifying your video, faucet Subsequent within the backside proper nook of your display. Then, choose Extra choices and faucet Save to machine.
- In Hootsuite, faucet the Create icon on the very prime of the left-hand menu to open the Composer.
- Choose the account you need to publish your TikTok to.
- Add the TikTok you saved to your machine.
- Add a caption. You’ll be able to embrace emojis and hashtags, and tag different accounts in your caption.
- Modify extra settings. You’ll be able to allow or disable feedback, Stitches and Duets for every of your particular person posts.
Word: Present TikTok privateness settings (arrange within the TikTok app) will override these ones. - Preview your put up and click on Publish now to publish it instantly, or…
- …click on Schedule for later to put up your TikTok at a unique time. You’ll be able to manually choose a publication date or choose from three advisable customized greatest occasions to put up for optimum engagement.
And that’s it! Your TikToks will present up within the Planner, alongside your whole different scheduled social media posts.
This circulate works each on desktop and within the Hootsuite cellular app.
The best way to use TikTok results
TikTok’s modifying results are an enormous a part of the app’s attraction. With built-in filters, results and graphic parts, it’s easy to compose a masterpiece (particularly: a masterpiece set to a Megan Thee Stallion music by which you will have flames taking pictures out your eyes).
1. Faucet the + icon to begin making your video.
2. Faucet the Results menu to the left of the file button.
3. Scroll to the proper to discover the completely different subcategories of results, from “Animals” to “Humorous.” Faucet any of the results to preview how they’ll look on digicam.
4. Underneath the “Inexperienced Display screen” part, you’ll discover a wide range of other ways to layer your video overtop of a faux background. Get experimental! You’ll see a row of pictures and movies out of your digicam roll on prime of the results right here. Faucet whichever picture or video you’d wish to layer onto the inexperienced display and watch the magic (er, know-how) occur.
5. If you’ve discovered the impact you’d wish to attempt, faucet out of the results menu and use the file button to seize your scene.
When you’ve gotten the grasp of modifying, try our roundup of creative video ideas to get the juices flowing.
Hottest TikTok modifying options
Undecided the place to begin in your modifying journey? Begin with mastering these in style video modifying options.
The inexperienced display device
Transport your self to anyplace on the planet with the inexperienced display impact.
Simply faucet the Impact button to the left of the file button and discover the “inexperienced display” tab. There are a lot of completely different kinds, however all of them layer a recent video of you in entrance of a faux background.
Sizzling tip: file a video of your self, after which use that because the inexperienced display backdrop so you possibly can work together along with your digital clone!
@tiktok Check out the brand new #greenscreenvideo Replace the app to make use of the brand new Inventive Impact!
TikTok duets
The TikTok duet device lets you share a cut up display with one other consumer’s content material to sing alongside, dance alongside… or get somewhat goofy.
To duet with a video, faucet the share button on the right-hand aspect of a video and faucet Duet. Word that customers do must opt-in to this, so that you may not have the ability to duet with each video you discover.
@brodywellmaker #duet with @nastitwerk
Including textual content
It’s uncommon to discover a TikTok video with out textual content on it. Simply add in your phrases of knowledge or closed captioning in on the ultimate modifying display.
If you wish to add in textual content that seems and disappears to the beat, we’ll stroll you thru it over right here on our information to the 10 Top TikTok Tricks.
@kluck.it Canadians allow them to know that is info? #fypシ #friedchicken #eat #foodtiktok #foodie #trending #xyzbca #xyzbca #america #canada?? #yum #Chicken #fy
Showing, disappearing or reworking
No high-tech modifying strikes are wanted to drag off this in style TikTok magic trick: simply file clips that start the place the final one left off… whether or not that’s poised in a snap, along with your palm overlaying the lens, or with you completely out of the body of the digicam.
@katte_oficial No puede haber más verdad en un video! A quien más le favoreció la pubertad? Miren mi ultima foto de insta ?? IG: @kattemusic #glowupchallenge
Cloning
TikTok is all the time introducing new results, filters and options, so trending modifying methods are altering each day… like this clone picture impact that’s popping up all over the place. Hold your eye on the Uncover tab to remain within the learn about what’s trending.
If you first log in to TikTok and are bombarded by pugs in baths and terrible boyfriends from each angle, it will probably really feel overwhelming. However the 5 icons throughout the underside of your display are there to supply some construction and luxury to the expertise — sure, there’s a methodology to the TikTok insanity.
From left to proper, they’re:
Residence
Faucet on this icon on the bottom-left of your display, and also you’ll end up watching a stream of TikTok content material from different customers.
Within the For You tab, you’ll be delivered recent content material from throughout the app that the TikTok algorithm thinks you would possibly like.
Wish to see what your mates are as much as? Swipe over to the Following tab (on the prime of the display) to view a stream of content material completely from folks you comply with.
Uncover
This web page will share trending hashtags you can discover, however it’s additionally the spot the place you possibly can seek for particular content material, customers, songs or hashtags.
Create (the plus button)
Faucet this to entry the recording display and create a TikTok! Scroll again up for warm recommendations on how this part features, or dig into our 10 TikTok Tricks for beginners.
Inbox
Right here, you’ll discover notifications about new followers, likes, feedback, mentions and extra. Faucet the All exercise menu on the prime to filter by particular notification kind.
Me
The Me icon results in your profile. You’ll be able to faucet the Edit profile button to make adjustments, or faucet on the three dots within the prime proper to entry TikTok’s settings and privateness menu.
The best way to change your TikTok username
Your username ought to make it simple for TikTok customers to seek out you on the platform. So, a normal rule of thumb is: hold it easy (e.g. use the title of your model as your username) and keep away from altering your username when you don’t have an excellent motive to take action.
However when you ever want to vary your username, the method is easy:
- Go to the Profile tab
- Faucet Edit profile
- Kind in your new username and save the adjustments.
You’ll be able to solely change your TikTok username as soon as each 30 days, so be sure to verify the spelling earlier than you hit Save.
Word that altering your username can even change your profile URL.
The best way to discover buddies on TikTok
One technique to discover your mates on TikTok is to attach your profile to your contact record or Fb account.
- Go to the Me tab (the underside proper nook).
- Faucet the human-and-a-plus-sign icon within the prime left nook.
- Select to ask buddies immediately, join along with your cellphone’s contact record or join along with your Fb buddies record.
- To show off contact sync, you possibly can all the time return into your cellphone’s privateness settings and switch off contact entry for TikTok.
One other technique to discover buddies is to seek for their usernames. Go to the Uncover tab (second icon from the underside proper) and kind of their title.
Another possibility: scan your good friend’s TikCode. It is a distinctive QR code constructed proper into customers’ profiles. Scan one along with your cellphone, and also you’ll be taken to their profile in your display… no pesky tapping or typing required.
The best way to have interaction with different customers on TikTok
Interacting with different customers doesn’t simply make TikTok a extra enjoyable place to be (you realize, placing the “social” into social media), however it’s additionally a important a part of any successful TikTok marketing strategy.
On each video, you’ll discover a menu of icons on the right-hand aspect that mean you can have interaction and work together with different TikTok-ers. Use ‘em!
- Faucet the profile icon to go to the consumer’s profile. (And in case your fingers are dainty sufficient, faucet the tiny plus signal to comply with the creator.)
- Faucet the coronary heart icon to love a video. (This provides the creator props and lets TikTok know what sort of content material you’d wish to see extra of!)
- Faucet the speech bubble icon to go away a remark or learn feedback.
- Faucet the arrow icon to share the video with a good friend, reserve it, use the identical impact by yourself video, or duet or sew the video to your personal recent take.
- Faucet the spinning file icon to see which music is getting used within the video, and discover different TikToks that use the identical clip.
After all, that is simply scratching the floor of all that TikTok is able to.
In the event you’re able to take your model’s TikTok technique to the following degree, we’ve received extra in-depth guides that sort out all the things from TikTok analytics to methods for making money on the platform. Dig into our whole library of TikTok resources right here… after which heat up your singing voice as a result of we’re simply hankering for a duet.
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