Those who want to become popular on TikTok, as well as other social media platforms, should first realize that it takes time and consistent effort every single day. There's no magic wand here, and no one can promise results to those who do nothing.
What is TikTok?
TikTok is a social network launched in 2016, originally known as music.ly, which allows users to create and publish videos up to 60 seconds long, changing the playback speed and adding special filters and effects. Its operation is simple and mainly based on the viral aspect of content, which tends to create tension and keep the user glued to the screen.
Another feature of TikTok is challenges that users can perform, making it very interesting from a communication perspective.
First Steps
The first thing to do is to set up your profile correctly and fill in every information that TikTok allows us to display. If you don't have a website, you can create a regular page that will allow you to get a link for publication.
Unlike Instagram, TikTok allows you to add a video instead of a profile picture. A video profile is much preferable because it can be an additional distinctive element that will help you stand out among other users.
One of the most important things for those who want to develop on TikTok is to identify their audience. This is because content works differently for one group or another, so before creating and implementing your own strategy on TikTok, you need to determine the target direction.
Once the goal is defined, you can think about an editorial calendar with content that will appeal to people with this specific interest. It's easy to determine the audience to whom the videos will be shown, but it takes some time. Suppose a biker wants to post videos on TikTok about how they ride a motorcycle. The first thing to do is to search for content using the word "motorcycle" (you can use English to find an international audience).
Then you need to find the most popular profiles that post videos about motorcycles and look not only at the content they post but also at the audience interacting with them. That is, you need to analyze the videos that received the most views and understand how to improve your own videos by identifying weak points.
Catching the Trend
As in all other social media platforms, hashtags have a certain value in TikTok. By adding one or more hashtags to your posts, you can increase your video views. However, it's important to remember that using common and popular hashtags may not necessarily make you more visible - in fact, it can have the opposite effect. It's better to use more niche hashtags that correspond to the content of your video. There is no official limit on the number of hashtags in a TikTok video description, but it is recommended to use a maximum of 33.
In addition to likes and views, everyone wants to increase their number of followers. To try and give your video a bigger push, it's important to choose the right moment. Posting your video during a time interval when most of your followers (and users in general) are active on TikTok allows you to get more exposure and therefore increases your chances of getting more likes and views.
It's also important to note that your channel may have an international audience with different time zones, but in most cases users are more active during peak hours, such as lunchtime (from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM) or before dinner (from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM).
To Bot or Not to Bot - That is the Question
One of the most commonly used methods to encourage users to create content that talks about a popular video is to organize a contest with prizes. It's also important to stay active and engage with other users in order to stand out and have a better chance of appearing in their channels. After all, if someone subscribes to your channel, likes your video, or leaves a comment, you'll receive a notification with their profile name.
For those with limited time, it's not always easy to keep their profile active. In these cases, TikTok bots can be helpful as they allow you to automatically respond to comments and thereby increase your number of followers and profile visibility in a short time with minimal effort. However, the use of these applications should be exercised with caution to avoid making your profile appear too artificial and potentially receiving the opposite effect of what you desired.