TikTok 101: How To Create Videos

Videos go viral every day, but most videos these days come directly from one source: TikTok. The widespread adoption of this micro-vlogging video app is already trending as people all over the world are jumping onto the platform to consume and create content. 

Did you know that the use of “challenge” to spark conversations and create engagement on social platforms all started on TikTok? 

As it quickly joins the ranks of popular social media platforms, you might be wondering, 

“Is TikTok for Businesses?” The short answer is Yes. 

However, it doesn’t apply to every kind of business. If you answer “Yes” to the following five questions then TikTok is right for your business. 

• Is your demographic between the ages of 16 and 30? 

• Do you want to extend your brand or business to a younger audience?

• Do you think you can easily showcase your products or services using videos? 

• Are you open to trying something new?

• Would you mind spending time experimenting with content and the platform? 

The biggest gains from TikTok are for companies that post fun, light-hearted, visually-appealing videos that follow popular trends. Before I share a step-by-step guide to creating videos on TikTok (or maybe you plan to Go Live to showcase a new product) below are some examples of content that can promote your business. 

1). Video of you and your team that’s authentic and has humour around it. 

2). Adverts

3). Hashtag Challenges can help promote your brand. 

4). User Generated Content. 

5). Brand Takeovers which allows your brand to take over TikTok for the day. 

6). Influencer Created Content. 

7). In-feed videos are ads that appear between user-generated content. You can create such to increase clicks, web traffic, and downloads. 

8). Share your Success Story. 

9). Share a bit about what you are doing to help people in your community.

10). Share a Do-it-yourself procedure for any product. 

Getting Started with TikTok 

When you open the TikTok app for the first time, the site starts playing videos automatically and you can browse them. However, if you want to create a 15-seconds TikTok video or shoot for three minutes, you need to create an account. 

Sign up

After you’ve downloaded the app on Android or iOS, sign up by clicking the account icon in the lower right corner of the screen. You can use your Facebook, Google, Twitter, or Instagram accounts to sign up. TikTok also allows you to create an account using your phone number or email address. 

Find videos you like

The ‘For You’ page will be a very random mix of content until you start following a few people or like their videos. So start scrolling to see what you find, or go to the ‘Following’ tab and sync your contacts to find friends using the app. The ‘Discover’ section is also a great place to find content. Check out the trending hashtags and find the one that interests you. 

Like a video

To Like a video, double tap it or tap the heart button. Most of the ways to interact with video are on the right side of the screen. It has a creator profile, a ‘Like’ heart, a comment area, post options, an option for you to share, and a rotating icon showing other videos that use the particular song in this video.

Dislike videos you’re not interested in

First, tap and hold on the video you don’t like. A pop-up menu will appear where you can save the video, add it to your favourite, report it (especially if it offends you), or click “Not Interested”. With TikTok, you can hide videos so you don’t see them again, or hide a video with a certain sound that you’re tired of listening to.  

Engage with your followers

As you become more engaged with the platform and interact with more people, you can find Likes and Comments from your followers in the Notification section. Your private message inbox is also located under the Notifications tab. To make adjustments to your account like Privacy or Push notifications settings, tap the profile icon, then tap the three dots in the upper right corner.

Creating Your First TikTok

Tap the white + icon at the bottom center of the screen and give TikTok the required permissions. You can record something new or upload a video from your phone. The audio editing options are in the upper right corner of the screen, while the video editing controls are in the lower left corner of the screen. Video length can be from 15 to 180 seconds. 

Add a song to your Video

Click “Select Sound” in the upper right corner. Here you can search for songs by playlist, popularity, or hashtag. When you find the perfect song, click on the red checkmark to add it. Use a Mixer or Trim tool to create your song exactly the way you want it.

Create using Filters

Tap the three circle icons at the bottom of the screen, or slide your finger to the left. Tap the emoticon to add a sticker, GIF, or emojis. Some of the stickers are animated. Once placed one on your video, you can either drag it to the desired location or move it to the top of the screen where you will see a small trash can if you want to delete it.

Add Effects

You can add effects before or during recording. Add visual filters like gold dust, chic and rain to your video by clicking on the effect. The best part is that you can change as many filters as the video allows. Press and hold a filter to apply and stop. Tap a sticker to add a Snapchat-style face filter to your video.

Add Transition

You can also add transitions like Scrolling, Rotating, Slipping, and more. Tap Split to divide your screen in 9 ways. Finally, you can add reverse effects, flash (like a double or triple take) or slow motion to your video.  

You can also add voice overs by tapping the microphone below the Filter button. There are also more fun voice effects when recording a new TikTok. Apply various sound filters like Squirrel, Baritone, volume up and more by touching voice effects while recording the new TikTok.

Getting Set To Post Your Video

Before you hit publish, click Select Cover to create a thumbnail that others can see when they find your video. After that click Next. 

Just like Instagram’s IGTV you will need to provide a little description to explain what your video is about. You can also add hashtags, or/and tag a friend in the text box. Click ‘Who Can View This Video’ and change your settings to Everyone, Friends Only, or Private (i.e, only I can see). You can also include or exclude comments, duets, and tricks. There will be options to save your video as a draft, post it automatically to Instagram, Snapchat or TikTok.

Regardless of the privacy settings you choose for a particular video, TikTok will ask for confirmation before posting. You will be notified whether or not your account is public and that all public videos are visible to everyone. TikTok provides information about your personal account settings in Settings. TikTok also notifies you with a separate alert that even if all your settings are private, your videos still have to adhere to community guidelines.

Finally, go to your profile and view the uploaded videos.