Thinking about Starting on TikTok? This is What You Should Know.
Things to consider before you start promoting yourself on this crazy platform.
Whether you’re a writer, content creator, or you own an Etsy shop, you know that having a social media presence makes or breaks a project. Despite the many recent changes, it’s still the perfect time to find your place on the lock-down hype platform TikTok.
Tiktok, playfully referred to as clock-app, was the most downloaded application in 2020. It allows for some unique opportunities to reach a broad audience. But, it also comes with its flaws and issues.
How the algorithm spreads your content.
TikTok’s algorithm works in tiers. Platforms like Youtube pushes your video to new people based on what kind of profiles gave your video the most watch time. The TikTok algorithm measures how much the first five hundred people watch your video, and depending on that success, pushes you to the “next tier” of five hundred people. You may find your video watch count sticks under 500, 1000, or 1500 if it doesn’t go viral. It tells you something about how well your content fits with what your audience is searching for. And since different videos will be pushed to different parts of Tiktok before it “niches down,” you don’t have to worry about getting flagged for spamming.
You’re not as dependent on hashtags.
Hashtags are a small aspect of how the algorithm figures out what kind of content you’ve created. It also reads the text on the screen, scripts the audio, matches the used sound to the niche, and determines the niche based on the people who interact with the video.
If users with a similar profile interact with the video, the algorithm will push it to the “foryou” page of users with a similar profile. There are plenty of examples out there of videos spreading like wildfire without the use of hashtags. It means no more researching what the best tags are, what the banned tags are, and how often you can use them.
Sounds, sounds, sounds!
If you haven’t spend an obsessive amount of hours on TikTok, then you may not be aware of how complicated the culture around sounds on TikTok is. There seem to be unwritten rules about what sounds belong to which trend and which sounds are appropriate.
A lot of people say you must use the trending sounds to make it big, while others will argue that using the right sounds isn’t the deciding factor.
When a sound is trending, users will scroll down the list of videos on that sound. So, while your video may get more eyes on it temporarily by putting it in the middle of a trend, it doesn’t mean you have reached your target audience. If they all scroll by quickly because it wasn’t what they were looking for, the algorithm is less likely to push you to the next tier.
With this lesson, the users dancing on the sounds will be your best teachers.
The flagging system is dodgy at best.
Not too long ago, I saw a video where the user explained that his educational video about genitalia got removed. But, only the one about female autonomy, and not the male one. There are countless examples like this of inconsistent banning, double standards, and even borderline racist instances. Whether this is a real problem or just hiccups in the algorithm that need fixing, it’s good to know a few things to avoid going to TikTok jail.
Be careful with nudity, including tight gym clothes and educational pictures. TikTok maintains a broad definition of nudity yet has proven to be inconsistent.
You should make sure to censor any swear words or dodgy terminology; the app’s age limit is 13 and over, so TikTok is very strict about foul language.
If you’re flagged, banned, or your video got removed, but you didn’t violate any guidelines, usually, a well-argued appeal restores your account. It is common for even the biggest creators to spend some time in jail or lose a few videos. Just know that this is a common problem, and if you get flagged a lot, the problem probably isn’t you.
All about the creator’s funding program.
Getting into the program is the hard part. To be eligible for the creator funds you must have 100k authentic views within the last 30 days. Additionally, you must be 18 years old, and you must have at least 100k followers.
Also, the fund is not available for all countries yet, and this list constantly expands. Make sure you check if your country has been put on the list yet. Your account has to be pretty big to pump those kinds of numbers consistently. Once you’re in the program, there is very little stopping you.
The creator fund total varies day to day, depending on the activity of the community. If you’re eligible, you get a slice of that pie. TikTok claims there is no prejudice towards which types of videos get a bigger slice. Your cut depends on authenticity, the level of engagement, and that your posts are within the community guidelines. TikTok also encourages you to use non-copyrighted sounds, which they provide in the TikTok library. Further, there is no maximum one creator can earn, and there is no limit in how many people can join.
Overall, I wouldn’t consider TikTok the best place to make a pretty penny, but it is a platform with a broad audience, a fast reach, and there are plenty of ways to drive your followers to your other channels. In my head, TikTok is the perfect place to give users a taste of what you do and to allow them to get to know you in a relaxed and friendly environment. All they have to do, if they’re interested, is tab the little plus sign, and you are sure to appear on their feed again. All this makes TikTok a valuable addition to your plan, as long as you don’t forget to have fun with it too.
