Everybody wants to be a star on TikTok and it’s only natural as it is inarguably the most popular platform right now.
Of course, the star qualities of the app had marketers wondering how they could tap into TikTok’s potential, reach new audiences, and become viral with the products they promote. Turns out, this task is not as simple as it might seem, but we’ve gathered some important info and interesting insights that might help you in your quest of using TikTok marketing prowess to your advantage.
The info here comes from our own insights, the info provided by the most capable Social Media Today page, and information shared by various TikTok ad experts. So, rest assured, the advice in this article is relevant and useful.
Content Approach
Producing content that complements organic posts in user feeds is essential for effective TikTok marketing. Users of TikTok are using the app for amusement purposes only; unlike traditional TV, they are not required to watch commercials. You need to make eye-catching videos that are stylistically comparable to other content in the app because if you don’t catch their interest and offer them a reason to stay watching, they’ll scroll right by.
But it doesn’t imply you have to adopt the most recent fashion or perform to the latest trending track.
Again, overt promotions copied from other apps or media are probably not effective, so you need to be careful how you frame your ads.
Hooks
No video is good without a hook, especially when it comes to promotions. A clever hook placed in a narrative-aligned video makes it more engaging and repeatable.
Now, coming up with a hook line that’s simply ingenious is not an easy task, but you can always look for ideas on TikTok itself. For instance – TikTok’s Ad Library. You’ll see that ruling phrases are usually along the lines of ‘I wish someone told me about this sooner’ – gather them, make a list, and make them your own.
However, you could always ask AI to assist you in this quest, something like ChatGPT to supply you with ideas and variants of your original list.
As you can see in the image above, if you feed your list of hooks to ChatGPT, it will give some additional variants. While not all of them will be excellent or even usable, some might give you further ideas or lead you onto the right path.
REDUCE MANUAL WORK OF RUNNING INFLUENCER CAMPAIGNS
BY 80%
Clip Creation
Now that you have your hook, it’s time to build a video around it.
Aim to use real people in your videos and do something visually catching in the first three seconds. Yup, three seconds. We know it’s a short time frame, but if you manage to catch the viewers’ attention in these first seconds, they are very likely to continue watching your clip until the end.
Aim for visually interesting edits and creative formats (again, take a look at some of the trending promotional clips – they all share this quality) that will grab viewers’ attention. Focus on your product’s problem-solving abilities rather than linger on the shots of its packaging or design. Show people how your product will make their lives better!
Don’t forget to choose the right person for your clips and opt-out for native TikTok influencers to create the most organic-looking content. If you’re at a loss for how to find these people, you can always browse through TikTok’s Creator Marketplace.
And lastly, don’t over-edit and over-polish your clips. If you want your content to fall right into place with TikTok’s usual content, leave your clip looking a bit homemade so it wouldn’t look like a TV ad. Preferably, it shouldn’t look like an ad at all!
Hashtags And Captions
Leave your captions short and sweet! While they should be attention-grabbing, they are not the main event here and should not distract from the video itself. And as for hashtags, keep them targeted to your specific audience, and don’t just put whatever is trendy under your video.
You can browse for relevant hashtags in the app, or you can always check TikTok’s real-time trends display to catch up with emerging topics.
Also, despite plenty of people doing it, adding hashtags like #FYP, #ForYou, and #ForYourPage won’t really help you get more attention. Even TikTok itself says so:
“Hashtags like #FYP, #ForYou, and #ForYouPage work just like all other hashtags on TikTok, so adding these to your caption won’t necessarily improve your chances of getting on someone’s For You feed. Instead, we recommend using the space in your caption to add context to your video along with hashtags that are relevant to your content.”
Running Tests
Paid campaigns or organic content, this three-step formula by TikTok ad expert Savannah Sanchez might be the ultimate guide to success for you. Take a look:
- First off is the launch of your new concept/content. Don’t be too fussy with the results at this stage. However, if you’ve done your homework and prepared interesting content, your clip should gain some traction in the app.
- If you’re happy with your content, try another version of it. Leave the same idea and script, but try another talent or a revamped hook. See which version works better.
- Lastly, you might want to make several UGC content pieces with plenty of different people using your product. The approach, including several people instead of one or just a couple, seems to be doing the best with product promotions.
This plan will give you plenty of room for testing, figuring out what works best in your case, and maximizing your efforts where they matter.
HUNDREDS OF INFLUENCERS ARE WAITING FOR YOU
What Would The Algorithm Do?
TikTok’s feed algorithm is ingenious in the feed personalization for each of its users, which is great if you’re using the app for your entertainment, but not so if you’re the one trying to promote your products since there are no generic lessons or notes to make your content more appealing to the app’s AI.
However, TikTok is not the one to leave you in trouble, and there are some notes and guidelines to consider:
- Content Recency – TikTok notes that videos shown in the ‘For You’ feed are usually posted within the last 90 days. In their own right, newly posted videos will usually see a peak in engagement soon after they’ve been posted. Thus, uploading new content regularly will increase your chance of maximizing reach.
- Posting More Content Won’t Impact Reach – TikTok says that the amount of videos you post does not impact how your content is recommended in the ‘For You’ feed. So, although it is tempting to flood TikTok with your content (especially if your previous videos were hits), it won’t necessarily mean this will increase reach.
- Captivate the Viewers – TikTok notes that watch time is the factor that impacts how your content is recommended. The longer the viewers stay watching your clip, engages with it, and share it, the more TikTok is likely to recommend it to others. Hence the ‘something catchy in the first three seconds’ advice we gave you earlier.
The basic idea here is similar to the approach of all the other platforms – the more engaging your content is, the more likely it will become a hit.
However, TikTok’s algorithm is very good at showing the most relatable content to each of its users, so learn all that you can about your target audience and aim specifically at them. Chances are, the algorithm will then pick your content up and show it to more people.
Bonus Info
- Videos just under the 30-second mark seem to be working the best.
- Captions are useful, but don’t overdo it – 5-10 per second is optimal.
- Show your products in use – this will increase credibility and response.
Be aware of the safe zones in your videos. Know where to put important details in your video so they won’t be obscured by the app’s UI buttons.
Although these insights make it seem easy to create TikTok-specific promotional content, in fact, it isn’t so. Creating relevant, interesting, and engaging content (especially for TikTok) is a skill acquired through trial and error and countless hours of scrolling through social media feeds and browsing for top-performing ads.
That being said, it is exactly why so many brands lean towards working with influencers – they have, after all, cracked the code of getting seen and followed on these social media platforms. Collaborating with one definitely saves the time needed to gain intelligence on the trends of these apps and ups your chance of hitting it big in these elusive social media channels.
However, you do you, and whether it consists of creator collaborations or braving TikTok on your own, with enough effort, you are likely to make a splash there.
DATA-BASED INFLUENCER MARKETING SOLUTIONS
