TikTok is popular among its users, but to those unfamiliar, it can feel confusing and hard to navigate. Here’s Shutterstock’s guide to exploring TikTok.
The kids are using it. Young adults are using it. Even Wendy’s is using it. Welcome to TikTok — the social media app that feels like the lovechild of Instagram Stories and Vine — where you can shoot, edit, and post videos all from a single app. Here’s Shutterstock’s guide to delving into TikTok.
- What is TikTok?
- How is it Different from Other Social Platforms?
- Basic TikTok Terms
- Creators
- The Algorithm
- TikTok Advertising
- The Videos
What is TikTok?
TikTok is derived from Musical.ly, an app where people lip-synched to audio clips and shared the videos with their friends. Essentially, it’s a video-based platform that allows you to create the content directly within the app or upload from your smartphone. So, why should you care about TikTok? How about one billion installs! That’s a lot of people using the app.
Many are calling TikTok this generation’s Vine, but beyond a scrolling video feed, there aren’t too many comparisons. Whereas Vine hinged on the concept of incredibly short, six-second videos, TikTok is more free-form. With that freedom comes a variety of formats and memes that have sprung up on the platform — from quick sketches to DIY photography tutorials. As more and more users flock to the app, more brands are joining also, trying to market on this game-changing platform.
How is it Different from Other Social Platforms?
TikTok is solely a video-based platform. The app’s unique video editing features include filters, music, transitions, special animations, graphics, and more. The basic edit functions means you can tap into your creative video abilities, without having ever used editing software before. And, like other micro-blogging platforms, the short format means it’s easy to share and consume content.
How to Speak TikTok
To understand TikTok, you have to know the slang. Here are a few basic terms to help you get started:
For You Page: This is the homepage of the app. The For You page is where TikTok presents a curated list of videos for you to watch, based on your previous activity. Once TikTok gets a sense of the type of videos you like, its algorithm will serve up recommended videos (by grouping together related videos) for each user. The For You page is your first starting place on TikTok, but like any platform, dive a little deeper and you’ll find thriving communities built around niche interests.
Discover Page: This is where you’ll find new content shared to TikTok. The Discover page offers content based on themes, hashtags, viral videos, and more. This is your entry point to discovering what lies beyond the For You page.
Following Feed: This is where you’ll find content from people you’re following on the app.
Challenges: Challenges are an integral part of the TikTok experience. Here, creators build on a video concept by another user, adding their own spin and flair to it.
Duets: Duets happen between creators, and you’ll see them all over the app. With duets, creators will expand on another user’s video.
Hashtags: If you’re not familiar, it’s a keyword phrase that labels and groups content on a social platform. Hashtags are extremely important to TikTok’s culture and algorithm.
TikTok Creators
For platforms like Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok, creators play a huge role in driving the culture of the app. TikTok especially seems to foster collaborations between creators. To get a sense of the culture of TikTok, follow some of the app’s most popular creators. Keep in mind, there are thriving sub-communities and niches on the app, all with their own popular creators.
Here are a few creators that are doing cool things on the app:
- @notoriouscree: An indigenous hoop dancer and comedian.
- @jordi.koalitic: A photographer known for his high-concept, creative photography skills.
- @charlidamelio: TikTok’s biggest star, Charli D’Amelio, is known for her dancing, and will often launch a dance challenge to viral status, if she covers it.
- @cznburak: Turkish chef and food personality.
- @glitterandlazers: Body-positive and fashion and beauty influencer.
- @dreaknowsbest: Known for her sketch comedy and relatable humor.
How Brands are Using TikTok
Where there is an audience, there are brands. For marketers, TikTok is a space that — when done correctly — can offer huge exposure and potential to reach millions of users. But, if you’re a brand looking to embark on a TikTok strategy, approach TikTok with caution. Young people are very wary of brands encroaching on their space.
Most brands that are performing well on the site are doing so because they’re having fun with it. It’s an extremely expressive app that allows you to get creative and weird. Let’s take The Washington Post as an example of a brand that’s doing it correctly. Here, they’re taking a popular meme and inserting their own company flair.
This is a play on the uber-popular Netflix reality show Love Is Blind, but The Washington Post put their own spin on it. Brands that are marketing well on TikTok are playing the game — creating funny and relatable videos that people will like and share of their own volition. These brands aren’t directly advertising with the same tired, safe social media posts.
How Does the Algorithm Work?
TikTok’s once highly speculated algorithm has finally been revealed. The app’s sophisticated, machine-learning algorithm ranks videos on a combination of factors, starting from your activity as a new user.
Here’s a brief explanation of how TikTok’s algorithm works. First, videos are classified by three categories of information:
- The music (songs) or audio.
- Text description and hashtags.
- Device and account settings: This is your language preference, country setting, device type, and so on.
Then, as a user, the following actions on a video signal to TikTok what type of content you’re interested in. This includes:
- Likes
- Shares
- Accounts you follow
- Comments
- Percentage watched, otherwise known as the completion ratio (this is very important)
Ratio
The algorithm then measures how much of your video viewers watch, as well as how many likes, comments, and shares it gets. The sweet spot is one “like” for every ten views. This triggers the algorithm to show the video to more people. The algorithm also uses velocity as an indicator of a video’s popularity. If a video suddenly receives more likes in a single day, the video will be shown to more people.
The algorithm is an endless stream of curated content tailored to your individual tastes. But for some, this can be limiting. To get around the algorithm and ensure you’re seeing a variety of TikTok content, don’t just rely on the For You page. Actively search out hashtags, creators, songs, and communities.
Can You Advertise on TikTok?
Yes! For brands and marketers, there are a couple different ways to advertise on TikTok:
In-Feed
Ads that appear on the For You page.
- Brand Takeover: Full-screen ads that appear when a user opens the app.
- TopView: These ads appear when the app is opened. Unlike the brand takeover ads, these are videos that last up to sixty-seconds, with the sound on.
- Branded Hashtag Challenge: Ad appears on the Discovery page and encourages users to participate. These can include a shoppable component for retailers.
- Branded Effects: Ad appears as branded lenses, stickers, and other effects that TikTok users can integrate into their videos.
- Custom Influencer Package: Ads that appear as part of sponsored content created by a TikTok creator/influencer.
For most ads, you’ll need a TikTok Account Manager. Learn more about advertising on TikTok.
For creators, TikTok doesn’t offer monetization of their videos — yet. But, there are still ways to make money off the platform, especially through brand partnerships and sponsorships, and using your audience to sell or promote your own products.
Video Content on TikTok
Diving into the world of TikTok videos is no feat, and we don’t intend to be able to reflect all of the wonderful content that’s on the app below. That’s for you to find out! Instead, here’s a quick look at the different types of videos you’ll find on the app:
Music
Since so many of TikTok’s videos are driven by popular songs, pick a specific song and see what videos come up. For example, “Savage” by Meghan Thee Stallion, went viral with a dance challenge created by @keke.janajah. There are currently 29.1M videos tagged with the song.
Even unsuspecting celebrities can’t resist jumping on a good song challenge:
Challenges
Challenges are a huge part of TikTok’s culture and language. Since the app fosters collaboration between creators, you’ll quickly find out why challenges are so much fun. Everything is collaborative, and everyone is encouraged to jump in. To find or explore a new challenge, click on the related hashtag and start watching.
One challenge to go viral recently is the “Check Your Privilege” challenge, where users are encouraged to put their fingers down every time a statement on race, class, and physical appearance applies to them.
Memes
What is a social platform without memes? Speaking meme language is another article unto itself, but luckily we don’t have to. The meme database Know Your Meme will teach you everything you need to know about meme culture on TikTok, so you don’t feel quite like an out-of-touch adult.
Our TikTok Advice?
Jump right in! Start exploring videos and different pages on the app, playing around with creating videos, or take part in a new challenge.
To learn more in-depth social media tricks and TikTok tips, check out these articles:
- TikTok for Photographers: Tips for Getting a Head Start
- How Young Indigenous Creatives Use TikTok to Reclaim Digital Space
- 8 Tips on How to Make Money on Instagram in 2020
- 11 Creative Tips for Using Instagram Stories in 2020
- Who is Generation Z and What Visuals Represent This Generation
Cover image via chaoss.