What I Wish I Knew Before I Started on TikTok

Hi, I’m Tyler and I am a marketer & social media manager who is currently navigating the ins and outs of TikTok.

I started my TikTok account in the middle of quarantine- back when we were watching Tiger King and learning how to make bread every day. I posted terrible videos as a joke for my friends with no goal in mind. I did not think TikTok would be a big deal, nor would it stick around. I especially didn’t see it as a benefit for business owners.

As the months went by, we slowly watched TikTok become a dominating platform gaining insane volumes of traffic. Soon I started taking my personal TikTok seriously and was able to have a series of viral videos around August of this year. Since then, I have been managing several personal and corporate TikTok accounts and I have experienced quite the learning curve.

So without further adieu, (the good, the bad, & the cringe)

Things I Wish I Knew Before becoming a TikTok Creator

Consistency over perfection

When I was managing TikTok for a clothing company we were only publishing two videos a month. They took so long to make and were focused on perfection…

They flopped. Why would anyone follow an account with four videos on it? Why would the algorithm promote an inactive account?

My most viewed TikTok (38.2M) was filmed in one take, out of the blue, with no planning involved. Was I excited? Yes. Was I incredibly frustrated that that was my viral video? Yep!

Don't over-rely on trending audios

After I had my big success this summer, I thought I had the special formula for TikTok. I would find a funny, trending sound and put my spin on it. It was easy and it worked almost every time! Buuuut that was six months ago and TikTok changes fast. This is still a tool to use; however, this cannot be your only format!!! You need to introduce other types of content to succeed.

Stay true to yourself

I had found myself in a tough situation on TT. I found that a specific type of video that I created performed the best, so I kept growing in that niche with the same video format. But then I realized: I want nothing to do with that niche! So, I let my views plummet for months as I tried hundreds of different video formats. In the end, It was SO worth it. I now have followers who are engaged with my posts and I am posting whatever I want to. Make sure you train your audience, rather than let them train you. If you let your audience dictate what you post, you will be pigeonholed into a small niche that you may not enjoy!