It’s probably not a secret to anyone that TikTok is one of the most popular apps for teenagers at the moment. And not just teenagers, this app attracts more and more millennials with its quirky short-form videos.
What is it that makes TikTok so appealing and causes it to be the fastest-growing app?
TikTok is a type of social network, where users share short videos of themselves performing lip-syncing or dancing, doing parody skits, or taking part in viral challenges. The app is relatively simple to use, with a straightforward browsing and sharing process.
This post may include affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy. [029]
WHERE DOES TIKTOK ORIGINATE FROM?
TikTok social network was initially launched in September 2016 in China as a Douyin app. TikTok is owned by ByteDance, a Beijing-based tech company founded in 2012 by Zhang Yiming. ByteDance runs several popular social networking apps, similar to Facebook company.
The new TikTok app quickly grew in popularity among Chinese users. As popularity and demand grew fast, in 2017, the app was launched for iOS and Android for markets outside of China.
Although TikTok started to gain fame outside of China, a different short-video app was very popular in the United States: Musical.ly. The focus of this platform was 15-second lip-syncing music videos.
In November of 2017, ByteDance purchased Musical.ly. The Chinese company operated its two short-form video apps, Musical.ly and TikTok, as two separate platforms: Musical.ly in the US, and TikTok in other foreign markets.
Later on, in August 2018, ByteDance decided to shut down Musical.ly and merged it into TikTok. All Musical.ly user profiles were automatically moved over to the TikTok platform. The decision to combine the two apps was the right choice by ByteDance, as it allowed the platform to keep rising globally.
Since joining the two apps, TikTok has tremendously risen in popularity in the US. According to app analytics tracker Sensor Tower, TikTok’s user popularity in the US peaked in December 2018 with over 6 million installs that month.
TIKTOK IS ONE OF THE MOST DOWNLOADED APPS
As reported by Sensor Tower on January 13, 2020, TikTok was the second most downloaded non-gaming app in the world for the year 2019, with WhatsApp being the first.
TikTok saw more than 700 million downloads across the entirety of 2019, which makes it one of the fastest-growing apps worldwide. TikTok is now available in at least 154 countries worldwide. The highest number of users are coming from India, China, and the US.
Currently, TikTok has over 1.5 billion all-time downloads, and its popularity and influence have only continued to spread.
WHO CAN USE TIKTOK?
To create a TikTok account, one must be at least 13 years old. Users under the age of 18 require parental permission to use the app. Per TikTok’s guidelines, the account should belong to a parent or an adult who can monitor what younger users are browsing and sharing.
TikTok app is recommended for users ages 16 and up mainly due to privacy issues and mature content. And while the majority of its users are in their teens and early twenties, the app is getting more and more popular among millennials and the older generation.
It’s easy to create an account on TikTok, once you download the app. Users have the option to sign up by using Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Google account. You can also sign up with a Phone or Email address instead of a social media account.
TikTok is a free app that is available in 154 countries worldwide and 75 different languages. It’s accessible to a lot of people who want to create and share short videos right from their mobile devices.
STUDY WHAT TO POST ON TIKTOK
When you first join a new social media app, it’s crucial to spend time studying the platform. You don’t want to look like you don’t know how to use the platform, or post something that isn’t allowed on the app. After all, we all want our content to be seen and recognized.
When you study the new platform, look out for posts that grab your attention – content you can relate to the most. Study the popular posts – the ones with thousands and millions of views and likes. It will give you a chance to see what type of content TikTok users love to see.
If you don’t want your videos to be ignored by TikTok’s users, your content must be either entertaining, funny, intriguing, or educational. Study what type of content works on TikTok and how to better interact with others on the platform.
Whether you create a short lip-sync, dance video, or take part in a viral challenge – TikTok is all about amusing and visually appealing content. If you check out TikTok trending/’for you’ page, you’ll find lots of entertaining videos set to hit songs. These recommended posts are what you should use as inspiration for creating your content.
HOW TO POST VIDEOS ON TIKTOK?
Once you are acquainted with the app, you are ready to start posting your own videos. You are not required to record your video through TikTok to post it into the app.
The video can be taken on your phone at an earlier time, and you can edit it by using video editing apps. There are some free video editing apps for desktop, such as Lightworks, VSDC Free Video Editor, and others. For my TikTok video editing, I prefer to use Final Cut Pro.
When your short video is ready for upload, simply open up the app and hit the plus-sign icon on the bottom of the screen. Once you are at the recording screen, click the Upload button – located in the bottom-right corner of the screen. You will then be prompted to select which video from your phone’s gallery you want to upload to TikTok.
You may still edit the length of the video, add text or filters, and, most importantly, attach a trending sound. Make sure that the music you add is long enough for your video if you decide to go with a recording that’s over 15-seconds.
Try out different effects and sounds that are available on the application to make sure that you produce an engaging and useful video. Follow trends and be updated on what’s new in the app.
And of course, don’t forget the hashtags! Just like in Instagram, the hashtags help your content to get discovered by other TikTok users. Use hashtags that are relevant to your video, and add as many as you can fit into the caption space.
BEST TIME TO POST ON TIKTOK
There is no simple answer as to what is the best time to post on TikTok. You might have noticed that the app doesn’t tell users when the video was posted. It will only show you the date of the upload.
Video creators suggest that the best time to post content is between 11 am and 5 pm as this is the time when TikTok users are most active. Analyze your habits & actions, and when you like to check the app for new content – this could be the ideal time when a lot of other users are doing the same thing.
TikTokers who have a business account have a specific advantage in this topic. Business accounts have access to analytics and statistics, which help them to see followers’ activity trends.
Once you start uploading your videos, pay attention to which posts perform better at specific upload-times. This will help your videos get a better reach, and in turn, bring in more followers.
HOW TO GET FAMOUS ON TIKTOK?
Becoming famous on TikTok or any other social network doesn’t happen overnight. A lot of hard work and dedication go into growing a prominent and successful account.
The biggest tip I can share with you that has helped me grow my TikTok account – it’s being consistent at posting high-quality content.
It’s not always about participating in viral challenges or being an excellent dancer. When you are regularly uploading quality videos that are either entertaining or educational, people will start noticing you.
The cool thing about TikTok is its unique algorithm. Frequently, videos that were uploaded days, weeks, or even months ago – all of a sudden start gaining views, likes, and followers.
The main goal for each TikTok user is to have their post show up on the ‘For You’ page. Once your post shows up on the recommended page, you will have a chance to grow your followers’ numbers significantly.
INSTAGRAM FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS
Instagram is a photography app that came out in October of 2010. After its launch, it rapidly started growing in popularity with over 10 million registered users within the first year. Soon, in April of 2012, Facebook acquired ownership of the app, and it’s now one of the Facebook-owned platforms.
Instagram gained a lot of popularity among amateur photographers, teenagers, mommies posting pictures of their kids, etc. As this is mainly a photography platform, soon images needed to look more presentable in order to grab viewers’ attention. People started taking pictures with professional cameras, editing them, and then uploading them to Instagram. High-quality photos are crucial for Instagram posting.
I’ve joined Instagram social media about six years ago, and have been actively using the app for the past three years. You can view my portrait photography Instagram account here.
It is a great app for photographers to display their work to a vast audience of Instagram users worldwide. With the help of geo-tags and hashtags, users can get their work seen by new people.
A lot of business owners and brands use Instagram to help promote their resources or products. An Instagram influencer is a new term that emerged when companies started offering their products to users with a big following in exchange for a promotional post. It’s an excellent way for companies to market their products, but it can be bothersome for some Instagram users to see ads pop up in their feed.
TIKTOK VS INSTAGRAM
Instagram and TikTok have a lot of differences, but both are popular and fast-growing apps.
Instagram originated as solely a photo-sharing platform but soon added short video features, Instagram Stories, and Instagram Lives. Most of its users post photos on Instagram feed and use Stories for sharing 15-second videos.
TikTok, on the other hand, is a video-sharing platform that helps you to demonstrate your skills and talents to a large online audience. With TikTok, users don’t have the pressure of posting professional-quality recordings, as long as their posts are entertaining and eye-catching. That’s why some TikTokers have gained popularity based on the type of videos they post that many users find interesting to watch.
It’s impossible to say which social media network is better than the other – they each have their advantages. Your best bet is to try out both of these platforms, see how each one operates and go from there.
The most beneficial perk is that you can connect your Instagram account with TikTok, and this will enable cross-promotion of your Instagram profile on TikTok. As TikTok is currently a second-fastest-growing app in the world, it’s a good idea to try it out.
TIKTOK FOR CREATIVES
TikTok is an excellent social networking app for creatives such as dancers, singers, artists, photographers, and others. The 15-60 second video recording allows creatives to show their followers some behind-the-scenes footage that wouldn’t be possible to convey through a still photograph.
Being a professional portrait photographer in Sacramento, California, TikTok is an excellent platform for me to share bts from portrait photo sessions that I shoot. You can see my TikTok profile here. A lot of TikTok users find these behind-the-scenes videos from creatives inspirational and very informative.
With the unlimited possibilities on TikTok, some creatives have found their popularity on this very platform – as in the case of the “Old Town Road” song by Lil Nas X. The song received fame and incredible success due to its massive popularity on TikTok. Many other fantastic singers, dancers, comedians, artists, photographers, and other creatives have found recognition for their talents through the TikTok app.
CONCLUSION
What are your thoughts on the TikTok app now? Ready to see what this platform is all about and try your luck of going viral with your video content?
TikTok is an iOS and Android media app that is used for creating and sharing interesting short-form videos. Considering this is the second-fastest-growing app worldwide, you should get to know why this social media platform is so popular.
This platform is very entertaining and versatile, with different age group users creating fun content. Experimenting in the TikTok app can be beneficial for creatives and brands who are looking for more exposure.
Whenever you make a post, make sure that the content uploaded is entertaining, informative, and engaging to attract the audience. Good luck, and see you on the TikTok app!
