How to Accelerate Your Blog Growth with TikTok

Popularity in the world of social media platforms can be tenuous and fleeting. Just ask Vine and Friendster. But TikTok has managed to scramble over the hump to be the hottest platform in 2022. So what’s their secret?

TikTok describes itself as “the leading destination for short-form videos,” with a mission to “inspire creativity and bring joy.” So, who wouldn’t want a piece of that?

There are several ingredients in their secret sauce. TikTok makes it really easy to share content across other platforms, which is something you can take advantage of as a blogger as well. The aforementioned app Vine was also a short-form video app, but the ease of shareability was not there.

Another thing people love about it is all the features that you can use to enhance your video like you’ve been in video production for years. Filters, sound effects, and music help users flex their creative muscles.

So how do you, the blogger, get started? Let’s take a look.

1. Create an account.

There are two options, a personal or a business account. When you get started it will automatically be a personal account.

However, you’ll eventually have the option to change it. There are benefits to both.

The personal account gives you access to a much bigger music library, as not all songs and sound are allowed for commercial use. However, with a personal account, you may not be able to share a link in your bio.

Consequently, switching to the business account makes sense. Business accounts also come with analytics, which will be helpful down the line.

2. Set up your profile.

This is a straightforward process. Create a username, ideally the name of your blog if it’s available.

You can also add a profile pic. Again, for consistency’s sake using your logo here would be the way to go.

You can also include a short bio and link to other accounts such as your website, Instagram, etc.

3. Find users like yourself.

You can use the search bar to look for hashtags that are related to the content you will be sharing.

Find popular influencers that share your expertise. You can also look for brands or bloggers that you, and your audience, are already familiar with.

4. Watch some TikTok videos.

After you’ve found the top influencers in your category, watch their content.

Set aside at least an hour to just keep watching more. It’s easy to do, and one of the things that makes the app so popular.

Look for patterns or recurring themes. What words or phrases do they continually use? What music, filters or other features do you consistently see? Make a note of those for future use.

5. Create your own TikTok!

Jump right in and play around with the features.

Take some of the patterns you’ve noticed and use them. You can apply those patterns and repurpose some of your more popular older content for practice.

TikTok may be new to you, but some of the classic rules of video still apply. You have just a few seconds to get the viewer’s attention, always include a call-to-action, etc.

Make sure to check out the trending tab. Your first instinct may be to use music that you like. However, like other social media apps, TikTok is more likely to push videos that use features and techniques that are already trending.

6. Pay attention to TikTok Challenges.

Challenges are one of the things that helped TikTok explode onto the scene. Challenges are trends that invite people to make their own videos doing a special dance or performing a task.

Get in on the fun and create a video participating in a current viral challenge. Much like the music in the trending tab, the algorithm likes these and will push them.

A word of warning. Maybe do a little research on the challenge before you do it. Some of the challenges are dangerous and unhealthy. (See: The Tide Pod Challenge.)

Aside from injuring yourself or making yourself sick, you don’t want your brand associated with something that is considered a bad idea.

7. Create your own challenge.

There is no guarantee that it will go viral, but it could be a fun and creative exercise.

Even if your challenge only gets noticed and tried by your own audience, it’s gotten your brand a little attention.

Research some of the things that every good challenge needs and put them into practice. Even if it doesn’t blow up, you’ve gotten a little more experience on the app.

Wrapping Up

The good news is that while TikTok has been around since 2016, and the kids have know about it for a while, the app is just now starting to become known in older generations.

Earlier this year the app hit 1 billion global daily users. So it’s not too late to get on board and make it work for you and your blog/brand.