Okay, it’s official: you can no longer ignore TikTok.
It is the 7th most popular social media platform in the world with 689 million active users worldwide and over 2 billion downloads. It’s not a fad, it’s a social media phenomenon. And it’s time to get on board (and finally find out who Charlie D’Amelio is).
If you’re new to the video sharing platform, we’ve got you covered. (Classic we!)
Read on for everything you need to know about how to get started with TikTok and hone your video editing skills.
What is TikTok?
TikTok is a platform for short mobile videos. Users can create videos ranging from 5 seconds to 3 minutes, and use the extensive music library and fun effects to quickly edit small digital movies.
But aside from the pleasure of quickly capturing and editing videos from your phone, TikTok is completely irresistible to many people when it comes to finding content with TikTok’s finely tuned algorithm.
The TikTok For You page (app home screen) provides an endless stream of videos from other users and gets smarter and smarter about what you like over time. (Perhaps even too smart, as some users worry.) It’s like a personalized TV station that caters to both your interests and our shrinking attention span!
TikTok’s incredible impact on the Gen Z market has turned it into a marketing powerhouse. The songs go viral (hello Doja Cat!). Stars Are Born (Hail Addison Rae, who turned her TikTok dance career into a starring role in All That’s Him.) Trends spread like wildfire (remember when you couldn’t find feta to save your life?).
In short, this is a great opportunity for brands to make a name for themselves and create some serious buzz.
@grilledcheesesocial Baked feta pasta viral recipe! Inspired by #uunifeta via @liemessa & @tiiupiret #learnontiktok #foodtiktok #foodie
It’s important to note that music and dance are central to the TikTok ecosystem, born from the merger between ByteDance and Mysical.ly.
@flawlessdancegroup Had to hit this classic to a classic DC: @swooshflawlessuk #tryagainchallenge #rocktheboatchallenge W/ @anthony_a_d
It’s also important to note that the app has faced its share of controversy due to high-profile privacy and security issues.
But it is clear that these problems have not prevented millions of users around the world from using this application. Here’s how you can have some fun too.
How to set up a TikTok account
1. Download the TikTok app from the iOS App Store or Google Play.
2. Open the application.
3. Come to me.
4. Select a registration method.
You did it! You are now a TikTok user! No returns!
How to make TikTok
Of course, a TikTok account is just one step towards total social media dominance. You have to, you know, make some content. Luckily, it’s easy and fun.
1. After setting up an account, touch the + symbol at the bottom of the screen to enter create mode.
2. Before you start recording, you can pre-select various editing items to apply to your video clip from the menu on the right side of the screen. Switch to the front camera, adjust the speed, apply a softening cosmetic lens, experiment with different filters, set the self-timer, or turn the flash on or off.
3. At the top of the screen, click Add Sound to prepare sound clips and music.
4. Ready to record? Hold down the red button at the bottom center to record a video, or tap it once to take a photo. Or, tap Upload to the right of the record button and browse your camera library to upload a photo or video from there.
5. If you want to add more videos or photos to the sequence, repeat steps 2 to 4.
6. When you have created all your “scenes”, click the checkmark icon.
7. You will then be able to edit further by adding text, stickers, additional filters, voice acting and more.
8. When you’re happy with your video, click “Next”to add a title or hashtags, tag friends, add a URL, or turn various privacy options on or off.
9. Publish by clicking Publish!
Planning for TikTok
If you don’t want to post right away, you can use Hootsuite to schedule your TikTok to any time in the future. (TikTok’s own scheduler only allows users to schedule TikTok 10 days ahead.)
To create and schedule TikTok with Hootsuite, follow these steps:
- Record your video and edit it (add sounds and effects) in the TikTok app.
- When you’re done editing your video, click “Next”at the bottom right corner of the screen. Then select More options and click Save to device.
- In Hootsuite, tap the Create icon at the very top of the left menu to open Composer.
- Select the account you want to post your TikTok to.
- Download the saved TikTok to your device.
- Add a signature. You can include emojis and hashtags, and tag other accounts in your caption.
- Set advanced options. You can enable or disable comments, stitches and duets for each of your individual posts.
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Note. Existing TikTok privacy settings (configured in the TikTok app) take precedence over these.
- Preview your post and click Publish Now to publish immediately, or…
- …click “Schedule for Later” to post your TikTok at another time. You can manually select a post date or choose from three recommended custom best post times for maximum engagement.
And it’s all! Your TikToks will show up in Planner along with all your other scheduled social media posts.
How to Use TikTok Effects
TikTok editing effects are a huge part of the app’s appeal. With built-in filters, effects and graphic elements, it’s easy to create a masterpiece (in particular, a masterpiece based on Megan Thee Stallion, in which flames shoot out of your eyes).
1. Tap the + icon to start creating a video.
2. Tap the Effects menu to the left of the record button.
3. Scroll right to explore the different effect subcategories, from Animals to Funny. Touch any of the effects to see how they will look on camera.
4. In the Green Screen section, you will find many different ways to overlay a video on top of a fake background. Get experimenting! Here you will see a series of photos and videos from your camera on top of the effects. Touch any photo or video you want to overlay on the green screen and watch the magic (er, tech) happen.
5. When you find an effect you want to try, tap the effects menu and use the record button to capture the scene.
Once you’re comfortable with editing, check out our roundup of creative video ideas.
Most Popular TikTok Editing Features
Don’t know where to start your editing journey? Get started by mastering these popular video editing features.
Green screen tool
Take yourself anywhere in the world with a green screen effect.
Just click the “Effect”button to the left of the record button and look for the “green screen”tab. There are many different styles, but they all overlay a fresh video of you on a fake background.
Hot Tip: Record a video of yourself and then use it as a green screen background so you can interact with your digital clone!
@tiktok Try out the new #greenscreenvideo Update the app to use the new Creative Effect!
TikTok duets
TikTok’s duet tool lets you split screen with another user’s content to sing along, dance… or fool around a bit.
To duet with a video, tap the Share button to the right of the video and tap Duet. Note that users need to subscribe to this, so you won’t be able to duet with every video found.
@brodywellmaker #duet with @nastitwerk
Adding text
It’s rare to find a TikTok video without text. Just add your words of wisdom or closed captions on the final editing screen.
If you want to add text that appears and disappears on the beat, we’ll walk you through it here in our guide to the 10 best TikTok tricks.
@kluck.it Canadians let them know this is facts😴 #fypシ #friedchicken #eat #foodtiktok #foodie #trending #xyzbca #xyzbca #america #canada🇨🇦 #yum #Chicken #fy
Appearance, disappearance or transformation
No high-tech editing tricks are required to pull off this popular TikTok trick: just record clips that pick up where the last one left off…whether you’re holding on to the click when your palm covers the lens, or when you’re completely out of view. camera frame.
@katte_official No puede haber más verdad en un video! A quien más le favoreció la pubertad? Miren mi ultima foto de insta 🤤😈 IG: @kattemusic #glowupchallenge
Cloning
TikTok is always introducing new effects, filters, and features, so popular editing tricks change daily…like this clone photo effect that’s popping up all over the place. Keep an eye on the Discover tab for the latest trends.
When you first log into TikTok and are bombarded by bath pugs and horrible boyfriends from all sides, it can feel overwhelming. But the five icons at the bottom of the screen are meant to offer some structure and convenience – yes, the TikTok frenzy has a method.
House
Click on this icon in the bottom left corner of the screen and you will find yourself watching a stream of TikTok content from other users.
In the For You tab, you’ll get fresh content from across the app that TikTok’s algorithm thinks you might like.
Want to know what your friends are up to? Swipe on the Subscriptions tab (at the top of the screen) to see a stream of content exclusively from the people you follow.
discover
This page will post popular hashtags for you to explore, but it’s also where you can search for specific content, users, songs, or hashtags.
Create (plus button)
Tap to access the recording screen and create a TikTok! Scroll up to see how this section works, or check out our 10 TikTok Tricks for Beginners.
inbox
Here you will find notifications for new followers, likes, comments, mentions and more. Tap the All Activities menu at the top to filter notifications by a specific type.
To me
The “I”icon leads to your profile. You can click on the “Edit Profile”button to make changes, or click on the three dots in the top right corner to access your TikTok settings and privacy menu.
How to change your TikTok username
Your username should allow TikTok users to easily find you on the platform. So, the general rule of thumb is: be direct (e.g. use your brand name as your username) and avoid changing your username unless you have a good reason to do so.
But if you ever need to change your username, the process is simple:
- Go to the Profile tab
- Click Edit Profile.
- Enter a new username and save changes.
You can only change your TikTok username once every 30 days, so be sure to check your spelling before hitting save.
Please note that changing your username will also change your profile URL.
How to find friends on TikTok
One way to find your friends on TikTok is to connect your profile to your contact list or Facebook account.
- Click the Me tab (lower right corner).
- Tap the person icon and the plus sign in the top left corner.
- Choose to invite friends directly, connect to your phone’s contact list, or connect to your Facebook friends list.
- To disable contact syncing, you can always go back to your phone’s privacy settings and disable access to contacts for TikTok.
Another way to find friends is to find their usernames. Click the Discover tab (second icon from the bottom right) and enter their name.
Another option is to scan your friend’s TikCode. This is a unique QR code embedded right into user profiles. Scan one with your phone and you’ll be taken to their profile on your screen… no need to click or type.
How to interact with other users on TikTok
Interaction with other users not only makes TikTok a more fun place (you know what “social” is on social media), but is also an important part of any successful TikTok marketing strategy.
In each video, you will find a menu of icons on the right side that allow you to interact and interact with other TikTok users. Use them!
- Touch the profile icon to go to the user’s profile. (And if your fingers are dainty enough, tap the tiny plus sign to follow the creator.)
- Touch the heart icon to like the video. (This gives the creator props and lets TikTok know what content you’d like to see more of!)
- Tap the speech bubble icon to leave a comment or read the comments.
- Tap the arrow icon to share the video with a friend, save it, use the same effect in your own video, create a duet, or stitch a video with your own new variation.
- Tap the spinning post icon to see which song is used in the video and browse other TikTok that use the same clip.
Of course, this is only a small part of what TikTok is capable of.
If you’re ready to take your TikTok brand strategy to the next level, we’ve got more in-depth guides covering everything from TikTok analytics to platform earning strategies.