How to Use TikTok: A Complete Beginners Guide

Welcome to your complete TikTok guide, where we’ll walk you through everything you need to know about how to use TikTok: social media’s largest melting pot of everything a person can imagine and then point a camera at. It’s funny, exciting, and powerfully engaging. Over a billion active users spend more time on TikTok than any other social media app.

If you’re a content creator, sharing content and engaging with others on TikTok raises credibility and visibility, builds up your personal or professional brand, and establishes yourself as a thought leader in your chosen field.

Whether you’re promoting your business, expressing your creativity, or sharing a personal philosophy, it’s a perfect platform to connect with a vast audience and interact with a huge, ever-evolving community. Here’s how to get started.

What Is TikTok?

Over a billion videos are viewed on TikTok every single day. If that makes you worry that your content will get lost in the shuffle, think again.

TikTok is designed to find your audience for you. The algorithm learns what you like and customizes content so that every swipe of your finger delivers something you want to see. TikTok is also simple to use, with vast archives of music, sound effects, and visuals. It features easy-to-learn tools that will have you posting dynamic videos within minutes of downloading the app and setting up your account.

And that’s just as a beginner. Once you grow and become a master of everything TikTok has to offer, your audience awaits.

How Does TikTok Work?

A major difference between TikTok and some other social media apps is that you don’t scroll on your homepage or your following page, you scroll on your FYP (For You Page).

This is where the app opens by default. It’s a bottomless well of content (supplied by the algorithm) based on users’ interests. This is how new and long-term content producers grow their base almost passively.

As a creator, you constantly get new eyeballs on your videos. With a billion active users watching 40 minutes a day, your content will get seen. Even if it’s your first day and you have zero followers, TikTok’s powerful algorithm will push your content to appropriate viewers. This allows you to gain traction even without an established audience.

Beginner’s Guide to TikTok Culture

On TikTok, making something that captures the viewer’s attention is always rewarded. In TikTok’s giant community — and the many sub-communities that have formed within it — users interact with creators when they find the content compelling. A compelling video is one that evokes an emotional response in your audience. Here are a few ideas for how to create compelling TikTok content:

TikTok Music

TikTok encourages the use of music. Music is a powerful force that brings back memories and keys into deeply rooted parts of our psyches. Beyond the music, you could be drawn to an article of clothing that you’d like to wear or a place you’d like to visit. The moment you like, comment, or share a video, you’ve interacted with the content.

TikTok culture is about that interaction. It’s about information and entertainment, yes, but ultimately, it comes from how people feel when they watch the videos. As you develop your skill at telling stories and evoking emotions, your number of followers and connections will grow and grow.

TikTok Authenticity

A major buzzword in social media is authenticity. On TikTok, viewers are looking for honesty and credibility. They want to trust you. The audience isn’t there just for entertainment, they want a real person they trust to recommend products or movies, teach them skills or life hacks, or just make them feel like you’ve got something in common. Many creators who play characters in their videos also make behind-the-scenes content where they’re open about themselves or their process.

How to Create a TikTok Account

For a video run down on how to find, install, and create your account on TikTok, check out this installment of The Digital Creator Guide YouTube series by Viral Nation.

You can find and install TikTok from the App Store on your device. From here, you can create an account with your Facebook, Apple, or Google account. Or if you want to create a TikTok account separate from another platform, sign up in the bottom right-hand corner of the screen. Now you can use your phone or email to create your account. And once again, you’re offered the choice of signing in through one of your existing social media accounts.

If you choose to create a new TikTok account, the app will want to know your birthday. Now choose between using your phone number or using an email address. Enter that information and tap next. Depending on the signup method you chose, TikTok may send a verification code to your phone number or email.

Once you enter the verification code, you’re almost done. Tap the profile or “me” icon. Finally, complete your profile by adding a profile picture, a bio, and other details to personalize your account. You can edit your profile at any time, so don’t worry about getting it right the first time.

Now you have your account. It’s time to start exploring TikTok. Swipe up or down on the For You page to see different videos. Or tap the search icon to find content based on your interests. Congratulations! You’ve opened a portal to a whole new world.

How to Make a Strong TikTok Profile

Your profile is as important as the videos you make for TikTok. Because once someone likes your content, you want them to swipe to your profile, love what they see, and follow you. You want your audience to come to your profile and know exactly what you’re doing right out of the gate.

How to change your profile picture on TikTok

To change your profile picture, just tap it. Then tap the “edit” icon: it looks like a little pen and paper.

From there, select an image from your pictures. Aim for a picture that speaks to your personal brand or business. And if you’re not sure what that is — that’s okay. Remember, you can change your profile picture any time you want. You can even use GIFs to liven it up with some short videos.

How to edit Your TikTok profile

You tell even more of your story with words. Tap the “edit profile” button. This takes you to the edit profile page and then tap add a bio to your description. Now, just start typing. You only have 80 characters. It might seem limiting, but it teaches you to treat every one of those 80 characters like gold and use them to define your brand at a glance.

Think of your TikTok profile as your company website. It’s your business, your brand, and all of that should have personality. What are its quirks, its likes, and dislikes? Figure out your company’s personality and use that to build its profile.

Your TikTok Username

The most important thing about your username or handle is that it should be easy to remember. Usernames have a maximum length of 24 characters and can use letters, numbers, periods, or underscores. You can change your username once every 30 days.

Usernames have to be unique, so you might not be able to get exactly what you want, but you might be able to get close. If you’re active on other social media platforms and you can match your name from there on TikTok, that’s the best way to go. You always want to make it as easy as possible for your audience to find you on one platform or across all platforms.

Your handle appears on your video, so try to avoid using too many special characters. If you’re not using your real name or some version of it, use a handle that speaks to your brand.

How to Make a TikTok Video

Filming on TikTok really couldn’t be easier. The “plus” button opens the video creation page. This will be your most important button, and also where you can have the most fun.

1. Start by tapping the “plus” symbol.
2. Then, choose a video length: 15 seconds, 60 seconds, or even three minutes.
3. To start filming, tap the record button. You’ll get a countdown, then the recording begins. As you film, the timeline bar will fill up.
4. To stop filming, tap the record button again. You can add multiple clips to the same video so long as there is space in the timeline.
5. If you ever want to remove what you just filmed, tap the backspace button to delete the last segment you recorded.
6. Once the video reaches its maximum length, you’ll be taken automatically to editing. Or, move to editing at any time by tapping the checkmark button.
7. Once you’re done editing, hit the next button.
8. Now, type in a little description.
9. You can post the video right away, or you can save it to Drafts if you want to spend more time with it before posting.

TikTok Filters and Effects

On TikTok, filters and effects are both tools that allow users to enhance or modify their videos.

Filters are overlays that alter the appearance of the entire video. They can change the color and tone of the video, add a vintage look, Or apply a specific visual style. Filters are often used to create a specific mood or aesthetic for the video.

Effects are animated features that can be added to specific parts of the video. They can include animations, graphics, and transitions, and can be used to add visual interest to the video. Effects are often used to create a specific visual effect or to enhance the content of the video.

Despite their differences, TikTok filters and effects do the same thing: enhance your posts, and make them more entertaining. Filters and effects can be applied to the video during filming or editing. Effects are mostly placed over the video, and you can have them active for the entire video, or only for a few seconds or less.

Play around with the visual and audio effects. They’ll enhance your content and give you ideas for new videos, characters, or even entire storylines.

How to Use TikTok Sounds

Sounds are an integral part of TikTok’s content and culture: the sound library is easy to use and full of assets. Tap the “add sound” button to open the sound interface.

Scroll through the options until you find something that interests you, and tap on the sound clip for a preview. Once you’ve found a song you like, tap the check mark to add it to your video. On the video creation screen, you’ll see the song title up at the top.

If you want to change the song, tap the title and it’ll take you back to the sound library. Now once you start recording the song, it’ll play along. As you stop and start again, the song will stop and start, creating a seamless audio track no matter how many different clips you film. Once you’re done filming and you’re ready to edit, adjusting clips lets you tighten everything up, trim clip lengths, and get your video moving to the beat of your own drum.

TikTok Stitches

Stitches allow creators to take up to five seconds of another creator’s video, and then add your own thoughts on top of it. When you see a video start with one creator and get interrupted by another, that’s a stitch. Creators can turn this setting on or off when uploading content to allow other users to respond or add to their content.

Stitches can be a good way to add perspective or give an opposing perspective. However you use a stitch, the key is to add value to the original video.

To stitch a video, start by tapping the share button on the side of the video you want to work with. Tap stitch. Choose the part of the video you’d like to stitch, then tap Next. Choose from the filming options on the side panel. Tap the Record button to start and stop your recording, then tap the check mark.

Edit your video, then tap Next. Adjust your settings, write a caption, and tap Post. Remember, you can only stitch to videos where the creator has allowed stitching in the privacy settings.

TikTok Duets

A duet allows you to be on screen at the same time as the original video. Duets are great for real-time reactions or collaborating with other creators.

To make a duet, tap the Share button on the side of the video you’d like to work with. Tap the Duet button at the bottom.

Choose from the filming options on the side panel. Tap the Record button to start and stop your recording. Then tap the check mark. Edit your video. Then tap Next. Adjust your settings, write a caption, and tap Post. And just like with Stitches, you can do this with videos where the creator has allowed duets.

Get Started on TikTok

TikTok is a dynamic space for creativity, connection, and community. With its innovative algorithm and engaging tools, it offers unparalleled opportunities for creators to reach a vast audience and build their personal or professional brands. As you navigate TikTok’s vibrant culture, remember that authenticity and emotional resonance are key to capturing attention. Whether you’re using music, effects, or engaging with trends, every aspect of your content can contribute to your unique voice. So, dive in, experiment, and embrace the fun of creating — Happy posting!