How to Use TikTok Like A Pro: A Beginner’s Guide
You’ve heard the hype surrounding TikTok, the short-form video app taking over your feed, but you’re not sure what to make of it. Or maybe you know it’s all the rage and you want to get in on the action too! Either way, you need some guidance on how to use TikTok like a pro to keep up with everyone else. Here are some key tips and best practices to help you enjoy this social media app while making the most of your time on it.
Getting Started
If you’re new to TikTok, I understand that it can be overwhelming—you may have heard about it from friends or seen one of your favorite celebs hopping on board. Don’t fret! I’ll show you how easy it is to join in on all of the fun and creativity. First, you need to download Tik Tok via either App Store (iOS) or Google Play Store (Android). If you already have Snapchat installed on your phone, then installing Tik Tok should be pretty simple—and if not, don’t worry; they share the same platform. Once you open up your app for the first time, go ahead and sign up with a username so other users can find and follow you.
From there, it’s time to explore. You can view popular videos by tapping Explore at the bottom of your screen. Or, you can tap Discovery, allowing you to search for specific people based on their name or username. This will help narrow down results when looking for particular content creators or trends within your area. And finally, if you want to start making videos yourself, tap Camera Roll at the bottom of your screen and select Create a Video. From here, just start recording by holding down on your screen until you see that yellow button appears at the top right corner of your video frame. The rest is pretty self-explanatory!
Posting Stories
On TikTok, users post stories instead of posts. Posting stories is simple, just tap the camera icon and then select your filter. Next, decide how long you want your story to be (up to 60 seconds) and whether or not you want anyone else in it. Finally, post! And if you think of something while posting your story, don’t worry—you can go back and edit it at any time. One thing that makes TikTok different from other social media platforms is that its Stories feature is kind of like Snapchat—users can watch once, like, or comment on their friends’ stories and those friends can do so in return.
If you don’t want people watching your story more than once, make sure to disable repeat viewing before posting.
TikTok also has live-streaming capabilities, but they’re pretty limited compared to other apps like Periscope and Facebook Live. You can only stream live when using Wi-Fi, which means you’ll have trouble broadcasting from anywhere outside of your home or office. Plus, there are some pretty strict rules about what types of content are allowed during streams; anything too sexual will get deleted by moderators immediately after it airs.
Generating Followers
The ultimate goal of using social media is to generate interest in your products or services. You want people to take action and do something as a result of your posts, whether that’s buying something or telling their friends about what you have. If you don’t have any followers, you can’t begin generating interest. The good news is that it takes very little time and effort on your part—and doesn’t cost anything—to start growing an audience on these platforms.
So just dive in, start posting things relevant to your business (or just for fun), and watch those numbers climb! It’ll be a great way to stay connected with current customers (assuming you’re running it for business) and attract new ones at no cost.
TikTok Hashtags
You’ll want to use hashtags that most closely describe your video and keep in mind that any hashtag with less than 100,000 posts attached will probably be excluded from searches. As a starting point, here are some general tags you might want to use when uploading a video (although make sure you’re checking their popularity): #vloggerslife #socialmediatips #videooftheday. But these are only for starters—as soon as you start gaining more followers, try adding some of your own creativity into play by using off-the-wall but popular hashtags like #Caturday or #LOLcats. As long as it makes sense for your type of content and stays true to your brand voice, it’s worth trying!
Geotagging on TikTok
What is geotagging? Geotagging simply refers to when you can easily tag videos, pictures, and posts with real-world location data. With geotagging on TikTok, it will be easier than ever to connect with other users in your area and share your daily experiences or fun adventures—all while discovering new videos from around you! To see how it works on TikTok, tap your username at the top of your profile and select App Settings. From there, toggle Geotagging ON. After doing so, each time you post something using that account, TikTok geotags will appear underneath. Just click attach location and a map will pop up showing where you are.
Editing and Moderating Comments on TikTok
Since TikTok posts are available to everyone, you need to monitor what people post. This means it’s not enough for you just to make sure your content is great; you also have to be aware of what other people are saying. It might sound like a lot of work, but as long as you don’t focus too much on individual comments or users and instead check in regularly, then monitoring comments is easy.
The best part? You can even make friends and collaborate with some of them! Your audience will appreciate it when they see that you’re not afraid of criticism and when they notice that you reply kindly to questions about your channel.
As great as that sounds, there are times when you’ll need to moderate comments that are spammy in nature, as they will simply ruin the experience of other users who go through the comments for fun.
Engaging Your Audience on TikTok
As with any social media platform, engagement is crucial on TikTok. After all, getting likes and comments means more opportunities for your video to get in front of new people. Fortunately, being funny on TikTok can be easy—many users would rather laugh than think. Just remember that not everyone is going to respond positively to your content; you might have viewers who make fun of you instead of laughing along.
Remembering that others will be viewing what you post can help keep you grounded in your comedy and avoid crossing any lines (no matter how thick they seem). It’s also important not to put too much pressure on yourself—TikTok is meant for laughs and exploration! Even if your jokes aren’t always successful, they can still be an enjoyable experience.
How to Use TikTok for Business
If you run a business, advertising on TikTok can help you reach new customers. An ad is an opportunity for your business or brand to create its own channel and build an audience so that when people search for information about your brand, they’ll find it. When posting on your own channel, make sure that all of your content is created specifically for that platform—don’t use videos you already have elsewhere.
Also keep in mind that if you violate any of TikTok’s policies, like showing nudity or using vulgar language, your account may be deleted without warning. Before posting anything new, double-check to make sure it won’t get flagged. Keep in mind that although you’re creating your own channel, other users will still post comments as usual.
These are public posts; anyone who has access to your page will see them, including people outside of TikTok. If someone leaves a negative comment on one of your posts, try not to respond negatively yourself—responding with anger or insults only adds fuel to the fire. Instead, let go and move on; even negative comments can still attract followers if handled well!
How to change your TikTok username
It is important that you keep your username because it is part of your identity on TikTok, as well as being easier for other users to find and follow you. The good news is that changing your username is very easy. In fact, all you need to do is click on More under your profile picture and then select Update my name. You will then be prompted to enter in a new name and even a password of sorts! This ensures that no one else can change it for you or steal it from you. If someone does try to change or steal your username, TikTok will notify you via email so that nothing happens without your knowledge.
About The Author

Williams Alfred Onen
Williams Alfred Onen is a degree-holding computer science software engineer with a passion for technology and extensive knowledge in the tech field. With a history of providing innovative solutions to complex tech problems, Williams stays ahead of the curve by continuously seeking new knowledge and skills. He shares his insights on technology through his blog and is dedicated to helping others bring their tech visions to life.