19 Things I Wish I Knew When I Started TikTok

Summary

This video script offers a comprehensive guide for aspiring TikTok creators seeking to grow their audience and increase their content's virality. The speaker debunks the myth of 'luck' in success, emphasizing the importance of consistency, focused content, and strategic research. They highlight the necessity of daily posting, niche consistency, and leveraging trends to boost visibility. The script also addresses common misconceptions about posting times and hashtags, advocating for 'imperfect action' and learning from successful videos. Additionally, it provides tips on utilizing platform features like auto captions and descriptions to enhance algorithmic understanding and content discoverability. The speaker concludes with advice on balancing content creation with audience consumption to maintain a steady flow of ideas and creativity.

Takeaways

• 🔄 Persistence is key: Consistently posting daily builds momentum and helps to learn and improve quickly.
• 🎯 Niche focus: Posting consistently about the same topic or related topics helps to attract and retain a specific audience.
• 🔍 Research is crucial: Studying what works for others in your niche and understanding trends is essential for growth.
• 📈 Posting more frequently: Increasing the number of posts can lead to faster growth by providing more opportunities for virality.
• 🚫 Overthinking can hinder progress: Focus on creating and posting videos without getting caught up in minor details.
• 🏆 Celebrate successes: Learn from successful videos and replicate the elements that worked well.
• ⏰ Timing misconception: Posting times are less important than the quality and consistency of the content.
• 📝 Description and captions: Utilize auto captions and descriptions to provide context and signal to the algorithm what the video is about.
• 📊 Watch time matters: High watch time percentages are more important for virality than absolute watch time numbers.
• 📉 Handle failures gracefully: Don’t be disheartened by low views; instead, focus on improving and learning from each post.
• 📈 Two types of content: Create a mix of growth content aimed at going viral and trust-building content designed to convert and build relationships.

Q & A

What is the speaker's initial belief about success on TikTok?

The speaker initially believed that success on TikTok was based on luck and the algorithm randomly picking creators to go viral, with no control over the outcome.

Why did the speaker's early videos on TikTok struggle to gain views?

The speaker's early videos struggled because they did not understand the platform's intricacies and the algorithm was not picking up their content due to a lack of consistency and targeted content.

What is the most important action the speaker suggests for growing on TikTok?

The most important action is to post every day, which builds momentum, allows for learning and failing quickly, and demonstrates consistency to the audience and the algorithm.

Why is it crucial to post consistently about the same topic?

Consistency in posting about the same topic helps the audience know what to expect from the creator, keeps them coming back for more, and assists the algorithm in understanding the content's niche and who to show it to.

What role does research play in growing a TikTok account?

Research is vital as it helps creators understand what is working in their niche, including the best titles, thumbnails, and keywords with high search volume and low competition, and to create content around those successful elements.

How does posting more videos affect growth on TikTok?

Posting more videos increases the chances of creating a viral video and provides more opportunities to learn what works and what doesn't, thus accelerating growth.

What are the two caveats mentioned about posting more videos on TikTok?

The two caveats are: 1) Do not sacrifice research for the sake of posting more, and 2) There is a limit to how many videos should be posted daily to avoid being flagged as spam by the algorithm.

Why is it important to take imperfect action and not stress about view numbers?

Taking imperfect action is important because it allows creators to keep producing content and learning from both successful and unsuccessful videos. Stressing over view numbers can hinder creativity and the willingness to experiment with new ideas.

What are the speaker's thoughts on the importance of posting times and hashtags for virality on TikTok?

The speaker believes that posting times do not matter and have zero impact on views. Hashtags can slightly help but should not be the main focus; the most important aspect is having good ideas for content.

How can creators ensure their TikTok algorithm works in their favor?

Creators can help the algorithm by using auto captions for clarity, turning off suggestions to others to ensure the content reaches the right audience, and utilizing tools like text on screen, hashtags, and descriptions to signal what the video is about.

What are the two types of content the speaker suggests creating for success on TikTok?

The two types of content are growth content, which is designed to go viral and attract new viewers, and trust-building content, which is more educational and aimed at converting viewers into followers or customers.

What advice does the speaker give on finding inspiration for content creation?

The speaker advises that creators should consume content within their niche or related topics to recharge their creative batteries and find inspiration, but they should balance this with taking action and creating content.