Three of our staff members joined TikTok to test out the waters and two went semi-viral. One with 30k from the first planned video and the second with 60k in 24 hours. This is NUTS. We’re saying planned because we’ve intentionally laid out a plan for when, how, where, why and it worked in two of the three cases. And whereas we thought everyone gets these views, apparently they don’t and we’ve had our inbox hit with curious artists and brands asking us how we did it. Well, here are 10 rules we’ve applied when uploading the videos to get tens of thousands of views in a relatively short amount of time.
10. Make it less than 14 seconds.
Especially if you’re new on the platform. People don’t know you and they won’t stick around for 30 seconds or more. Think of how the industry always advises indie artists to cut straight to the chase and never delay the intro of their songs. The. exact. same. principle. applies.
9. Good light, good sound.
The algorithm counts the pixel concentration and lighting percentage and if your video rates low quality against the top players, you won’t even get pushed to the fyp daily page. So invest in a good camera, a good light ring, and only then think about uploading videos.
8. Use the Tik Tok suggested sound.
We were surprised how TikTok counted the bpm of our videos and suggested very appropriate almost glove-like background tracks. Use them! The algorithm has calculated THIS sound will work best with your visual and if you obey, you get rewarded with more views.
7. Use two-word hashtags.
Don’t use the #viral BS or #fyp. Use instead what people will see in your video. If you’re traveling, don’t just say travel. Say instead #travel(name of city you’re in). If you’re showing off your marketing agency, don’t just say #marketing. Use instead #freemarketing or #marketingtips. One-word hashtags are way too generic and will drown your video in anonimity.
6. Use a Tik Tok provided filter even if on low percentage.
The Caramel filter seems to be the best-looking one. We suggest you go for a 20% filter visibility. This matters because the native filters enhance the video quality by increasing contrast and highlighting certain hues. And TikTok is all about aesthetics thus you’ll get a free push to the people using the same filter.
5. Caption everything you’re saying.
Everybody keeps talking about deaf people but NO. While there are many of them on TikTok, the algorithm is not entirely about them when it comes to captions. You’ll enjoy free exposure to the late crowd if you caption your video because TikTok assumes you’re in bed watching videos and can’t hear it at full volume. Which brings us to…
4. Upload between 10 PM and midnight.
Because of the late crowd, those that go to sleep extremely late if not in the morning altogether, you actually get a lot more engagement and views. When someone is up at 2 AM and there are no comments on your video, they know if they say something you’ll see it first thing in the morning. So they engage more because they feel privileged.
3. Upload only once a week in the beginning.
Because TikTok doesn’t care if you shoot videos 24/7. TikTok cares that you spend a lot of time on the app so in order to pull you in and give you a little taste of fame, they are HIGHLY LIKELY to push your first video in a long time to tens of thousands of people. This way you get used to the thousands of likes and comments and start obsessing over repeating your success while the train is long gone and now you depend solely on your existing followers. Trigger TikTok into thinking you don’t care to be online. Uninstall the app every now and then if you have to stop yourself from binge watching their content every single day.
2. Have your geo-location turned on.
Because the algorithm will push your video to those in your physical proximity. So instead of placing you nowhere specifically (which is what happens if TikTok doesn’t know where you are), you take the control back and force TikTok to push your content to the people in your area.
1. Have a striking profile picture.
When people first see your video, they automatically scan whether they should follow you or not based off your profile picture as well. The more interesting it is, the more time they’ll spend snooping around your profile. Make sure the profile photo accurately represents who you are and what you’re selling. If you’re on TikTok to sell jewelry, don’t put a profile picture of you in a car. Either use the business logo (which we don’t advise you do), or use your face WITH the product you’re selling.
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