By mbretous@hubspot.com (Martina Bretous)

Are you finally giving TikTok a shot? If you’re new to the app, there are a few mistakes you’ll want to avoid at all costs.

While some can apply to any social media platform, most are specific to TikTok and its audience.

1. You’re not joining trends.

When I think of TikTok, trending sounds and challenges immediately come to mind. That’s what the platform’s known for, after all.

In fact, many see TikTok as the fun, unfiltered, uninhibited friend to the more uptight, polished Instagram.

With this in mind, succeeding on the platform does mean using special effects, dubbing trending sounds, adding popular music, and taking part in challenges and dances.

Of course, it’s essential that you set brand guardrails to ensure you don’t participate in anything that may hurt your credibility. In addition, not every trend will align with your messaging or brand values – in that case, skip it.

There’s another trend coming right around the corner.

2. You’re not watching TikTok videos.

How can you thrive in an environment you don’t understand? The TikTok space has a very specific energy to it and to step into it, you should take time ingesting first.

Once you get a sense of what’s successful on the platform, you can start playing around with your own content – experimenting with topics and styles to see what your target audience responds to.

However, the work doesn’t stop there. You should always be scrolling on TikTok as long as you’re on the platform. It’s how you:

• Get inspiration for future videos.
• Discover trends.
• Gain insights from competitors.

3. You’re not getting to the point.

There’s nothing worse than watching a video, waiting for the hook, and it never comes.

On TikTok, your video can only be up to three minutes. However, you only have a few seconds to convince viewers to stop scrolling and watch your content.

Here are a few ways to maximize your video:

• Start talking immediately – The first few seconds are key, don’t let them go by without any sound or movement happening.
• Have an engaging caption – This will give viewers a clear understanding of what your video’s about and what they can gain from watching it.
• Use a trending sound – If a sound is going viral, you won’t have to work as hard to maintain your audience’s attention. They already know what to expect and are anticipating what your unique take is.

4. You’re uploading landscape videos.

Similar to Instagram, TikTok is a vertical-first app.

This means that to show up correctly, videos should be 1080 by 1920 pixels. If your video is landscape, its size will be reduced and bordered with thick, black lines that are not aesthetically pleasing.

This not only hurts …read more

Source:: HubSpot Blog

Author: Aaron