Is there a recipe for success in making a TikTok video? Short answer... yes.
Each TikTok account will have a different audience, which means the guidelines for success will vary. However, creating a successful TikTok video is not as subtle as people think, nor is the algorithm. There are clear trends and patterns for successful videos on the platform, and we spend A LOT of time analyzing them and running our own experiments to distill TikTok's success.down to a science.
To understand how to create a successful video, you must first understand your judge.
Let's get to know the TikTok algorithm...
Decompose the algorithm
TikTok's For You page is the foundation of what makes the platform so successful. Discovering new creators is easier than on any other platform. The algorithm that creates each user's For You page takes into account user preferences to suggest videos. No one will have the same "For You" page because no one will have the same preferences or behaviors.
The videos suggested on the For You page arebased on many factors. It starts with the preferences you set as a new user, and then the algorithm gradually learns more about you, collecting data on what you interact with the most and what you clearly don't like.
According to TikTok itself, the rating system is based on factors such as:
Various factors are given different weights in the rating system depending on viewer interest. Certain factors, such as video completion, carry more weight than factors such as shared location, as they better reflect viewer interest. The algorithm then ranks these ratings, identifies the calculated videos that are of most interest to the user, and routes them to the For You page.
That's exactly how the algorithm works - not as glamorous or mysterious as it sounds, right?
But how does your follower count contribute to the algorithm?
Since creators with more followers have built a larger community base to provide the content, it's natural for their content to get more views than someone with a smaller audience. However, this does not directly contribute to a video being powered on the For You page. An account with 100 followers can upload your video right after an account with 1 million followers. TikTok is not a platform where the big guys run the show, which is part of its appeal to developers and users alike. In general, everyone has a chance to go viral, regardless of the size of the audience.
What does it mean to go viral on TikTok?
The word "viral" is largely subjective as there is no set number of views that makes a video go viral. According toDigital Marketing Institute, the levels of virality are as follows…
- 250,000 views: slightly viral
- 1 million views: average viral
- More than 5 million views: viral sensation
However, these are not hard and fast numbers. What you consider viral for a small account might be different for a larger account. Word from the Wise: Measure your success by your past performance, not by other people's.
How to make a successful TikTok video
How to make a successful TikTok video? The checklist below will help you create a great TikTok video every time.
1. Choose an interesting or trendy topic.
If your topic isn't interesting, your video won't perform well. While the issue isn't what makes your video fly, it's what can cause it to fail. Basically, there has to be a group of people on TikTok watching your video and interested in what you're talking about.
Note: This is also the reason for your understandingniche communityit's very important.
As you post more videos, you can experiment with different themes (and presentation styles!) and see which themes resonate the most. If you see that certain topics perform better than others, dive into them and produce more content around them. Your audience will tell you what to do to go viral.
2. Identify possible trends or sounds to be used.
This is kind of a chicken and egg situation. By creating videos, you can identify a trend you want to be a part of and then get ideas on how to apply your niche/brand message to it. On the other hand, you can define your topic and identify a trend that will allow you to communicate this topic in a fun way. Regardless, it's important to make sure they're relevant to your niche, understood by your audience, and executed correctly. Missing the target of a trend is worse than not creating one at all.
3. When explaining information, keep it brief.
The purpose of any video is to attract the viewer's attention. When presenting information, reduce confusion and identify key points that need to be said. That way, you don't lose them along the way.
4. Perfect your delivery.
Delivery is EVERYTHING for the success of the video. No optimization matters if the content itself is not engaging. You have to keep in mind that it would be a shame for people to miss out on valuable content because the delivery wasn't on time and they moved on. Here are some tips on how to perfect your presentation on TikTok videos:
- Keep it short and concise, avoiding fluff and trimming the clips to be short, quick transitions.
- Lead with authenticity. The best way to get attention is to show your true personality.
- Sometimes it takes a second to find your voice on camera. You can be very involved when chatting with friends, but as soon as the camera turns on, things can get shaky or awkward. Go ahead and keep practicing! If you like, listen to your favorite music or throw a little dance party to recharge your batteries. We're not kidding, we've done this before! You can also try talking off camera first to get in the habit. Just pretend you're on the phone with a friend!
Watch your energy. Energy is translated through video, so you must learn to own your presence and communicate with positive energy. This happens through our non-verbals – voice inflection, facial movements, posture, volume, etc. Think of the difference between someone talking about something they are passionate about and something they find very boring. Practice in front of the mirror or film a few takes to make sure you get it right.
5. Use accurate and skillful editing.
You don't need to be a professional video editor to create a great TikTok video; However, there are some general editing rules that should be followed for best results. Trim the beginning and end of your clips to avoid delays that could cause your audience to pull away from the clip. If there is music or voiceover that the video should align with, make sure there is, otherwise the effect will be lost.
6. Use a strong hook.
Users scroll on TikTok and swipe through a video with a thumb gesture. If you don't hook them in the first 3 seconds, they won't. Hooks are arguably one of the most important aspects of a viral video. Hooks must be something controversial or stop rolling.
- You will never believe how I...
- No way did I just figure out how...
- You've been doing X wrong all along...
- I thought about doing *gatekeeping...
*TikTok Vocabulary Lesson:
Gatekeep (verb): Withholding information from others so that information does not become monopolized or mainstream. The general consensus is that control is not about money.
7. Optimize for SEO
Just like Google, TikTok also has an SEO strategy. Search engine optimization consists of optimizing 3 key elements of your content.
- legend
- Script/Subtitles
- Hashtags
If you search for a topic on TikTok, you can see which videos are in the top 3. Examine what keywords they used. Your goal is to be one of those videos for the keywords you are optimizing for.
8. Optimize playback time.
As you publish more videos, you can measure how long your viewers watch the video.TikTok AnalyticsTab (Click the 3 vertical dots) on each video to open analytics!) Watch time data gives you an idea of how long you've been engaging your audience. This will inform several possible pivots…
- If you need to cut your videos or your audience stays for a while;
- When you need to use stronger hooks or provide more engagement to stay longer.
Watch time is a key metric for the success of a video. So the longer you can keep people there the better! Also, don't forget to take a look at the watchtime graph in the analytics section to get a closer look at when your viewers are dropping out!
When looking at the watch time graph, scroll the graph to see the percentage of people who stayed on the video from the start. If you notice a drop in views after 4 seconds, you need a better hook. If you see a plateau on the graph, it means you're keeping their attention. Look back and see what you did to keep them there. By identifying where people have been or left, you get direct insight into what to repeat and what not to repeat.
Take a look at your For You page and find out which videos you're seeing and why. When watching or interacting with a video, find out what they did well that you can emulate. A big part of creating a successful video is practice. So the more you create, the better you become.
Types of non-TikTok videos
TikTok has many different types of videos that creators create. While not all videos can be categorized, here's a list of some popular video types to use as a starting point.
- Tutorials/Education
- Comments/unboxing videos
- fashion sounds
- skits
- questions and answers
If you're just starting out, you can identify which types of videos are relevant to your niche and start creating! The first month is pure experimentation on the platform, then cast a wide net by creating a few videos in each category and measuring your success. Explore different topics and ideas as you evaluate which videos are doing well and why. Once you see a video that performs better than the others, use that data to create your next videos. This creates a constant feedback loop of building, identifying successes, iterating on your strategy, and building again.
Don't be afraid to rinse and repeat. If you study some of the most successful creators on TikTok, they each have 1-3 types of content that they think are performing well and have benefited from it. The goal is to identify what the key building blocks of success are and then use them to your advantage for community growth.