With more than 800 million active users, TikTok has become an internet sensation.
If you’re new to the app or have kids living on it, this tutorial will show you how to use TikTok and give you a high-level overview of what’s going on there.
Tik Tok is the leading destination for short videos and with all the fun features available in the app, it’s easy to get hooked. Users can create singing, dancing, comedy, and lip-syncing videos and apply lots of fun filters to add life and color to them. It started as part of the Music.ly app with its lip sync videos. It also has elements of Snapchat with its filters and chat. Aimed squarely at teenagers, it’s a social network packed with short videos that seemingly came out of nowhere to take over the phones of anyone of a certain age.
Setting up TikTok
The most popular form of TikTok is the mobile app. You can also use the tiktok website for some things, but it doesn’t have all the same features. For that reason, you need to download the app on your phone from the relevant app store and install it. Next, you will need to set up an account and then you can get started.
- Download TikTok from the App Store or the Google Play Store and install it.
- Set up your account by following the wizard.
TikTok will then ask you to provide a working phone number. While this isn’t something you need to provide, you can’t message other users without it. Providing your phone number is also a good way to protect your account and ensure you can recover it. By setting up your account, you can start watching and creating your own videos. But first, let’s talk about your profile page.
How to set up your profile page
TikTok profile pages are quite simple in nature. Like other social media platforms, you can add a username, profile photo, and a short bio.
Here are the highlights from his profile page:
- You can access your profile page by clicking on the Profile icon in the lower right corner.
- At the top you will see your profile photo and your username. Other users can find your profile by searching for the name with the ‘@’ symbol in front of it.
- Below your profile photo and username you’ll see the number of people you follow, the number of people who follow you, and how many likes your videos have (collectively).
- Now you will see three icons. Tapping the first icon will display all the videos you’ve posted (as well as those in your drafts). Tapping the second one will show you videos from other creators that you liked and the last icon will show you private videos.
- If you need to access TikTok Settings, tap the three-line menu icon in the top right corner. Here you can change your privacy settings and more.
- In this menu you will find several options to customize your Privacy, Account, and even notifications.
That’s all. You are already inside and you can start enjoying the social network.
Using TikTok
Once you log in, you should see the “For You” feed listing the most popular videos right now. Select one to view and like it if you want, to show your appreciation. If you play a video, it will repeat until you stop it or choose another one.
If you want to look around, tap the magnifying glass icon at the bottom of the screen to search. You can search by trending hashtags, most popular users, popular songs, or videos. Select a video to start playing it.
If you like the video, like it by tapping the heart icon on the right or add a comment with the speech bubble. If the user has several videos they like, they can follow them by selecting their name and adding them to their feed.
TikTok uses your likes and followers to create a profile of what you like to watch and what you don’t, and will adjust your For You feed accordingly. Once you’ve been using TikTok for a while and liked a few videos, you’ll see the Following tab at the top of the main screen, which will show videos from the people who made the videos you liked. It’s a shortcut to content that you may or may not want to use.
Upload your own video to TikTok
Browsing and consuming media is just a small part of Tik Tok. Its real strength lies in helping you create your own video, do some basic editing, and then upload it to the site. It’s not required, of course, but you’re missing out if you don’t contribute.
TikTok is made for short videos. Initially, TikTok allowed creators to create 15-second videos. Nowadays, you can post videos ranging from 15 seconds to 3 minutes. As you would expect, TikTok makes it very easy to create your own content to add to the network. If you’ve used Snapchat or Instagram, the process isn’t that different.
How to upload your own video
These are the basics of adding your own video to TikTok.
- Prepare yourself, the setting, the song or sketch and have everything prepared beforehand.
- Rehearse what you are going to do until it is perfect.
- Open Tik Tok on your phone and press the ‘+’ at the bottom of the screen.
- Select any audio you want to add by selecting ‘Sounds’ at the top.
- Hit record when you’re ready.
- Press record again to stop if it doesn’t stop automatically.
- Add any effects, text or edits to your video on the next screen and select Next when I finish.
- Select the friends you want to tag and select Next.
- Select Mail when you’re ready to publish.
How to create a duo on TikTok
You and your friend can perform a duet on TikTok, even when you’re in two separate places. Duet only works with public videos that are 15 seconds or less in length.
- Open a video from your friend and select the Share icon.
- Then tap the Duo icon.
How to create a stitch video
A Stitch video is similar to a Duet because you interact with someone else’s content. But instead of reacting to its content, you’re amplifying it. Points can be used for many things, but essentially what you’re doing is showing your viewers a short clip of the original creator’s content and then adding your own content at the end.
Follow the same steps above by tapping the Share icon and clicking Stitch instead. Then, do this to upload it:
- Use the slider at the bottom to select which part of the original video you want to use. Then click Next in the upper right corner.
- Choose the length of your video and then press and hold the record button to record your content.
- When you’re done recording, tap the red check mark in the bottom right corner.
- Review your video and add finishing touches. Then touch Next.
- You are now on the Publications page. Make the necessary selections and click Mail.
If you don’t see the option to join someone’s video, it’s because you have the feature disabled or you have a private profile.
Save a draft
TikTok allows you to save a video as a draft and post it later. To do this:
- Tap on the Create video icon.
- When you finish recording your video, tap Next.
- Tap Drafts.
The main thing to remember when recording a video for TikTok is that more time is spent on the things you don’t see than the things you do. Preparation and rehearsal are key. It could take you an hour to get your 15-second performance right and several takes before you’re satisfied. That’s okay, and it’s something most people on TikTok accept as normal.
Frequent questions
TikTok is a relatively simple platform, but there is a lot to learn. We have included more information in this section.
Can I make money on TikTok?
Yeah! But it will take some work. Fortunately, TikTok has a pretty good track record of supporting anonymous creators (unlike Instagram, where celebrities reign supreme). In fact, we have an article here that will teach you how to get more followers and therefore make money on TikTok.
Is TikTok safe?
TikTok is as safe as the user makes it. This means that only you can protect yourself. While the platform has security guidelines and features, it is important to understand that what you post online and the information you provide can be used for more nefarious reasons.
TikTok has strict policies for minors (there are no account owners under 13 and minors cannot send gifts to creators, etc.). It also offers a great reporting feature and a blocking feature. However, spammers and misusers still find ways to bypass these controls.
If you want to use TikTok, it’s important to have a strong password, be careful with external links, and use the native security features to protect yourself and your identity. Again, remember that anything you put online will basically be online forever.
Do I have to create a TikTok account to use the platform?
No. TikTok will allow you to view public videos without an account. While this limits your ability to interact with other people, you can still watch videos without providing any personal information.
What is the ‘Culture’ of TikTok?
When we say “Culture”, we mean the unwritten rules of the platform. What is and is not socially acceptable to the most avid users?
To begin with, TikTok, like any other social media platform, can be a nice place where users can find fun and interesting content. But there are also negative aspects. Keep in mind that if you post a video, you will likely receive some negative comments. It’s best to ignore these comments, but you can report or block the user if they are too volatile.
Next, if you find a creator you really enjoy, click the Follow button to support them and like their videos. You can also tune into their live videos to send gifts that they can then convert into money. Just keep in mind that TikTok has a very strange spam algorithm that can damage your account. So, please watch the videos in their entirety and don’t spam the like button. Scrolling through your profile and liking every video can have a negative impact on your account.
When you like, comment, or follow, TikTok will show you more content similar to that. Over time, you may notice that everything you see on your For You page is limited to certain content. This can get pretty boring because your For You page becomes an echo chamber of the same content. To avoid this, use the Discover button to search for other video genres and then interact with them.
Lastly, TikTok has strict community standards. Read them before interacting; Otherwise, your account may be banned.
Hopefully now TikTok isn’t as bewildering as it once was and you have the basics of how the network works and how to contribute. The rest is a matter of experimentation, trial and error. Good luck with that!
