You’re already juggling Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and SnapChat. Now TikTok has the audacity to show up and completely take the world by storm. TikTok is so popular that it’s growing faster than both Facebook and SnapChat.

While the advent of TikTok means there is another fun way to consume content, it also means there is yet another platform bloggers must learn how to leverage.

You may be wondering whether or not TikTok is even worth your time.

The short answer is, yes!

This post will cover the longer answer, by addressing the following:

• What the heck TikTok is
• Why you should use TikTok for your blog
• Ideas for promoting your blog on TikTok

What even is TikTok?

If you don’t know what TikTok is, you potentially qualify as a social media geriatric. That doesn’t mean you’re old. But, it could indicate you’re an avid Facebook user and over the ripe old age of 25, considering 60% of TikTok users are between the ages of 16-24.

If you’re new to TikTok, don’t worry. I’ll break down for you. Here’s everything you need to know about TikTok.

 

TikTok is kind of like the love child of Instagram and YouTube, but has its totally unique identity. It’s a social media app where people create and share short videos.

Many of the videos include lip syncing, sound bites, dancing, or plain old talking. TikTok creators can use filters, effects, different speeds, templates, and more in their videos to spruce them up and entice followers.

Swipe up

You gotta get your swipe right on social media (especially Tinder, am I right?). On TikTok, you swipe up to scroll through videos.

Personalization

With 800+ million active TikTok users, how do you connect with the right audience?

TikTok uses an algorithm that personalizes your unique experience based on your device and account settings (e.g. language, country, device type), user interactions like what  you watch, like, and share.

The algorithm also recommends content based on video information including hashtags, sounds, and captions, and takes into account the content you indicate you don’t like.

Discover

TikTok also has a powerful search tool. You can search for other users, topics, videos, sounds, hashtags, and more.

Profile

Every user has an individual profile where they can add a photo, video, see followers, and see videos and likes.

#Hashtags

Hashtags play a huge role on TikTok. People use hashtags for organization, engagement, and participation in challenges.

Why should you use TikTok to promote your blog?

The big question is: Should you use TikTok to promote my blog?

Absolutely!

Here are the main reasons why.

1. Build brand and blog awareness

You might not immediately see a million click-throughs to your blog directly from TikTok, but that doesn’t mean people aren’t becoming familiar with your brand.

TikTok has a unique algorithm that works to promote everyone’s content—even accounts with only a few followers.

What’s particularly interesting is even brand new TikTok accounts can get millions of views on videos. In fact, the newer your account is, the more likely one of your videos is to go viral.

TikTok’s algorithm also works to show the right content to the right audience. This means when you first start creating videos, you can rest assured TikTok will deliver it to an audience that is interested in what you have to offer.

When you first sign up for TikTok, it’s a great opportunity to get new eyes on your content and blog. Put a lot of thought into your first slew of videos and make sure to mention your blog.

2. Connect with new audiences

TikTok has over 800 million active users, a plethora of new downloads every day, and is growing faster than any other social platform.

While it’s true that TikTok is most popular amongst Generation Z, that’s not the only crowd interested in TikTok.

Regardless of your target demographic, a large amount of your ideal readers spend time on TikTok.

This gives you an opportunity to attract readers that are already within your target demographic, and to also connect with a younger audience as well.

3. Reach all your social audiences with video

The best news about social media is you don’t have to create new content for every platform. TikTok makes it easy for you to create a video and automatically share it to Facebook, Instagram, SnapChat, etc.

All you have to do is create your video, add any effects, press “next” when you’re satisfied, add video details, and then click “automatically share to,” and select the respective platform.

By Ashley Cummings