Emilie Tabor is Co-Founder & CMO at IMA || Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe

TikTok’s evolution has been astonishing. As the most downloaded app in 2020 and the first quarter of 2021, it has changed the rules of content consumption and reshaped social media culture. TikTok has become a force to be reckoned with, and brands from all industries and sectors have been trying out new and innovative ways to explore this platform to its full potential.

No matter the subject, just about any video has the potential to go viral on TikTok. The platform is built around #ForYou recommendations, not necessarily who a user is friends with or follows. Because the algorithm serves content that matches users’ taste no matter who created it, it’s much easier for creators and brands to have their videos exposed to millions of eyeballs. 

But going viral isn’t so random. Although luck is definitely part of the equation, after working with TikTok strategies for a while, I’ve noticed that there’s logic behind which videos are successful. There are a few boxes that, if ticked, will increase your chances of having your videos circulated all over the platform. And even if they aren’t, you will at least be empowered with the knowledge to create better content that truly resonates with TikTok’s audience. 

Here are three tips for creating great content on TikTok:

1. The Keyword Is ‘Native’ 

With so many platforms to explore, repurposing content is normally an easier way for brands to have an active presence on many social channels. However, with TikTok, I’ve found that native content is key and recycling videos from other platforms probably won’t get you very far. So immerse your brand in the TikTok experience to understand what works and what doesn’t, and from there, create content specially shaped for the platform.

It’s important to keep your account active, reply to comments, interact with your communities, join timely challenges and participate in trends. Therefore, be sure to allocate the appropriate amount of internal resources. 

A great way to help you navigate this challenge is partnering with TikTok native creators to aid in content creation. These are the people who gathered their followings originally on TikTok, and who have a deep understanding of the platform and the type of content appreciated by their community (as well as TikTok users in general). If given enough creative freedom, TikTok native creators can be a valuable resource to spread your message in the most authentic and entertaining way.

2. Embrace The Entertaining Experience

TikTok is less about social networking and more about keeping users entertained — which means that if you can keep people amused, your community will likely continue to grow. That being said, product promotions or heavy branding normally disrupt the viewing experience, while you should be trying to enhance it. 

Instead, try to focus on authentic storytelling. TikTok revolutionized the industry by further democratizing content creation. You don’t need special equipment, big productions or heavy editing to make waves; you just need to understand the type of content that resonates on the platform and apply creativity to put your spin on it.

When it comes to embracing the experience, the Washington Post’s efforts have been exceptional. The brand successfully combines journalism with branding and satire, which has led it to amass over 900,000 followers and 37 million likes. Likewise, unleash your creativity, focus on telling a story and experiment with different categories and styles to find the approach that best works for you.

3. You Don’t Need To Be Original All The Time

Brands and marketers usually assume that a successful campaign involves a completely unique creative concept. While this can be true in many other contexts, for TikTok this isn’t always the case. TikTok is a collaborative and complementing environment — everyone is constantly building on what’s already there, which then turns into something completely new. Think duets, reactions and users’ own versions of existing challenges. 

For this reason, you don’t have to always innovate in your content on TikTok. Joining forces with the community and expanding on user-generated content is as important as initiating a trend yourself — although you should always add your own twist to keep it authentic, creative and engaging. Gucci perfectly captured the essence of collaborating and interacting with content created by the community by embracing the #GucciModelChallenge. The brand re-posted many of the parody videos on its own page, while also noting that select users will be part of an upcoming project.

All in all, don’t think only about what the TikTok community can give you; instead, focus on what you can give it. If you were the one watching, what would you like to see? Think like your audience, and you will be one step closer to offering the best experience on TikTok.

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