I have came across this TikTok cheat sheet on Twitter. I would like to endorse the work of Brendan Gahan and put it here as my quick to go guide when posting.

I have my attempt of figuring out the TikTok algorythm as @technofitness_coder, so this helped me at the beginning a lot!

A year ago I started on TikTok. Today I’ve got 90k+ followers.

Was it worth it? 1000%

I made a ton of personal and professional relationships, grown my email list, and had a blast.

Here’s how you can do the same 🧡🧡🧡

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I’ll break everything down into 3 categories (plus some general best practices):

  1. Finding A Niche
  2. Content Development
  3. Production

1) Finding a Niche

What the hell do you post?

My advice. Make a list with three columns, and ask yourself the following:

  • What am I knowledgeable about?
  • What do I enjoy talking about?
  • What could I consistently create?
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πŸ‘†That last point is CRITICAL.

Really think critically about what you can create consistently.

If it is not sustainable YOU WILL FAIL.

2) Content Development

Want to have a successful TikTok?

It MUST be thumb stopping. People scroll through over 500 feet of content on their phone each day.

So, how do you get those thumbs to come to a screeching halt?

Here are the strategies that I found work best:

  • Leverage borrowed interest
  • Nail the opener
  • Create tension to drive retention

Leverage borrowed Interest

Well known references capture attention. For example. you could say:

π»π‘’π‘Ÿπ‘’’𝑠 β„Žπ‘œπ‘€ π‘‘π‘œ π‘”π‘Ÿπ‘œπ‘€ π‘œπ‘› π‘‡π‘–π‘˜π‘‡π‘œπ‘˜

OR

π»π‘’π‘Ÿπ‘’’𝑠 β„Žπ‘œπ‘€ πΆβ„Žπ‘Žπ‘Ÿπ‘™π‘– 𝐷’π΄π‘šπ‘’π‘™π‘–π‘œ π‘”π‘Ÿπ‘’π‘€ π‘‘π‘œ 110 π‘šπ‘–π‘™π‘™π‘–π‘œπ‘› π‘“π‘œπ‘™π‘™π‘œπ‘€π‘’π‘Ÿπ‘  π‘œπ‘› π‘‡π‘–π‘˜π‘‡π‘œπ‘˜

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Which is more engaging?

For 99% of people it will be the latter.

Nail The Opener

That first 1-3 seconds is critical. You need to communicate WHY people should stick around to watch.

How do you do this?

The following tactics work well:

  • Pose a question
  • Tease some exclusive info
  • Use hyperbolic language

Power words make your statements engaging.

Defined as words used to trigger a psychological or emotional response, power words help capture attention.

Some of my β€˜go to’ power words are below πŸ‘‡πŸ‘‡πŸ‘‡

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Create Tension To Drive Retention

The TikTok algorithm prioritizes watch time. So, how do you keep people watching as long as possible?

A great way to do this is to pose a question and then deliver the answer at the end. In the middle you build up anticipation and intrigue.

This way people are incentivized to watch the entire TikTok.

3) Production

Keep it simple:

  • Clean picture: use a ring light
  • Clear audio: use a plug in mic/film in room with items that can absorb sound

These are super important and so simple. No one wants to listen to tinny audio with bad lighting.

Now for some general best practices.

There are a few fundamentals you’ll want to keep in mind, they can (largely) be broken out into the following:

  • Framing
  • Trends, hashtags, and audio
  • Text Overlays

Framing

You’ll want to be conscious of where the iPhone notch, captions, as well as profile and engagement stats that all sit on the screen.

To account for this, I leave about 1/4th to 1/3rd at the top empty (see graphic)

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Trends, hashtags, & audio

  • Limit hashtags to 3 per video
  • Use sounds if its additive
  • Adjust sound levels

That’s it.

Many TikTokers are adamant about trending hashtags/ sounds.

In my experience it doesn’t matter much.

The algo does the work of finding your audience.

Text Overlays - Great for adding complimentary information

Limit text to brighter colors (ie red, blue, & green) & give people time to read what you write:

Use no more than 3-7 words at a time:

  • For 3-5 words keep text up 2+ seconds.
  • For 5-7 words keep text up 4+ seconds.
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