Copy That Pops: Writing Tips and Psychology Hacks for Business 205: 5 TikTok Tips Applying Psychology and Copy Writing Strategy [Plus How My Video Got 47,000 Views Quickly]
This show is all about applying psychology and improving our writing for online business success, so let's look at TikTok with that lense.
In this solo episode with just me -- no interview today -- we'll cover:
1. What is TikTok and just how crazy big is it already?2. My personal experience with it and how I got a video to over 47,000 views at the time of recording this (about 3 weeks...nearly 25,000 views within 48 hours)3. 5 TikTok Tips ...plus 1 bonus advanced tip if you stick until the end! ...and a bonus custom resource to help in your video planning!
So...
1. WHAT IS TIKTOK?
According to TikTok's website:"TikTok is the leading destination for short-form mobile video. Our mission is to inspire creativity and bring joy."
What do they mean by "short-form video"?60 seconds or less (often just 12 to 15 seconds).
How do they "inspire creativity and bring joy"?
Here are just a few of the things you can do, at the time of this writing, inside the TikTok app:
- overlay a huge selection of songs - add visual effects before or after shooting - save a draft (to finish and post later)- turn on a countdown before filming starts- create a "duet" with or "reaction" to another user (play your videos side-by-side)- select a video cover (so you decide the short preview that others see)- upload images to play as a slideshow- and more!
A few stats:• TikTok has over 500 million active users, behind only Whatsapp, Facebook, Facebook Messenger, WeChat, and Instagram (according to Datareportal, 2019)• TikTok is 2nd most downloaded app in the world (as of early 2020)
2. MY EXPERIENCE WITH IT + MINI-VIRAL VIDEO
I first downloaded the app, then called Musically, sometime in 2019 and posted my first video on November 1, 2019 -- it's a video of 6-week-old Baby Evren in a Superman onesie that we had gotten for Halloween with the Wonder Woman theme song playing in the background. I played with some special effects like slow motion and adding some hears on the screen, even black and white video change up for a few seconds.
I had no idea what I was doing but just wanted to play with the tools a bit and see. As I record this, that first video has 100 views. Definitely not going viral.
Flash forward to January of 2020 and I started to play with the app more, but this time not only as a creator but also as a consumer. I wanted to see what was working and what caught my attention.
I put in some hours while the baby napped or I was waiting for the coffee to brew and took notice of the videos I wanted to scroll and see more of.
That's when I made a video on January 28th, 2020 based on a "Get to Know Me" video trend. It's only aout 12 seconds long. You put up three things on the screen that are false, slap them off, and reveal the truth. I did this with the theme of what it costs to publish your book on Amazon, revealing that it costs $0 and Amazon only makes money when you make money.
This video has over 47,000 views as I publish this podcast just 3 weeks later.
3. BEST 5 TIKTOK TIPS
1. Hashtags matter but don't bother with the #foryoupage or #fyp hashtag...everyone is using that and it doesn't give the algorithm more info about what your video is and who will love to watch it.
2. Jump on a trend with your own take using music and 'theme' of video
3. Write in just a few words what video is about, add it as text on the video, and make that bit of the video with text as the 'preview' so people can see what the video is about just from seeing the video thumbnail as they scroll
4. People are on it to be entertained in a happy, light-hearted way -- fast. Get right to the point. Don't introduce yourself, re-say things you already typed in the description, or share unnecessary details. People will scroll past you if you don't hook them in the first 3 seconds.
5. Add subtitles on video or even some text context so people can follow along even if their audio is off or really low
BONUS PRO TIP
- Take a well-performing video on TikTok and run it as an ad on Facebook, Instagram, or other spots. I'm doing this now and it's working well so far!
BONUS RESOURCE
- I created this TikTok Video Planning Notebook to help you keep track of trending themes, hashtags, and ideas for your content creation on TikTok! It's 8.5"x11" and large print for plenty of space to journal out your video ideas! Check it out and let me know feedback if it works for you. : )
------------
What else is working for you on TikTok? Let me know. And connect with me on TikTok at LaptopLaura!
Take Action Now on Your Bestselling Book!