For the past 2 years, I’ve posted twice a day on TikTok, once in the morning and once in the evening. It was a long and fascinating journey that helped me learn a lot about this unique, ever-evolving platform. Looking to enhance your own TikTok strategy? Here are 5 things I learned from posting on TikTok twice a day for 2 years.
Read MoreThis is the 17th post in the “A Conversation With” series, where I interview smart humans about their experiences in marketing and social media. You can read past features here.
This month, I interviewed Kelsey Sweet, Social Media Strategist for the Buffalo Bills, whose work focuses on influencer marketing, TikTok strategy, and cause marketing. In this blog post, we dive into wacky TikToks, analytics, mental health, and more.
Read MoreIn an effort to understand TikTok’s mysterious algorithm, I regularly conduct experiments to learn which tactics help videos gain traction. I’ve experimented with 3 minute videos, CapCut templates, an SEO hack, and more. In September, I experimented with a core component of TikTok videos: trending sounds. I don’t use trending sounds often; they’re not usually conducive to the kind of content I make. But trending sounds are supposed to be important in getting your videos seen, so for one week, I used trending sounds on every video I shared. To be frank, the results were surprising.
Read MoreThroughout 2023, I’ve been experimenting on TikTok with the goal of better understanding their mysterious algorithm. I’m hoping to determine which commonly-promoted tactics are worthwhile and which are overhyped. In June, I experimented with an SEO trick that I’ve seen circulating the platform: hiding keywords in your video so the TikTok algorithm knows what your video is about and who to serve it. The results of this experiment were mixed. Today I’m sharing exactly how to do this SEO trick for TikTok and what I learned from the experiment.
Read MoreI’ve worked in social media marketing for over ten years, but I’ve never been an early adopter of a new platform…until now. My disillusionment with Instagram is at an all-time high and a new app was the talk of TikTok, so last week I joined Lemon8. This newcomer to the social media scene is intriguing and has the potential to be extremely popular. I’m sure you have a lot of questions about where it came from, how Lemon8 works, and more, so let’s dive in!
Read MoreFor a few months now, I’ve been conducting experiments to learn about TikTok’s algorithm. I plan to continue these experiments for as long as I can, despite the looming threat of (another) potential TikTok ban. My goal is to learn how to create content that will be served to just the people you’re hoping will see it. I’m testing several different tactics and sharing my findings.
Lately I’ve seen competing theories about video length. Some folks claim that the algorithm is boosting longer form content and we should all pivot to that; others assert that video completion is the most important metric, so shorter videos work best. I tried posting only 60 second videos for a week to see what would happen.
Read MoreIn the past, I’ve written about why I use a scheduling tool as a social media professional. Creating and managing content, engaging with your online community, staying on top of trends and changing algorithms, reviewing analytics and adjusting your strategy–it’s a lot of work! Scheduling content in advance helps me make my social media work a bit more manageable. That’s why I was excited when Instagram released a new feature: scheduling posts natively right in the app! Here’s what you need to know:
Read More2023 has seen a massive and terrifying rise in anti-trans rhetoric and legislation. To show support for trans people and raise funds for trans rights organizations, author Sim Kern organized a Trans Rights Readathon that runs March 20-March 27. The goal is to read and uplift trans authors and stories and to donate to a cause based on how many pages, chapters, or books you read. I’ll be joining the readathon next week and wanted to share my reading list in case you’d like to join too!
If you decide to participate, be sure to fill out the Trans Rights Readathon Survey. For the fundraising component, I’ll be donating 10 cents per page read to the Transgender Law Center. Here’s what’s on my reading list.
Read MoreOne of the most fun (and let’s be honest, sometimes challenging) parts of working in social media is that the industry is constantly changing. New apps take off and there’s always more to learn. A few years ago, I wrote a social media glossary that explained 50 different terms. With TikTok continuing to dominate the social media landscape lately, I thought it was high time to explain 36 TikTok terms, from basic tools within the platform to unusual abbreviations and slang you may encounter on TikTok.
Read MoreI’ve been writing about TikTok a lot lately on this business blog. The social media landscape seems especially uncertain and chaotic lately, with Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter creating issues and instability and Facebook and Instagram feeling dead to many. Meanwhile, TikTok is continuing to keep their users highly engaged every day. Even though it’s been around for awhile now, there’s still tremendous potential on this platform. As a continuation of my “Things Not to Do” series (catch up on the Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook versions of this post), today I’m sharing 15 things not to do on TikTok.
Read MoreDigital, Social, & Creative by Emily Hessney Lynch.
