How do you create engaging content for TikTok without spending a fortune?

Know your niche, yes - but be bold and try new things! I started TikTok a few months ago and have enjoyed exploring the app, my narrative and my brand. There's too much pressure to get it right the first time. https://www.tiktok.com/@sonyabarlow

I think it's important to understand your purpose for using a platform like TikTok. If you're a business and a brand or even a personality, but you don't have the capacity to be consistent, try different styles of content, and fail a lot, it doesn't matter if you know your niche or not. Before you even identify your niche, know your WHY. And when you really understand that, you will create videos that you're passionate about AND provide value to your ideal audience.

Before you start on the TikTok journey, first ask why am I on this journey? Is it for my ego, to run content experiments, to build an audience exclusively on TikTok, to learn the platform because I have an agency and I want to make TikTok strategies for my clients and get paid for that, to watch, to laugh, to create a new persona for myself, to hide out. You should not touch this platform because you really can't make money on TT unless you are an advertiser running ads. So seriously, figure all this out first! I'm http://www.tiktok.com/@birkcreative 🤣

Know your audience and your buyer persona. Know their likes, their habits and their pain points. Know their lifestyle, where they shop, where they live etc. The more you know about them, the more targeted you can get.

Having an understanding of your niche is important when you're first starting out. Don't worry if your niche seems too specific. Some of the most successful creators I've worked with have focused on very targeted niches. Above all else, when starting your creative journey, ensure that you genuinely enjoy the content you produce. This will help you maintain consistency and produce engaging content that your audience will connect with. Experiment with different formats and styles. Use the feedback from your audience and analytics to help guide the types of videos that work best. Once you find a winning formula, use it as a starting template for future videos. The most important aspect of creating content is to have fun and enjoy the journey!

TikTok isn't about glossy content, great if you are on a tight budget. If you've got a smart-phone, you have the ability to create cut-through content at the touch of a few buttons. Top things I have learnt: 1. Speed is key - the quicker you can get content out there, the quicker you can learn. 2. Trends - the platform is driven by trending sounds, music and formats. Find a way to stay on top, or even ahead of these if you can. 3. Lo-fi is best - viewers like the scrappy content, don't overthink it. 4. Audience - be clear about who this is. Looking at the in app analytics will help you to understand this. 5. Be authentic - if your brand/company can push the boundaries, do it. If they can't, stay in your lane but play to your strengths.

Use the 'Green Screen' effect to add creativity and authenticity to your videos. It also allows you to create videos on-the-go without the worry of finding the right location or background.

Don’t be afraid to show your personality and be strategic with your usage of trending sounds, hashtags, and SEO! Also, don’t just imitate every video within a trend. Make it your own and use it as an opportunity to introduce yourself through video and text on screen. Never underestimate a good call to action either! Want more followers? Say it on screen with something like “follow for more self love content”.

Keep SEO in mind when writing captions. Search for the subject that your post is about, scroll down and see what's appearing in the "Others searched for" section, and see what the keyword returns are. Use these to help guide your caption writing so that you are answering questions that users are asking.

Pay attention to what’s trending on TikTok. An easy way to get more engagement and impressions is to use popular music and sounds, try trending filters, and to recreate popular challenges. Also look for opportunities outside of TikTok such as new memes, pop culture moments, and popular news stories.

See TikTok as a search engine first and foremost. Keep SEO top of mind when crafting your content and include text, captions and post copy that includes keywords that your target audience are searching for.

Keep on top of things that TikTok are favouring, like CapCut templates and image carousels at the moment. If you can pivot your content strategy pretty quickly to adapt to the fast pace algorithm of TikTok then you’ll have a better chance of meeting your objectives.

Give new viewers a reason to connect and watch for more, to follow and become a loyal fan or supporter. In a business context, be sure to make it as simple as possible for people to know how to make a purchase or become a customer in as few steps as possible that way they're more likely to convert!

Question if followers is the right metric you want to measure performance on in the first place. The algorithm is so advanced on TikTok that the for you page will keep showing you the creators you like without you needing to follow them. Strive for community on Instagram and Facebook, strive for reach and engagement on TikTok.

More specifically, track your "Watch Time" per video in the analytics. The goal is to engage people in the first 3 seconds (hook/motion hook), so they stop scrolling and watch the full video. If they don't, then realistically the rest of the video will not be watched no matter how good it is. When you review your analytics, check where your views are dropping off and either repurpose the video and repost it or start filming more variations and get better at keeping the viewer engaged throughout the video. Editing and adding engaging captions on the video also helps when improving the watch time, and you can leverage AI tools to edit your videos faster (and better!)

Use insights to understand what is working, what is not, and why not - use polls, stickers and questions to engage - at least three months before data moves forward. https://www.tiktok.com/@sonyabarlow

As an influencer, I was surprised when I made a post about curb cuts and in 2 days had almost 70k views and 1k likes and comments. It was my random observation that resonated. I then ran more tests with similar characteristics and came close to replication. My motto is be honest and just share your thoughts about topics that are interesting to you. Why didn't I convert my channel to topics related to accessibility? Because it's not my area of expertise so it would have been an ego play for me versus something to drive value to my brand goals. If you are running the platform for a customer, and ads are needed, results must be measured according to their KPIs/conversions.