I’m trying out TikTok – and here’s what I think

Now, I’m not exactly a stranger to TikTok. I’ve been playing around with it for a while, and I love it.

It’s fun, it’s fast-paced, and it’s an absolute dream for content creators like me who want to be able to produce, edit, and share recordings quickly.

I also put together an article a little while ago on the benefits of using TikTok for businesses – particularly those that rely on user-generated videos to create a buzz around their brand.

Pretty much all of the things I mentioned here still apply right now in 2023. As a platform, TikTok still isn’t suitable for every business, and it probably will never be a viable option for many. But it’s evolving, especially in terms of its ad platform, which makes it a more attractive option for companies that might have wanted to shy away from it in the past.

Another thing that has changed slightly is TikTok’s user demographics. It’s still most popular amongst the younger generations – and interestingly (and in some cases against its own 13+ age-rating), 25% of users are aged between 10 and 19 years old. Despite some hesitancy to buy into all the excitement, the site is now being picked up by the slightly older crowd (hi!), with around 53% of its users aged over 30, according to the most recent statistics.

Basically, there’s plenty of potential here if you need help building a personal or corporate brand. Whether you need to invest loads of your precious energy into TikTok? Well, that’s down to:

• The age and behaviours of your target audience
• How comfortable you are creating videos
• How creative you can be – because when it comes to TikTok, out of the box thinking gets you further
• How much time and money you have to manage yet another social media channel

Strapped for time? Cross-platform video sharing is easy

When it comes to maintaining my video content strategy, I definitely don’t have time to create new videos from scratch for every platform, regardless of whether I’m posting personally or sharing content to my professional account. So, it’s really useful to know that I can share my Instagram Reels to TikTok – and vice versa. Here’s how it works.

• Repurposing your Instagram Reels for TikTok

If you’re sending out amazing Reels content on Instagram that your audiences love, it’s easy to download them straight from Insta and reupload them to Tiktok. I use a tool called indown.io to do this. (It’s a must-have if you just want to copy videos into your device for safekeeping, too.) It’s a web-based feature, so you won’t need to download another app to your phone.

Simply copy and paste the Reel or video link into the Instagram Video Downloader bar and watch the magic happen!

• Sharing your TikTok content elsewhere

Need to get a video off your TikTok account so you can share it elsewhere? Try snaptik.app. One of the great things about SnapTik is, it won’t leave logos or watermarks on any content generated from TikTok. Instagram and many of the other major platforms don’t like content that’s been labelled by other sites, so you might achieve more reach in the algorithm with videos that are free from any brand mentions. 

Like indown.io, you can use this tool via a browser – but an app is available if you’d rather download that instead.

Is it time to join the obsession with TikTok?

Only if you want to! If other social media sites are holding your attention and you could do without another distraction, TikTok might not be for you. I can see why people get addicted! Me, I’m going to continue experimenting with the app and putting a little more time into testing its features for business. I’ll keep you posted on my progress!