At this point in 2021, TikTok is old news.
It’s no longer just the app for teens and young adults. People of all ages are consuming and creating content on apps like TikTok and Instagram Reels.
That means it’s more important than ever that you be effective on Tik Tok. Beyond the basics.
We covered those TikTok basics in our blog post last Fall, TikTok 101: For Churches.
Today? We’re diving in deeper with TikTok 102.
Below are four updates to our original instructions from TikTok 101 (which are still super valuable!).
Click here for the video version of this post!
TikTok Tip #1 Interact with Others
Besides the standard commenting and liking of videos, there are two other important ways you can interact with other videos on TikTok.
First, you can Duet another video.
If someone has their videos open to duets, you will actually be able to create a video of yourself which plays at the same time as the other person’s video.
This allows you to either show your reaction to their video or interact with it as it plays.
Another way to interact with other videos is to Stitch a video of yourself on the end of their video. When you use the Stitch feature, you cut a portion of one person’s video and add your own commentary at the end of it.
By interacting with others’ posts, it brings attention to their content, creates connections, and will mix up your content from your typical videos.
TikTok Tip #2 Go Live
As we learned from Rev. Natalie in this post, there can be surprising benefits for churches who try going live on TikTok.
It doesn’t take much to set up a TikTok live video while you are preaching, teaching, or doing something notable with your church. And yet, it could make all of the difference for someone who gets notified by your TikTok live and gets to tune in when they least expected to.
TikTok lives make you even more approachable than simply posting TikTok content.
People get to see who you are beyond the fanfare and preparation.
They might feel risky or odd, but they are worth the attempt.
Many large creators (and even smaller pastoral accounts!) have designated “live” hours once or twice a week to answer questions and connect.
Consider these virtual office hours.
You can add them to your bio so people always know when to find you!
TikTok Tip #3 Post More Regularly
As with any social media app, you only have time to post so much.
We recognize that you cannot possibly be constantly posting on every single platform (or any platform) and TikTok is no exception.
However, we must note that to be successful on TikTok, you need to be consistent. Preferably multiple times a day.
Yes, we’ll give you a minute to recover from reading that…
No, we’re not anywhere close to that consistent ourselves!
BUT we’re here to bring you the digital ministry truth and the truth is, the more you post, the more likely you will reach even more people with your message.
TikTok Tip #4 Get to Know the Trends.
Before you tune out thinking this is a “TikTok 101” tip, we have good reason for bringing this up again.
You need to know that to actually get to know the trends on TikTok, you need to actually be consuming content on TikTok.
If you are just searching the popular sounds, you are missing out. In fact, half the time we want to use a trend we know is popular, we cannot even find the sound without looking through our saved videos.
If you aren’t already using TikTok as a consumer, know that is part of being a quality creator.
Get to know the app, pay attention to the trends you see over and over again, and start making them your own!
Now it’s your turn!
We brought the knowledge, now it’s your turn to put it into action! For more weekly digital ministry tips and trends, be sure to subscribe to our email list.