What Is TikTok? The Most Detailed Guide to Using TikTok in 2024

TikTok is now one of the most popular social media services in the world, alongside Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. So what is TikTok? And how do you use it? Let’s explore both questions with The7 in the article below.

>>>>> See more: A guide to running TikTok ads effectively in 2024

1. What Is TikTok? Which Country Is TikTok From?

TikTok is a social media platform that lets users create and share short videos. TikTok users get tools to edit their videos and add music right within the platform.

TikTok was created by Zhang Yiming, the founder of ByteDance. When it first launched in September 2016, TikTok was widely available in China, where people know it as Douyin.

After merging with Musical.ly in 2018, TikTok offered many content personalization features to users, opening up an extremely unique range of creative possibilities.

Today, TikTok stands out from other social networks with a huge variety of “trendy” short videos across all kinds of topics. TikTok’s reach shows that it is becoming one of the indispensable entertainment platforms in everyone’s life, especially for Gen Z.

Pros and Cons of TikTok

What Are the Advantages of TikTok?

TikTok delivers the following valuable user experiences:

• It offers a stream of high-quality videos with unique, engaging content that outshines other platforms.
• The sign-up process is quick, and the interface is friendly and easy to use.
• It lets users unleash their creativity and break new ground with videos that carry a strong personal touch.
• It opens the door to discovering famous destinations and the distinctive cultures of peoples around the world, right on your mobile phone through TikTok.
• It offers the chance to earn extra income by selling online, promoting products, or running advertising campaigns on the platform.

What Are the Disadvantages of TikTok?

However, TikTok still faces a few limitations that don’t fully satisfy users:

• Video quality is not yet strictly controlled before upload, so users may come across inappropriate content.
• Young people can get too absorbed in TikTok, spending most of their time scrolling the feed and commenting without keeping track of how long they use it.
• Some content on TikTok is created to stir up controversy in order to attract engagement, shares, and followers, which can lead to unforeseen consequences.
• TikTok has powerful data-collection capabilities, identifying users’ goals and needs in order to serve highly accurate videos. Because of this feature, many people worry that TikTok could expose their personal information.

How Does the TikTok Algorithm Work?

The “For You” Page

TikTok’s algorithm can track the profiles or content you like most based on how long you watch a video and whether you like, comment on, share, or save it. From there, TikTok figures out which content styles should appear in your “For You” feed, showing you those videos and capturing your interests.

Example: Suppose you watch calligraphy videos. The TikTok algorithm will fill your feed with, and recommend, other calligraphy videos that have the most likes and views.

Followers & Views

TikTok’s distribution algorithm gives users with few followers the chance to attract millions of views through viral content. This makes TikTok an extremely suitable brand promotion channel for businesses without a large marketing budget.

Location

TikTok’s algorithm also has its own metrics for verifying location and evaluating your account. It “scores” your videos and account to determine whether you are a good fit to appear on the “For You” page.

Example: You are more likely to receive videos from Vietnam (if you are watching in Vietnam and you are from Vietnam) than from other countries, such as Sweden, Australia, or the US.

Sound

The more popular and trending the music you use, the more TikTok considers that sound relevant to users. As a result, using trending music and sounds is one of the most effective ways to reach a broad audience.

Hashtags

TikTok also uses hashtags as one of the signals for its algorithm. Hashtags let other users search for and discover your content on TikTok through # tags. If you plan to catch up with trends, make sure you are using the most popular and trending hashtags on the platform.

TikTok Video Length

Video Type	Characteristics
15-second video	TikTok Stories have a maximum length of 15 seconds. These videos appear in the main feed and disappear after 24 hours. Users can also upload regular videos that are 15 seconds long.
60-second video	The next limit is the 60-second video. This used to be the longest video length until TikTok introduced 3-minute videos.
3-minute video	The current maximum length for regular videos on TikTok.
TikTok Live	TikTok Live is a real-time video streaming feature on the platform. Unlike regular video content, TikTok Live has no time limit. However, because it is live video, its features are fairly limited when it comes to adding stickers and filters. This feature is only available to personal and business accounts with more than 1,000 followers. Creators cannot stitch, create duets, or add background music from the sound library while live. Live videos can be accessed and downloaded from Live Replays within 90 days. After that, the videos are deleted.

How to Download TikTok

To download the TikTok app to your phone quickly, you only need to follow the two steps below:

• Step 1: Open the app store on your phone: Google Play for Android users and the App Store for iOS users. Then search for the TikTok app and download it.
• Step 2: Once the download is complete, open the app and sign up for a new account. You can use your existing social media accounts, such as Facebook, Google, or Instagram, to register. After you finish signing up, you are ready to explore and enjoy TikTok’s exciting features.

How to Create an Account and Use the TikTok App

How to Create a TikTok Account

To sign up for a TikTok account after downloading the app to your phone, just follow these simple steps:

• Step 1: Open the TikTok app and choose to sign up with a phone number or through a social media account such as Google, Facebook, or Instagram.
• Step 2: Enter your phone number or choose the social media account you want to link.
• Step 3: Enter the verification code sent to your phone number, or to your email if you sign up through social media.
• Step 4: Set a password for your TikTok account.
• Step 5: Complete your personal information as the app requests.

How to Use TikTok

To start using TikTok and create your own videos, you can follow these 5 steps:

• Step 1: Open the app and tap the “+” icon to start recording a video. Choose the song or sound you want to use in your video.
• Step 2: Confirm your choice and start recording by pressing and holding the record button. Make sure you have allowed the app to access your device’s camera and microphone.
• Step 3: Use the in-app video editing tools to make your video more engaging.
• Step 4: Adjust the volume of the video and the music if needed. When you are happy with the video, choose “Next” and then tap the “download” icon to save the video to your device.
• Step 5: Finally, you can share your video with friends and followers on TikTok or through other social networks.

TikTok Terms You Need to Know

What Is a TikToker?

TikToker is the term for people who create content on the TikTok app. TikTokers showcase their talents and personal interests through short videos, including dancing, singing, magic tricks, or comedy performances, with the goal of attracting views and engagement from the viewing community.

TikTokers with a large following can become famous stars on the platform, and from there they can make money through advertising opportunities, brand partnerships, and other activities on TikTok.

Following on TikTok

Following on TikTok means the activity of users following one another on the platform. “Followers” refers to the number of people following you, while the “Following” list includes the people you choose to follow. The number of followers each TikTok account has depends on the popularity and appeal of the videos they post.

Duet on TikTok

Duet is a much-loved feature on TikTok that lets users create videos together with other people without being in the same space. This way, you can lip-sync or dance your own way alongside someone else’s video, producing creative, fun, and original content.

TikTok ID

A TikTok ID is a unique identifier for each TikTok account, helping to tell accounts apart. When you create a new account, TikTok automatically generates a random ID that can include both letters and numbers.

This ID makes searching and connecting between users more convenient. It also lets users easily customize their ID into a special string of characters, as long as it doesn’t duplicate another user’s ID on the platform.

TikTok Hashtags

On TikTok, hashtags are a useful tool for categorizing and searching content by keyword or hot trend. A TikTok hashtag is usually a single word or short phrase attached to the “#” symbol, helping TikTok distribute videos by specific topics or trends.

When using hashtags on TikTok, keep the following in mind:

• Join the words together without spaces, and use lowercase letters only, with no capitals.
• Hashtags can be placed in the video description, in comments, or even used as a standalone post.
• For each video caption, you can enter up to 150 characters, including the # tag.

TikTok Wallet

The TikTok Wallet is where you add money to your TikTok account. You can use this money to donate to the TikTokers you love.

How to Make Money on TikTok Fast

With its huge user base, TikTok has quickly become a new media channel that many businesses are paying attention to. Here are 5 ways to make money on TikTok quickly that you can consider:

Influencer Marketing

To do influencer marketing, you act as a KOL. The prerequisite is that you have a certain number of followers and real influence on the TikTok platform. At that point, businesses and brands will come to you to promote their services and products.

What you need to do is come up with ideas for PR videos and post them on your personal TikTok account. These videos will reach the followers on your channel, increasing brand awareness while effectively boosting sales revenue.

Sponsored Posts

If you own a TikTok account with a large following, you can partner with brands to sponsor your posts. These posts are made to benefit the brand.

However, because this is a partnership, in addition to promoting the brand, it also brings you plenty of benefits. Put simply, you still post videos as usual, but your video will also feature the brand’s product to increase awareness among viewers.

Build a Business on Your Personal Brand

Once you have established a solid footing on TikTok, it’s the right time to create your own products and do business under your personal brand.

For example, if you often make lipstick swatch videos or product reviews, you can create your own lipstick brand, which is sure to be a business opportunity with great potential. However, be sure to choose your products wisely and put your heart into them first and foremost, so viewers support you for the long term.

Develop Your Personal Career

If you are passionate about the arts and want to become a professional actor or singer, don’t overlook TikTok. You can quickly build your personal brand and win the support of many people.

Many famous people today started out by making videos on TikTok. So if you have the passion, don’t be afraid to give it a try.

TikTok Consulting Expert

Once you have gained fame on TikTok, many people will want to be like you. This audience includes both people who want to become famous and businesses that want your advice on their business strategy. At that point, becoming a consultant is an ideal option for growth.

That covers the answer to the question of what TikTok is, as well as TikTok’s algorithms and how to make money on the platform. If you have any questions, don’t forget to leave a comment so The7 can answer them fully for you.