How to Make TikTok Videos: Everything You Need to Know

Want to get on TikTok but don’t know how to make a name for yourself on the platform? It’s totally normal. TikTok is a juxtaposition for many: simple on the surface yet complex to navigate (as a creator).

It’s pretty easy to get started on TikTok; you simply need to create an account and make videos. However, the latter is easier said than done. Sure, hitting the record button on your camera or on TikTok is as straightforward as it gets. But making videos that actually capture users’ attention and support your account’s growth? That’s a whole other story.

Luckily, we’re here to guide you on how to do both. This post looks not just at how to make TikTok videos, but also at how to curate and position them to promote your growth.

How to Set Up a TikTok Account

First things first, you need to create a TikTok account before you start making videos. The setup process is straightforward. Simply:

1. Download the TikTok app from the App Store or Google Play.
2. Open the app and choose how to sign up. TikTok offers multiple options, including “Use phone or email,” “Continue with Facebook,” “Continue with Apple,” and “Continue with Google.”
3. Enter your birthday. Note: Account creators must be 13 or older.
4. Create a strong password. This is necessary if you choose the “Use phone or email” sign-up option.
5. Enter your preferred TikTok username. If you’re a business or an influencer with an active presence on other platforms, keep your username consistent. This makes it easier for your audience to find your account and content.
6. Once your account is set up, add a profile photo, bio, and name (can be the same as your username). As with your username, use an easy-to-recognize profile photo. If you’re a business, this could be your logo, mascot, or a graphic associated with your brand. For your bio, be sure to highlight your value proposition.

How to Make TikTok Videos

Now, to the main reason you’re here: how do you make TikTok videos? There are various ways depending on where you’re starting. Here’s a quick breakdown:

How to Record Videos In-App

If you want to make a quick video in-app, start by preparing your script. This way, you can prevent using too many “uhms” and “ahs” as you try to collect your thoughts mid-recording. Preparation can also make your editing easier and reduce the need for re-recording.

Once you have your script ready:

1. Log in to your account.
2. Tap the + sign at the bottom of your screen. Grant TikTok permission to record you and take pictures.
3. Select your desired content format and video length — you can pick text, photo, or a 15-second, 60-second, or 10-minute video.
4. Tap the red button to start recording your video.
5. Click Edit to edit your clip, and use the on-screen menu to add desired sound, text, effects, overlays, stickers, and filters.
6. Tap the red Next button.
7. Add hashtags and mentions.
8. Customize your post settings, including who can view the video.

How to Use a Pre-Recorded Video or Multiple Videos

If you already have a video on your device:

1. Tap the + sign at the bottom of your screen.
2. Select the Upload option — it’s right next to the record button.
3. Select the video you want to upload, then tap Next.
4. Edit and customize the video as desired using the tools on the right-hand panel.
5. Tap Next, add hashtags and mentions, and customize your post settings.

For multiple videos:

1. Follow steps 1 and 2 of the single-video upload guide.
2. Select the videos you want to add (you can upload up to 30 videos).
3. Tap Edit to reorder and trim your videos as desired.
4. Choose your sound — you can keep the videos’ original audio or use one of TikTok’s auto-suggested sounds.
5. Customize your new video with the tools on the right-hand panel.
6. Tap Next, add hashtags and mentions, and customize your post settings.

How to Make a Video With Images

If you’re thinking of making a slideshow:

1. Tap the + sign, then Upload.
2. Select Photos at the top of the screen to filter images from everything in your camera roll.
3. Select the images you want to include, in the order you want them to appear.
4. Tap Next. TikTok will then turn the selected images into a slideshow.
5. Use the tools in the right-hand panel to trim the resulting video and add your preferred sound, effects, text, stickers, and filters.
6. When you’re satisfied, tap Next, then add hashtags, tag people, and customize your post settings.

TikTok Video Ideas

Now that you know how to make TikTok videos, what are your idea options? The truth is, you can make videos on virtually anything, as long as it doesn’t violate TikTok’s community guidelines. If you are still unsure about what to create, this TikTok content creation guide may help spark some ideas.

Some popular content ideas for the visual platform include:

• Lip-syncs and dance videos: Join viral dance and song challenges to reach a broad audience.
• Storytelling stories: Share interesting life experiences with your audience. Consider breaking up long stories into series to get people to browse your account for updates.
• How-to videos: Share your expertise by creating tutorials. This type of video also works well for businesses with products that customers often need help with.
• Behind-the-scenes videos: Show your audience what goes into producing a product or making your content.
• Day-in-the-life mini vlogs: Take your camera with you and record your typical day-to-day experiences, making sure to capture highlights you think your audience will find interesting.
• Product review: Give your honest opinions about products to help people who use TikTok as a discovery tool make informed decisions.
• Food videos: Record recipes, restaurant reviews, or even Mukbangs.
• Educational videos: Teach your audience about topics such as space, art, history, languages, and music. Pick a niche you’re conversant with and that your target audience enjoys.
• Comedy skits: Make your audience laugh by sharing funny content. You can make meme slideshows, cartoons, or share your own amusing experiences.

Can You Post Content From Other Platforms on TikTok?

Sure. If you have high-performing videos on other platforms, consider uploading them to TikTok as well to help grow your account.

However, remove the other platforms’ watermarks first. TikTok’s algorithm prioritizes original videos and deprioritizes unoriginal ones. If you maintain the watermarks, the system typically flags the videos as duplicates, resulting in fewer recommendations to users’ For You Pages (shadowbanning). Using TikTok watermark removers can help you avoid this issue and improve your chances of distribution.

TikTok Video Best Practices

Unfortunately, not all videos do well on TikTok. To increase the likelihood of your content performing well, keep the following best practices in mind:

Prepare Beforehand

The last thing anyone wants to do is to re-record a video multiple times or spend hours editing a few-minutes-long clip. To avoid this:

• Plan your content idea and script: This will help keep you on topic and minimize fillers.
• Rehearse: Practice your lines in front of a camera, especially if you’re not used to recording yourself.
• Prepare your equipment: Invest in a good microphone, a phone with a clear camera, and a tripod (for a stable camera setup).
• Shoot vertically: Set your camera or phone to shoot in a vertical, full-screen mode. According to TikTok, videos in the 9:16 aspect ratio tend to perform better than those in other ratios.
• Ensure good lighting: Record from a location with good natural lighting for optimal video clarity. Alternatively, use a ring light.
• Pick a suitable recording environment: Choose a quiet location with a non-distracting background.

Keep Videos Short

TikTok allows videos of up to 10 minutes (for in-app recordings) and 60 minutes (for uploads). However, just because you can post such lengthy content doesn’t necessarily mean you should.

People love TikTok for its short-form video content. With human attention spans declining, this isn’t set to change anytime soon. So, keep your videos short. This can increase completion rates, sending positive signals to the TikTok algorithm about your content.

To keep your videos short:

• Get straight to the point.
• Edit out all filler.
• Trim video edges.
• Split up lengthy content.
• Focus on your core content idea.

However, short videos don’t work for all accounts — some audiences may prefer a 10-minute video that provides all the information they need in one sitting rather than 10 one-minute videos. To identify what works for your target audience, do both short and long videos and monitor their performance. If you get a high completion rate with long videos, they may be the ideal option for your account.

Start Your Videos Strong

Unfortunately, TikTok users aren’t the most patient people. With the TikTok algorithm constantly pushing new content to their FYPs, they don’t spend time on videos that don’t immediately capture their attention.

So, make sure yours do. State a fact that will get your audience curious, ask a thought-provoking question, make a bold statement, or state your value proposition within the first few seconds.

Prioritize Authenticity

Quality doesn’t equate perfection — at least not on TikTok. Many TikTok users prefer their content to be slightly raw rather than over-polished. So, don’t run yourself to the ground trying to achieve perfection. This isn’t to say you can overlook good video quality and clear audio. These are non-negotiables.

However, it doesn’t hurt to leave some imperfections in. Embrace a homemade look instead of going for Hollywood-level production quality; maintain some unscripted moments, like you stumbling when making a day-in-life minivlog: and retain some of your brief pauses or hesitations. Doing this makes you seem more relatable, which could lead to greater engagement.

Master Effects, Filters, and Transitions

Make your videos more eye-catching by using effects, filters, and transitions, where necessary.

Use TikTok effects like green screen, slow motion, and voice effects to make your content more engaging. For example, you can use the green screen for tutorials, slow motion to add drama to your video, and voice change when sharing a story about your pet.

Filters are also valuable, especially when you want to set the mood for your videos. Find a few options that align with your content type and resonate with your audience, and stick with them to maintain video consistency.

Transitions like Switch Off, Switch On, and Zoom In are great when used between clips. They add a cinematic feel to your videos, helping keep viewers engaged longer. Transitions are a little more complex than effects and filters, but they’re just as valuable (if not more so) — when used appropriately. So, take time to learn how to incorporate them into your content.

Invite Engagement

Engagement is the fuel that keeps your videos performing well on TikTok. The algorithm assesses how well each piece of content drives user engagement and rewards those that generate the most with more appearances in FYPs.

Some excellent ways to encourage user interactions include:

• Provide value: The more valuable your videos are, the more likely your audience is to like, comment, save, and share them.
• Ask questions and spark debates: These can increase your comments.
• Engage with comments: Like and reply to comments to build two-way conversations and encourage future engagement.
• Post at peak times: Identify when your target audience is most active and publish your videos then to capture immediate engagement.
• Add text overlays and captions: These features make videos accessible for sound-off viewing, which can help you reach a new audience.

Collaborate With Other Creators

Collaborating with other creators allows you to tap into their audiences. Therefore, it’s a great way to draw more attention to your videos. More attention translates to increased engagement, which could broaden your reach even further.

You can collaborate with creators by:

• Making videos together.
• Stitching their videos.
• Dueting their content.

However, don’t collaborate with just any creator. First, make sure your values and niche align to avoid confusion.

Maintain Consistent Posting

The TikTok algorithm prioritizes active accounts when recommending content to users’ FYPs. So, don’t post a video once a month and then log off; maintain regular posting during peak times.

Consistent posting also keeps your account top of mind. This makes it easier for audiences to recognize and find you, which could help you grow your follower base.

Of course, maintaining consistency, especially when handling multiple TikTok accounts or social media accounts in general, is easier said than done — when you try to do it manually. With automation solutions like GeeLark, the task becomes easier.

GeeLark is an antidetect platform that allows you to isolate your accounts via multi-account browsers and cloud phones. Beyond that, it offers TikTok auto-posting templates that let you schedule videos to help maintain consistency.

But, GeeLark isn’t like standard schedulers. Unlike most solutions, it doesn’t rely on APIs for auto-posting. Instead, it uses cloud phones: it signs in to your accounts via the phones and uploads scheduled videos, just like you would on your regular device. This reduces the risk of automation detection, which can help protect your accounts.

Start Creating on TikTok Today

The process of making TikTok videos is relatively simple. However, there’s a lot more to creating successful videos than hitting the record or upload button — you also need to ensure video quality, provide value to your audience, hook viewers quickly, maintain an optimal video length, work with other creators, and stay consistent.

With GeeLark, you never have to stress about consistency. With the platform’s AI-powered automation templates, you can schedule your content at scale (across multiple TikTok accounts), making your workload lighter.

FAQs