Okay, let’s be honest here, posting on TikTok for the first time can be a bit daunting, especially now with the amount of brands who are all fighting for a space to be heard on the platform – we get it.
Believe us, they all started somewhere – Duolingo owl wasn’t built in a day (maybe it was but you get the jist).
You’re probably thinking you need to have it all figured out right? Well this is not technically true…
You do need a starting point, but it doesn’t mean this is what you have to stick to and it’s maybe not as overwhelming as you think (hopefully).
So, with that being said, where do you start?
I asked our Head of Content the best (and realest) advice for brands starting out on the platform – you’re welcome…
Now let’s get into it, we’ve got you!
Start with identity before ideas
Let’s be real – if you’re all over the place, no one’s sticking around.
Before you post anything, you need to figure out who you are and why people should care – emphasis here on why they should care.
What to define first:
- Your niche (this is a biggie) – who are you targeting? What ‘Tok’ are you going after? Are you in BookTok, FoodTok – where does your content fit on the FYP.
- Your tone of voice – are you trying to be entertaining? educational? Or is there an element of both involved?
- Your style of video – skits, parodies, tips, guides, reactions?
- Your comment personality (this also weaves into your overall tone of voice), e.g. how you want to come across when replying to your audience in the comments – are you that witty reply queen, the helpful explainer, do you reply with humour or are you the sassy replier?
You’re probably thinking, how do I discover all of this?
Well, the best way to do this is, you guessed it, research!
Take a scroll on the FYP (For You Page) and look at what other brands in your industry are doing on TikTok – genuinely.
How are they interacting with their audience? What ownable style do they have?
This is where you can establish what similarities (or differences) you share with these brands and what you may think would work (or not work) for you.
A quick tip here, people fall in love with personalities (whatever that may look like), make sure this shines through in your strategy.
Establishing your niche
Now, more on finding your ‘niche’ or as we like to call it, ‘Tok’.
Don’t just post for ‘everyone.’ Pick your people and speak to them, is the easiest way to put it.
Take Semrush for example. Yes, they’re in marketing, but their niche? Making digital marketers feel heard and seen, with content only insiders truly get and can relate to.
Think about:
- Who you’re really making content for
- What shared jokes, struggles/pain points or interests they have
- How you can be their favourite follow, not just another ad down their throat (make TikToks, not ads)
Read more here on How To Find Your ‘Tok’ on TikTok.
Trends are tools, but they’re not your strategy
Don’t be a slave to trends, you don’t need to jump on every trend (promise) – carefully select specific ones and flip them into something that fits your brand.
We get it, while trends can be tempting to jump on for a quick win, don’t let them take over your entire strategy.
Try this instead:
- Have regular idea sessions with your team — everyone’s FYP is different, use that to your advantage!
- Use AI to brainstorm if you’re stuck (yes, we’re fans of ChatGPT here too)
- Spot trends early, then twist them to fit your brand.
- Don’t just think about what’s trending, think about what your audience would want to see this as.
- Start your own trends!
Remember: Trends are not a strategy, they are added seasoning to your content.
Urban Tandoor is a great example of this. They weave trends into their content while still holding their own, with their (incredible) parody style.
Posting frequency: start with what you can sustain
A top tip here is don’t burn out trying to post every day if you can’t keep up. Quality over quantity, as they say!
Your first goal here is to establish a realistic rhythm of posting.
Even if this is just 2x a week, it’s better than either posting mediocre content for the sake of posting or posting 5 times one week and only 2 the next week due to capacity.
Consistency (no matter what that may look like for you), is key – stick to it and build from there.
The ideal beginner cadence is around 2-3x a week. Even have one hero piece or reactive piece a week and use batch content for the rest where possible.
Don’t make it your goal to go viral with every post, it simply won’t work. It’s about showing up, staying authentic, building a community and the reward will follow.
How do you know if a video is actually good?
Hear me out, this may be a given, but if you’re bored watching your own video, your audience definitely will be…
Here are a couple of key things to consider here:
- Watch it a day later, with fresh eyes – get 2nd eyes and even 3rd eyes on it too.
- Ask: Would I care about this if I didn’t know the brand?
- If you notice that the energy drops at 10 seconds, trim it or rework it.
- Test it internally – if your team watching it are not immediately engaged or excited by it, it’s a no. (bonus point – ask someone Gen Z to watch it, eek sorry millennials / boomers)
An easy way to think about this is, the viewer owes you nothing (as savage as it sounds) you have to earn their attention fast.
Don’t obsess over production quality too much
While production value is nice to have, it’s certainly not essential to making a good TikTok.
The thing is, low-fi or extremely polished, if the video is rubbish, no one will care.
This equally comes down to your content style too.
Instead, things to focus on are:
- A clear hook in the first 3 seconds
- A relatable and engaging story or emotional payoff
- Human energy over high-quality edits
- Real people from your team or community
The main question isn’t ‘Is this professional looking?’ It’s ‘Is this watchable and worth someone’s time?’
How to overcome being stuck in ‘TikTok jail’
Listen, it’s happened to the best of us, we’ve all been stuck on 200 views (or less #exposed), it’s more common than you think.
So how do you deal with low views or flops especially at the beginning?
Well, use the same video and test a different hook, change the length, maybe change text on screen, that kind of thing.
..and just learn from it.
If one video has 200 views and one’s got a 1000 and one’s got 10 likes, one’s got 15, what was better about that other?
Then ask yourself how can I build upon it again?
Just keep analysing and testing, and think about it from the viewers perspective – why should I watch this?
Think about if you are really directing your content at the right audience.
On our communities Birmingham Updates and Best of Bristol we’ll always include Birmingham and Bristol in the hook for example, because we want people from those cities to be engaged with the content.
Think about your audience and who you want to hit and then figure out how you’re going to get to them.
Tools like Creative Search Insights are also great for this.
Look at what people are searching and what your competitors or other people in your space are doing.
See what content’s performing well and see how you can weave these keywords into your content.
Common mistakes to avoid
So, now that you have established your starting point, these are things you definitely want to avoid when creating your content.
You have to be extremely open-minded to adapting on TikTok, just because you have ‘always done it this way’ doesn’t mean it’s working (sorry, not sorry).
Sometimes brands try to be safe, and end up being forgettable.
Don’t fall into these traps:
- Relying on trends without adding value – don’t post a trend for the sake of a trend – this has to fit in your niche, style and TOV otherwise, what’s the point?
- Talking only about your brand, not to your audience (yawn) – the brands that do well are ones that after looking at their content, you don’t even register they are a brand, because there’s no mention of their name etc
- Using a one-size-fits-all format – just because something worked well for someone else, doesn’t mean it will work well for you – own your OWN style.
- Waiting too long to test and iterate – if it video flops, repurpose it, test out a different title, music – something so simple could make a huge difference in engagement. Equally if a style just isn’t working out, don’t be afraid to try a new style and new tone of voice – test, learn, adapt.
- Posting without watching the full video critically – watch the video cold as if you were the viewer. Ask yourself, were you immediately engaged? Did it make sense as someone who has no idea who you are? If not, at what point in the video did you lose interest, fix this and focus on getting this right.
Quick checklist for beginners
You made it this far, well done. To recap, here’s some key things to think about as you begin your TikTok journey.
- Have we defined our TikTok personality and TOV?
- Are we making content that our audience would actually watch, even if they didn’t follow us?
- Are we starting with a sustainable posting cadence?
- Have we re-watched each post with fresh eyes before posting?
- Are we making people feel something — entertained, inspired, informed?
A key message overall is – as basic as it sounds after this in-depth guide, just post.
Don’t overthink it to begin with. You’re only going to learn if you’ve got content out there to be able to assess if it’s working or not.
So don’t try and fine-tune things too much in the beginning. You might have a crazy idea, great!
Some of the best ideas that we’ve had in our agency, have been suggested one day then sometimes even posted the day after – just go for it!
If you thought that it was good at first, then just go with it and then see what happens.
TikTok rewards bravery and consistency, so have fun and see where it takes you – I believe in you!
About Nonsensical.
We’re a TikTok agency based in the UK who work across strategy, organic, influencer, paid and TikTok Shop.
You can find more TikTok insight from us in our Substack – The TikTok Sauce that releases every 2 weeks.
