These Are the Best Practices for Sharing Photos on TikTok
Despite its embattled status, TikTok still boasts nearly two billion monthly active users, making it an excellent platform for photographers looking to showcase their work.
While there are already many successful photographers on the Bytedance-owned platform who often post short videos of themselves at work, users can also share still photos and TikTok recently published best practices when using Photo Mode.
Photographers can share up to a whopping 35 images on a single post — that’s 15 more than Instagram. The process of sharing photos is simple enough: Tap “Add Post ( + )”, Tap “Photo”, then tap “Upload”. Users can add filters, sound, text, stickers, or crop photos before tapping “Post.”
But of interest, TikTok has given some “insider tips” on how to make photos stand out on the platform.
The Title is Important
When uploading photos you’re presented with a “Title” box, TikTok says a compelling title is important so that it “instantly hooks in users and convinces them to stop scrolling and swipe through your photo post.”
Another important aspect is the photo quality. This is fairly obvious but TikTok wants the user to ask themselves: “Do the images selected tell a complete story?”
“Make sure you’re giving the viewer a reason to stick around until the end,” TikTok adds. “Don’t think of photo posting as a photo dump — every post should have the same narrative arc as a video would (i.e. a clear beginning, middle, and end).”
The China-based app also says adding text on screen as well as audio will “help build on your story in each frame.” Another tip: Crop all photos to the same ratio to give them a cleaner look.
Of course, TikTok is famous for its sounds, and though it may be alien to some, nailing the soundtrack to a post is crucial for success. “Check out TikTok’s Commercial Music Library to find the perfect tune to complement your visual story,” it adds.
TikTok Post Description for Photos
Beneath the title is where the post description lives which, TikTok explains, is the opportunity to “give viewers insight into the story you’re trying to tell to engage them quickly and get them to stick around until the end.”
TikTok advises sharing information, providing a narrative, providing key timelines/dates, adding additional context, and putting a call out for engagement.
More descriptive posts will mean the post is more likely to find its way into search engines. Captions have 4,000 characters available — plenty of space to get literate.
“With the extra space, you can include more storytelling or blog longer reviews, tips, knowledge, and inspirations, allowing you to get deeper with your audience,” TikTok says. “Use a variety of keywords relevant to the content theme or your brand to make your post more searchable.”
The Right Photo Content for TikTok
TikTok shared some of the popular photo subjects that do well on the platform.
