Hannah Stelter
- Nov 18, 2021
- 4 min read

Ten TikTok Tips

By Hannah Stelter (Designed By Hannah)

Let’s talk about how to elevate your business and brand with TikTok. As simple as the app seems from the outside, there are so many small things that will make your video either die or survive.

Use these few simple tips to start creating better content for your TikTok (also applicable for Instagram reels).

Maybe you are already posting videos with no success, or you are afraid to start because your content may not be good enough. To encourage you to start making video content I want to share one of my favorite quotes: “Anything worth doing is worth doing poorly” I am not sure who said it, but the important thing is, they are right. When I started, my content was not great in the slightest, but if I had never posted that first video, I never would have learned and grown and built an entire business off of TikTok. There is never a right time to try something new, so just give it a shot!

Here are 10 tips to help you create better content on TikTok or Instagram Reels!

1. Figure Out Your Niche

This is sometimes a very tricky thing to do. For many creators, their niche is people like themselves so start there: what do you love? What are you passionate about? Start by creating videos for yourself, and the people like you will find you! I, for example, started making videos about body positivity and self-love, and people who resonated with that came running!

2. Be Yourself

If you feel fake or strained making your videos, or find yourself rerecording all the time, chances are good that you are not being yourself and rather are trying to imitate other successful creators. Try to create videos or voiceovers speaking from your heart. What frustrates you about your industry? What do you love about your industry? What is something odd that your job requires that no one knows? What is a pro tip you wish you had known when you started?

3. Be Useful

Useful/educational videos are by far the best way to gain views. Tutorials, DIY videos, educational videos, and life hacks all do well because people have a higher tendency to share and save the videos for future reference. Think about your business, what kinds of things can you share with other people in the same industry? What can you share with your target audience that they might not know?

4. Always Have an Attention-Getter

When creating your videos, always add a 5-8 second text blob summarizing the video to grab the viewer's attention. This sucks them into the video.

5. Find Your Sweet Spot Length

I would say to shoot for 15-30 second videos when just starting. Keep the clips short and to the point. If it is too long, people will lose interest. Shorter videos typically do better. I like to throw longer ones in every 10-15 videos to mix it up but find the most success with shorter content.

6. Close With a Call-to-Action

My favorite call to action goes something like this “Follow for more holiday card tutorials!” It is a simple, quick way to remind the viewer that there’s more where this came from! Other great calls to action are: “The link is in my bio!” “I’m doing a whole series so make sure to follow along” “For even more ____ make sure to check out my Instagram!” Try not to sound like you are begging for follows, just put the option out there!

7. Be Real

Do not try to present yourself of your business as perfect. If you are struggling, talk about it! If you had an uninspired week, talk about it! People want to know you are a human, relatable. They want to support the real you, struggles included!

8. Do Not Sound Like an Advertisement.

If it sounds like you are trying to sell a product, people will think it is an ad and scroll by. My advice is to make a non-ad. Simply record your product and talk about why you love it. Don’t even mention that it is for sale, just show that it exists. Then, when people start to comment asking where it is from, reply that it is linked in your bio, or make a video response telling where to get it (and that you made it!)

9. Work in Series.

Series videos are another great way to build an audience. For example, I am currently doing a series of holiday card ideas. People get excited when they can scroll through a whole bunch of similar things all at once. The one thing to remember is that series videos make take longer to take off, meaning you could be on episode 5 and feel like you are getting nowhere. Keep going and trust the process. In my card idea series’, I find that in a series of 15, they start to blow up around number 8. Now that is just for me and is different for everyone, but be patient with your videos and don’t give up!

10. Be Patient

You will not blow up overnight and be an insta-success. You will have good videos here and there, but it takes time and dedication to build your platform. Be consistent and have patience! TikTok is no easy job, and those who succeed put in a lot of work.

Pick two or three of these to focus on to start and then work up from there! Content creation is about constant growth. Be real, share what you love, and the people who love it will come!

Meet the Author

My name is Hannah and I am an artist from Moorhead, Minnesota.

I would say I am most known for my "Perfectly Imperfect" drawing tutorials on TikTok (@hannahstelter2) and my scribble lady paintings and illustrations.

My artwork is a representation of true beauty in this life.