In this lesson, we’re going to dive deeper into TikTok Effects and explain what are they and how you can use them for your advantage.
Effects are either visual overlays or little games that TikTok created and makes it so easy to create content.
These effects are often part of trends in TikTok. It’s one of the best ways to hop on a trend, learn and be able to push your video out in front of other users.
People are familiar with trends that are popular, and if you’re using a trend, they’re more likely to actually watch the video because they know what to expect.
But you also put your own spin on the trend.
To start using Effects, you need to follow these steps:
- Click on the plus button to create a new video
- Click on the Effects button on the bottom left side
- This will show you all the available effects. There are new ones added all the time and also your different regions will have different effects available
- You can see the most popular effects in the Trending tab and just use the one you like for your video
Some effects are small games that you can play and that’s all it takes to make a video.
While scrolling through your For You page, you’ll notice the videos that are using an effect because the name of the effect is right above the username. If you click on the name you will see all the videos that are using the same effect organized in order of popularity. You can also add it to Favorites in case you want to use it later.
So if you see a video on your Homepage, using a trend and an effect you like, you should add it to your favorites to make your work much easier.
Jumping in on trends using effects is the easiest way to grow your account fast. Because people already know the popular trends and they will watch the videos until the end, increasing its overall watch time. It’s a great way to get more attention and communicate your message, talk about your products or your market, or whatever is relevant for your business.
The key is to spend enough time to understand what trends are popular and then jump on them as soon as possible because on TikTok the trends change very quickly.
That’s why, unlike for other social media platforms, it’s not a good idea to have a bigger content plan, for several weeks ahead.
We have a future lesson on how to prepare your content and how to schedule some of it. But if you plan too far ahead, you’re not going to be able to adapt fast enough. And some of the trends may only last for a week or two.
