Choosing The Right Username

Does your username make any difference?
Are there any best practices when choosing the right username?
Does it influence the growth of your account?
 
Let’s dig deeper and find answers to all of the above questions and more.
You see, your name and your username are the 1st things that a visitor sees on your profile. It might be counterintuitive, but they do have a big influence on how your account will perform.
 
Is your username easy to remember?
Is it easy to spell, easy to write?
Does it stick out when you read it out loud?
Is it catchy enough to remember easily?

General rules

Based on the type of account you selected, there are specific best practices in choosing your username, but first, let’s get into some more general rules that apply to any type of account.

1. Keep it short and simple! Even though most such usernames have been already taken, please take the necessary time to brainstorm and come up with a clear, easy-to-remember option.
2. Never use special characters! 
3. Don’t use the same letter several times in a row! This is a common mistake and… Think about it! It’s impossible to tell people how many times a letter needs to be written. It simply makes it easy to mistype, so please avoid this newbie mistake.
4. Don’t add random digits at the end of your username! If the username you want is already taken, you may be inclined to add some random digits at the end. Please never do this, instead, simply brainstorm a new username.

Now let’s get into the stuff you should actually be doing:

Personal profile

The first thing you should try is use your own name. If it’s already taken, there’s a couple of things you may do:

1. You can use “I am”just before your name!
2. Another thing to try is a combination of your initials– switch ’em up and try to find something that’s not taken yet!
3. Using adjectives before or after your username is a good idea. Think about words like “best”, “guru”, “expert”, “owner”, “publisher”, “author”, etc.
4. If you don’t want to use your real name, you can use a pen name or even relevant keyword
5. You can use a word that represents your industry or niche

Business profiles

The easiest thing is to simply use your business name. But, it may be the case that it’s not available, so here’s a couple of things you can do:

Let’s dive in:

1. The first thing you can do is add some words after or before your business name. For example, Bosch chose the username Boschpowertools. So, you see, they added two words after the brand name that perfectly describes what they’re all about. Browsing TikTok, you’ll notice this is a very common workaround!
2. The 2nd best thing you can do is use your domain’s extension: like “.org”, “.com”, “.net”, “.co” whichever it is… The good thing about it is that if you don’t have the option to show a link in your bio, people get to see the link of your website instantly. This usually translates into more traffic to your website, which is of course highly desirable.
3. Another great thing you can try is to add the word “official” or “TikTok”before or after your band’s name. It’s a simple way of showing people that this is your official brand account.
4. On a more location-specific note, you can add the geographical location of your physical store if you’re a brick and mortar type of business. Please note that you can change your username every 30 days, so if you change the location of your business it’s perfectly OK to change the username as well.
5. What do you do if your business name is a rather complicated string of words? Well, to put it simply, you don’t need to add your full brand’s name – you can shorten it. And please, make it catchy!

Attention: If you are trying to register your brand name but discover that it’s already taken (and the user that took it also use your brand’s logo) please note you can report this user that pretends to be you and have TikTok take it down! You need to have some official documentation that testifies you own that business, but nevertheless, it’s a good thing you can request it.

Aggregate account

Now, as we’ve already discovered, aggregate accounts always follow a specific theme.

So, when brainstorming for a username for your TikTok aggregate account you need to be clear about what the account is all about. Nail it down and make sure to use words that are KEY to the theme/niche itself.

1. So the 1st thing you can do is use the exact keywords of your theme. Let’s say your theme is “memes” and “funny videos”, simply put the words “meme” or “funny videos” in your username. Make it memorable, make it clear, make it engaging!
2. Sky is the limit here – simply add the word that best describes your niche/industry/theme and create a very easy-to-remember and short username. To double down on this, please note you can repeat that exact same word in your Name is well!
3. Another thing you can do is add adjectives like “great”, “awesome”, “fantastic”, “funny”, etc to your username.

To conclude

Now you know exactly how to create your username, depending on your account type.

We’ve gone through the best practices when brainstorming for your username, we’ve gone through the common mistakes and some examples.

Remember:

• Make it short! 
• Make it obvious! 
• Make it memorable! 

…that’s the golden rule in creating a successful username!