Creativity counts on TikTok.
From eye-popping effects and challenges and trending audio, the platform’s content is built to grab your attention.
And as more people flock to the platform, making your account stand out is a must-do.
But when you’re just one account among one billion monthly active users, staking your claim is a struggle.
Pop quiz: when someone lands on your TikTok account, what do they see? Are you communicating your vibe, values and why your videos are worth watching?
If you’re not sure you’re making an impactful first impression on your audience, don’t sweat it. This guide breaks down actionable ideas that can help.
Here’s the good news: you don’t need to be a creative genius to make your TikTok account pop.
The reality? A few small tweaks can increase your profile’s potential for engagement.
We recommend you conduct a quick TikTok audit and focus on these pieces of your presence:
And if you haven’t given these details a second thought, that’s okay!
Below are six creative ideas for your TikTok account and how to implement them step-by-step.
Consider that your TikTok profile picture is front-and-center as soon as someone interacts with you.
That same picture will also be your first impression for people finding you via TikTok search.
Source: @makeupbyalessa
The psychology of social media images tells us that even minor details can impact engagement.
Faces. Colors. Fonts. The list goes on.
Spend two minutes on TikTok and you’ll see a wide variety of snapshots, logos and illustrations. As a result, there’s no “right” type of profile picture.
Know what the best TikTok profile pictures have in common, though? Personality!
Does your profile picture communicate “cool?” Trendy? Professional? Cute? Artsy?
Either way, your pic needs to sum up your brand in just 200x200 pixels.
For starters, your profile picture should reflect your brand’s aesthetic. No-brainer, right?
But before you default to your company logo, double-check that it’s appropriate for TikTok. For example, will any details of your logo be distorted on a smartphone screen? Many brands opt for limited or no-text logos as a result.
Kylie Cosmetics’ logo is a great example of what a TikTok profile picture should achieve. Clear, bold and recognizable, the avatar is super stylish and captures the brand’s vibe.
Source: @kyliecosmetics
Simple logos that incorporate negative space are also popular among brands. Check out Arturia and Anthropologie’s respective logos below. These both illustrate how a minimalist approach can work like a charm. When you’re brainstorming TikTok profile picture ideas, remember that sometimes less is more.
Color is key to grabbing the attention of serial scrollers on TikTok. This is true for brand accounts and personal profiles alike. Using a solid color or gradient background can subtly set your profile apart from the sea of selfies.
Source: @taylorblender / @gertyberth
Illustrations and cartoon-style avatars can also be your creative trademark on TikTok. Again, anything you can do to pique interest with your profile picture is a plus.
Source: @MUAWK
Despite only having 80 characters to work with, your TikTok bio is valuable real estate.
That’s because it’s one of the few spaces on the platform to establish your brand voice via text.
Also, it’s the only place on TikTok to include a direct call-to-action (CTA). For example, do you want visitors to check out your links or latest promotion? Your bio is your sole opportunity to funnel TikTok traffic wherever you want.
Whether you’re focused on sales or awareness, authenticity matters when crafting your bio. The best TikTok bios feel like real people wrote them (hint: no corporate-speak).
Many brands rely on humor given TikTok’s younger audience. Still, even “traditional” social bios (like what you might see on Instagram) can work as well.
For example, Crocs’ humorous one-liner and use of emojis make for a winning TikTok bio in our book. Short, sassy and totally on-brand.
Source: @crocs
Brands like Netflix likewise take a humorous approach to their bio. Regularly switching it up, fans often come back to see what Netflix will come up with next. Small details like the lack of capitalization make their bio feel more human.
Source: @netflix
Let’s say “funny” isn’t your forte — no problem!
While many of the best TikTok bios do make us chuckle, we acknowledge that humor isn’t the right approach for every brand.
If you want to keep your profile a bit more business-like, that’s a-okay. You can totally find a balance between personality and professionalism. Check out how Glow Recipe does exactly that.
Source: @glowrecipe
What’s also notable about Glow Recipe’s bio is the use of a social media landing page tool. These tools (like Linkin.bio, Link.tree and Pillar) house all of your links and promotions in one place.
For example, brands often use social media landing pages to point to their other social platforms or product pages. Creators often use them to highlight their affiliate links.
The upside of these tools is that they allow you to funnel your TikTok traffic to multiple places with just one tap.
Want people to check out a new product or follow you on Instagram? Go for it! Instead of being stuck with a single TikTok call-to-action, you can send people to their channel of choice.
And as an added bonus, the stylized link keeps your profile looking clean and sleek.
For ecommerce brands on TikTok, including a discount code in your bio is something we’re seeing more of. Doing so offers an incentive for potential customers to check out your promotions as soon as they interact with your account.
Featuring a TikTok-only discount code (think: TIKTOK10) creates a sense of exclusivity since it’s platform-specific. This also makes it easier to track sales sourced from TikTok over time.
Source: @kasemedesign
Video descriptions are a subtle but significant piece of your TikTok content.
Sure, creative touches like filters, effects and sounds are at the core of any viral video.
But like your bio, video descriptions provide a place to communicate your voice and provide some next steps to viewers.
Oh, and don’t forget that your descriptions are home to your TikTok hashtags.
From #OddlySatisfying to #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt and beyond, TikTok themselves claims hashtag usage and engagement are growing. Finding a balance between hashtags and a snappy description can instantly maximize your videos’ viewership. Just make sure you do it within 500 characters - that's the character limit TikTok puts on captions.
Surprise, surprise — funny video descriptions are all the rage on TikTok. For example, this caption from Target taps into the “material gworl” trend and feels like it was written by an everyday TikToker.
Source: @target
Asking questions in descriptions is a safe way to encourage engagement and conversations with your followers. Check out how FreePeople does it:
Source: @freepeople
Don’t be afraid to pick your followers’ brains. Brainstorm TikTok video description ideas based on questions with prompts including:
Given the growth of shopping on TikTok, it’s crucial to experiment with video descriptions that feature products. For example, Crate and Barrel does a solid job of encouraging viewers to watch their video until the end to see the results of their products in action.
Source: @crateandbarrel
Pro-tip: simply saying “buy this” or “check this out” won’t earn you much engagement.
Let’s say you’ve done the legwork of optimizing your TikTok profile and individual videos.
Nice! Now what?
While many of these TikTok account ideas focus on your profile and content, let’s talk about your engagement strategy.
Comments are a simple and low-hassle way to engage your audience. Notice that the best brands on TikTok go out of their way to respond to comments on th regular. Many brands actually create content around questions and comments they receive from customers.
But before you go off replying to each and every TikTok @mention, double-check that your comments pass a quick “copy-and-paste” taste.
Ask yourself: does my reply look like it was written by a bot?
If “yes,” scrap it and try again.
Personalizing comments can help you build brand loyalty and once again showcase your personality. While doing so is an active and ongoing process versus a one-off tactic, the time investment is totally worth it.
Starbucks is an example of a corporate giant that’s mastered the art of conversational TikTok comments.
Source: @starbucks
Crumbl Cookies makes it a point to extensively “like” and comment on shout-outs they receive from customers on TikTok. These interactions might not seem like a big deal to the brand but definitely make a lasting impression on their fans. Crumble’s attention to comments shows how the brand values feedback and wants to have a conversation.
Source: @crumblcookies
And while Crumbl’s comments may seem straightforward, they look exactly like what you’d see an actual person comment and reply, right?
You shouldn’t have to rack your brain for TikTok comment ideas — maybe it’s cliche but sometimes it’s best just to be yourself (or in this case, your brand).
We get it — creating TikTok content takes more work than it seems on the surface.
Because people cycle through videos and trends so quickly, you might feel like you’re not getting much mileage out of your TikTok promotions.
Playlists are a low-hanging way to squeeze more out of your content strategy. This feature lets you organize your videos into feeds (think: Instagram Stories highlights). These static feeds are then front-and-center on your TikTok account.
For example, a brand might make dedicated TikTok Playlists for product launches, customer photos or a hashtag challenge. Check out how Fenty Beauty creates Playlists that correspond with specific products (see “Icon” and “Drama Cla$$” below).
Source: @fentybeauty
Keep in mind that not every TikTok account currently has access to this feature. That said, we’re seeing more and more brands use Playlists to streamline content discovery for new followers.
For example, SHEIN has dedicated Playlists for their giveaways and OOTD showcases.
Source: @shein_official
Keep in mind that you can take a minimal approach to your Playlists. Check out how Milk Makeup dedicates a single playlist to their how-to hacks. This helps highlight educational videos so customers don’t have to dig through Milk’s entire TikTok feed to find them.
Source: @milkmakeup
Fact: 67% of TikTokers claim the platform inspires them to shop even when they weren’t looking to.
From your bio link to video descriptions, most of these TikTok account ideas can influence and encourage purchases. Thing is, you still need to put the spotlight on what you’re selling.
And so product videos should be a centerpiece of your presence.
Some ecommerce giants have dedicated TikTok Shopping feeds that funnel fans from TikTok directly to product pages. More and more brands are doing the same as ecommerce tools like TikTok’s integration with Shopify roll out. These features are popular among brands in the makeup and CPG spaces.
As we’ve seen firsthand, influencer content on TikTok is a proven way to introduce your brand to prospective customers. The upside of working with creators is that even smaller brands can run campaigns by working with micro-influencers at scale.
Based on the TikTok customer journey, shoppers tend to view a combination of organic content and ads before making a purchase. Translation? Driving sales on TikTok means presenting your products from multiple angles.
Below is an example of a shoppable TikTok tab from Guess:
Source: @guess
Note that these shopping features are still unexplored territory for most brands. Data says that TikTok is more effective at nurturing customers and raising awareness versus straight-up selling.
On the flip side, creator-based campaigns that show off your products in action are proven to drive sales on TikTok over time.
As an added bonus, influencer campaigns provide you with a ton of user-generated content you can promote time and time again. Featuring creators on your TikTok account not only provides proof of your satisfied customers but can also boost your engagement rate.
Source: @lisaxglam
Listen: there’s no better time than now to do a TikTok audit.
That’s because so much of growing on TikTok means “looking the part.” Posting creative content is a must-do but so is sending the right message to your audience.
Each of the TikTok account ideas is fair game for brands of all shapes and sizes. When completed together, these tips can totally transform your TikTok presence at a glance.
And if you want to grow your account faster and need help finding creators to help you do it, we’ve got you covered.
Statusphere’s full-service influencer platform makes it simple to get your products in the hands of TikTok creators that know the platform inside and out. We handle delivery, vetting influencers, analytics and everything in-between.
Want creators to start posting about your brand sooner rather than later? Chat with one of our consumer-to-consumer marketing experts today to see how we can build an influencer campaign tailor-made for your audience.