Creating engaging, entertaining content on TikTok is no easy task. Though it’s simple enough to film and publish TikTok videos, it can still be intimidating to figure out what to film and publish. That’s where this list of 26 TikTok ideas comes in.
Read on for our awesome list of TikTok video ideas to help get your brain juices flowing.
Bonus: Don’t know what to post on social? Unlock +100 free social media content ideas and never worry about writer’s block again!
26 TikTok video ideas to delight and engage your audience
1. Share a tutorial
Teach ‘em a lesson they won’t forget! By this we mean: create a quick and easy tutorial showcasing how to use your product or service.
This could be a fairly straightforward demo (here’s how to wash our sneakers) or something hyper-specific (here’s how to style our sneakers for Pride), or even a product hack a user might not know about (here’s how to recycle our sneakers into flower pots for a mother’s day gift).
2. Demo a recipe
There’s a whole world of cooks out there in the TikTokaverse: connect with them by sharing a recipe. Even if your brand isn’t specifically a food product or kitchen-related company, everyone’s gotta eat, right?
If you’re a fashion brand, maybe someone can wear a sweatshirt from your newest line while they prep some ceviche — it’s all about offering followers value, baby.
3. Put a viral hack to the test
Let other people do the creative thinking for you: on TikTok, there’s absolutely no shame in piggybacking.
Share your own experience or reaction to a viral hack — people love to see honest reviews and tests before they try, like microwaving a hat full of popcorn or whatever. Here are @Recipes trying out a viral Starbucks drink.
4. Collaborate with other users
I’m sorry but I simply have to say it: teamwork makes the dream work!
Partner up with an influencer, one of your superfans, or another complementary business to half your workload and double your reach (if they’re sharing with their audience, you’re reaching a whole new set of eyeballs, hubba hubba).
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5. Lip synch to a song or dialog clip
TikTok was born from the ashes of a lip-synching and dancing app, so these activities are still super common on the social media platform. Why not get in on the fun?
While song lip-synching is the classic move, lip-synching dialog is a fun option as well: try pairing a catchphrase from a movie with a new context — for instance, shooting a clip of you admiring someone using your product while you mouth along to the famous “I’ll have what she’s having!” line from When Harry Met Sally. Iconic! Hilarious! Applicable to almost all types of businesses!
6. Make a wacky machine
This guy created an elaborate Rube-Goldberg device to serve him lunch and we cannot look away. Maybe you should… also… do that?
7. Create a branded hashtag challenge
Challenges are hot-hot-hot on TikTok. Sure, you can follow along with whatever the most recent trend is (e.g. chugging a cup of dry nutmeg), but why not take it to the next level by creating your own with a branded hashtag, like Levi’s #buybetterwearlonger campaign?
8. Do a non-branded TikTok challenge
Maybe you don’t have time to create a whole new challenge from scratch. No problem! There are dozens of challenges circulating around the platform at any given time.
Just tap on over to the Discover page to see what’s trending that you can join in on this week — like the #winteroutfit hashtag that even Rod Stewart is getting in on.
9. Show your process in fast-motion
Whether you’re painting a mural, latch-hooking a rug, packing up an order for shipping, or using a chainsaw to carve a statue of a bear, it’s fun to see how something comes together… especially if it’s fast-motion and we don’t have to linger too long on the boring bits. Record yourself making your thing or practicing your activity, speed it up and set it to peppy music. The effect is hypnotic and impressive.
10. Host a livestream
For better or worse, anything can happen on a livestream… so live on the edge for once, why don’t you?
A livestream is a great chance to announce a new product drop, share some exciting brand news, host a Q&A, or interview a special guest, while viewers chime in in the comments with insights and maybe a crude emoji or two. (Dig in deeper to all things livestream with our ultimate guide to social media livestreaming here!)
11. Try out a duet
TikTok’s duet and stitch features offer the opportunity to collaborate with existing TikTok content to create your own fresh remix. Use this feature to film a reaction to a video, or layer on your own sweet voice or video onto an existing clip.
12. Create a comedy skit
Since TikTok videos are so short and fast-paced, they’re really the ideal format for comedy. If you’ve got a sense of humor and it’s appropriate for your brand, write a silly skit or embrace something absurd.
Viral TikToks tend to be ones that offer something informative or surprising, and what’s more surprising than something that makes you laugh?
13. Share some fun facts
Wouldn’t it be nice if the internet made us a little smarter for once? You can be part of that movement by sharing fun facts… either about your brand, your industry, or current events.
14. Go behind-the-scenes
Give the people a little peek-a-boo into what you do with an intimate look into your office, factory, team meeting, production process, or client visit.
Think of it like “bring your kid to work day” but, you know, for everyone on the internet. The 79,000 people who liked this video of tires being retreaded would agree that there’s something inherently satisfying about seeing behind the scenes.
15. Reveal a hot tip or life hack
What’s a surprising way you make your life easier or better? Why not share that wisdom with the world?
16. Play with the green screen
The green screen technology TikTok has introduced to the world is, in short, a gift to humanity. Record a standard product update in front of a collage of Rihanna or use it to set a vibe by announcing a big sale in front of a tropical ocean view.
17. Perform science experiments
It’s fun to see what happens when you attempt to play with the laws of physics or chemistry. Make a volcano. I dare you. Or just cover a watermelon in rubber bands like this man. You can’t look away!
18. Perform a makeover
Get into the world of #beautytok by giving someone (or yourself!) a makeover on camera. Hair, makeup, outfit, whatever kind of big exciting change you fancy.
Fast-motion video is a great one for this too, so you can see the transformation come together. The makeover doesn’t even have to be on a person… a DIY furniture makeover or room reveal can be just as satisfying.
19. Hypnotize your followers with soothing visuals
If you’ve got access to some sort of weirdly satisfying or calm-and-sleepy video content: use it. It’s the visual back-rub we’re all craving. Now please take a brain break with this tape ball video.
20. Demo a workout
TikTok users are freaks for fitness. Get sweaty and demonstrate a workout routine or specific move that they can try out. Sure, maybe your brand has nothing to do with fitness, but put a twist on it to make it fit the right tone: for instance, if you’re a soda company, you could create a burpee-centric workout that incorporates taking a sip after every set.
21. Try out TikTok’s newest filters
The scientists at TikTok are releasing new filters and AR effects regularly. Get experimental and try something new. The effect might inspire the content, like the stop motion filter shown here.
22. Be a weirdo
Get absurd for fun. TikTok is full of gentle pranks and silliness. Delight your followers by doing something wonderfully weird… like buying an all-pink breakfast.
23. Film a “get ready with me” clip
For some reason, it’s fascinating to see people’s routines. Film a day in the life or even a “get ready with me” clip where you show just how you roll: if the world wants to see just how you make your smoothie in the morning, who are you to deny them?
24. Run a bracket or vote
Sure, partisanship may be tearing apart our society, but sometimes it’s fun to pit people against each other for non-serious reasons. Create a bracket or vote where you get people to weigh in on something: the more absurd the better, honestly.
Crunchy or smooth peanut butter? What is the best vegetable? Spark the debate and watch the engagement fly.
25. Open up a Q&A
Invite users to grill you with an “ask me anything” session (or an “ask me anything about a very specific topic” session). Then you can go ahead and answer the Qs over the course of future TikTok videos, or even run a TikTok livestream to respond to all of the burning queries. Content galore!
26. Weigh in on a current event or special occasion
Use the events in the news, celebrity gossip, or major holidays or events to act as inspiration for the content you create. Share your Oscar picks, post a Superbowl snack recipe, or react to JLo and Ben Affleck’s wedding.
Posting creative TikTok content is a huge part of finding success on the platform… but to build lasting engagement and an audience of avid fans, your marketing strategy needs to go beyond just uploading your masterpiece. Dig in deeper to our guide to TikTok for business to learn how to build conversation and cultivate a community that will last.
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