1. Set up your business TikTok account based on your brand goals
There are two TikTok account options: a business or a personal account. Choose the one you'd like by going to your Profile settings > Manage account > Switch to business account. But which should you choose?
Business accounts are ideal for companies, established businesses, and brands.
The pros to a TikTok business account are instant access to the link in bio feature and access to TikTok ads. A downside is that you won't have access to most sounds used across the app because you'll be limited to the commercial music library. Sounds are a big part of TikTok trends, and not having access to them is something to consider.
Personal accounts are ideal for individuals, creators, and small service providers.
On the pros side, you'll have access to the entire music library in the app—that means all the music and trending sounds. On the cons side, you won't be able to use the TikTok ads feature, and the link in bio feature is currently only available after you've reached 1,000 followers.
It's worth noting that both personal and business accounts provide access to full analytics for your profile.
Key takeaway: Choose the right account for you based on your needs and goals.
2. Be thoughtful about your business TikTok name, it matters for SEO (and branding!)
Your TikTok name is one of the main things that TikTok uses to try to understand who you are as a creator and where to place you in the platform. It's great for SEO (search engine optimization), which means that for a brand or business TikTok account, you should add your name and the niche or content you'll be talking about. Here's an example: Sally is a graphic designer and supplies design services. A great TikTok name for her would be "Sally | Graphic Designer"—it captures both her name and what she offers. Another example is a lip balm company known for their organic lip balms. That business's TikTok account name could be: "Brand Name | Organic lip balms."
Key takeaway: Optimize the space in your bio by adding your name and your niche.
3. Write your bio to be about your ideal follower, not you
Your bio is where you should tell people how your product, service, or content is going to benefit them. Let's go back to the example of Sally, the graphic designer. Her bio might look something like this: "Helping small business owners elevate their brand with great design."
The lip balm company might add the brand's tagline and one or two qualifiers to differentiate their product from the competition. For example: "Everyday beauty for the everyday girl. Vegan and organic lip balms."
The next thing you'll want to add to your bio is a call to action, or a CTA. This is the key action you want your visitors to take. For example, Sally's CTA could be, "Book a free consultation."
Key takeaway: Make sure your bio is about how you can help and bring value to your ideal follower.
4. Pin videos to make it easier for people to learn about who you are
Once you've started creating content on your business TikTok account, you're able to pin up to three videos at the top of your page. These videos will be pinned there no matter how many new videos you post, so they're important real estate. Choose videos that easily explain to new visitors who you are, how you're helping them, and what your offer is. Don't be tempted to just pin the videos that went viral if they're not directly beneficial to your business. This row of videos is like your cover page—make sure they're intentional and will help you with conversions.
Remember Sally and our lip balm brand from earlier? Sally's pinned videos may include how to choose a logo for your brand, the science behind brand colors, and a case study or clients' results from working with her. Our lip balm brand may feature a video expressing their brand's core values or mission, a video with one of their best-selling products, and some user generated content with a product review.
You can always unpin a video and pin a new one, so you should be changing them as you evolve in your services or policies. To pin a video, select your video, click on the three little dots in the lower right corner, click Pin , and that's it.
Key takeaway: Plan your pinned videos so each one of them covers a topic you want visitors to know about when they visit your page. Use free, easily customizable TikTok templates from Microsoft Create to help you get starteed.
5. Use covers as a differentiator
Covers are different than the text you see when scrolling on the For You page. You can only see covers when you go into someone's TikTok account and each one of their videos has a title. These are a clear indicator about the content for each video. So why should you use covers? There are two main reasons.
First, covers make it clear for your visitors who you are as a creator or as a business, and it easily explains how you're going to either help them or interest them with your content.
Covers also make it easier for new visitors to navigate your content, which gives you a higher chance of them returning to watch older videos. This matters because TikTok's main KPI (key performance indicator) is watch time, meaning how much time is spent watching your content. If your old videos are still being watched because new people are coming to your page and watching them, you're telling TikTok that your content is still relevant, and it should be pushed on the For You page.
To add a cover, just select Choose cover before you post your video. You can choose from a variety of covers and play around with them.
Key takeaway: Sticking with one cover across your videos may be best for consistency but choose what's most authentic to you. Just make sure the text on your cover is clear and unobstructed so the topic is easily understood.
It doesn't matter if you're a content creator, a service provider, or a business selling a product—your main goal for your business on TikTok should be supplying solutions to people's issues within your niche. Having a clear name, bio, and a profile that is easy to navigate will better your chances of getting those new visitors and turning them into followers.