TikTok is a social media app for watching, creating, and sharing videos. To use it, create an account, explore your feed, and tap the “+” button to record or upload your first video.
About 37% of US adults say they use TikTok—up from 21% in 2021—and 63% of adults under 30 use it. The platform has also inspired global trends and catapulted everyday creators into household names.
Ahead, learn the basics of setting up a TikTok account, creating your first videos, and engaging with this fast-growing community. You’ll also discover ways to introduce your products to viewers and build your brand on the platform.
What is TikTok?
TikTok is a short-form mobile video platform where users create and share content, follow creators, and discover videos through the For You page (FYP), its main recommendation feed.
The official TikTok app for Shopify lets you create TikTok ads and sync products from your store. Eligible merchants can also connect with TikTok Shop to manage orders and inventory from their Shopify admin. Eligible new Shopify advertisers can access free ad credits.
Store owners can use TikTok to demonstrate products and answer questions shoppers ask before buying. For example, a bag retailer could film what fits inside a tote, giving viewers a clearer sense of its capacity than would be possible with a static product photo. Customer comments and questions can then inform follow-up videos, such as an exploration of the bag’s materials or construction.
TikTok is built around audio clips and music, with tools for adding sounds to your videos. Businesses can find music cleared for commercial use in TikTok’s Commercial Music Library. This provides brands with tracks they can use in both regular posts and paid ads.
TikTok’s creative features include filters, Stories, plus options like Duets and Stitches that let users build on other people’s videos. Creators also share spontaneous, lightly edited content, a format Elavi Cofounder Michelle Razavi found easier to fit into her schedule.
“TikTok really changed everything for me—for everyone,” Michelle shares on an episode of Shopify Masters. “You start to see more of this unfiltered, raw, vulnerable, off-the-cuff content. That was a breath of fresh air because I would spend so much time obsessing over the editing, lighting, making sure my face looked perfect—and I don’t have the time for that.”
Stores can also sell products through TikTok Shop, where available. Shoppers can discover products in videos and livestreams, then complete their purchases within TikTok. Brands work with affiliate creators who earn commissions on sales they generate. See how Finn, a pet wellness company built on Shopify, found success on TikTok Shop using affiliate creators.
How to use TikTok in 6 steps
Getting your brand onto TikTok starts with creating an account and completing your profile. Next, explore the feeds and join conversations with potential customers.
Once you’re familiar with the app, record your first video, experiment with its editing tools, and set up TikTok Shop if your business is eligible:
- Set up a TikTok account
- Get to know TikTok
- Engage with the TikTok community
- Create and post TikTok videos
- Explore unique tools and features
- Sell on TikTok
1. Set up a TikTok account
Download TikTok from the Apple App Store or Google Play. Open the app, tap “Sign up,” and register with your phone number, email address, or another available sign-in option. Enter your birthday and follow the prompts to create your account.
A Personal Account works for individual creators and people browsing for themselves. A Business Account suits a store promoting products, as it provides access to business tools. You can switch to this type of account from your profile menu: Under “Settings and privacy,” find “Account” and then click “Switch to Business Account.”
Open “Edit profile” and complete this checklist:
- Username. Use your brand name or a recognizable variation.
- Display name. Be sure this matches the name that customers see in your store.
- Profile photo. Upload a logo that’s legible at a small size.
- Bio. Explain what you sell and who your products are for.
- Website. Add your store URL, when your account has access to website links.
A clickable bio link is a TikTok Business Account feature, with access subject to eligibility. TikTok’s current business account guidance lists the public display of the bio link as one of its verified business features, so switching account types doesn’t guarantee immediate access. Shopify’s TikTok for Business guide covers merchant profile setup, advertising tools, and selling through TikTok Shop.
Personal Accounts can be private, giving you control over who follows you and who can view your posts. Business Accounts are public, so potential customers can discover your content before they follow you.
2. Get to know TikTok
Users can toggle between the For You and Following feeds, which are located next to each other at the top of TikTok’s home screen. For You is personalized, so it recommends content based on your interests and activity, including videos from accounts you don’t follow.
Tap “Following” to watch content from accounts you follow. Swipe up to move to the next video and down to return to the previous one.
TikTok’s recommendation system considers the videos you watch through to the end, the posts you like or share, and the accounts you follow. Comments also give it information about your interests. Video details, such as sounds and hashtags, help TikTok identify content to recommend.
Tap the magnifying glass to search for products, creators, or topics in your industry. Explore the available results for videos, accounts, hashtags, and sounds. As you watch, note which questions viewers ask and how creators demonstrate products similar to yours.
3. Engage with the TikTok community
To grow your business’s TikTok audience, publish videos that answer shoppers’ questions and reply to comments. Join relevant conversations under other creators’ posts, too, so people can get to know your brand.
Track social media engagement through comments, shares, and saves. Questions that recur across posts can provide ideas for future videos.
The icons beside each video let users interact with it:
- Heart. Like the video, or double-tap the video itself.
- Speech bubble. Read comments, leave a comment, or reply.
- Share arrow. Send the video to someone or explore sharing options.
- Bookmark. Save the video to your Favorites for future reference.
- Plus beneath the profile photo. Follow the creator.
Watching a video through to the end also signals to TikTok your interests. To download a copy, open the sharing menu and select “Save video” when the creator permits downloads.
A customer’s question can also provide the subject for your next post. To reply with a video, select a comment on your video and tap the camera icon beside the reply field. Record your answer with the original comment displayed on screen.
Collaborations introduce your brand to another business’s audience. Tinned seafood company Fishwife and butter brand Churn, for example, both posted about their anchovy and lemon butter collaboration on TikTok.
Look for a complementary brand whose products your customers already use. With TikTok influencer marketing, you can also commission creators to demonstrate your products to an audience they’ve already built.
4. Create and post TikTok videos
Your first video can answer a single product question or demonstrate how to use something you sell. Once you have a subject, follow these steps to record and publish it:
- Open the camera. Tap the plus (+) button at the bottom of the screen. Record in TikTok or upload an existing video from your device.
- Record your clips. Select an available recording length and tap the red “Record” button. Tap it again to stop. You can record several clips for the same video.
- Select your audio. Tap “Add sound” to browse tracks. Businesses need music from TikTok’s Commercial Music Library for commercial posts and ads. The general music library does not grant commercial-use rights. For music or another creator’s original sound outside the commercial library, confirm that you have the necessary licenses.*
- Edit the video. Trim your clips and add text, effects, or a voice-over. Add and edit TikTok captions for viewers who watch with sound off or need them for accessibility, then check the transcription before publishing.
- Add post details. Tap “Next” and write a description that explains the video. Add relevant hashtags, select a cover image, and tag any featured collaborators.
- Review publishing settings. Select who can view the post and review the available comment, download, and content-reuse controls. Check any commercial-content disclosure prompts before publishing.
- Save or publish. Tap “Drafts” to finish later or “Post” to publish. Watch the finished post to check that its text, sound, and captions appear as intended.
Find a posting cadence you can maintain, with time to answer comments between uploads. Use your audience’s activity and post performance to find the best time to post on TikTok for your store.
*This article provides general information and does not constitute legal advice. Consult a qualified attorney about music licensing, intellectual property, and advertising obligations for your business.
5. Explore unique tools and features
TikTok’s editing tools let you demonstrate products, respond to other videos, and add explanations on screen. Experiment with a feature when it serves the idea you’re filming:
- Duet. Record your video alongside another creator’s video in a split screen, where the creator has enabled the feature.
- Stitch. Add an excerpt from an eligible video before your own response.
- Sound library. Browse Commercial Sounds for tracks cleared for business use. When you find trending sounds on TikTok, check that a track is available for commercial use before adding it to a brand video.
- Filters. Adjust a video’s color and tone. Check that the result still represents your product accurately.
- Effects. Add visual treatments or interactive elements, such as an animated background.
- Green screen. Place a photo or video behind you as you speak, so viewers can see the subject you’re explaining.
- Text-to-speech. Convert on-screen text into spoken narration using an available voice.
- Emoji, stickers, and GIFs. Add visual labels or reactions through the editor’s text and sticker tools. Resize and position them so they don’t obscure the product or captions.
6. Sell on TikTok
Social media ads are the leading source of brand awareness among internet users aged 16 to 34, according to GWI data in DataReportal’s Digital 2026 report. A TikTok ecommerce sale can begin with a product video and finish at checkout in TikTok Shop.
TikTok Shop gives stores several places to feature products:
- Shoppable in-feed videos. Attach product links to videos so viewers can open a listing and purchase.
- Product showcase. Display a selection of products on your profile for visitors to browse.
- LIVE shopping. Demonstrate products during a livestream and let viewers shop featured items as you answer questions.
Alongside organic posts, TikTok ads let you pay to promote product videos and measure campaign results.
Shoppers can also browse the app’s Shop tab, which is separate from a seller’s profile showcase. In 2025, video accounted for roughly 50% of US TikTok Shop’s gross merchandise value, according to Momentum Works and Tabcut. The Shop tab accounted for about 36%, and livestreams contributed about 14%.
Before setting a campaign budget, review TikTok statistics on audience demographics and shopping behavior to see how the platform’s users compare with your customers. eMarketer forecasts US TikTok Shop ecommerce sales will reach $23.41 billion in 2026, up 48% year over year. For context, that’s more than Target, Costco, Best Buy, or Kroger’s individual sales numbers.
To sell through Shopify, install the official TikTok app and follow its TikTok Shop setup prompts. Connecting your store syncs your product catalog, inventory, orders, and fulfillment information between the platforms. You can manage TikTok Shop orders in Shopify and keep stock quantities up-to-date as products sell.
The TikTok Shop integration is available for stores in the United States, United Kingdom, Spain, Ireland, France, Italy, Germany, Mexico, Japan, and Brazil. Its setup requirements include a verifiable store address, an online store with a published return policy, and a TikTok for Business account. You’ll also need to complete TikTok’s seller verification and meet the product rules for your region.
How to use hashtags on TikTok
Hashtags describe your video’s subject and give viewers a way to explore related posts. TikTok also uses them as information in its recommendation system with signals such as sounds and viewer interactions. Relevant tags can help TikTok match content with interested viewers, but distribution also depends on how people respond to the video.
Try three to five relevant hashtags per post as an initial test. Give each tag a purpose, and adjust the selection to match the video:
- Broad tags identify the general category. A bag demonstration could use #Bags.
- Niche tags describe the product or use case more precisely. A video showing what fits inside a work bag could use #WorkTote.
- Brand tags group posts about your business. A leather accessories brand called Plia could use #Plia on its own posts and invite customers to use it.
- Campaign tags identify a specific launch or promotion. Plia could use #PliaWorkday for a series about packing a bag for work.
For that work bag video, a relevant set could be #Bags, #WorkTote, #LeatherBag, and #Plia. Add the campaign tag when the post belongs to that series.
To find the best hashtags for TikTok, search each candidate before publishing. Check whether the videos attached to it match your product and intended audience. An unrelated trending tag gives viewers little reason to watch your demonstration.
Write a clear description before adding your tags. Then compare watch time, engagement, and profile visits across similar posts to assess which topics and tag combinations deserve further testing.
Consider a branded hashtag challenge, which asks people to create their own videos around a shared activity and campaign tag. Come up with an incentive for people that participate in the challenge, in order to get viewers to join.
Tips for posting on TikTok
Once you’ve published a few TikTok videos, review which posts hold viewers’ attention and send visitors to your store. Testing one change at a time, such as a shorter opening, makes it easier to see what improves your results.
Use these five tips to test topics and openings in your TikTok marketing strategy before spending more time filming.
1. Tap into your analytics
Compare watch time and shares across your posts to identify topics viewers spend time on and share. Then check whether TikTok is sending shoppers to your store.
Shopify’s Sessions by referrer report shows visits from sources such as TikTok. Its marketing performance reports show attributed orders, sales, and conversion rates, giving you a clear view of what happens after someone clicks through. Add campaign tracking parameters, known as UTMs, to your TikTok links so you can identify individual campaigns.
In a social media audit, compare TikTok visits and attributed orders with your other channels before changing your posting schedule.
2. Choose relevant topics and themes
Customer questions provide subjects for recurring videos. A cookware brand could demonstrate how to clean a pan after cooking a sticky sauce. Browse TikTok video ideas for other formats you can use to answer a customer question or demonstrate a product.
TikTok trends are another source of ideas for posts, when they make sense for your brand and can reflect your customers’ experiences. For instance, luggage brand Béis adapted the Group 7 trend into a joke about waiting for earlier boarding groups at the airport. Its version gave the trend a travel context its audience would recognize.
3. Test video length
Apply the three-second rule to your opening: Give viewers an immediate reason to keep watching. TikTok’s advertising guidance recommends introducing the main idea within the first three seconds.
Test a quick demonstration against a more detailed explanation of the same topic. Compare average watch time and video completion rate to assess how much of each version people watch. A longer tutorial has room for details that a short product reveal doesn’t need.
4. Upgrade the quality of your clips
High-quality footage lets shoppers examine the product you’re demonstrating. Film vertically in good light, stabilize your phone, and check that your voice is audible over any background sound.
Before posting, review the video on your phone. Correct caption errors and reposition text that overlaps the product or TikTok’s interface buttons.
5. Maximize effects and editing tools
Use editing tools to explain details as they appear on screen. A text overlay can display a bag’s dimensions during a capacity demonstration, for example.
Trim pauses between steps, and keep any text on screen visible for long enough that viewers can read what it says. Preview the finished video with sound on and off to check whether it’s possible to follow the demonstration in both scenarios.
Your next steps on TikTok
Pick one product and film an answer to a question shoppers often ask about it. After publishing, read the comments for questions you can answer in a follow-up video.
Once you’ve published a few posts, assess viewing time alongside store visits and attributed orders in Shopify. Give a promising topic another video with a different opening.
If you plan to sell directly on the platform, check your TikTok Shop eligibility and connect your store through the official TikTok app for Shopify.
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How to use TikTok FAQ
Is TikTok easy to use?
Yes. You can record, edit, and publish a video from your phone. For a first post, show how much fits in one of your bags. After publishing, read the comments and check how long viewers watch before deciding what to film next.
How many hashtags should you use on a TikTok?
Try three to five relevant hashtags as a starting point. Combine a broad category tag with more specific tags that describe the product or use case. For example, if you were making a video about a work tote, use #Bags and #WorkTote to describe the content—then add a brand tag, if you use one.
What are the do’s and don’ts of TikTok?
Do show products in use, answer comments, and make each video’s subject clear. Don’t add unrelated hashtags or use songs from the general music library in business posts. TikTok directs businesses to its Commercial Music Library for commercial content.
What is the 3-second rule on TikTok?
The three-second rule is a guideline for establishing your video’s subject immediately. TikTok recommends introducing the main idea within three seconds in ads. For a video about a bag’s capacity, for example, show the packed bag first and then explain what fits inside.
What are the drawbacks of TikTok for businesses?
Filming, editing, and answering comments takes time, and a video can draw views without sending shoppers to your store. Selling through TikTok Shop also may not be available for all businesses—it depends on your location, store setup, and products. Check Shopify’s eligibility requirements and compare TikTok traffic with store orders before committing more resources.
