TikTok reminders: Plan TikToks and Schedule TikToks well in advance

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TikTok was the top-downloading app in 2021. It has now more than 1 billion users.

Buffer was there anyone who could have predicted such a rapid rise in TikTok’s popularity when it first appeared on our radar?

To have fun, I searched our Slack archives for any information. In August 2018, Ash Read, our former Head Of Content, first mentioned TikTok. TikTok just purchased Musical.ly to provide an entry point into America.

Alfred Lua, a former colleague of mine, was writing a blog post on the 21 Best Social Media Sites to Consider For Your Brand. TikTok was ranked ten in the list of 500 million active users per month at that time, just behind Tumblr, and just ahead Twitter.

Now, TikTok has outperformed incumbent platforms Instagram and Facebook in terms of growth. It is also the most popular domain on the internet, ending Google’s 15-year reign.

It seems to be growing at an unstoppable pace. TikTok saw a rise in short-form videos and powerful creator tools. These features have helped drive virality within and outside the platform.

Every day, TikToks are shared by more than just content creators and influencers. TikTok’s ability to quickly deliver large amounts of organic reach is a boon for businesses of all types. There are many opportunities to reach a large audience with the right strategy and creative execution.

This is what I have been hearing from Buffer customers. Thanks to a steady stream feature requests asking for integration with TikTok, I have learned this firsthand. It makes perfect sense. You will get the best results on social media, just like any other platform. Plan your content in advance and make sure you post regularly.

We were so eager to integrate with TikTok that people started sharing mockups of their products to inspire our designers.

We started to think. How can we help marketers plan and schedule TikTok videos in the quickest and most efficient way possible?

Use reminders to aid with TikTok planning

Our product principles include keeping things simple and adding incremental value (we don’t want to do everything at once).

We looked at the current Instagram Stories scheduling process. We might be able to replicate this workflow.

It works this way:

1. Upload your video content to Buffer
2. Next, choose the date and time that you would like to publish your post.
3. Buffer will send you a reminder notification when that happens. It contains everything you need to complete the post in the app.

This “reminder workflow” is well-known to social media marketers. The graph below shows how it has grown in popularity with our customers. Every month, Buffer schedules approximately 19,000 Instagram Story reminders.

Given the success of Instagram Story reminders it seemed natural to create something similar for the first time in the world of TikTok.

Mobile phones allow you to move quickly

TikTok is mobile-first, and most content comes directly from the creator’s smartphone. We decided to integrate TikTok Reminders in our mobile apps to start with when it came to scheduling. Although we considered adding it to our web platform, in the spirit to build quickly and add value incrementally, it was decided to release it first on mobile. We will then add it to our web site once we get more feedback from our customers.

Andy, one our iOS engineers was able create the first prototype in under two hours.

We then developed the prototype in about a month and tested it internally before submitting it to the Apple App store and Google Play store for review.

How TikTok Reminders Work

Buffer’s mobile application allows you to plan and schedule TikTok videos ahead of time, along with all your other social media content. It’s easy: upload your video, add captions, and set a posting time. We’ll notify you when the time is right to publish your video on TikTok.

Step 1: Load your TikTok content into Buffer.

Click TikTok in the Reminders section. You can then create your TikTok posting by adding media and captions.

Step 2 – Schedule a TikTok posting time.

Select the time and date you would like to receive a reminder.

Step 3 – Finish the post using TikTok

Buffer will notify you when it is time to post your TikTok. This push notification will direct you to the TikTok App to publish your content.

TikTok: How to get started

If you aren’t familiar with TikTok, it can seem daunting. You don’t have to be a pro dancer or a video genius to get started with TikTok. Below are some of my favorite TikTok marketing tools. These resources are my favorites. I hope you find them helpful!

1. TikTok Creative Playbook For Small Businesses [PDF] TikTok
2. Small wins: How small businesses unlock the magic of TikTok.
3. 41 TikTok Video Ideas for Small Businesses – Lightricks
4. How to use TikTok Marketing for Your Business to Go Viral [Youtube video] – Shopify
5. ReferralCandy: A Guide to TikTok in Ecommerce Businesses

We would love to hear from you

TikTok is an exciting new area for Buffer. We’d love to learn more about how we can help save you time and increase your TikTok presence. You can also schedule reminders via our web dashboard. Is there anything we are missing from our mobile app Would you like to receive advice or other resources from us?

Send us a tweet @buffer, or drop us a message (or mockup)! Use our feature request form.