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Creator's Academy

Pawjourr’s Creators: Lillygirlthegolden

Meet SoCal’s fearless duo

Amanda and her one-year-old Golden Retriever pup, Lilly, are roaring for adventures as they spend most of their time in the Atlantic Ocean.

If Moana was a four-legged canine, she would be Lilly! When owner Amanda says the word “swimming”, electrified Lilly can be seen waiting by the door to jump straight in the car, ready to chase some ocean waves.

Golden Retrievers are said to be active by nature and playful by heart. At the beach, Lilly proves them right by frolicking around, making pit holes, getting all wet and muddy. Lilly can always be seen chasing after anything: seagulls, crows, pelicans — you name it!

@lillygirlthegolden soaking up the SoCal sun

A company of two

Amanda, with her flair for creative writing and video editing, loves to share their water adventures with their followers — originally an Instagram exclusive, they have since expanded to platforms like TikTok and their new blog, ‘The Golden Life of Lilly’!

By sharing their oceanic escapades online, it allows Amanda to showcase her skills in writing, composing and editing. From high-quality photos to product reviews, Amanda got it covered!

She immersed herself in the online community in hopes to inspire others, and also learn from creators like herself. This exposure introduced Amanda to a lot of fur-ever friends where she picked up numerous tips and tricks on pet ownership and content creation.

@lillygirlthegolden looking playful with her tennis ball

Always putting Lilly first

As a hooman working for Beach Patrol, Amanda and her pup would spend the entire day at the beach — a win for Lilly! But the long hours could take a toll on Lilly, causing Amanda to be more aware of her fur kid’s well-being.

With that, Amanda is always on the hunt for the best products that seeks to improve Lilly’s health through community recommendations or even branded collaborations. 

@lillygirlthegolden loving Oxyfresh’s water additive dental care

For instance, our golden duo has recently partnered with Oxyfresh, to showcase their Premium Pet Dental Water Additive on Instagram. Brands like Oxyfresh, who strives to improve the lives of pets, are exactly what Amanda looks out for! 

Experts of their craft 

Our golden duo incorporates products they love into their everyday lives and most of their content features brings a fresh ocean breeze to the niche community of pet-product reviews! 

@lillygirlthegolden winding down at the beach

Their potential is endless! Our California girls can certainly spice up your campaign with the right amount of sand and waves.   

Whether your objective is to raise brand awareness or creating curated content, their ability to feature authentic and engaging content can provide numerous opportunities to give your brand the edge you seek. 

Ready to work with creators like Amanda and Lilly? Reach out to us at hello@pawjourr.com today! 

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Creator's Academy

Increase engagement with your followers.

Your pawpal’s follower count might be high, but are you connecting to your followers? Engagement refers to interactions your followers have with your content and reflects how interested they are in your photos and videos. Here are some tried and tested strategies to have your followers coming back for more!

1. Know when to tell a story

We are fairly certain that you wouldn’t promote a product that isn’t good for your pawpal. However, you should consider that Instagram posts of pets with their products are a dime in a dozen. You can appeal to your followers by weaving a story into your posts.Tactical Reviews have their uses in explaining the products without too much fluff. Storytelling, on the other hand, comes into play when you would like to tug the heartstrings of your followers, or if you just want to talk about how it changed your day-to-day routines.

2. A peek behind the curtain

This rings especially true for curated pet profiles with a strong emphasis on feed aesthetics. Your audience will no doubt love your furry friend’s beautiful photos, but you will seem far from them if all they get to see is perfection. 

Instagram Stories allows pet owners to show their pet’s candid and unglamorous moments, without disrupting their profile aesthetic. Your followers will be able to relate to these brief moments of authenticity better and come back to you more often.

3. Stickers = Conversations

Your Instagram Stories are also a good way to actively ‘converse’ with your followers, thanks to the many interactive stickers provided. These will encourage your followers to engage with you and feel connected to you.

Polls, Quizzes, and Emoji sliders give you a quick sense-make of what your followers think about products. As the results of these stickers are instantaneous, they immediately see how their involvement affects the results.

Questions readily seek input from your audience. Your followers are always excited to share their thoughts, and Question stickers give them that space without flooding your inbox.

4. Using the right hashtags

Hashtags help to make your post more visible in searches and reach more people as a result. Selecting the best hashtags can make the difference between appearing on the top of the search, or drowning beneath the hundreds of others. Use a mix of commonly trending hashtags with niche, targeted hashtags to drive your posts to the right audience.

A tactic that is not as frequently used is creating personal or branded hashtags. A simple and memorable hashtag makes conversations driven by you, or about you, easy to find. This works well on both Instagram and Twitter, which are both hashtag-focused. Remember to place the hashtags on your bio so that people who visit your profile will know what to look for and what to use!

5. Collaboration is key

Start a play date with other doggos or felines! When you hang out with more pawpals and make content together, you effectively share a fraction of each other’s audiences. This also means you will be visible to new and potential followers.

If your pet is feeling shy, you can run hashtag challenges and have other pawpals re-create the things you and your pet are doing. TikTok has dominated community collaborations this way to drive engagement and create more content than one can do on their own, so see what kind of collaborations work for your pets!


Check out our social media articles!

How to Improve Videos and Views on TikTok | Pawjourr Blog

Understanding Instagram’s Algorithm | Pawjourr Blog

Making (Sponsored) Videos | Pawjourr Blog

Cover photo created by freepik – www.freepik.com

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Creator's Academy

Ten TikTok Talents To Tune in To

TikTok’s users number in the millions, and each of them has the ability to do wondrous things with the challenges, sounds, and prompts they can find through the app’s community-driven algorithm. We have our own TikTok account too, filled with interesting comedy skits about our staff and resident doggos. So follow us, and these 10 TikTok accounts that will inspire you to make more content with your pawpals!

1. Lifewithkleekai

The daily lives of two Alaskan Klee Kais are loaded with comedy when their pawrents are always finding new ways to tease them. Skye (black and white) and Copper (brown) show a wide range of emotions in their videos and are sure to inspire you to try various prompts with your pawpal. Follow their Youtube channel for longer videos that include petcare for the relatively rare breed!

2. Corgidailylife 

Corgidailylife effectively demonstrates the height of TikTok content creation in various ways:

  1. Education/Guides – Without channel goes through various dog care tips and tricks to promote good dog hygiene.
  2. Sound – A microphone is placed dead centre to where the action is — paw-scrubbing, fur-brushing, (Corgi-snoring?) etc. to give viewers an audial treat. Well, it’s not ASMR, but it’s as good as ASMR. 
  3. Timing – And especially, comedic timing. Each dog care video begins with the pawrent dragging the apathetic corgi across the screen to begin the routine. By the end of it, the doggo is left satisfied, and the viewers can tell by how it sleeps ‘soundfully’.
  4. Content Appeal – Fluffy, chonky, Corgi booty. 
@petslover88

Reply to @michaeljames20052 That dog’s paws were originally red,and the foot bath bubbles won’t hurt their paws,they just clenaned away the dirt.

♬ original sound – Dog Lover 💕
@petslover88

Reply to @zvosec23 Click on my homepage link to buy 🥰#pet #puppy #corgi #nailclippers

♬ original sound – Dog Lover 💕

3. Monkeycatluna 

While many pawrents focus on the paws and claws, Luna found herself with an interesting superpower: her fangs! On top of making an assortment of simple TikTok content, the feline is well-known for her #CrunchyCat videos; the oh-so-satisfying crunch sound she makes as she chomps down on snacks is in itself a treat for the viewers on earphones.

https://www.tiktok.com/@monkeycatluna/video/7049172409072553222?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id7038414917137647106

4. Tutiandyuki 

Social media may be a place where people are fed insecurities, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Felines Tuti and Yuki make wholesome TikToks that are equal parts adorable and encouraging. Let their slow, feel-good videos warm the cockles of your heart in a sea of dynamic, attention-grabbing videos.

https://www.tiktok.com/@tutiandyuki/video/7054207461976182018?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id7038414917137647106
https://www.tiktok.com/@tutiandyuki/video/7044155885412814082?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id7038414917137647106

5. Thatgoldendoodle 

Malibu and Murphy are two best friends who can’t get enough of each other. In fact, the two Labradoodles have been caught in the middle of some new mischief every time. Catch their shenanigans and root for them to have their way!

6. Thatlittlepuff 

Puff started her journey accompanying his pawrents in the kitchen. He was so enthralled by the way they prepared food, he couldn’t stand just watching and decided to lend a paw. A few videos later, Puff became a reaction creator! Join Puff as he tries out new TikTok recipes and 5-minute crafts.

@thatlittlepuff

It must be the oven, not Puff! Tell him if it happened to you 🤣🤣🤣 #ThatLittlePuff #puffknowsbetter #FritoLayRickRoll #catsoftiktok

♬ original sound – ThatLittlePuff

7. Whataboutbunny 

Alexis Devine puts to rest the age-old question, “What if my dog could talk?” Meet Bunny, a Sheepadoodle that has learned the English language — well, sort of. Using a soundboard of associative keywords, Bunny has learnt to speak hooman to communicate with Alexis, with varying degrees of accuracy. To all Pokemon fans: If Bunny could learn hooman, perhaps one day, your pawpal could be like Meowth too.

8. My_aussie_gal 

It’s no secret that Mary and Secret are best friends. The Australian Shepard does everything with her hooman — be it music, laundry, or even yoga. Having a pawpal that shares the same vibes as you means your hobbies are twice as fun!

9. Scottyhubs 

Scott Hubbard shows off what could possibly be the world’s chill-est and sexiest Chihuahua, Gracie. Scott’s sketches with Gracie always leave viewers in awe of the doggo’s laidback energy, making them wish they had swagger like hers in her thirst trap TikToks.

10. Papayaho.cat 

An adorable British Shorthair spends her days playing with her hooman on TikTok. Papaya shows just how versatile the format can be with her various prompts, sounds, and sketches that are sure to make you swoon.

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Creator's Academy

Timeless Ideas To Kickstart Your TikTok Content

Welcome back to the fifth instalment of our TikTok feature! Today we are going to look at some content you can make with your pawpal, so you won’t run on empty in the ideas department! 

Sounds

A lot of TikTok’s content can be defined by the sounds they use, as they easily set the tone for the video. If it’s a commonly used sound or even a sound from a well-known source, chances are you’ll be able to set up some expectations and hook them in. They’ll want to stay and see how the video ends!

Here are some common sounds that pawrents are using on their TikToks:

Holidays

Share how you celebrate the holidays with your pawpals! Holidays, National Events, and Celebrations are all over the calendar. Use this opportunity to share costumes, family practices, or just you and your furry friends enjoying some quality time together.

Vlogs

While all of TikTok is already in video format, you can use the app to share quirky traits about your pet and see if others may have similar experiences. TikTok’s community-driven functionality allows you to duet people’s prompts too, which creates a whole carousel of reactions.

@marleymalin

Let me know if you want a second part to this video! 😽💞 #catsoftiktok #foryou #fyp #catvids

♬ 아무노래 – ZICO

If you’re confident about your knowledge in pet care, or if you’re just enthusiastic about sharing your petcare routines on social media, you’ll be surprised how many people will appreciate it! Beyond entertainment, people do view TikTok as a platform to learn something new, so don’t be shy about sharing the knowledge and experiences you’ve had up till now!

Challenges

According to TikTok, cats love it when you brush their fur with a wet toothbrush; it supposedly reminds them of their mother. And did you know that if you play the iconic screech from the 1960 film “Psycho”, the sound will scare dogs?

It isn’t 100% accurate, but there’s only one way to find out — try it out with your pawpals! Challenges are quick, easy-to-make, and quirky content that you can make together. You’ve probably thought of doing some of these, but always passed it off as outrageous anyway!

Need more help with TikTok?

Here’re our TikTok articles to give you a boost. From understanding the app’s functions to knowing how to optimise your videos for the algorithm, we have it all!

Part 1: Getting Started on TikTok

Part 2: Exploring TikTok Functions

Part 3: Tip-Top TikTok Tips

Part 4:  How to Improve Videos and Views on TikTok
Photo by FLOUFFY on Unsplash

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Creator's Academy

Editor Showcase: VSCO

In our previous article, we covered four apps that you can use to edit your content for Instagram and TikTok. So today, I will be showing a quick demonstration of my favourite editing app, VSCO. While the app’s roots were grounded in photo-editing at first, VSCO has been steadily upgrading itself to keep up with Instagram’s new features. As of 2020, the app is now able to record and edit videos — along with various video effects and capture modes — through its “F X” feature.

VSCO is a free-to-download editing app with powerful basic presets for photos. However, by subscribing to the app’s membership (either monthly/annual), you will gain access to its limited-time presets, premium video effects, and more. The app also detracts from the whimsical stickers and animations of other photo-editing apps, instead, doubling down on VSCO’s thematic style: Emulating the look of film and old cameras.

Bright & Clean / S Series

The S series emphasises skin tones and works well with portraits. A favourite of mine, the series balances colour contrasts to give photos a softer, more natural look.

For this photo, I reduced the shadows to take attention away from the background, as well as to highlight ZaiZai’s white fur. I also bumped up the temperature and saturation to give his tongue a healthy pinkish tone.

Analog / A Series

The A Series, inspired by analogue film, beautifully enhances the colour of your photos with their bright mid-tones and brighter highlights. I tend to use presets from the A Series (among many others) for outdoor photos.

Momo has a clean white coat with beautiful brown patches. By increasing the contrast and reducing the shadows, his white and golden brown fur is accentuated. On top of that, the silver lining that forms when the sunlight shone behind is further amplified to create a pristine silhouette.

Legacy Collection

VSCO’s Legacy collection is a staple for the brand, being the original presets offered on the app. From black-and-white filters to washed-up colours, the Legacy collection has something for every occasion.

Because the floor behind ZaiZai is less detailed, there are fewer elements to take attention away from him. I reduced the shadows and increased the exposure to give his coat a softer appearance, rather than as individual strands of hair. The increased saturation and exposure also revealed ZaiZai’s chestnut-brown eyes, which were dull and hard to spot in the original.

Isle of Dogs

Wes Anderson’s iconic art direction in Isle of Dogs gave rise to a unique set of limited-time filters, each bringing out the rusty red-and-yellow world of Megasaki to your photos.

To give Kopi’s summertime fun more energy, I strengthened the blues of the pool and increased the tint to turn the greenish background closer to its original white colour. By overexposing the carpet, the details on the strands are lost so our eyes don’t wander below her leash.

Useful Links

VSCO has many other presets worth exploring, that will definitely help to beautify your already cute pawpals! Not very sure how to begin your pet photography journey? Check out these links below:

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Creator's Academy

Make your pawpals even prettier with these editing apps

TikTok and Instagram may have their own editing features, but we always crave more. Third-party apps have come a long way to make the editing process much easier, and more comprehensive than what the original apps already do. There are many apps out there that can do the job, so let’s narrow down two apps per platform to begin your content creation journey.

VSCO

Free to download (Membership at SGD 11.48 / month)

VSCO is a place where expression matters the most. The app offers a wide range of presents, which can be adjusted to varying looks and finishes similar to classic rolls of film. VSCO also recommends presets based on the photo you select.

Pros

  • Adjustable filter strength
  • Lookbook to preview downloading new filter packs
  • Free to download

Cons

  • No touch-up features
  • No stickers, animations

Lightroom

Free to download (Pro at SGD 6.98 / month)

The industry standard for photographers on their phones everywhere. While Adobe Lightroom does not have presents, its extensive fine adjustment features let you bring out the full potential in your photos. If you’re not sure how to edit your photos, you can use Lightroom’s presets for a one-stop process. Alternatively, if you’ve used it long enough you can save your edits as presets for future photos too!

Pros

  • Detailed adjustment settings
  • Tutorials to guide you through editing process

Cons

  • Extensive features locked by paywall
  • No stickers, animations
  • Comprehensive features might confuse newcomers

CapCut

Free to download (Pro at SGD 5.98 / month)

Developed by Bytedance, CapCut is a video editor that seems tailored to complement TikTok. CapCut features exclusive copyright songs, trending stickers, and custom TikTok fonts. With these in your kit, you’ll be able to make your TikTok videos stand out!

Pros

  • User-friendly interface
  • Huge library of songs
  • Directly Exports to TikTok

Cons

  • Can only upload one video per project
  • Might lag when editing larger videos

InShot

Free to download (Pro at SGD 5.98 / month)

InShot is a popular video editing app for quit editing features. For first-time users, its well-categorised library of stickers, tags, music, and sound effects makes the app inviting and easy to understand. If that isn’t enough, InShot also comes with pre-loaded aspect ratios so you can edit your videos to suit the right platform!

Pros

  • Stitch videos together
  • Fast and simple editing features
  • Free to download

Cons

  • No video overlay functionality (e.g. Duet, React, etc. need to be recorded first)

Now that you know…

Editing doesn’t have to be done on Instagram and TikTok. Granted it’s convenient, but there are apps out there with better features. Later this week, we’ll be giving you an editor showcase. See for yourself how your pawpals can look after putting them through VSCO!

Photo by Cup of Couple from Pexels

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Creator's Academy

10 Instagram Accounts You Should Be Following

With our guides on making the most out of Instagram complete, we have shortlisted accounts that we feel make the cut for content creation. These pawpals serve a particular type of content, and they do it well enough that you can take inspiration from them for your own pawpal! From paw vloggers to fashion pawdels, stay-home cats to outdoor doggos, here are 10 Instagram accounts you should be following.

1. spongecake_thescottishfold

What do Sponge Cake, Mocha, and Donut have in common? No, they’re not confectionery, they’re cats! @spongecake_thescottishfold follows Sponge Cake and his two siblings as they travel around the world in their hooman’s arms. In between photos of the felines posing in their new ribbons, they also upload very wholesome Instagram videos of them walking down the bustling streets.

2. tuckerbudzyn

Pet parenting is a topic that all pawrents can relate to. @tuckerbudzyn is a Golden Retriever who wears his heart on his hekkin sleeve for his pawrent (or momager as they would call it) to share with the world. Now with a new son @toddbudzyn, Tucker has to show his journey as a pawrent too!

3. goodboyhuds

@goodboyhuds’ curated Instagram feed invites users to a snow-white landscape made possible by the light tones in his props, furniture, and even his environment. With all the elements out of the way, Hudson’s bronze coat holds your attention, putting the pup centre-stage.

4. _missygigi_

Gigi and her hooman chronicle their daily lives in their detailed photo journal, @_missygigi_. In perhaps an intentional design choice, Gigi’s photos are made dimmer and given the vignette finish to emphasise the memory embedded between the lines of each post caption.

5. myyzephyr

True to his name, Zephyr’s (@myyzephyr) feed shows the doggo having the time of his life with the wind blowing through his fur. While Zephyr’s photos are varied in styles, one thing’s constant — his hooman knows how to catch him at his best angles!

6. polar.woof

Polaris (@polar.woof) guides his followers around the great outdoors in his many adventures on his Instagram. Every photo transports you to another environment with the Samoyed’s sense of wonder pulling you into the thick of it all.

7. didi_the_fluffy_cat

Nothing says ‘classy’ like a furfriend who knows how to dress. Didi (@didi_the_fluffy_cat) fills her feed with OOTDs and costumes. With a wide range of outfits and a swagger to match, Didi shows her viewers who coolest cat on the block really is.

8. kyubi.ninetales

Fall in love with the magic of preparation and creativity when you look through Kyubi’s (@kyubi.ninetales) photos. Kyubi’s hooman takes photo shoots to the next level by making thematic photos out of various props and costumes, even making their own props like ribbons out of lottery tickets.

9. freyastormbreaker

Freya and Burger (@freyastormbreaker) are two tiny guardians with big hearts. The captions in their posts reveal a beautiful narrative (as interpreted by their hooman) and give their followers a peek into what makes these two puppers tick.

10. fuzziepals_

Two paws are better than one; double the trouble and still just as fun. Rigel and Gale (@fuzziepals_) play to their hearts’ content and cuddle with their hooman all day. Their open affection for each other can warm anyone’s heart on a cold day.

Feeling the spark yet?

Once you’ve ironed out the content that works best for your pawpal, get to creating! One day, you’ll be featured as a recommended Pawpal to follow on Instagram too!

Need more help on Instagram? Check out the links below :

5 Tips to up your Instagram game!

Top 5 Petfluencer Photography Tips

Exploring Instagram’s Functions

Cover photo by @kyubi.ninetails

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Creator's Academy

How to Improve Videos and Views on TikTok

Continuing from our Tip-Top TikTok Tips, Part 4 of our TikTok introduction will touch on three more tips that will improve your videos. Make your videos that much more polished and — by extension — more likely to be viewed by others on TikTok with these tips.

Plan Your Videos First

While some viral TikToks are born from absolute spontaneity, not everyone will have such an incredible stroke of luck. The most consistent way to make a good TikTok video is to first plan what you’re going to say and do. 

Long, unnecessary pauses and stammering in a video are huge turn-offs for viewers. And if you don’t have a clear image of what your sketch is about, you will end up doing retakes and end up feeling like “it’s not what I’m looking for” without knowing what your video is supposed to look like. Instead, show that you know what you’re doing; plan how your sketch will look from scene to scene. Not only will it help you, but it’ll also help your pawpal too. Pets may not have as much attention span to do repeated takes for a photo (let alone a video) and are likely to lose interest. Cats are especially temperamental, and won’t be as willing to entertain you if you test their patience for too long.

Practise, Practise, Practise

If you see a pawsome #PetTok out there and think, “No way my pawpal can do that, it’s too complicated!”, don’t beat yourself up about it. Chances are this Pet TikTok did not record their video in one take anyway. Especially where our furry friends are concerned, no video is perfect on the first take. Rehearse with yourself first how you will be carrying it out, then train your pawpal to do the thing.

@scottyhubs

On the other hand, candid TikTok challenges that you do with your pawpal do just as well when it’s not rehearsed. That’s because candid TikToks are supposed to show off their honest reactions. So bloopers and bad takes won’t seem like such a bad thing now, do they?

@betty_and bean

Your Pet Isn’t Mute, They Just Can’t Speak Hooman

But wouldn’t it be neat if they did? Save for maybe pet whisperers, pet owners all over the world scratch heads at the age-old question: What is on your pawpal’s mind? Make your pet relatable not only to other furry friends, but also to humans! Capture their emotions with human vocabulary and caption them in the video. On TikTok you can go even further and give your pawpal and audible voice with the Voiceover function. Alternatively, you can use the text-to-speech feature to have a computer-generated narration for your captions.

@hammyandolivia

Now that you know…

It’s important to stress that TikTok is wildly experimental. However, it also means you will be seeing content of all levels of polished, organic or otherwise. As a pet influencer, it is recommended to produce content that is more put-together, and spend more time rehearsing to minimise retakes. Look forward to seeing your videos on our For You page!

Photo by Artem Beliaikin on Unsplash

Follow Pawjourr on TikTok to catch our whacky shenanigans!

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Creator's Academy

Tip-Top TikTok Tips

Welcome back to Part 3 of our TikTok introduction! Learning TikTok’s functions have given you more confidence to make new videos, and you have probably recorded a few videos of your pawpals. So now is the best time to polish your content so you can reach more viewers on TikTok. Here are three tips that may sound simple, but will really go a long way!

Hashtag Etiquette

Hashtags are an important part of getting your TikTok noticed by others on their For You Page. Some TikToks as you might have noticed have even used #fyp (For You Page) and #ForYou. Before you go ahead with any of that, you should first use the hashtags that are relevant to your content. Popular hashtags to get you started would be:

  • #PetsOfTikTok ( 32.1B views) 
  • #DogsOfTikTok (86.7B views)
  • #Cat (132.4B views)
@unfinishedtailss

Mind The Time

TikTok may have the upper hand against Instagram in terms of video duration, but a long video is a double-edged sword. On one hand, the one minute limit allows you to show more of your pawpal being an absolute cinnamon roll (or troublemaker). On the other hand, TikTok users might not want to sit through a full 60 seconds without a good payoff. 

With that in mind, a *better* TikTok needs two things:

  1. A hook to keep them wanting to know what’s about to happen. The easiest way to make a hook is to time it with a song’s chorus or beat drops. 
  2. Quick transitions. An introduction scene should not last longer than 3 seconds.

The best TikToks have a good sense of timing and are short enough for people to want to watch it again immediately.

@muccu888

Be Content With Your Content

While it is always good to experiment…

Fortune favours the brave. Likewise, TikTok favours the bold. Keep exploring new formats to play with your pawpal. Because the app also shows you TikToks that you might resonate with at the For You Page, you’re likely to find a video you like and would want to replicate. Not sure what kind of content you want to do? TikTok showcases new trends as Hashtag Challenges. While the only challenge is making the hashtag relatable to your pawpals, the only reward is more views and more content for your profile. The featurette does not limit itself to hashtags, it also shows trending music and trending stickers effects!

Weekly Hashtag Challenge

…Having a niche is okay too.

Did you find a type of content that your pawpal is really good at? Stick to it! If you’ve found a format that works for your pawpal, you can use it as a base and make content centered around it. A popular doggo on TikTok, @harlso, is really good at balancing things on his head. He is so adept at it, that users flock to his account just to see what else he can balance!

@harlso

Now that you know…

Always remember that TikTok is a wildly experimental platform. The sky’s the limit to what you can do! Keep looking through the Discover page to find ideas, and the For You page to find out what pawpals you like are doing. Have a look at our TikTok account to see how we tackle new trends in content creation!

People photo created by gpointstudio 

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Creator's Academy

Exploring TikTok Functions

For our second instalment of introducing TikTok, we will be going through the core functions in content creation when using the app. For those inexperienced and nervous about breaking into a new app, TikTok works a slightly different niche — community videos with strong collaborative potential. Videos created on TikTok are made with the idea that everyone can attempt to replicate or put their own spin on it, thus creating endless chances to become popular. So let’s look at the modes that you can use to make your videos more interesting.

Discover

First off is the Discover tab. This is the one-stop spot for finding new ideas for content to create with your pawpal. TikTok’s Discover feature sorts out all TikTok videos according to hashtags, filters and sounds. A sound that’s been used a lot will appear as its own category on the Discover page so that you can see what kind of content the sound pairs well with. Likewise, a filter that’s been used a lot will appear as its own category as well.

One of these said effects is GIF Customiser, which runs a timer to take four shots and display them as a gif video. The appeal in it lies in the effect’s other function — recording the behind-the-scenes process of the gif. Pawpals in this video get the spotlight, of course. Just look at how clueless they are during the whole process!

@kageihina
@lucasandlunarcutecats

“Use this sound”

Combining audio samples with a particular video style for a shoot is also a good way to get noticed, especially so when the trend was started by hoomans. A recent trend was “Infinity” by James Young, where TikTokers would hold a ring light behind them to create a halo and silhouette, outlining their body contours. Among the many parodies and alternative takes, pet TikTokers managed to fit in just fine and use the ring light in their own ways.

@steveioe

Had to hop on the trend 😆. MuFKR crew necks are on sale now! Link in Bio #MuFKR

♬ Infinity – Jaymes Young
@steveioe
@inkstaboy

Duet

Record a video of yourself while another video is playing on the side/top/bottom/behind you. That’s all it is. While deceptively simple, the Duet function allows a lot of room for creativity. A Duet can be used to present images like you would a presentation, to do pet ownership or pet health TikToks. Alternatively, you can create a narrative from someone else’s TikTok. A normal video like your pawpal sitting at the dinner table with wine could look unassuming, but leave it to TikTok to find a way to make a story out of it.

@annaolala
@yoleendadong

#duet with @annaolala can’t trust these stray cats 🐈 #catbar #atthebar #weddingsinger

♬ original sound – ICONIC AUDIO
@yoleendadong

Stitch

If you’re making TikTok content to answer someone else’s video, then stitching would be an easy method to do so. Stitching allows you to use a clip from the video (or just the entire video) to start, then follow up with your own clip immediately after. Pawrents like you can share pet ownership stories using this method of prompt and response.

@mree63

#stitch with @thebudgieacademy this sounds made up but I swear to you it’s true. #dogsofttiktok #dog #animalconditioning #pettok

♬ original sound – Mree63
@mree63

Now that you know…

To be honest, the best way to learn about TikTok is through trial and error. Keep looking at people’s TikToks to see what’s interesting and think about how you can incorporate your pawpal into it. Have fun with the functions and maybe, just maybe, we’ll see your Pawpal trending in the Discover tab!

Photo by Ketut Subiyanto from Pexels