Shooting tips and transitions to make your TikToks pop — Best Practices for Small Business

3 min readJul 1, 2021

The following is part one of a two-part series around helping small businesses to create more engaging TikTok videos and content. Keep an eye out for the second part of the series where we hear from the business owners featured in the videos below.

We’ve said it before, but TikTok runs on creativity. Creators and businesses are constantly exploring how different transitions and effects can be used to make their content stand out on the For You page.

As part of an ongoing initiative to help small businesses elevate the creativity they share on TikTok, we are pleased to announce “Behind The Camera,” a series of easy-to-follow instructional videos showing businesses how to take their TikTok to the next level through the latest creative trends and techniques.

Below you will find eight short tutorials, each explaining a different video editing technique. From the classic “Changing clothes instantly” transition to the gravity-defying “Floating effect”, these simple tricks can help to take your TikToks to the next level. Check them all out, or just skip to the one that inspires you to get started

General tips

Before getting started, it’s important to remember the following general guidelines when it comes to making TikToks:

Keep it simple. Don’t overcomplicate the message you are trying to communicate or the creative by trying to fit too much into one TikTok.
Shoot vertically. Take advantage of the full-screen experience of TikTok by making sure you shoot your content in a vertical format, not horizontal.
Have good lighting. It doesn’t matter if it’s a professional lighting set-up, a really nice lamp, or even the sun as long as users can clearly see what you want them to see.
Focus on your subject. Always keep the lens focused where you want your audience to focus their attention. This can help prevent blurring or losing something important in darker lighting.
Use effects and text. TikTok has created hundreds of effects and text treatment options for you to use in your TikToks. These native features help keep your content feeling native to the platform which can also help get it on more For You pages!
Have fun. At the end of the day, creating content on TikTok should help your business, but it should be a fun, positive experience while you create it and when your audience views it.

With those creative guidelines in mind, you’re ready to start learning some of TikTok’s most popular creative techniques.

1. Flying objects
A steady camera and a consistent throwing technique are all you need to master this fun technique that uses objects your subject throws at the camera to transition from one scene to the next.

2. 360 Video
This transition technique is an easy way to stitch together your videos and add fun energy using only your record button. Use foreground objects to help create a seamless transition from video to video.

Shooting tips and transitions to make your TikToks pop — Best Practices for Small Business

1. Flying objects
A steady camera and a consistent throwing technique are all you need to master this fun technique that uses objects your subject throws at the camera to transition from one scene to the next.

2. 360 Video
This transition technique is an easy way to stitch together your videos and add fun energy using only your record button. Use foreground objects to help create a seamless transition from video to video.

Written by Dejan Majkic, MA in CS & IT

No responses yet

Shooting tips and transitions to make your TikToks pop — Best Practices for Small Business

1. Flying objectsA steady camera and a consistent throwing technique are all you need to master this fun technique that uses objects your subject throws at the camera to transition from one scene to the next.

2. 360 VideoThis transition technique is an easy way to stitch together your videos and add fun energy using only your record button. Use foreground objects to help create a seamless transition from video to video.

Written by Dejan Majkic, MA in CS & IT

No responses yet

1. Flying objects
A steady camera and a consistent throwing technique are all you need to master this fun technique that uses objects your subject throws at the camera to transition from one scene to the next.

2. 360 Video
This transition technique is an easy way to stitch together your videos and add fun energy using only your record button. Use foreground objects to help create a seamless transition from video to video.