Do you want to succeed with photography on TikTok? As a relatively new social media platform, TikTok is growing by leaps and bounds — and photography is one of the most popular niches on the app.

To set yourself apart from other photographers, you’ll need to put in the work, creating top-notch content that will reach as many people as possible and maybe even go viral.

The perfect recipe for going viral on TikTok includes a few different ingredients. Here, we’ll take a look at what you need to do to create viral photography content on TikTok. Use these tips to help your videos go viral and take your account to the next level!

Jump On The Trends

Your first job when it comes to photography on TikTok is simple: Research, research, research! Even a quick Google search can be hugely helpful in determining the current trends on TikTok involving photography.

For example, you can share photography hacks, showing how to use objects from around the house to create a cool photoshoot environment. You can use the #ForThePhoto hashtag to share behind-the-scenes content of how you got the perfect shot. Or you can jump on top of photo challenges and get creative to share your submission.

When you post content that’s based around popular trends, your videos are more likely to go viral. Time spent researching TikTok photography trends will pay off big time when you’re ready to create your content.

Work With Influencers In The Photography Niche

Influencers can be helpful on any social media platform. But for TikTok, influencers are everything. Consider working with influencers in the photography niche to boost your TikTok following and engagement.

Tools such as Influence Grid make it simple and fast to find influencers who might be a good fit for you. With influencer search engines like Influence Grid, you can run an advanced search to sift through the database of 125,000 influencers and pull up the ones that align with your brand. Add search parameters such as influencer size, country, or engagement rate. Then look through the results to see which influencers fit well with your photography style.

You can also find TikTok influencers by simply searching on the app itself. Search “photography” on TikTok and then tap into the “Users” tab. Most likely, several leading creators within the industry will pop up as suggestions. You can then scroll through their pages to see what kinds of videos they produce, discover what hashtags they use, and brainstorm ways you could work together.

Use Trending Hashtags

When it comes to growing your account or going viral on TikTok, hashtags should be an integral part of your strategy. Hashtags are one of the main ways that TikTok videos get discovered or make it onto the For You page — the front page of TikTok, where users see a feed of recommended videos that are curated for them.

How can you figure out the best hashtags for TikTok? Once you’ve found some TikTok influencers, you can use them as a guide, looking through their accounts to see what they’re doing right. Take careful note of the hashtags they use so you can add those tags to your next video as well.

Another way to find hashtags for TikTok is to use a hashtag generator. It’s simple to find a free online hashtag generator with a quick Google search. These generators will give you a list of suggested hashtags within your niche.

Photography hashtags that are popular on TikTok include:

#Photographer
#Photography
#Photooftheday
#Photoshoot
#Canon

After doing your research on the best hashtags for your account, use four to five tags in every TikTok video you post. Doing so will increase your chances of going viral.

Add Popular Sounds To Your Videos

Adding popular sounds to the background of your videos is a great way to get more views on your TikTok videos. A new song is trending on TikTok every week — and any video that uses that song has a greater chance of being discovered.

Keep your eyes open and spend some time scrolling through the FYP to see what songs pop up frequently. Save any popular sounds you hear so you can use them for your next video. Having a variety of sounds saved on TikTok can save you time when you go to create your next video.

Whether you’re creating a how-to tutorial or a collection of some of your best photos, you’ll need to pick just the right sound to complement the video. Creating your own little collection of popular sounds means you won’t have to spend time searching for just the right sound when you’re ready to post.

Using popular sounds on TikTok can make a huge positive impact on your amount of followers.

Cross-Promote

As a photographer, Instagram is usually the go-to platform for sharing your content. This visually-oriented social media platform is bursting with talented photographers — and with users who want to follow along and see the world from your camera lens. So starting over on TikTok might seem a little intimidating.

The best and easiest way to quickly grow your TikTok account is to bring some of your Instagram followers over to TikTok. You can do this by using the link in your bio on Instagram. By using a link in the bio tool, you’ll be able to add multiple URL’s to your IG bio. These tools allow you to have all of your social media platforms in one place so you can easily guide your followers from one platform to another.

This tactic works just as well the other way around, too: Use a link in bio tool for TikTok so your new TikTok followers can find your Instagram account. Cross-promotion is a smart way to grow your following on multiple platforms. It’s a free and easy marketing method that’s also highly effective — chances are, if somebody follows and enjoys your Instagram account, they’d be happy to learn you have TikTok too. Link in bio tools can help you cross-promote your accounts on various social media platforms.

Photography TikTokers Who Do It Best

Are you looking for a little inspiration? Check out these photographers on TikTok who know how to navigate this social platform and do a great job gaining engagement and followers.

Olivier Wong

Olivier Wong (@wonguy) is a TikTok photographer with 3.9 million followers. As a travel photographer and content creator, Wong posts a mixture of content on TikTok — including instructional photography videos, tech reviews, and behind-the-scenes footage of his photoshoots. Many of Wong’s TikTok videos receive over 2,000 comments, with his average like count coming in at 424,000.

His videos are high-quality and use popular sounds and carefully-chosen hashtags. Wong also strategically uses the space in his bio to plug his Instagram account and his preset bundle.

Brandon Woelfel

With 465,000 followers on TikTok, New York photographer Brandon Woelfel is well on his way to TikTok success. Brandon’s TikTok feed is full of unique videos with visually appealing Instagram filters, light leaks, and other effects. Brandon posts consistently, averaging one video a day and also ties some of his videos to current events — such as this recent post mentioning a new episode of Euphoria, a popular TV show. He also makes an effort to get his followers involved with his posts, such as taking photos based on the colors they chose.

Karen Cheng

Karen Cheng knows what she’s doing when it comes to photography on TikTok: As the former creative director for projects with brands like Amazon, Apple, and Facebook, she now has over 64,000 followers on TikTok and an engagement rate of 18.71, with an average of 12,000 likes per post. Karen shares creative photography and videography ideas that are easy for people to recreate at home. She also regularly talks about the photography gear she uses.

Alex Stemplewski

Alex Stemplewski (@alex.stemp) has 10.7 million followers and an engagement rate of 10.01. Alex takes pictures of strangers, walking up to people he sees in public, and asking if he can take their photos. He also incorporates his girlfriend in many of his videos and surprises her or enlists her help surprising other people. These fun touches set Alex’s content apart — the videos where he gives a stranger a makeover, and a photoshoot are almost reminiscent of a TV show.

Alex Frank

Found @shotzbyalex on TikTok, Alex Frank has 260,900 followers and an engagement rate of 21.95. Alex primarily shares how-to content with her followers; recent videos include tips on posing couples and posing guys, with Alex directing people to the link in her bio to learn more. However, Alex also shares behind-the-scenes content from her personal life, such as a day in the life. And she jumps on top of popular TikTok trends, too, like this “My Preferences— Photographer Edition” video using the trending “It’s Tricky” sound by RUN DMC.

Go Viral With Photography On TikTok

Creating viral content on TikTok takes work. But with these strategies and a little elbow grease, you’re well on your way to creating TikTok videos that could potentially go viral. Use these tips and tricks as you boost your TikTok account and increase your popularity on the platform!

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