10 Key ways to optimise your TikTok profile for business

There are more than 5 million businesses on TikTok, so getting the basics right has never been more important. We’ve gathered inspiration from several of the fastest-growing businesses in the US to illuminate 10 key ways to optimise your TikTok profile. Without a great setup, you could lose out on key business and growth opportunities, so don’t overlook these simple steps for elevating your business on TikTok. It’s time to make an impression that counts.

Here are 10 ways to optimise your TikTok profile, inspired by brands that are bossing them…

1. Choose a consistent name and username

Your name and username on TikTok are vital parts of your branding that helps to guide your existing fans to the right profile, while making your brand look professional to new eyes. You can choose to match your name and username or have a separate name to your username. However, your username must be entirely unique on TikTok. There can’t be multiple accounts sharing exactly the same username. 

The ideal name and username combo, demonstrated by @happydad and @liquiddeath, is to have a name and username that match. Having a username that’s identical to your brand name eliminates any confusion as to whether your fans are in the right place. However, having an identical name and username combo is not always possible. With over a billion users on the app, it’s no surprise that usernames are snapped up quickly.

Another option is to maintain a username that is available across multiple social media platforms. This helps guide fans to the right profile through brand consistency. Brands like @kevins.natural.foods use the same username across TikTok and Instagram to make the right profile easy to find.

Something also worth considering is optimising for search. Check out how @bubble adds the word ‘Skincare’ to its TikTok name, helping it show up in search when someone is looking for skincare brands. This is a perfect way to utilise the option to add a name that differs from the username.

2. Design an eye-catching profile picture

Your profile picture is the first piece of imagery people come across when they venture onto your profile. Make sure it entices them to explore further. By selecting a high-quality profile picture that is clear, bold and beautifully designed, your TikTok profile will emit a level of professionalism to be respected.

The vast majority of the fastest-growing brands in the US use their brand logo as their profile picture on TikTok. This helps maintain a level of professionalism through consistent branding. However, you can always add a twist to your brand logo to help it pop and catch the eye as a profile picture. Adding a bold coloured background and contrasting features can boost how interesting it is, especially if it is the first time someone is encountering your brand. Check out the vibrant profile pictures of @beatboxbeverages and @alaninutrition for inspiration.

3. Nail the bio

The bio section of your TikTok profile is your opportunity to let people know if your brand is right for them. It should be short, punchy and hit all the main points succinctly. There are multiple ways you can approach your bio: @dudewipes uses humour, @phdfemininehealth adds social proof, while @blackriflecoffee says everything with 2 words and a full stop. What’s important is that you cut the waffle and keep the heart. What is the core of your business? Who are your products or services for? If you haven’t answered those questions then it’s time to go back to the drawing board…

4. Link your website and socials

If your brand has a presence on Instagram and/or YouTube, link these accounts with your TikTok profile. These social links are placed in a prominent position, just below your TikTok bio, which helps people easily find your content across other social media apps with a tap of the screen.

To do this:

1. Head to your TikTok profile.
2. Select ‘Edit profile’.
3. Choose ‘Add’ next to ‘Links’.

You can also add a link to your website on your TikTok profile if you have at least 1000 followers or a registered business account. As you can only add one website link, using a link in bio service could be a good solution if you want to drive traffic to multiple places. Brands such as @olaplex use Likeshop but there are several link in bio solutions including Linktree and KOMI.

5. Include contact details

Make it as simple as possible for people to get in touch by adding action buttons to your TikTok profile. There are a number of action buttons available including: email, phone number, address and app. Email is a popular option among brands as it makes it easy for other brands and potential collaborators to contact them for partnerships, as well as giving consumers a way to get in touch outside of the app.

To add an action button:

1. Head to your TikTok profile.
2. Select ‘Edit profile’.
3. Scroll and tap ‘Action buttons’ located under ‘Business information’.
4. Choose the action button to add and fill in the information.
5. Tap ‘Save’.

Check out the examples by @honeystinger and @magicspooncereal below to see how prominently action buttons are placed at the top of TikTok profiles. Connection is only a tap away!

6. Create a shop

If you sell products, get a shop up and running on your TikTok profile. It gives you the ability to sell products directly on the platform through various content formats such as in-feed videos, TikTok lives, and the showcase tab, without the tricky business of getting potential customers off the platform and onto another app or website. Creating a shop connected to your TikTok account also creates an easy-to-access tab on your profile; so if people love what you do, they can explore your products with a swipe and a tap. Viewers can add shop items to their favourites as well as share items, making TikTok shop an extremely convenient way to shop, share and save items.

You can also highlight products with TikTok Showcase - a feature which shows up at the top of a TikTok profile. Check it out under the action button on the @legendaryfoods profile example below. A product showcase can contain the full range of products from a TikTok shop, just some of them or products sourced from multiple shops. 

To add a shop on TikTok:

1. Head to your TikTok profile.
2. Select ‘Edit profile’.
3. Scroll and tap ‘TikTok Shop for Seller’.

7. Use the repost tab 

Embrace the social aspect of social media by utilising the reposted videos tab. Reposting content allows you to showcase TikTok videos that align with your business and its values. Reposted TikTok content is grouped into its own tab on your profile, giving you a sleek way to share content made by other people.

The repost tab is the place to:

• Reward fans of your brand by reposting user-generated content
• Repost influencer content that includes your products
• Showcase collaborators and collaborative work
• Give your audience a deeper understanding of what your brand is all about

Check out the TikTok posts @harrys has collated in its repost tab.

To repost TikTok content:

1. Find a TikTok post you want to repost.
2. Hit the share icon on the right-hand side of the screen.
3. Tap ‘Repost’.

If you want to go one step further, utilise the like tab in addition to the repost tab. Protein snack brand @barebells gets really social by reposting content and making its liked posts public too, for double the amount of community spirit!

8. Put together some playlists

Group together key content in playlists, which are highlighted above the stream of TikTok videos on a profile. Creating playlists is a simple way to help viewers find content that is useful and enjoyable to them, without having to scroll through an entire profile of footage. Add multiple playlists for a profile spilling with bingeable content collections. Nutrition brand @bloomnu groups together frequently asked questions, events and specific products into handy playlists to peruse.

Find out how to make your own TikTok playlists and get heaps of inspiration by checking out our article: 3 Unforgettable TikTok playlist ideas (and how to make your own).

9. Pin top-performing posts 

Pin up to 3 TikTok videos to the top of your profile to give them more attention. Many brands like @trybachans and @dukecannon put a spotlight on top-performing content, making the brand look its best to viewers of the profile. Pinning content that has gained a high number of views gets the good stuff in front of viewers first and also acts as social proof, helping to build trust in your brand and encouraging new viewers to hop on board.

Find a wealth of information about your top-performing post with Minter.io - the social media analytics tool for businesses. Get the most out of your pinned posts by checking out our article: Boost views and engagement with pinned posts on TikTok.

10. Make your cover photos pop

When scrolling through feeds on TikTok, it’s rare that you’ll see a video’s cover image. However, on a brand’s profile, cover images are the shop window for each piece of content. Without even viewing a single TikTok video, people can get a feel for the vibe and content style of a brand through its cover images. Make sure your content has cover images you are proud of. 

There are a number of ways you can grab attention, increase intrigue and get clicks on your content through cover images. You can choose a still from the TikTok video or upload a separate cover image. You can also add text overlays in a variety of different styles. Take note of some of the cover images @drinkprime uses. Bold colours, fun mascots, recognisable elements and intriguing text all work together to make content hard not to watch.

Check out key metrics for your TikTok profile by using Minter.io - the social media analytics tool for businesses online. Find your profile views, video views, likes, comments and shares, alongside audience, content, ads and optimisation insights for your TikTok. Discover more here!