How to grow your brand in 2026

What is TikTok for business?

TikTok for Business is a free account type that gives brands access to marketing tools, analytics, ad management, and TikTok Shop. It’s designed specifically for companies that want to reach customers, run campaigns, and sell products directly on the platform.

With roughly one in four of TikTok’s users over the age of 35, the platform’s audience is far broader than many marketers assume. And the commercial intent is real: 70% of users say they use TikTok to discover new brands and products.

Key features of a TikTok Business account include:

• Account analytics: Detailed insights into video performance, audience demographics, and follower growth
• Commercial Music Library: Access to pre-cleared tracks approved for commercial use
• TikTok Shop: The ability to sell products directly through your profile and videos
• Ad tools: Access to TikTok Ads Manager for running paid campaigns
• Auto-messaging: Automated responses for customer inquiries
• Website link in bio: Drive traffic to your site directly from your profile

As of 2026, TikTok remains one of the fastest-growing platforms for business marketing, with 37% of U.S. adults now on the platform, though marketers should stay informed about evolving regulatory developments in their region that may affect platform availability.

What’s the difference between a TikTok Business account and a Creator account?

The main difference between a TikTok Business account and a Creator account comes down to what you’re trying to do on the platform. Business accounts are built for marketing, selling, and advertising. Creator accounts are built for building a personal audience and monetizing through partnerships and the Creator Rewards Program.

Here’s how they compare:

Feature	Business account	Creator account
Music library	Commercial Music Library only	Full music library (including trending sounds)
Analytics	Advanced business analytics	Basic creator analytics
Ad tools	Full access to TikTok Ads Manager	Limited (can promote posts)
TikTok Shop	Can set up a brand storefront	Can sell as affiliate or creator-seller
Monetization	Through sales, ads, and commerce	Creator Rewards Program, brand partnerships, gifts
Website link in bio	Yes (after 1,000 followers or business registration)	Yes (after 1,000 followers)
Auto-messaging	Yes	No
Best for	Brands selling products or running campaigns	Individuals building audiences and personal brands

If your goal is to sell directly, place ads, and use TikTok as a marketing channel for your brand, a Business account is the right choice. If you’re building a personal following and plan to monetize through partnerships and the Creator Rewards Program, go with a Creator account.

How to set up a TikTok Business account

Setting up a TikTok Business account takes just a few minutes. Here’s a quick summary of the process:

1. Download the TikTok app
2. Create a new account or log in to your existing personal account
3. Navigate to Settings and Privacy > Account
4. Switch to a Business Account
5. Choose your business category
6. Add your business email

Below is the detailed breakdown with screenshots.

How do you create a new TikTok Business account?

It’s free to create a TikTok for Business account, and the advantages include:

• Website link in your bio
• Detailed account insights
• Business Suite tools like TikTok marketing, advertising, and auto-messaging
• The ability to sell your products through TikTok Shop

Note: Business accounts only have access to the Commercial Music Library.

It has fewer sound options than the one you use on your personal account. That’s because all of the music in the CML has been approved for commercial use. You don’t have to worry about accidentally using a copyrighted song in your ad.

If you’re starting from scratch, go to the TikTok for Business start page, enter your business email address, create a password, and skip ahead to step 7 below.

If you already have a personal TikTok account, you can switch it to a Business Account by following these steps:

Download and open the TikTok app.

Create a new personal account. You can use your email or log in with your Google, Twitter, or Facebook account.

Tap Profile in the lower right corner, then hit the menu icon (three horizontal lines) in the top right corner.

Tap the menu icon to access your account settings.

Tap Settings and privacy.

Select Settings and Privacy from the menu.

Tap Account.

Tap Account to access account type settings.

Tap Switch to Business Account.

Select Switch to Business Account to complete the conversion.

Pick the category that best describes your brand and tap Next.

Select the category that best describes your business.

Add your business email address to your profile.

Enter your business email address to complete setup.

You now have a TikTok for Business account. Time to secure your TikTok username and start building your presence.

How to create a TikTok strategy for your business

Before posting on TikTok, you need a platform-specific social media strategy. Having an Instagram or YouTube strategy is an excellent place to start, but remember that TikTok is very different in its content styles, user preferences, and algorithm.

Gathering information is the best way to build a winning TikTok strategy. Here are the building blocks you need to get started.

How does the TikTok algorithm work?

The TikTok algorithm determines which videos appear on users’ For You Pages, making it the single biggest factor in whether your content gets seen. Understanding how it works is essential for going viral on TikTok.

According to TikTok, the algorithm ranks videos based on several factors. Those factors include user interactions with past content, the video’s captions, sounds and hashtags, and device and account settings such as language preference, country setting, and device type.

Spending time on your For You Page is the best way to see what works and what doesn’t, especially in your niche. Over time, you’ll learn what tends to go viral, how creators use animations and captions, comment culture, and TikTok-specific vocabulary.

Source: Abby Morgan

What goals should you set for TikTok?

Your strategy should clearly define what you want to achieve on TikTok. Note that TikTok isn’t a sales-focused platform. The algorithm favors on-platform engagement.

So, how can you tie TikTok engagement back to business goals? There are several ways:

Business newsletter, Morning Brew, gained 70,000 registration subscribers through a paid Spark Ads campaign with a popular creator.

Morning Brew asked the creator to craft video content that was 80% “skit” and 20% call to action. This prompt produced an authentic and engaging video that led to meaningful business results.

Source: Morning Brew

This is an example of Morning Brew’s highly successful organic content, which influenced its sponsored content strategy.

How do you identify your target audience?

While TikTok is extremely popular with teenagers and Gen Z, it’s still well-used by older age groups. So, it’s likely that you can reach your target market on TikTok.

Source: Statista

So, the critical question is: How does your target market differ from other platforms on TikTok? If not in demographics, then what about their preferences?

Once you’re confident that you know who you’re targeting on TikTok, you can move on to content planning.

How should you plan your TikTok content calendar?

Unlike other platforms, TikTok tends to feel more fast-paced and spontaneous. Trends come and go in a matter of days. By the time you think of a brand tie-in, the opportunity for engagement may have passed.

While it may feel counterintuitive, having a social media calendar can help. A calendar ensures you can anticipate significant events that create buzz on TikTok, like the Met Gala, and plan enough time for production.

A social media scheduler like Hootsuite can even help you pre-load content so it posts on TikTok at the optimal time (more on that later!).

Schedule TikTok content in advance using Hootsuite’s dashboard.

Just make sure to adapt your content pillars for TikTok. Content pillars are recurring themes that tie your posts back to your brand.

For a travel brand, these pillars could include destination inspiration, hotel and flight deals, and packing tips. Content themes give you a strong starting point to brainstorm videos and jump on trends as they emerge.

It’s also worth checking your brand voice before fully adopting “TikTok speak.” While some brands can pull off the “unhinged social media manager” persona, it may not be a fit for your business. Understanding common phrases and tropes can help you avoid embarrassing missteps.

How do you define your TikTok visual style?

Good news: You don’t need a huge production budget to create content for TikTok.

In fact, many TikTok users think that professional-looking videos from brands look out of place on the platform.

All you need to start creating TikTok videos is your phone and some creativity. Of course, clear audio and good lighting are important, but that’s it.

Here are a few examples from brands that have kept their TikTok aesthetic lowkey, like Scrub Daddy:

Source: Scrubdaddy

And Moonpie:

Source: The Original Moonpie

How to optimize your TikTok business profile

Users often visit your TikTok profile after seeing a video or comment.

Your profile consists of your bio, a link, and a photo. Together, they act as your digital storefront. With such limited space, it’s essential to hone them to represent your brand in the best light possible.

How to write a TikTok bio that converts

Your profile photo, bio, and link all work together to make a first impression. Here’s how to get each one right.

Make sure your profile photo looks good and represents your brand. Ideally, it should be consistent with your photos on other digital platforms. Use the same logo or colors as your website, branding, and other social media profiles.

Source: Bobbie Goods

Bobbie Goods uses consistent branding in their profile photo.

TikTok bios are limited to 80 characters. This is super short, so every word counts.

With such limited space, your bio needs to cut to the chase. Ideally, it should include a call to action (CTA), too. Emojis can add personality, but avoid replacing words with emojis per accessibility best practices.

Are you stuck on crafting the perfect bio? Use our handy TikTok bio generator for inspiration.

TikTok business accounts can add a website URL once they reach 1,000 followers. If you haven’t yet reached that threshold, you can register your business. Once approved, you’ll be able to add your website link.

Unlike Instagram, you only get one link in your TikTok bio. For a business, that can be one of many options: your e-commerce site, a specific landing page, another social account, a current blog post. You can pick one link and stick to it or manually change it as needed.

Or, even better, you can create a link in bio page with Hootsuite, which allows you to have as many links as you want.

How to get verified on TikTok

Verified TikTok accounts benefit from increased exposure and authenticity, plus they help you build trust with people who don’t know you.

You don’t have to be famous to get one, and many businesses have them. There are no clear criteria or minimum followers to get verified. You can request verification through your TikTok app’s Settings and Privacy menu.

Read about how to get verified on TikTok here.

How to create content that performs on TikTok

As a business or marketer, your #1 focus for TikTok should be making content that will stop someone mid-scroll. While there’s no secret formula, a few tips will help you identify what works with your audience and what fits your digital marketing strategy.

What content formats work best on TikTok?

Several content formats consistently perform well on TikTok. The key is matching the format to your brand’s strengths while keeping production approachable.

It may seem obvious, but the better your sound and video quality, the more enjoyable your content will be.

Source: Glossier

Lighting is especially important in beauty and cosmetic brand videos to show an accurate depiction of the products. Glossier’s feed shows many great examples of well-lit videos using natural light.

That doesn’t mean you need to invest in pricey equipment. You should film in quiet, well-lit spaces. Here are 13 more tips about how to make short-form videos that stand out.

If clean audio is impossible, don’t stress. You can add a voiceover during your editing process, as well as an audio track. This is a good opportunity to use a trending sound.

You don’t need to reinvent the wheel when creating content for TikTok. The best inspiration for videos comes from scrolling the FYP.

How-to videos like workout routines and cooking demos consistently perform well. TikTokers enjoy educational videos because they gain value from watching them. They don’t have to be extensive or in-depth—just one key takeaway is enough.

Source: Cooking with Bello

Create videos that showcase your expertise or show how to replicate the process behind creating your products or services.

TikTokers also love content that features real people, including user-generated content. So put your people in front of the smartphone and let them wow your followers.

“Let us get to know your team,” says Kristen Bousquet, Founder of Your Soucialmate.

“The businesses that let their audience in on the behind-the-scenes, the company culture, and getting to know their team personally are able to create genuine relationships with their audience, which will lead to more views and conversion on their TikTok content.”

Source: Omer Reshid

I love “A day in the life” videos like this one for this purpose. They don’t have to be too elaborate. You can even make them about one job or task you regularly do. They’re such a great way to humanize your business while letting people see your great work.

Photo carousels and Stories are also growing formats worth experimenting with. Carousels let you share multiple images in a swipeable format, which works well for product showcases, tips lists, and before-and-after content.

How do you add captions and animations?

After spending time on your FYP, you’ll notice some common elements and patterns in how TikTokers edit their videos to capture your attention.

Video captions that appear in your in-feed content are one of the most important elements. Captions increase accessibility for viewers who are deaf or hard of hearing, and they help viewers watch videos in sound-sensitive environments.

TikTok’s auto-caption feature makes it easy to add text to your videos. You can also manually add on-screen text overlays for emphasis or to highlight key points.

Animations and visual effects can help your content stand out. TikTok’s native editing tools include transitions, filters, and effects that you can layer into your videos without external software. Just be sure your animations support your message rather than distract from it.

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