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TikTok for Illustrators  | Episode Transcript

Intro

Welcome to the Self-taught Illustrator podcast. My name is Natasha Polozenko. I am here to prove that you do not need formal training or a background in art to make it as an illustrator. So listen up and get ready to be inspired, encouraged, and uplifted in your illustration journey.

Let’s do this!

Hello, hello, and welcome back to another episode. Today I want to talk to you about TikTok, and why I believe that this is one of the best platforms for illustrators to be sharing their work, and connecting with their community and potential clients. 

Everyones different

Before I dive into this episode, I do want to preface it by saying, that no one illustrator is the same. We are all different in our mission, and goals when it comes to what we want out of our illustration practices. So, a lot of what I’m going to talking about and exploring in today’s episode will be based on my own practice. Pick and choose what applies to you. Disregard what doesn’t. It may be that by the end of this episode that you realize that you never ever want to touch TikTok. that is great too! I just want to give you an honest deep dive into my own experiences with the app. So let’s dive in!

TikTok for Illustrators

So, if you’re not super familiar with TikTok, or maybe you just assume that it’s an app for kids or about doing viral dances. Let me give you a brief overview and insight into the world of TikTok, and how it applies to illustrators. So, firstly yes, there is a big base user group mainly made up of Gen Z kids and teenagers. And yes, dancing, lip-synching, and viral trends are all a part of TikTok.

But, what you may not know, is that TikTok is also a place where you can find super niched down and specific communities around any sort of interest, hobby, or craft. Basically, anything that you can imagine people being interested in, there is an engaged community of people making, sharing, and responding to that content. And the beauty of TikTok is that the algorithm is scary good at helping you find these communities.

Getting started with TikTok

When you first sign up for a TikTok account you will be shown a “For you Page” also commonly referred to as the FYP. Like it or not, the TikTok algorithm will begin to study your user habits. So when you skip through certain videos, it will signal that you’re not interested in that certain type of content. And when you engage with other kinds of content, it will be sure to show you more of the same. It gets to a point where your FYP will become highly curated and focused on your interests. So for example, my FYP is filled with illustration and art, design, entrepreneurship, business, interior design, vegan food, things to see and do in Boston, as well as a good amount of puppy content.

If you’re completely new to TikTok, I would recommend that you sign up with an account. You don’t even need to pick a proper user name, you can just be incognito for now. Start exploring the functionalities of TikTok. Let the algorithm get to know you, or even search for some of your interests. Find, like, and follow the work of creators who create illustrations and art. And you will soon start to become accustomed to how people are using the app. Just be careful to not become addicted. TikTok is designed to keep you scrolling, so while it can be fun, and educational, be careful to not fall into the trap of doom scrolling if you can!

TikTok vs. Instagram 

So, at this point, you may be thinking, well I can find communities and groups around my interests on Instagram too. And yes, you’re totally right, but let me take a second to explain the main big differences between the two apps. Firstly, Instagram is known as being a highlight reel, so in a lot of cases people’s content that they share on Instagram is highly curated and thought out. In the case of illustrators, Instagram is where people share their portfolio quality work. On the other hand, on TikTok, there is generally a less polished and curated, but more authentic and personal way of providing the content.

Additionally, TikTok is a lot more interactive and collaborative, so videos build and respond to one another. So for example, you can stitch videos, so this means that you can take another creator’s video, and create a video in response. You can duet, which is basically where there is a split-screen with one half-filled with the original content and the other half with your real-time reaction. There is also a cool functionality in which you can directly respond to a comment/ question using video. TikTok is generally so much more interactive than Instagram.

Growth on TikTok

Another important point to mention when it comes to the difference between TikTok and Instagram is how growth works. On Instagram growing your account and following can be hard, it favors creators who are already established and known, giving big creators more air-time, pushing out their content to the discover page more readily than someone with let’s say, 100 followers. On the other hand on TikTok, you can go “viral” on your first video, even with 0 followers if you’re creating content that is either educational, entertaining, or aspirational. Every video you create gets an equal chance to do well regardless.

This is because on TikTok when you create a video, your video will always get pushed to a small number of people’s For You Page (people who may not even be following you). The algorithm then watches to see how your content does with this small group of people- it will watch if people watch your video all the way through, rewatch, like, comment, share. And depending on how well it does with this small sample group, it will then push it out to a larger group, of people, and again, if you’re getting more engagement with this group, it will push it out to an even larger group, which is why an account with 0 followers can create a viral video and explode overnight, as long at they are creating high-quality content. Which is super unlikely on Instagram.

TikTok for illustrators

Another reason that I like to recommend TikTok, especially to self-taught illustrators, or people who are early on in their creative careers, is that it can be a huge confidence boost. It can be scary to post your work on Instagram, especially if you have family, friends, or co-workers following you. It’s very easy to feel self-conscious, and awkward about posting when people that you know in real life are going to be seeing your work.

And when you do post, more often than not a lot of your comments are from your close friends and family, who are praising your work, which is great, but sometimes it can be hard to distinguish what is a true response or reaction to your work, vs unconditional support from your loved ones. When you start sharing your work and creating content for TikTok if you’re creating good work, you’ll know about it, you can get hundred of comments on a video, and see how many times people have shared it, which can be such a huge confidence boost, especially when you’re first starting out.

Building credibility

So, by now you probably understand all the ways that the TikTok algorithm can work for you and your illustration practice. And I wanted to drill home how exciting this is, with a little bit of thought, intentionality, and strategy, you can begin to not only grow your following, but also your credibility as a creative professional. You can build your reputation as an illustrator, which is one of the most important things you can do for your practice.

It is worth taking a step back and asking yourself what you want to be known for and what you can become an expert in. In my opinion “illustration” is far too broad. Niche down your area of expertise. For example, you could decide to teach people the ins and outs of illustrating characters in procreate. You could be teaching all about being a freelance illustrator. There are really endless possibilities, and it’s really up to you to decide what you want to be known for. What do you want to be the go-to expert for? Of course, your content can slightly veer off these topics, but the core of what you’re known for should remain the same.

A strong personal style

Further to this, it is important to establish and maintain a uniform and distinct personal style. Consistency in your style can really draw people to you and your work, as they immediately know what they can expect from you in the future. And yes, I know what you’re thinking, it can be hard to find your personal style, so if you need any extra help with this I do have resources over on my website to help you.

Monetizing

Another great thing about TikTok for illustrators is that it can be used to point people towards your online store, or any offers or events that you have going on. You can create content that organically talks about anything that you are offering, and then provide a link in your bio to help guide people to purchase or participate. TikTok can also be used to help you get more followers and engagement on other platforms. I have definitely been able to grow my own following on Instagram, as well as my podcast listenership from my TikToks.

What type of content should you be creating on TikTok

Let’s talk about what type of content you should and shouldn’t be creating for TikTok as an illustrator. As I mentioned before, you need to decide what you want to be known for. Take a moment to really decide what you want that to be. Don’t base your decision around what you think that people want to hear, but rather, decide what you’re interested in, and what you’re good at. Use that to inform what your area of expertise is. Next start to think of ideas for content that help establish and grow your credibility as that expert. And remember when it comes to content, we want to think of ideas that fall into one of three buckets. It needs to be either entertaining, educational, or aspirational.

Frequent Mistakes

I see one big pitfall that I see a lot of new illustrators running into. They like to create content that just shows some clips of them sketching on an iPad, or shows a timelapse with some music in the background. A lot of the time these videos don’t do very well because they aren’t providing any true value to the viewer. There is nothing inherently wrong with these kinds of videos. But they come from a place of “look what I can do” vs. “here is something that can be of value to you”.

So, if we want to put an “entertaining” twist to a video like this, you could voice over a story or a joke to keep people hooked and engaged. If you want to be “educational” you could explain the exact tools and process you use. Perhaps give away some of your hacks and tips. If you want to be “aspirational” you could talk about how much money you make from your work. You could talk about the kind of lifestyle that being an illustrator has allowed for you. Is that making sense? we always need to ask ourselves, what is the viewer getting from this video?

It’s also important to note that there are certain unsaid rules that will help your TikTok perform better. Good quality footage that isn’t shaky, blurry, or grainy is a must. Picking “trending” sounds or songs to use in the background is also super important.

So that about wraps up our discussion on TikTok for illustrators. And why I think that it is absolute gold for illustrators. If you think that this platform could work for you. I urge you to ease in and give it a go! You will not regret it!

TikTok for Illustrators | Outro

Alrighty, So that’s it, for now! Thank you for tuning into the Self-taught Illustrator Podcast. Where we prove that you do not need formal training or background in art to make it as an illustrator. 

I hope This episode was helpful to you. I hope that it convinced you to give TikTok a try if you’re not already using it! Drop me a DM @nataszko, that’s nataszko on TikTok or Instagram to let me know! I look forward to bringing you more illustration tips tricks and nuggets of wisdom. So, until next time. Bye for now.