Using TikTok with Buffer
With a 6.92% average engagement rate and a daily 52-minute user average, TikTok is an incredibly powerful platform. Prescheduling your TikTok posts via Buffer will help you publish posts to this popular platform at a consistent rate (did we mention that TikTok has over 1 billion active users?!).
:::warning Scheduling and publishing to TikTok are only available on our new plans. On a Legacy plan? Get in touch with us at hello@buffer.com to discuss your options! :::
How TikTok works with Buffer
When it comes to TikTok, there are two types of publishing:
- Automatic publishing - schedule your video in Buffer, and we'll automatically publish it for you.
- Notification publishing - schedule your video in Buffer, and you'll get a notification on your phone when it's time to publish your Short. You can finish publishing in the TikTok app.
You'll see these options in the composer, where you can either choose Automatic (if your post can be scheduled automatically) or Notify Me (if you either choose to get a mobile notification for your post or if it contains content that can't be published automatically, such as videos that are over the duration limit).
<br />These features are available for TikTok
- Publishing: Yes
- Analytics: Yes
- Engagement: Yes
Connecting and refreshing your TikTok
Head to your Channels area to connect your TikTok account: https://account.buffer.com/channels
You can connect multiple TikTok accounts to Buffer. To make sure Buffer knows which one want to connect, log in to that TikTok account in another browser tab before trying to connect it to Buffer.
To see a step-by-step guide and troubleshooting steps, check out the article: Connect your channels to Buffer.
If your connected TikTok account requires a refresh, check out the article Refreshing a channel in Buffer.
:::warning Trial users will need to verify their email addresses in order to connect more than 3 TikTok accounts. Here's how to go about Verifying your Buffer email address. :::
Scheduling TikTok posts
Check out the table below to see which features are available while scheduling posts for TikTok.
:::tip For advice on creating an optimal posting schedule, check out our blog post: The Best Time to Post on TikTok :::
| Features & good-to-knows | Notes |
|---|---|
| Scheduling posts (web) | Check out our step-by-step guide to scheduling posts on any social channel or peruse TikTok-specific details below. |
| Scheduling posts (mobile) | Need help scheduling posts to TikTok on the Buffer mobile app? Check out our guide to scheduling posts on the Buffer mobile app. |
| Tagging / mentions | To tag / mention another TikTok account, type in the exact handle. Once published to TikTok, the account you mentioned will become hyperlinked. Learn more about adding mentions (tags) in posts here. |
| Hashtags | Limit of 5 hashtags per post.While your hashtags won't hyperlink in the composer, they'll hyperlink once published to TikTok. Learn more about how hashtags work in Buffer here. |
| Daily posting limit | 25 posts per 24 hours. Learn more about Daily posting limits here. |
| Character limit | 2200 characters per post. Learn more about character limits for each social network here. |
| Adding music/trending audio, stickers, or polls | Due to API limitations, we do not have access to TikTok's audio/music library, polls, or stickers. However, you can schedule your post using the Notify Me option in the composer. Learn more about Adding music, stickers, and other effects to Instagram and TikTok posts here. When it's time to post, you'll get a notification on your phone. You can tap it to copy your post over to TikTok, add your music, and finish posting. Learn more about Using notification publishing here. |
Media specifications for TikTok
| <br /> | Videos | Images |
|---|---|---|
| Number allowed per post | 1 | Up to 10 |
| Video length | Between 3 seconds and 10 minutes | N/A |
| File size | 1GB or less, and must have a minimum height and width each of 360px | up to 20MB |
| Dimensions / Aspect ratio | Minimum height and width of 360 pixels | Maximum resolution: 1080 x 1920 pixels or 1920 x 1080 pixels |
| File types supported | MOV, MP4, or WEBM | JPG and webp (HEIC and PNG will be converted to JPG) |
| Custom thumbnail supported | The frame you select within Buffer's composer will be used as the video's thumbnail when viewing your TikTok profile. | N/A |
| Optimal number of frames | Between 23 FPS and 60 FPS | N/A |
| Autoplay in the feed | Yes | N/A |
| Canva integration | No | Yes |
| Alt text | It is not possible to add alt text to TikTok videos via Buffer.Learn more about adding alt text to your images here. | Not supported due to API limitations. |
How to add a thumbnail to your video
By default, the first frame of the video (0 seconds) will be used as the thumbnail. If you'd like to change your thumbnail, you'll follow these steps:
- Once your video has finished uploading, click Edit Thumbnail,
- Drag the slider to the position in the video you'd like to use as the cover/thumbnail image.
- Click Save.
Engaging with TikTok posts
Engagement features are available for TikTok accounts within Buffer's Community feature.
To use Community on the desktop version of Buffer:
-
Head to the Community tab on the left side of the dashboard.
-
Select your TikTok channel on the left menu and start replying to your comments.
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TikTok analytics
We can post all day, but the real excitement comes when seeing how our posts land. Insights gives you a quick view of your TikTok performance right inside Buffer, no need to leave your publishing dashboard.
There are two places to check your TikTok stats:
- For a quick view of an individual post's basic stats, head to the Publish tab, then the Sent tab.
- For a full performance view, select your TikTok channel in the left sidebar, then click Insights beneath the channel name.
From your TikTok Insights dashboard, you can:
- Get a Summary of your recent performance, including views, reach, reactions, comments, shares, follows, and engagement rate, compared against a previous period.
- Sort your Performance per Post table by engagement rate, reactions, comments, or views to spot your best-performing content.
- Track trends with the Metrics chart, including Posts, Content Impact, Audience Growth, and Visibility views.
- Get AI-powered Takeaways, including repost suggestions for older posts and "Start with AI" prompts based on what's been working.
:::info Notes
- When you first connect a TikTok channel, Buffer backfills the last 60 days of data.
- If your numbers look different from what you see natively on TikTok, see Why your data in Buffer Insights might look different from native analytics. :::
TikTok error library
We don't currently have an error library for TikTok. Feel free email our Customer Advocates at hello@buffer.com for help with posting or anything else!
FAQ
Why can't I use the "Promote" feature on the TikTok posts sent through Buffer?
The "Promote" feature in TikTok does not work on posts sent through Buffer. To promote your posts, you would need to publish them natively on TikTok.
Are web and mobile views counted in TikTok analytics?
TikTok views are only counted if the viewer is logged in and viewing via their mobile app. Views on the web or while not logged in aren't counted.
:::info Do you have a TikTok feature suggestion? We’d love for you to submit or upvote it here on our feature suggestions board. :::