The success of your online courses depends on how well you market and promote them. Many course creators use traditional methods, such as email marketing or popular social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook. 

However, there is another platform you should consider when it comes to course promotion: TikTok. 

Since its inception in 2016, TikTok has become one of the fastest-growing social media platforms. In 2022, it had over 1.7 billion users worldwide and is expected to reach 2.25 billion users in 2027. 

Many believe that TikTok is only for younger audiences, but that isn’t the case. People in all age groups are using the app. And with its unique algorithm, TikTok allows creators to reach the right audience. 

Let’s take a look at why and how you can use TikTok to promote online courses. 

Why use TikTok to promote online courses?

As mentioned, TikTok has a large user base. It’s the sixth-largest social network for monthly active users and is only expected to grow. With this many users, you should be able to find your audience on the platform. 

TikTok makes it easy for creators to reach and engage users, too. It uses a short-form video format with popular songs and sounds. Because of this and its algorithm, TikTok empowers creators with solid potential to go viral or increase visibility. 

Compared to other platforms, TikTok is more personal. Its users appreciate authentic content. You don’t have to be a professional videographer or editor to start creating on TikTok. Plus, it caters to creators now more than ever.   

How to promote online courses using TikTok

Now that you know why you should be on TikTok, let’s explore specific ways to use the platform for course promotion. You can apply these tactics to promote your existing course business or your first course. 

Remember your audience 

As mentioned, a lot of different people use TikTok. Therefore, it’s essential to have your ideal audience in mind. It’ll help you create better content targeted towards the people who need to see it. 

If your content doesn’t make sense to the right people, it could be shown to users who won’t interact with or care about your courses. 

If you’re unsure where to start, check out creators in your niche. You’ll get an idea of how long your videos should be and what kind of content you could post. Once you start posting more, you’ll be able to see how your own content performs. Use these insights to discover what your audience likes and doesn’t like. 

Set up your profile 

You may have a personal account if you already use TikTok. But to start promoting your online course business, create a TikTok Business account. You’ll unlock creative features and analytic tools that aren’t available in a personal account.

Once you create your account, fill in your profile. Be sure to:

• Add a profile picture. Upload a clear, professional photo of yourself or your logo. 
• Update your name. Most creators include titles, such as Social Marketing Expert or Online Business Coach. 
• Add a short bio. TikTok bios have a character limit of 80, so be concise and to the point. It can include who you are, what you do, or what learners would get from your course.
• Include a link directory. You should include links to your website, other social channels, and course landing pages. If you don’t have a link directory, use a tool like LinkTree or Beacons to create one. 
• Add an email. You can add an email to your profile so people can contact you directly.  

You can further customize your profile by organizing your content into playlists and hiding or showing videos you repost or like. 

Post creative and compelling content 

It’s important to keep users around with compelling content. TikTok already uses a highly engaging video format, but users constantly scroll and consume content. To make yours stand out, get creative. 

Here are some ways to make your content more compelling (without learning the latest dance): 

• Add filters 
• Use trending music and sounds 
• Add transitions and animations  
• Put captions or text on screen

You can also enhance your videos by speeding or slowing them down. 

Regardless of what effects you add, keep your videos short and to the point. Educational videos can be longer, but stay under a few minutes and reserve longer videos for YouTube. 

We’ve discussed how TikTok users value authentic content, so here are some ideas for posts: 

• Educational content or tutorials related to your course content
• Behind the scenes 
• Vlog-style what you did in a day 
• Trends and challenges 
• Q&As 
• Collaborations with other creators or learners 

Remember, you can also organize your content into playlists to help users find relevant content. 

Leverage trends and hashtags 

TikTok is known for its ever-changing trends. It may seem daunting, but this environment allows you to try new things, get creative, and always have a chance at being discovered. 

Trends typically use a template and a particular sound. Creators can find these trends in two ways. The first way is spending time on the platform. But if you’re short on time, you can use TikTok’s Creative Center to see trending videos, sounds, and creators.  

When leveraging trends, it’s important to note that not all of them would be relevant. Try to find the ones that your audience would be interested in and that you can tie into your course content. And if you don’t want to do trends, aim for popular sounds and music. 

Along with trends, use hashtags to help your visibility. You shouldn’t stuff a bunch into your video but include relevant hashtags. By doing this, your content can be seen by the right people. 

Engage with your audience 

As with all social media platforms, engaging with your followers is important. Here are different ways TikTok allows for more engagement:

• Comments. Try to like and respond as needed.
• Go live. Live videos are a great way to engage with your audience casually. Most creator livestreams turn into a Q&A, but you can earn money if users send you gifts. 
• Reposts. You can turn on reposts so users can see videos you find interesting. 
• Duets. As one of the most popular features on TikTok, duets allow you to post your video next to another one–it will be shown on a split screen. 
• Stitches. Stitches allow you to combine a video with one you make. 
• Mentions. Users can tag you in other videos that you could stitch or duet. 
• Direct messaging. You can have private conversations with your followers or other creators. 

Stay connected with your audience by using a variety of these engagement methods. 

Run ads 

As with any platform, running ads on TikTok can increase your visibility, engagement, and course signups. It’s not necessary to be successful on the platform, but paid ads can help expand your reach. 

TikTok offers two ways to run ads. You can promote videos you have posted, but this feature is available to anyone and does not offer the robust targeting, analytics, and other capabilities that TikTok Ads do.

The other way is by setting up TikTok Ads Manager. With it, you can create ad campaigns with videos only intended to be ads and track campaign performance. 

TikTok also offers a variety of ad solutions that can show in-feed, when users first open the app, and more. 

Be consistent 

Social media platforms need activity for you to enjoy its benefits. It’s essential to post and interact consistently, and TikTok is no exception. 

Since TikTok is more informal, you don’t have to create an extensive strategy or plan for your content. When you have something worth posting, post it! Just keep in mind your timezone and optimal posting time. 

To help you stay consistent, consider creating calendar reminders and spending some dedicated time on the platform. You’ll be able to  engage and find trends this way quickly. And if you don’t want to make actual posts, you can repost, create stories, go live, or engage with users.  

Build on LearnDash to promote on TikTok

Creating a professional, engaging course is important, but so is promotion. In addition to your other promotional methods, try TikTok and see what it can do for you. 

Haven’t created an online course yet? A learning management system like LearnDash LMS is what you need. LearnDash gives you all the features, freedom, and flexibility you need. Create, launch, and sell online courses with features like a drag and drop course builder, course creation wizard, and more. To see them in action, try the LearnDash demo.

With an engaging online course and a TikTok promotion strategy, you can sell more of your online courses.