How to enter competitions on TikTok

Have you joined TikTok yet? More brands are starting to use TikTok to run giveaways – but not many compers are getting involved yet!

So far I’ve won £500 cash, Glastonbury tickets, £200 Dune London voucher, £100 Just Eat voucher, pair of Converse and a TON of Reese’s chocolate with TikTok competition entries. But don’t worry – you don’t need to be a whizz with filters, effects and cameras, because a lot of TikTok giveaways are as simple as Liking and Commenting! 

I’ve created a 20 minute long YouTube video for TikTok beginners who want to start using the app to enter competitions! TikTok can be overwhelming because there are so many clever filters, effects and tricks you can use – but I’ve tried to keep the video to the absolute essentials that you need to know in order to enter a few competitions! In this post I have also shared additional advice and tips which will hopefully help you out if you want to use it more regularly.

First of all, download the TikTok app, get registered and ensure your app is up to date! You can register using your phone number or email and will need to put in your date of birth. 

If you’re new to TikTok, there’s a current promotion where both you and I can earn an £11 Amazon voucher if you register using my code CF97291446 – see more details at  https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMY5xEKo3/.

Like Instagram or Twitter, TikTok may assign you a default username full of numbers but my video guide shows you how to change that by editing your profile. If possible, use the same name that you have on Instagram or Twitter.

Video Guide to TikTok

My short YouTube guide will introduce you to TikTok (if you click through to watch on YouTube you’ll be able to navigate the different sections easily):

• TikTok home feed and navigation
• Inbox and activity
• Your TikTok profile
• Settings and privacy
• How to engage with content (Follow, like, tag, comment & repost)
• Using TikTok Search
• How to create a TikTok for a competition
• How to Duet 
• How to create a simple TikTok using an effect

I feature two current comps in the video, which are:

• Holiday Pirates – win a £1000 Tui voucher – closes 31.3.23. See https://bit.ly/TikTokHP for details.
• We Buy Any Car – win a car – closes 5.4.23, but get in early as there are weekly winners! See https://bit.ly/TikTokWBAC for details.

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Finding TikTok Competitions

I’ve made my Likes public on TikTok, so if you want to find some recent giveaways you can check them out on my profile at www.tiktok.com/@superluckydi – tap LIKED on the TikTok website, or the HEART icon on the app. Don’t forget to follow me!

You can also find comps by searching for giveaways UK, or competition UK and filtering your search results to the past week or 24 hours.

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TikTok tips for compers

• The TikTok feed is not in chronological order, so you’ll see old posts at the top of your For You page. To see how recently a TikTok was posted, tap on the user profile – look for the ‘Just watched’ tag, tap on the relevant video and you’ll see the date next to the username. Always double check closing dates of competitions before you enter.
• TikTok has stories, but they’re only for your own content – you can’t share another user’s post to your story. If you see ‘share to story’ as a requirement in a giveaway caption, the text has been copied from Instagram and you should head there to find the original giveaway post (lots of brands cross post to Insta and TikTok)
• Just like other social media, you may encounter TikTok scammers, so be cautious if you get messages from non-verified users and especially if they are asking you to click a link or pay to receive a prize!
• It’s easier to record content on your device for a competition, then upload to TikTok – but you can’t do this with a Duet or Stitch, which must be recorded live
• Record in segments – just tap the button to stop recording, then tap to restart (this also works with a duet or stitch)
• Look out for promoted competitions (ads) on your For You page – these may not appear on the brand’s profile page
• If you’re looking for competition T&Cs, check the brand’s profile page to see if there’s a link in their bio
• Mute your volume or pause videos while you’re trying to enter competitions, as the looping soundtracks will drive you mad…
• If you’re recording a duet, tap on the right of the screen to mute your microphone, otherwise you’ll hear an echo on your TikTok
• Search for the competition hashtags to check other people’s entries – they may give you inspiration for effects you can use for your own entry
• Use the countdown timer option (3 or 10 seconds) to make sure you’re prepared before the camera starts recording
• If you love writing rhyming slogans, try reciting one (or use the text-to-speech option) for your TikTok
• Invest in a tripod to keep your phone still while you record your fun competition TikToks

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More TikTok tips

• After adding a caption to your TikTok, tap Select Cover on the thumbnail icon to select a different part of the video to show on your profile.
• You can change the caption and cover multiple times up to 7 days after you post your TikTok – tap the … and then select Edit Post on the bottom row of options.
• You can post a TikTok so it’s only visible to yourself (it appears on the second tab of your profile) – this is a great way to practise making TikToks without sharing them publicly
• The selfie cam records your mirror image, but this might not be suitable if you have any sort of text in your video (eg. a book). Search for and apply the Inverted effect, then tap the screen to flip your video so the text reads correctly
• When you type to add text to your video, tap the person icon to turn it into speech (there are lots of voices to choose from)
• When you Add Sound at the top of the screen, choose your music then tap the scissors to trim it and select the section you want to use by using your fingers
• Set notifications for new content from your favourite users by tapping the bell icon on their profile
• Not looking your best? Before filming, tap the Retouch icon on the right of the screen to add make up, smooth your skin and whiten your teeth!
• When creating a video, choose a longer time than you need – the video doesn’t need to be exactly 15 or 60 seconds
• If you’ve added text and want to choose when it appears, tap and hold the text then select Set Duration
• Don’t add text too close to the top and bottom of the screen as they’ll be obscured by all the on-screen icons and captions
• To create a TikTok from still photos, there are lots of built in templates to use. After pressing the + sign, tap the Templates option at the bottom of the screen to try them out – the template will specify how many photos you should upload
• If you’re speaking on your video, after tapping the red tick try tapping the captions icon to add automatic captions to your TikTok.  
• If you want tall photos rather than wide photos, edit your photos on your device first (use the crop tool and choose Wallpaper for the best dimensions) 
• If the For You feed shows content you have no interest in, tap the share arrow (bottom right of the side icons) and tap Not Interested
• Lots of TikToks make use of the clever effects on the free CapCut app – look out for the CapCut logo on your feed and tap to try the same effects.
• On your own TikToks, you can leave a TikTok video as a reply to a comment. Just tap reply and then tap the red camera icon!

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Got any questions about comping on TikTok? Ask in the comments below!