✌️ 5 things you didn't know about TikTok (and one you did)

Metricooler, TikTok has over 1.5 billion active users and, according to our own analysis, generates an average of 28,000 impressions per post, the highest reach of any platform, and it's not even close.

And yet most brands and creators are using it at half capacity because they keep applying the logic of other social networks to it.

This week, we're breaking down 6 things you can do differently to get better results on TikTok.

65% of Gen Z users use TikTok as a search engine; not to find dance videos, but to discover restaurants, tutorials, products, and answers to questions that used to go straight to Google. Google has noticed, and it now shows TikTok results in search and has a dedicated tab for it.

➔ One thing you can do today: start writing your captions and scripts around what someone would actually search for to find your video. If you're showing the five iconic spots to visit in New York, don't be cryptic about it. Think about the exact phrase your ideal viewer would type, and use that.

This example is simple but nails it:

And yes, hashtags still matter,  but not the way most people use them. Skip #fyp and #viral. Use tags that accurately categorize your content and keep it discoverable beyond the first 48 hours.

Another good use of hashtags:

There's a widespread idea that success on social media means millions of views. And it makes sense, because that's what you see. But if you run a bakery in Austin, what does it matter if three million people watch your video and 98% of them live more than 500 kilometers away?

For a local business like a physical store, a clinic, a yoga studio, or a consultancy serving a specific area, reaching a small number of the right people is worth infinitely more than a viral video that converts nothing.

➔ One thing you can do today: tag your location on every video. TikTok will show it to users searching in that area or physically nearby. You don't need to compete globally. You just need to own your zip code.

When someone searches by location or taps a location tag on a video, TikTok surfaces other related videos from that area. That's where you want to be.

If you’re not strictly a local business, location still helps as a creator, getting your videos in front of nearby users through the Nearby feed.

Another example.

Hate to be the one to tell you this, but the fact that Sabrina Carpenter is all over Spotify doesn't mean her latest track is going to get your TikTok thousands of views.

The data backs it up: only 0.04% of a post's impressions come from people browsing through a sound.

Music works better as a complement than as a hook. Use it to give your video rhythm or as a creative element, not as your main way of getting discovered.

We publish a weekly post with the most popular sounds on TikTok right now.

➔ One thing you can do today: add trending sounds when you schedule your TikTok content directly in Metricool.

TikTok tests every video with a small audience right after you post. If it generates engagement quickly, the platform amplifies it. If it doesn't, it gets throttled. The moment you publish determines whether your first audience is awake and scrolling… or asleep.

➔ One thing you can do today: check your analytics to see when your followers are most active and schedule your next video to land in that window. Or just check it directly in the Metricool planner.

If you run a small business or you're just starting out, TikTok Shop lets you build a product catalog and tag items directly in your content. No website, no e-commerce platform required.

Over 70 million people bought something through TikTok Shop in 2025. Not bad.

➔ One thing you can do today: if you haven't set up TikTok Shop yet, now's the time. And if you already have, you can re-upload your best-performing videos and make sure everything is properly tagged. Every untagged video is a sale that's not happening.

Use your videos to show your product in action: how it works, what problem it solves, or what the packaging looks like:

Another example.

And if you can work in a viral transition while you're at it, go for it.

Tag the product to make buying as easy as possible:

Lean on user-generated content to build trust:

Another example, from Glossier.

A little humor never hurts either 😏

If a video works on TikTok, why leave it there? While you're thinking about your next one, share your best videos on other platforms directly from Metricool without having to switch apps, re-upload, or waste time.

➔ One thing you can do today: find the TikTok video that performed best in the last 30 days and repost it as a Reel or Short from the same screen. Three clicks have never done so much for you.