I joined RW Jones in 2023 — and dove in applying the lessons I learned while working on social media for the Green Bay Packers, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Penn State football to higher ed. 

Now, I help colleges and universities shape their social strategies as well as manage content creation for multiple institutions’ accounts. 

Here are five tips colleges and universities can use to optimize their TikTok accounts right now.  

Leverage hashtags: While hashtags aren’t always effective on other platforms, they are a great way to cement yourself in TikTok’s algorithm. We recommend incorporating 5-7 hashtags at the end of your copy. 

Develop a good cadence: TikTok prioritizes creators and brands that use their platform consistently. The more content that you can post on the platform, the more likely TikTok will be to place your video in your audience’s For You page.

Comment! Commenting is a great way to build brand awareness, interact with your audience, and drive traffic to your page. During my time working in the NFL, the Detroit Lions saw substantial growth on their platform, just by prioritizing commenting as part of their strategy.

Consider editing video in TikTok: TikTok is always looking to improve and differentiate its in-platform video editing tools from competitors. Anecdotally, I have seen much more success from content produced from within the app, while some of the lower-performing content was videos saved from Instagram Reels and reposted on TikTok.

Consider implementing Student Ambassadors to create content: Student-created content can help your brand capture the Gen Z community while giving prospective students an authentic look into what life at your school looks like.

Want to talk more about TikTok or social media pain points? We’re here at socialmedia@rwjonesagency.com.