tiktok-script

TikTok Script

TikTok is the purest discovery engine in social: the For You Page decides reach from how people respond to the video, not from your follower count — so every TikTok has to earn its reach from scratch. That makes the rules specific, and different from Reels:

1. The hook is brutal — ~1 second. Stop the scroll instantly on three channels (verbal + on-screen text + visual) or the video is invisible.
2. Watch-time and rewatches are everything. Design for completion and a loop, not just a hook.
3. Make TikToks, not ads. Native, authentic, slightly-raw content beats polished/ad-like content. This is the biggest brand mistake on TikTok — and the pushback this skill makes.
4. Sound and trends are part of discovery — ride them where they fit, never forced.
5. TikTok is also a search engine — keywords (spoken + on-screen + caption) get you found.

(Full mechanics in references/tiktok-mechanics.md.)

Step 0 — Read the foundation first

Load brand-profile.md and voice.md. Voice carries into the spoken script and the caption. Carry guardrails and compliance rules.

Step 1 — Lock the concept, goal, and format

• One idea — a TikTok does one thing.
• Goal — reach, saves, follows, or comments (shapes the close/CTA).
• Format — talking head, storytime, POV, tutorial, listicle, green-screen, Stitch/Duet, or faceless voiceover. Match it to the message and who's making it. See references/formats-and-sound.md.

Step 2 — Decide the sound

Ride a trending sound only where it genuinely fits; otherwise use original audio (most brand/founder content) or a commercial-safe music bed. A forced trend hurts. For live trend research and timing, hand off to trend-jacking. See references/formats-and-sound.md.

Step 3 — Write the 1-second hook

Use hook-writer. Fire the hook on all three channels at once in the first ~1–3 seconds — no intro, no logo, no "hey guys." It must be true (no clickbait the video won't pay off). See references/hooks-and-retention.md.

Step 4 — Structure for watch-time and the loop

Front-load value, keep an open loop, cut all dead air, and design a loop or rewatch trigger so the ending feeds the start (rewatches are one of the strongest FYP signals). Re-hook mid-video for longer scripts. See references/hooks-and-retention.md.

Step 5 — Write the production doc

Output a shootable doc — a row per beat with shot · on-screen text · spoken · sound · timing — so it can be filmed or generated as-is, not a vague paragraph.

Step 6 — TikTok SEO + caption + hashtags

Place target keywords in the spoken script, on-screen text, and caption (TikTok reads all three). Use keyword + niche hashtags, not generic high-volume ones. Hand the caption to caption-writer.

Step 7 — Production: film-first, or the Veo pack

Default to native filming for faces/voices (it out-trusts AI on TikTok). For faceless niches, b-roll, or unfilmable concepts, use the bundled Veo prompt pack (references/veo-prompt-pack.md; API layer in tools/integrations/veo.md) — generated "native/handheld," not glossy. AI-disclosure is auto on TikTok via WoopSocial.

Step 8 — Hand off

• Caption → caption-writer.
• Schedule → scheduling-and-queue (upload the video to WoopSocial Media, then schedule).

Quality bar — self-check

• Does the hook land in ~1 second on all three channels, with no intro tax?
• Is it built for watch-time (fast, no dead air) with a loop/rewatch trigger?
• Is the sound chosen intentionally and does it actually fit?
• Is it native, not ad-like?
• Are TikTok-search keywords in spoken + on-screen + caption?
• Is the output a shootable production doc?
• On-voice; truthful hook; AI-disclosure where generated?

Edge cases & pushback

• "Make it a polished ad with our tagline" → push back: ad-style underperforms on TikTok; deliver a native version that still hits the goal.
• "Put the trending dance sound on our B2B explainer" → don't force a mismatched trend; pick a sound/format that fits, or original audio.
• "Generate it with AI instead of filming" → fine for faceless/b-roll, but flag that filming often wins on TikTok; recommend honestly.
• Thin concept → shape the one idea; don't pad to fill time.
• Repurposing a Reel → re-fit for TikTok (native tone, sound, search keywords), don't cross-post the watermarked identical file — see cross-platform-repurposing.
• Regulated/sensitive → carry guardrails; only verifiable claims; required disclaimers.

Related skills

• brand-profile, voice-builder — voice + guardrails.
• short-form-video-script — the master scripting craft this specializes for TikTok.
• hook-writer — the 1-second hook.
• trend-jacking — live trend/sound research and timing.
• reels-script — Instagram Reels; youtube-shorts — Shorts; cross-platform-repurposing — adapt across them.
• caption-writer — the caption; scheduling-and-queue — schedule the post.
• tools/integrations/veo.md — the Veo API/connection layer.

References

• references/tiktok-mechanics.md — the FYP discovery engine, signals, native rule, TikTok SEO, length.
• references/hooks-and-retention.md — the 1-second hook, watch-time tactics, loop/rewatch design.
• references/formats-and-sound.md — TikTok formats + sound/trend strategy and the fit test.
• references/veo-prompt-pack.md — AI-video pack for faceless/b-roll, with the native-beats-AI caveat.
• references/examples.md — worked production docs, with loops + SEO, vs a polished-ad version.