Since a community of actors, comedians, and other talented folks has formed on TikTok, it’s been a great place to upload all kinds of skits and silly videos. I’ve always wanted to post on the app myself, but I have an embarrassing confession to make.

I, a young college student on almost every social media platform, have no idea how to properly make and edit a TikTok. I know, I’m crazy.

This week I decided to dive in, join the rest of my generation, and finally learn the in’s and out’s of using TikTok. There’s a lot more to it than recording and uploading.

At this point, here’s what I know:

• Be careful what you post! Although videos made by well-known accounts get more attention, random videos can go viral. Don’t post something without remembering that anyone can see it.
• Not everyone is going to like your content, and they can be brutal about it. You need to prepare yourself for this. Make sure that you’re able to handle harsh criticism before you post something.
• The recording process is much easier than you’d think. Opening it up may be intimidating, but don’t worry. The majority of users don’t even use all the bells and whistles, especially those making skits.

The app can be intimidating, but I’m here to help! Let’s get into character, shall we?

Now that we’re warmed up and ready to attempt a skit for the internet, let’s talk about being in character. The lines you say are important, but what makes them is the delivery. Before recording, really get into your character’s head and think about why they’re doing what they’re doing.

When I would act for the stage, a great way I would accomplish this was by reading through the script and going over all the lines. I’d get an understanding of the character’s personality and motives, and when reading the lines, I would imagine the character’s thought process and reactions to other character’s lines.

Let’s say you’re doing a skit where Character A is a child, and Character B is their sibling playing a prank on them. When acting as Character A, you want to be as innocent and oblivious as possible, and really think about their thought process when their sibling messes with them. Maybe they’ll be shocked, process the situation for a second, and then start crying. When acting as Character B, you want to be mischievous and clever. Maybe your character will laugh when they prank their sibling… and then go through a thought process and realize they need to stop their sibling from crying and alerting a parent.

Getting into character’s heads and becoming characters is a good way to improve our skills at home, and uploading videos online is a great way to get feedback, entertain others, and have fun with it! I’m honestly looking forward to posting some skits, but it can be hard to come up with ideas. So, I’m gonna go watch some TikToks for inspiration, which I’d always recommend, and make some videos myself! Happy uploading! : )