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05 · Posting: drafts, sound, captions, cadence

Draft first, publish by hand

Both public cases send slideshows to TikTok as drafts and publish from the phone: - The API cannot choose a TikTok sound. Trending or fitting audio is added in the app. - You get a last look at each post (wrong text, warped image, missing app name). - It keeps a human in the loop, which matters for TikTok's automation rules (07).

Ways to get a draft onto the phone:

Route How Notes
Manual AirDrop / save images, open TikTok → + → Photo → pick 6 → text → save draft Zero setup
TikTok API, MEDIA_UPLOAD Your app sends photos to the user's inbox; they finish in TikTok Needs a TikTok developer app, verified URL prefix, app version ≥ 31.8. Max 5 pending shares per 24 h. Facts
TikTok API, DIRECT_POST with SELF_ONLY Posts privately, you change privacy later Unaudited API clients can only post privately
Scheduler (Postiz, post-bridge, Publer, …) Their TikTok integration + their API/CLI Monthly fee; check the plan includes TikTok photo posts and drafts

Sound

  • Pick a sound from TikTok's library inside the app. On a business account you only get the commercially cleared library; that's the one to use when promoting your own product.
  • Lo-fi / ambient fits educational and quote slideshows; trending sounds help discovery but can feel off-topic. Test both, log which one you used.

Caption

  • 2–4 sentences that continue the story from slide 1, name the app once, and end with a soft action.
  • The first line is what people see before "more"; make it the useful line.
  • At most 5 hashtags (both cases). Mix 2 niche tags and 1–2 broad ones. No banned or unrelated trending tags.
  • Every caption different. Review the first batch for repeated phrasing; templated captions read as spam.
  • Links in captions aren't clickable. Put one tracked link in your bio and say "link in bio".

My landlord has a strict "no changes" rule. I ran our living room through Snugly and showed her three versions.
She picked the green one and said I can paint. Link in bio if you want to try your room.
#roomdecor #smallapartment #interiordesign #renterfriendly
(Illustrative caption in the style the case describes, not the real one.)

Cadence and timing

Phase Posts/day Notes
Week 1 (after the account is warm) 1 Learn the tools; get 7 data points
Weeks 2–3 2–3 Test 3+ hook formulas side by side
After a winner 3 (+ variations of the winner) Larry suggested 7:30, 16:30, 21:00 in the audience's time zone

Posting times above are one agent's defaults, not TikTok data. Use your audience's time zone and check TikTok analytics → Followers → activity once you have followers.

Bio

  • One line: who it's for + what they get. One tracked link (store or landing) with utm_source=tiktok.
  • If you run the app's own account, the name and avatar match the app; if it's your personal account, say you made it.