Short form video has changed how people find inspiration for interior design. TikTok in particular has become one of the first places people go when they are thinking about their homes. It is where people go to work out what they like and what actually works in a space.

This change means it is not just brands you are competing with anymore. It is people sharing their own homes, creators with a clear and trendy style, and content that just feels more real. Because of that, TikTok has to be something you actually take seriously.

Get People To Stop Scrolling

The brands doing well are not overcomplicating it and they are not trying to make everything look perfect. Their content feels natural, like something you would stop and watch without thinking about it too much. A lot of this comes down to attention. People decide quickly whether they are staying or moving on, so the opening of your video matters more than anything else.

Showing the end result at the start or opening with something that actually gets people interested works far better than slowly building up to the end reveal. You do not need to explain everything straight away, you just need to give people a reason to stay.

People Love A Before And After

Before and after transformations will always do well for interior content. There is something about seeing a space come together that people naturally want to watch, especially when there is a big difference in both clips,

It gives people inspiration and a reason to save it and share it, but a lot of brands stop there. Just showing the finished space is not enough anymore. What actually makes it interesting is all the reasons behind it. What changed, why did it change and what small details made the biggest difference.

That is what makes someone save it and come back to it later as they are learning new things from it and have a better understanding.

Talk People Through Each Step

This is where voiceovers will really help. Instead of just showing the space and leaving it there, talk through what you’ve done and why you’ve done it. This gives people a bit more to take from it and makes the content feel more useful, not just something that looks nice and pretty.

You want to answer question that your audience may have. For example:

• Why does this layout work better?
• Why did you chose those colours?
• What you would not do in a space like that?
• How did you make the most out of the space?

It does not need to sound perfect or scripted, in actual fact it’s better when it does not. The more natural and genuine it is, the more people will trust it.

Pay Attention To What Keeps Going Viral

If you are not really looking at what is already doing well on TikTok, you will always feel a bit behind.

You will start to notice the same things popping up again and again. Certain styles, colours or ideas that people keep coming back to. It might be small space ideas, neutral tones, or spaces that feel a bit more lived in rather and more like a home than too perfect.

You do not need to jump on all of it, but you do need to notice what people clearly like and are saving.

Make It Feel Like You

There’s a big difference in taking inspiration from someone and just copying them. It’s not about jumping on trends all the time, it’s more about understanding why people like them and seeing if they work for you.

Some designers style is more clean and modern, some people go for a more traditional or country feel. That is your style, and that is what people start to recognise. If you keep jumping on every trend, it starts to feel all over the place and not like you.

Trends come and go but what matters more is that your content still feels like you while it is happening. This is usually where it goes wrong as it starts to feel forced or like you are a bit late to it.

When it works, it does not feel like you have tried to jump on anything and everything, it just fits with everything else you are already doing.

Show The People Behind It

A lot of lifestyle content ends up just showing the finished space and you never really see what went into it or who was behind it.

When you start bringing your team into it, the content and the brand starts to feel a lot more real. You are not just looking at a space anymore, now you get a sense of who’s behind it and how they think, which is what people want.

It can be simple, like designers sharing quick tips, small opinions or even things they would never do in a space. That kind of content adds personality and performs well as it starts conversation.

You Have To Stick To It

TikTok only really works if you actually commit to it. Posting every now and then is not enough, it actually just ends up feeling a bit random and all over the place.

When you are posting regularly, you start to notice what people are saving, what they are watching and what they do not care about. That is when it actually starts to work and gets people interested in the next video.

Not everything will do well, and that is normal. You just need to pay attention to what is working and do more of that.

Look At What Your Audience Is Telling You

Most of your best ideas will come from content you have already posted

Look at what people are saving, what they are commenting on and what they keep asking, but also check your analytics as well. That usually tells you exactly what people want more of and what they don’t like.

If something performs well then you should do more of it but if people keep asking the same questions then you should answer these clearly, maybe even make it into a video. You will start to see patterns pretty quickly once you start paying attention to what people want.

Don’t Just Only Post On TikTok

Short form video should not just be posted on TikTok and then get forgotten about.

If something works on TikTok, use it again across Instagram and your other social media platforms. This way you are getting more out of it instead of constantly creating from scratch and it also helps keep everything consistent. You may have a completely different audience on TikTok and Instagram.

Conclusion

TikTok is where people are getting ideas for their space and figuring out what they like, it is not just scrolling anymore, some people actually go to TikTok before the internet.

The brands that do it well are just showing what they are doing, sharing their thoughts and opinions and posting content people want to save.

Our team at Giraffe Social can help you turn this into something that actually works for your brand. Get in touch with us today.