Understanding TikTok Video Requirements
Overview
TikTok is a video-only platform. Unlike Facebook and Instagram, you cannot publish image posts or text-only posts to TikTok through Social Cascade. This guide explains the video requirements and limits you need to know before creating TikTok content.
Video Requirements at a Glance
| Requirement | Details |
|---|---|
| Content Type | Video only — images and text-only posts are not supported |
| Maximum Video Duration | 10 minutes (600 seconds) |
| Maximum Caption Length | 2,200 characters (effective ~2,080 — see Disclosure Note below) |
| Supported Formats | MP4, MOV, WebM |
| Recommended Aspect Ratio | 9:16 (vertical/portrait) for best results |
| Minimum Resolution | 720p recommended for quality |
Video-Only Enforcement
Social Cascade enforces TikTok's video-only requirement at multiple levels to prevent errors:
- Calendar Scheduling: When creating a post in the Calendar, you will not be able to select TikTok as a platform unless the content includes a video. If you try to toggle TikTok on for image-only content, you will see a tooltip explaining that TikTok requires video content.
- Teleprompter App: Videos recorded in the Teleprompter app automatically include video content, so TikTok is always available as a platform when publishing from the app.
- Error Messages: If a post is submitted without video content for TikTok, the system will return an error: "TikTok requires video content."
Caption Guidelines
TikTok allows captions up to 2,200 characters. However, there is a required disclosure that is automatically appended to your caption when posting through a third-party app like Social Cascade. This reduces your effective caption length to approximately 2,080 characters.
Tips for TikTok Captions:
- Keep captions concise — 1 to 3 sentences tends to perform best on TikTok.
- Include relevant hashtags to increase discoverability.
- Front-load the most important information, as longer captions may be truncated in the feed.
Disclosure Notice
TikTok requires third-party apps to include a disclosure when posting on behalf of users. This disclosure is handled automatically — it is appended to your caption and does not require any action from you. The disclosure slightly reduces your available caption length (approximately 120 characters).
FAQ
Q: Can I post images to TikTok through Social Cascade?
A: No. TikTok only supports video content through the API. If you need to post images, use the TikTok app directly.
Q: What happens if my video is longer than 10 minutes?
A: The post will fail. Trim your video to under 10 minutes before scheduling.
Q: Can I post the same content to TikTok and Instagram at the same time?
A: Yes, as long as the content includes a video. When scheduling a post, you can select multiple platforms including TikTok and Instagram. Each platform will receive the same video and caption (subject to each platform's character limits).
Q: Does Social Cascade compress or resize my video?
A: No. Your video is uploaded to TikTok as-is. Make sure your video meets TikTok's requirements before uploading.