At the first glance, academic writing and social media have nothing in common. TikTok is one of the video-driven platforms. So how can writing skills be applicable here? Well, there are several ways those two worlds are connected much deeper than one might think.
After all, any video or text is about storytelling. And this art is based on writing skills, even if you tell the story in a different way. In cooperation with WritePaper experts, we’ve narrowed down fundamental essay-writing skills to show how they can help to create cool TikToks. WritePaper is a professional academic writing service that helps students with all types of college assignments. They know all about the necessary skills and how they can be applied in the digital media world.
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Essay-Writing Skills
First of all, it is important to list the skills that go into completing a great academic essay. It is not only about actually typing out the text, there is much more that goes into the process even before you start writing.
The crucial skills for creating an academic paper are:
- Choosing the relevant subject and narrowing down the huge topic to one aspect/issue;
- Conducting research on relevant and credible sources;
- Organization or thoughts and brainstorming;
- Outlining and planning, breaking down the information into logical and digestible blocks;
- Choosing the correct tone, voice, and wording according to the requirements and intended audience;
- Formulating thesis and hook, writing powerful introduction;
- Making the argument and supporting it with evidence;
- Making a well-rounded conclusion.
Also, students need such skills as critical thinking, analysis, and self-editing. Those are incredibly helpful in all aspects of human life, not only for creating content.
How These Skills Help to Create TikToks
TikTok offers great opportunities in terms of creating content. One can create informational accounts, educate others, make jokes, or simply have fun. There is an audience for almost any type of content.
But this content should be original, engaging, and well-written. Even if the video doesn’t feature any words, it has cinematography. It has the beginning, main event, and ending. And there is usually some type of focal point, this is called a conflict in dramaturgy.
Think of the most memorable TikToks you’ve seen. Or the ones that made the most impact on you. They probably have those elements. And those come from writing.
How exactly essay-writing skills will help one to create original and fascinating content? Here are the main ways.
Original Ideas
With strong research skills, you can come up with original ideas. It is also quite helpful to find the gaps in the content that are not filled yet. For example, some issues or facts that others do not talk about yet.
It also is extremely useful for those who create educational or informational videos. You’ll be able to find relevant sources to prove the point. Even for an opinion piece, argumentation is the key to making a statement.
Outlining
One of the most important skills in essay writing is to outline and plan what you are trying to say. It is a way to organize thoughts and ideas in a way others can comprehend them.
This is crucial for creating engaging content. It doesn’t have to be informational but it has to have structure. Think of all the trends that come and go on TikTok – those videos are built on a specific structure. That is what makes them recognizable.
You’ll learn not only to communicate clearly your ideas but also to present them in the best way possible.
Audience
In academic writing students and educators rely on rhetoric formulas. Rhetoric is fundamental to addressing a particular audience. There are three ways to create formulate the argument, which are called ethos, pathos, and ethos.
Those mean what you are referring to – emotion, logic, or your credibility.
What is important for content creators here is that those methods allow communicate better with their specific audience. What do they prefer? Maybe your audience responds best to the logic and facts. So you can incorporate more of that. Or maybe they prefer an emotional approach – you can use that as well.
In good writing, academics use all three at the same time. And learning those principles is very useful to stay in close touch with the audience.
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Hook
Every introduction of an essay has to have a hook. A sentence or phrase that makes the reader interested or excited about what they are about to read.
Learning how to do that is great for TikTokers. The platform uses mostly short videos and it is hard to grab attention right away. One needs to instantly make a watcher interested by some kind of hook as well so they do not scroll.
The basis of creating such a hook is the same for writing and videos. So by learning to do it in an essay, one will be able to apply it in TikTok.
Right Tone
Another essential part of any academic writing is to use a proper tone and voice for a particular piece.
Usually, it is quite formal for understandable reasons. But based on various types of texts, it can be altered.
This is incredibly important for content creators. In the world of social media, the wrong tone can be detrimental, especially if you are talking about sensitive or provocative topics. The style and choice of words have to be very deliberate.
The same goes for the description of TikTok and the used hashtags. Algorithms still rely hugely on text. So what you are going to put in the bio, description, and hashtags is vital for reaching the target viewers.
Storytelling
As stated before, it all comes down to the art of storytelling. It is the same whether you are working on an essay, video script, or fiction book. Before you start shooting a video, you need to know what you are about to do, what acting is going to be included, and what emotions you are willing to awake in people.
Basically, what story are you trying to tell? It doesn’t matter whether it is serious or just a joke. A joke can be ruined even by changing the places of two words. Structure and storytelling in humor are even more crucial than in informational content.
Learning essay-writing skills helps to be more precise with the idea you are working with. It helps to narrow it down to one specific thing and dwell on it. You’ll be able to present it clearly and communicate based on the audience you are trying to reach.
In Summary
Writing is not only one form of communication. It is a way to gather and organize though, come up with new ideas, and present them to others. The principles used in it work perfectly for verbal communication as well as using other mediums – like movements, dances, or acting.
If you consider this perspective, it comes clear that those skills are very helpful for TikTok content creators, whether they focus on informational videos or funny content. It is all about learning how t structure and deliver the story or message effectively. It is also about engaging with the audience and grabbing their attention right away.
