How To Stitch On TikTok

In 2020, TikTok was already the fastest-growing social media platform in history. One reason for the app’s success, though, was continued innovation — and 2020 saw the trend continue with the introduction of TikTok Stitches.

This feature remains extremely popular, because it enhances exposure, engagement, and collaboration, and increases the chances of TikTok content video going viral. Stitches also make it easier for people with “writer’s block” to come up with ideas for new posts, and they’re a great way to introduce an account to potential followers who are fans of the “collaborator.”

AStitch lets TikTok users take up to five seconds of someone else’s video and integrate it into their own content. Most creators use that five-second clip as a jumping-off point, after which they respond to or expand on the original video. The final product is often funny, fascinating, or thought-provoking — and it’s certainly a welcome change of pace from most TikTok posts.

How do you make one?

Creating a TikTok Stitch

The first step is finding an appropriate TikTok video to use in your production.

You may be scrolling through your TikTok feed and come across a compelling post that would seem to be a natural component of a Stitch you want to make. There can be a problem with that approach, though; the original creator has to have already allowed “Stitching” on their videos.

A better starting point could be to search the app for #Stitches, or for a song that might work well as a jumping-off point. If you’ve seen a creator’s stitches that you’ve liked, search for #Stitch@username to find all of the ones they’ve created. Some users even specialize in creating a few seconds of video that would be the perfect opening for another creator’s Stitch.

Once you’ve found a video you want to use, hit the “Share” icon (an arrow on the right side of the screen). If you see a “Stitch” option, it means the creator allows others to use their content in producing a Stitch video. Click that option, and use the sliders to choose the five seconds (or less) you want to use. TikTok will then switch to camera mode so you can record.

Plan out what you want to do or say in your own segment, and then hit the record button. Once you’ve finished recording your segment, you can preview, edit, and post the Stitch the same way you’d work with any other TikTok video.

Pro tip: Before you start work, search for other Stitches that have been produced with the same component you plan to use. That will let you avoid shooting a video that’s too similar to the approaches other users have taken — and the reactions you see in the comments may even give you some great ideas for your part of the Stitch.

Have fun!