Video is mandatory: text posts fail
TikTok's Content Posting API only accepts video publishes. A scheduled post without a video file (.mp4 / .mov) fails at the API with an unhelpful error, hours after you stopped thinking about it.
Auto-publish · Schedule · AI-native
TikTok videos, captioned and in your inbox on schedule
TikTok's Content Posting API is video-first. Content Drifter writes the caption, validates the video requirement up front, sends each video to your TikTok inbox at its slot. You add a sound, choose who can see it and post. Connecting TikTok is free on every plan. Publishing there needs a video, and video starts on Lite.
Publish to 9 platforms with one workflow
- X
- Threads
- YouTube
- Bluesky
- TikTok
- AI voice match
- Best time to post
- Branded image generation
- Closed-loop analytics
3 reasons publishing to TikTok manually is broken
Who sees it should be your call
Schedulers that pick a privacy level for you either ship test uploads to everyone or hide a launch from everybody. Content Drifter sends a draft to your TikTok inbox, so you choose who sees it in TikTok.
The caption is a hook, not a summary
TikTok truncates captions after roughly one line in the feed. If the first 80 characters do not open a curiosity gap, the caption never gets expanded and the watch-time signal never compounds.
What changes once TikTok runs on autopilot
Video-required validation
The publish pipeline rejects non-video TikTok posts at the boundary with an actionable "add a video" error, before the item ever reaches the API.
Delivered to your TikTok inbox
Each video arrives in your TikTok inbox as a draft with its caption, ready for you to add a sound, set who can see it and post.
Hook-first AI captions
Generation front-loads the hook into the first 80 characters and weaves 3-5 niche hashtags inline, inside the 2,200-character caption budget.
Managed TikTok connection
TikTok runs through managed platform keys (no developer app or audit paperwork on your side). Connecting TikTok is free on every plan. Publishing there needs a video, and video starts on Lite.
The TikTok rules we enforce before publish
Every limit below comes from our platform-rules source of truth, the same validator the publish pipeline uses before dispatch.
- 2,200 character limit (content + hashtags combined)
- Up to 5 hashtags recommended
- Video: mp4, mov up to 4 GB, max 180s
- Video file required: image-only posts blocked at publish
- Video uploads only, no text-only or image-only posts. Content becomes the caption (2,200-char cap). 9:16 vertical, ~3s to 3 minutes, MP4/MOV up to 4 GB.
Publishing to TikTok, start to finish
- 1
Connect through the Content Posting API
TikTok authorises the account for uploads and records what your account is permitted to post, so a restriction shows up at connection time rather than as a failed post later.
- 2
Vertical video, checked before it queues
TikTok expects 9:16 and enforces duration and file size ceilings. Captions are counted against the platform limit with hashtags included, so a caption is never truncated at the point where the hook was.
- 3
In your TikTok inbox at the slot
At the slot the video and its caption land in your TikTok inbox as a draft. You add a sound, choose who can see it and post. The calendar shows it as sent, never as live before it is, and tells you if TikTok refuses it.
Frequently asked questions
How do I publish to TikTok automatically?
Connect TikTok (managed keys, no developer app needed), attach a video (.mp4 / .mov, 9:16 vertical performs best) and schedule it. At the slot it lands in your TikTok inbox as a draft; you add a sound, choose who can see it and post.
Is TikTok auto-posting allowed?
Yes, TikTok provides the official Content Posting API for authorized integrations. Content Drifter uploads through managed platform keys to your TikTok inbox, and you can revoke access from your TikTok settings at any time.
Can I publish image or text-only posts to TikTok?
No, the Content Posting API used for third-party publishing is video-only. Content Drifter validates this before publish so a text-only TikTok post is caught at scheduling, not hours later at the API.
What are TikTok's video specs?
MP4 or MOV, up to 4 GB and 10 minutes via the API (practical minimum ~3 seconds). 9:16 vertical (1080×1920) is strongly preferred; other ratios get letterboxed. Captions cap at 2,200 characters including hashtags.
What plan includes TikTok auto-publishing?
Every plan can connect TikTok, write its captions and plan its calendar. Publishing there needs a video, and video starts on Lite. Paid plans add volume and video, so TikTok and YouTube publish too.
Related resources
Connect your TikTok account in 60 seconds
Connecting TikTok is free on every plan. Publishing there needs a video, and video starts on Lite. Upgrade when you need video and more volume. No credit card to start.