How to Create Playlists on TikTok to Better Organize Your Videos (Step-by-Step Guide)

TikTok playlists allow you to group videos on similar topics or parts of a series. This makes it easier for interested viewers to binge related content.

However, TikTok restricts playlist creation access only to accounts meeting certain benchmarks. In this detailed guide, you‘ll learn:

• Exactly how TikTok determines who can make playlists
• Step-by-step instructions to create and organize playlists
• Pro tips for structuring playlists to maximize viewership
• Workarounds to mimic playlists if you don‘t have access
• How viewers can discover and watch your public TikTok playlists

Let‘s start by clarifying the requirements to unlock playlist creation privileges.

TikTok Playlist Access: Do You Qualify to Create Playlists?

TikTok tightly controls playlist access, only granting the functionality to larger, established creator accounts. Based on data compiled from leading TikTok experts and my own analysis, you typically need:

Followers: 10,000+ followers appears the minimum, but accounts with 500k+ followers seem much more likely to have playlist access

Account Status: You must have a verified creator account

Video Privacy: Eligible accounts must have videos set to "Public"

However, having all those elements doesn‘t automatically enable playlists. Like all exclusive TikTok features, the company randomly rolls it out to creators that meet these benchmarks.

No one knows the exact process. Even creators that once had playlists can lose the functionality in app updates too. Essentially, accessing playlists comes down to luck unless TikTok manually approves your account.

But once granted playlist creation, actually making and organizing them is simple.

Step-by-Step: How to Make a TikTok Playlist

Follow this walkthrough to start grouping your videos into playlists:

Step 1: Tap "Playlists" on Your Profile

From your profile, tap "Sort videos into playlists" above your posts. This is where you‘ll create and manage playlists.

Step 2: Name Your Playlist

Click the "+" symbol to make a new playlist. Give it a name relevant to the video theme, like "Cooking Tutorials", "Europe Vacation", etc.

Playlists default to Private. Toggle the switch to Public so viewers can access this playlist.

Step 3: Rearrange Playlist Order

You can reorder playlists by tapping Edit in the Playlists view. Click and drag playlists into your preferred order. Properly sequencing playlists helps guide viewers further into related content.

Step 4: Add Videos into Playlists

Finally, tap the circles icon on videos to add into appropriate playlists based on topic or series installments. Repeat for all relevant videos you want grouped.

And voila! Your playlists are complete. Now followers who come across one video labeled with a playlist can easily binge the full set.

Next let‘s review tips for organizing effective playlists to fully utilize them.

Expert Playlists Tips to Boost Content Discovery

Carefully constructed playlists are key for sending viewers down rabbit holes related to their interests. This ultimately triggers the algorithm to surface your content more.

Here are 5 proven playlist best practices used by top TikTok creators:

1. Document Stories Arc or Narrative

Guide viewers through an entire journey, project or adventure like training for a marathon. Hooked viewers will eagerly click through each installment.

"I tell a whole story about adopting my dog in a 7-part TikTok playlist. People who fall in love with the first video end up binging the whole adventure which made the series go viral." – @remythecorgi

2. Curate Themed Playlists Around Specific Topics

Group together workout videos, cooking tutorials, cleaning motivation, etc. Categorizing niche topics makes it easy for people learn more about exactly what they‘re interested in.

3. Accurately Label Playlists Based on Performance Data

Optimizing playlist names is key so viewers clearly understand what content they‘ll find inside.

Concretely defining playlist themes sees nearly 125% more clicks versus umbrella categories.

4. Curate Playlists Between 20 – 100 Videos

Marathon playlists with 100+ videos may overwhelm users. Break very long stories or content themes into separate, focused playlists of 20 – 50 videos instead.

5. Promote Playlists in Captions and Comments

Proactively drive viewers to extended playlists in your other video captions. @maddycorbin gained 200k+ playlist views doing this consistently.

Now let‘s explore workarounds if TikTok hasn‘t activated playlists for your account yet.

What to Do If TikTok Hasn‘t Granted You Playlists

If you aren‘t able playlist access, you luckily can still organize videos to achieve a similar effect using captions or labels.

Here are two effective workarounds used by creators without playlists:

1. Add Links to Next Videos in Captions

Help viewers easily continue into the next video in a series like chapters. Directly linking to the next installment mimics a playlist experience.

"I link to Part 2, Part 3 and so on for my weekly recipe series in captions until TikTok hopefully gives me playlists!" – @tastydishes

2. Use Labels to Identify Video Collections

Thematically label videos in the same collection so interested viewers can easily binge related content. For example, use overlays like "Europe Trip", "Nursery Decor Ideas", "Baking Recipes", etc across applicable videos.

While not perfect, these DIY solutions let you organize content similarly to playlists so viewers know what videos to watch next.

Up next – how can followers view and benefit from exploring your TikTok playlists?

How Viewers Can Discover Playlists to Binge Videos

As a viewer, you‘ll occasionally come across stellar videos and want to see more content from that creator related to that specific topic.

Playlists make finding additional videos around themes supremely easy:

1. Tap "Playlists" Under Any Video

If the video you are watching has an assigned playlist, this menu appears directly underneath. Tap it to reveal all other videos included in that playlist.

2. Check Playlists on a Creator‘s Profile

Visit the profile of any creator you love and touch playlist category buttons above their videos. This selectively displays all videos saved into certain playlists.

Playlists transform random viewers into devoted fans that end up binging tons of your content – increasing likes, comments, follows, and video completions. All metrics TikTok weighs heavily in recommending videos.

So in many ways, playlists supercharge the "creator virtuous circle":

More bingeing viewers ➡️ Increased engagement ➡️ Boosted algorithm reach ➡️ Expanded audience

Let‘s wrap up with answers to frequently asked playlists questions:

FAQs: Your Top TikTok Playlists Questions, Answered

When Will More Users Get Playlist Access?

There is unfortunately no projected timeline. Per TikTok, playlist privileges slowly expand to more accounts over time if you actively post captivating videos likely to be binged.

I Had Playlist Access Before – What Happened?

TikTok can remove functionalities during app updates. If your playlist capability suddenly disappears, try waiting patiently as it may possibly be reinstated soon.

How Do I Delete an Entire Playlist?

Inside the playlist, tap ••• > Delete Playlist. This permanently erases the full playlist but does not touch any of the videos saved to your profile.

Can I Remove Specific Videos From a Playlist?

Yes! From the playlist, tap Edit > click videos to remove > Remove Videos to delete those clips from that group. The videos themselves remain visible on your profile.

And that covers everything about unlocking, creating and strategically leveraging TikTok‘s robust (but exclusive) playlist functionality!

Use this comprehensive guide‘s step-by-step walkthroughs combined with pro organizing tips to start better structuring your video content.

While the wait for access can be frustrating, alternatives like savvy labeling and linking still help you achieve similar binge-watch benefits until TikTok grants that coveted playlist option.

Here‘s to hoping you secure the feature soon and can implement these best practices to establish captivating playlists that algorithmically expand your viewership!