All 15 ideas at a glance
Why TikTok works for electricians and plumbers
TikTok works for trades because the people you want to reach are homeowners who have a problem right now and want to understand it before they call. A short clip that explains why a breaker keeps tripping, or what a dripping water heater is telling you, gets in front of someone who may need you in a month. Viewers who watch your videos for a while start to recognise your face and your van, and that matters when they need a call back.
Trade accounts on TikTok grow on the same few things: a problem named in the first line, a clear fix, and real work that shows the skill. A plumbing contractor's viral clip reached 11 million views on this format, and several other contractor clips in the same roundup passed one million. You don't need a film crew. You need a repeatable format and a steady supply of jobs to film.
- Vertical short video (9:16, under about 60 seconds): TikTok is built for full-screen vertical video, and a 1080 by 1920 frame fills the phone with no black bars. Most of your fixes take 20 to 40 seconds on camera, which fits. Keep captions and on-screen text away from the bottom and right edges, where the app's buttons sit.
- Photo carousel (up to 35 images, one sound): A carousel works for lists you want people to read at their own pace: signs of a problem, a checklist, or a before and after with labels. You can use it for an electrical panel's labels or a plumbing part list without filming inside anyone's home. TikTok publishes photos in the order you select them, and each post takes one sound.
- Reply video to a comment: Comments are the questions your customers would have asked on the phone. A reply video puts the comment on screen, so the person who asked sees you answer, and everyone else sees a real question handled properly.
15 TikTok content ideas for electricians and plumbers
Authority and how-tos
These ideas answer one question a homeowner has already typed into a search bar. Each one covers one problem, one check and one clear line on when to call a licensed tradesperson.
Short (under 60s)
1. Why your [kitchen] breaker keeps tripping, in 20 seconds
Why it works: Homeowners ask this on the phone before they ask for a quote, so the search is already there. A trip at the panel has three usual causes: overload, short circuit and ground fault. Naming all three in one clip lets a viewer work out which one they have, and that makes you the person who explained it.
Short (under 60s)
2. Water heater pilot keeps going out: three checks before you call
Why it works: A pilot that keeps going out is one of the most common service calls for gas water heaters. Viewers who see the problem named on screen in the first second will keep watching. Your three checks give them something to do before they book, and the ones you can't do safely should go to the end of the clip.
Photo carousel (up to 35 images)
3. [Number] signs your electrical panel needs replacing
Why it works: Panel age and rust are things a homeowner can see from the hallway. A carousel lets them swipe through the signs at their own speed and save the post for later. Keep each slide to one sign you can see from outside the panel, so nobody is tempted to open it up.
Short (under 60s)
4. Test your bathroom GFCI in 30 seconds
Why it works: Homeowners check GFCI outlets after a storm or when a bathroom outlet stops working, and a test they can do themselves is useful to them. Showing the test, and the result that means the outlet needs replacing, keeps the viewer on the clip to the end.
Satisfying process shots
These are the clips people rewatch. Film the work you already do from the same angle each time, and keep the sound of the tools on.
Short (under 60s)
5. One pull: [40] feet of [wire type] through [conduit size] in one run
Why it works: Wire pulling is the moment a job goes from bare studs to a working circuit, and most people have never seen it. Trade words like pull, run, fish tape and conduit tell a viewer you know the work. Speed up the pull and keep the reel and the crew's hands in shot.
Short (under 60s)
6. The [hair clog] that came out of a [bathtub] drain
Why it works: Drain clearing has a clear before and after, and the clog is the payoff. Homeowners who have a slow tub will watch to the end to see what came out. Show the clog, the snake and the water running clear, and leave out any booking push in the first seconds.
Short (under 60s)
7. Fixing a pinhole leak in a copper hot line, start to finish
Why it works: A pinhole leak is a repair most homeowners have heard of and never seen. Showing the cut, the fitting and the pressure test in order makes the repair look like the careful work it is. Plumbers who fix a lot of these have the footage already from ordinary calls.
Short (under 60s)
8. What's in my van before I roll out to a call
Why it works: Your van is on every job and in the background of every photo, so viewers already know it. A walk-round shows the tools and parts you carry, which tells a homeowner what you can fix on the first visit. Make sure the signage shows your business name and license number, because the rules require it on the side of the vehicle.
Proof and prices
Proof is what turns a viewer into a caller. Use real jobs, real figures and the customer's problem, and never show the customer's home or address.
Short (under 60s)
9. What we charged for a [fuseboard change]
Why it works: Buyers search for prices before they call, and a figure from a real job answers that. Say what the total covers, such as materials, labour and travel, so the number is clear and you aren't misleading anyone. The California licensing rules bar false or misleading claims in advertising, so the clip must match the real invoice.
Short (under 60s)
10. Customer had no water pressure. Here's what I found.
Why it works: This is the customer's complaint told as a story, so a homeowner with the same symptom sees their own problem. Plumbing contractors who post this kind of clip often open with the complaint word for word, then show the part and the result. Keep the customer's address and face out of it.
Short (under 60s)
11. Bathroom before and after, plumbing side
Why it works: Most bathroom reveals are about tile and paint, so a clip that leads with the plumbing shows the work nobody else is posting. Homeowners who are planning a bathroom remodel want to know what's behind the wall. Film the before at the same spot as the after.
Short series (3 clips)
12. A day as a [second-year] apprentice, in three clips
Why it works: Day-in-the-life clips do well with people deciding on a trade, and with the homeowners who see a crew at work. The hard part is that these clips only exist when jobs happen. Plan three shots for every workday: the van at the start, the job at mid-morning, and the clean-up at the end.
Conversation starters
These ideas bring people into the comments. Each one works because the viewer already wants an answer, and you show it on screen.
Reply video to a comment
13. Replying to [name]: can I [do this job myself]?
Why it works: A comment that asks a real question is your best topic, and the person who asked will see the reply. Put the comment on screen and answer it in the first ten seconds. Say which part is safe to try and which part needs a licensed electrician or plumber.
Short (under 60s)
14. The myth I hear on every [panel or water heater] job
Why it works: Customers repeat myths they saw on social media, and they ask you to confirm them. A clip that names the myth and shows what you find when you open the panel or the tank is one you can point to. Trade forums have plenty of complaints about bad shortcut advice online, so the clip is useful to anyone who has heard the myth.
Short (under 60s)
15. Three things I check before I quote a [rewire]
Why it works: Buyers compare quotes, and a quote that looks high makes sense when they hear what changes the price. Walk through the checks you run on site, in your own words. Keep it to the checks you can actually describe, so the viewer knows what they're paying for.
Best practices for TikTok as an electrician or plumber
How often to post
A UK trade guide gives three to five posts a week as the minimum for an account that gets business from TikTok, kept up for six to twelve months. Start with three a week and batch your filming on one day. Keep the same format for a month before you change it, so viewers learn what to expect.
Tools that help
- TikTok Studio: Use the analytics tab to see which clips held viewers past the first few seconds. Use that to decide which problem or format to repeat next week. Don't judge a clip on one day's views.
- TikTok app photo mode: Use it to post carousels of signs, checklists and labelled before and afters. You can select up to 35 images, and they publish in the order you pick them.
- Sycamore: Adds animated, word-synced captions to a vertical video you've already filmed. Use it on your short fix clips and reply videos, where the viewer may be watching with the sound off.
Do
- Name the problem in the first words on screen, using the search words a homeowner would type.
- Show the license number and business name on your profile, and on your vehicle where the rules require it.
- Stay within the work your license covers, and say the classification in your bio if your state uses one.
- List what a price covers, such as materials, labour and travel, so the number matches the invoice.
- Film the same angle every time, so viewers learn to expect the fix.
Don't
- Don't film inside a customer's home without written permission. Being let in to do the job isn't permission to record.
- Don't show addresses, house numbers, customers' faces or their belongings, even when they agree.
- Don't film live work, a lockout being removed or any shortcut or bypass, however quick the fix looks.
- Don't say you are bonded in an ad. California's rules prohibit that statement in advertising.
- Don't copy outrage bait or mock another tradesperson's work to get views.
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