Building a TikTok Rebrand: From Strategy to First Carousel Post

The Context

After the niche pivot to ADHD/Neurodivergent/Wellness, the TikTok account needed a rebrand — a new visual identity, new content strategy, and a repeatable build workflow.

The Identity Anchor: About Us Carousel

The first post was the About Us carousel — the identity anchor that tells viewers who you are and why they should follow. This is the pinned post that shapes first impressions.

Design Specs

Property	Value
Canvas	1080×1440px (3:4)
Style	v2 plain English, personal narrative
Audio	"Self Aware" by Temper City
Font	Clean sans-serif, large readable text
Palette	Brand colors from the new identity guide

The Workflow: Standardized Build Process

After building the About Us carousel, I codified the entire process into 02_Workflows/tiktok-rebrand-workflow.md — a 5-phase workflow:

Phase 1: Concept

• Define the hook (first 2 seconds)
• Write slide-by-slide narrative arc
• Source real, date-stamped references for any claims

Phase 2: Build

• Create individual HTML slides (slide-01.html through slide-N.html)
• Apply frozen design specs (1080×1440, 3:4 ratio)
• Use consistent font sizing table

Phase 3: Render

• Run Puppeteer screenshot script to convert HTML → PNG
• Verify each slide renders correctly

Phase 4: Package

• Create post-description.txt with caption + 5 niche hashtags
• Select trending audio from Commercial Audio Library
• Package all 6 PNGs + description for upload

Phase 5: Post & Promote

• Upload to TikTok with selected audio
• Pin identity anchor to profile
• Monitor views, saves, follows, link clicks

The Content Carousel: 3 AI Prompts for Monday

The first content post following the About Us anchor was "3 AI Prompts You Can Use This Monday":

1. Performance reviews — sourced from Lattice (real publishing date)
2. Inbox zero — sourced from Mashable
3. Week planning — sourced from AIOpenLibrary

All three prompts include visible attribution to their sources — no made-up stats.

Files Created

File	Purpose
rebrand/friday-post/slide-01.html through slide-05.html	Carousel slides
rebrand/friday-post/slide-01.png through slide-05.png	Rendered PNGs
rebrand/friday-post/post-description.txt	Caption + hashtags
rebrand/friday-post/screenshot.cjs	Puppeteer render script
02_Workflows/tiktok-rebrand-workflow.md	Standardized workflow

Key Decisions

Decision	Why
v2 (plain English) style	More authentic, better engagement than formal tone
Real, dated sources	Builds trust — TikTok users check claims
"Self Aware" audio anchor	Consistent audio = brand recognition
1080×1440 frozen	No more dimension debates
5 niche hashtags per post	Researched, not guessed

Results

• About Us carousel ready for posting (pinned to profile)
• Friday prompts carousel ready as follow-up content
• Standardized workflow codified — future carousels follow the same 5 phases
• Brand identity established with consistent audio, visual, and tone

Takeaways

1. Identity anchors matter. The About Us carousel is the first thing new visitors see — it must communicate value instantly.
2. Source everything. TikTok audiences are skeptical. A date-stamped source next to every claim builds credibility.
3. Standardize early. A workflow document executed 5 times prevents mistakes in the next 50.
4. Plain English beats marketing speak. v2 style outperformed the original formal tone in authenticity.