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TikTok was born in China in 2016 and was initially launched under the name musical.ly. In a very short time, it has become the favorite social network of Generation Z and one of the most downloaded apps of the last two years in the Western world as well. According to Sensor Tower, in 2019, the app was installed over 104.7 million times.
Numbers like these confirm that TikTok is not just a passing trend; it’s here to stay. What contributes to the success of this social network? What are its potentials?
Let’s see together:
- what TikTok challenges are,
- how to create a successful TikTok, and
- what opportunities the app offers.
Let’s start from the basics: TikTok and Challenges
TikTok allows users to share very short video clips, up to a maximum of 60 seconds, combined with music, sound effects, and filters.
Users dance, create mini-comedic sketches, musical parodies, or lip-sync videos using a wide range of musical choices, in cooperation with major record labels, and numerous creative tools at their disposal (editors, masks, filters).
The videos are short, fun, and cater to the widespread desire for “content binge eating,” a feast of quick and always new content.
Creating content is very simple and accessible to everyone, which not only encourages consumption but also engages the audience. 60% of users have watched videos from other users, and 55% have uploaded at least one video themselves.
The main attraction of TikTok is challenges: brands or influencers launch hashtags and create an initial example content, inviting users to create thematic videos in line with it.
For instance, Guess launched its challenge with the hashtag #InMyDenim, turning all users into content creators for the brand. The challenge’s theme? Participants transform from shabbily dressed to smiling, wearing a denim item from the new collection in an abrupt cut.
However, it’s not only about dancing and lip-syncing; there are also news and tutorials of various kinds (from cooking recipes to workouts). Worth noting is the use by the Uffizi Gallery in Florence to engage young people and present art in an innovative way: an idea that’s enjoying good success, with almost 23,000 followers and over 96,000 likes.
Creating a Successful TikTok Video
Discoverability is the most important factor, which refers to how our content is exposed to the audience. TikTok is (perhaps for now) a democratic platform: a consistent presence and creating content that’s in trend with a certain frequency can lead to organic growth of an account.
But what are the key elements to creating a successful TikTok clip?
- Trends: Use familiar sounds and participate in a challenge – even with a twist – to increase your chances of receiving interactions. Many use the hashtag #ForYou, the TikTok tab that corresponds to the main feed on Facebook and Instagram, for more visibility.
- Rhythm: The editing should be tight to create a wow effect. This can yield good results even if the images used aren’t particularly captivating. Video acquisition is pressure-sensitive (similar to IG Stories) to shoot and edit clips simultaneously. Then you can slow down or speed up the video, synchronize it with the audio, etc.
- Revealing “drop”: One of the most common mistakes is not syncing video with audio well, losing effectiveness when “something happens” from an auditory perspective. It should be synchronized visually.
- Micro-storytelling: In a clip, it’s recommended to use the first seconds (1 to 3 maximum) to capture attention. Then, to maintain it throughout the video, follow the “less is more” rule and eliminate less useful parts. The ultimate goal? Surprise at the end of the story while keeping the initial promise.
- Text within the video: These can be useful in the creation of the clip, for asking questions and generating interaction, as well as engaging the viewer’s attention. However, be careful about where they’re placed: it’s not advised to place text in the lower part of the video, which is occupied by captions and TikTok buttons.
Why TikTok is an Opportunity
If your goal is to reach a young audience, TikTok is the social network that suits your needs. About 66% of users are under 30 years old (with 40% between 6 and 24): in short, it’s “no country for old men”.
TikTok’s target is the generation of tomorrow: establishing a relationship of trust with them today means benefiting from a solid and lasting connection in the long run.
Generation Z has fallen in love with this application built on originality, fun, and lightness. TikTok also seems to prioritize entertainment over the pursuit of perfection, which is common on other social networks like Instagram: more authenticity and less superficiality.
Moreover, TikTok is the tool through which young people have realized they can make their voices heard, thanks to the high virality of the content. Feroza Aziz knows this well; she’s a seventeen-year-old who created a makeup tutorial as a way to expose to the world the persecutions and violence faced by the Uighur Muslim minority in China.
And this discovery has recently reached the current President of the United States as well. A few days ago, Trump announced the reservation of one million tickets for an event in Tulsa, Oklahoma, for his political campaign. However, the actual attendance barely reached 6,000 people: credit goes to a massive boycott orchestrated by TikTok users who reserved numerous tickets with the intention of not showing up.
“Trump has been actively trying to disenfranchise millions of Americans in so many ways, and to me, this was the protest I was able to perform,” declared Erin Hoffman, an 18-year-old girl who participated in the boycott, to The New York Times.
The transformation of TikTok into a platform for youth activism deserves attention because it’s not merely an application for entertainment; it’s a genuine digital space for expression and communication for the younger generation.
In short, to understand the world in the future, one will have to go through this platform!
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