TikTok is transforming the influencer rulebook — we spoke to the viral video-makers about mastering its elusive algorithm and why they prefer it to Instagram
- People who struggled to find an audience on platforms like Instagram have found viral success on TikTok, the video app beloved by Gen Z. Many have started to master the short-video app's elusive algorithm.
- Now, the most popular creators are being snapped up by talent agencies, and businesses are sizing up how they work with influencers to sell to TikTok's 800 million users.
- We spoke to the influencers and brands who have found success on the platform about what they're doing right — and where TikTok could go next.
Adam Salisbury had no clue what his colleague was talking about when she suggested he join TikTok in November 2018. "She was telling me I'd do really well on it, but I was just laughing and asking if it was something to do with clocks," the artist says.
A month later, Salisbury was TikTok famous. Videos of his painting have more than 9.7 million likes and have earned him more than half a million followers. He has even collaborated with Disney on Mickey Mouse and Frozen murals.
New "TikTokers" like Salisbury can go viral much quicker and bigger there than on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter. Other users can recirculate videos they like, including to other platforms. Salisbury's time-lapse video of himself painting Captain Tom Moore, the 100-year-old veteran who raised tens of millions of pounds for the UK's health service, had only 13,000 views on Instagram — but more than 300,000 on TikTok.
"[On Instagram] you have to have a following first and it's hard to get a following unless you've got a lot of money put aside and you're a big business who can start throwing out sponsored adverts," Salisbury says. "With TikTok you can literally just upload a video and have a million followers the next day."
In other words, on TikTok, anyone can go viral. That means it can feel chaotic, and its algorithm remains elusive. It's making would-be influencers, as well as brands, rethink everything they know about social media, and there are signs that both groups are beginning to adapt. Some users are consistently seeing their videos take off and talent agencies have come calling; businesses are learning to promote their products to millions of people — without having to pay for a single ad.
More than other platforms, TikTok pushes people to discover something new.
When you open Instagram you see pictures and videos from people you've already chosen to follow, and have to click to another page to "explore" other users. On TikTok, you open the app to a "For You" feed which recommends new videos based on your viewing habits. Only then can you click off to see the people you follow.
TikTok makes it easy for novices to circulate their videos worldwide by getting them promoted on this page. Unlike Instagram, which explains how it ranks users' content, TikTok keeps its algorithm a closely guarded secret. This hasn't stopped TikTokers trying to work it out.
"We've put some videos out and then deleted them because people don't like them," says 42-year-old Jenny Mcloughlin, who became an overnight sensation after starring in her daughters' hit videos of their dance challenges and Kardashian impressions. "There's a lot to learn about how TikTok actually works because one can be a hit and one can be a miss — it just depends on the algorithm".
During "trending hashtag challenges," users try to reach bigger audiences by mimicking past viral videos. Others repurpose existing soundbites, such as the comedian Sarah Cooper, who got famous in lockdown for her videos mocking Donald Trump's incoherence.
"When we do the challenges we all have our own opinions and just put our own little twist on it," Mcloughlin says. "We've had quite a lot that's gone viral … I think it's because we're just a family and we're a bit different."
While people polish content to perfection before posting it on Instagram, TikTok rewards originality and at least the impression of spontaneity. For now, those rewards are likes and views — but soon, creators will be able to earn money directly from the platform. On July 23, TikTok announced a $200 million "Creator Fund" to help eligible video-makers in the US make money on the app, and it will begin accepting applications in August. It has also launched a similar $300 million European fund.
Some are already making a living on the app through paid promotions. Talent agencies have snapped up popular TikTok influencers, too. Big & Bright represents Joel M, a magician who has 4.1 million fans on the platform; Bytesized Talent represents Mermaid Grace (1.2 million TikTok fans), a party entertainer who free dives while dressed as a mermaid; and Influentially represents Hussein Yoga, a contortionist (1.3 million fans).
According to Sam Hoffman, who works with brands to develop their TikTok marketing campaigns, any brand or influencer with unique videos is more likely to make it big on TikTok, because it is still new enough for them to be "first to market."
As with older social media platforms, the more popular TikTok becomes, the more cluttered it will get, but Hoffman says that "there's still lots and lots of opportunity to be the first in your category either as a brand or as a person."
Businesses are getting involved — and they're doing more than buying ads
Last month, TikTok launched "TikTok For Business", a dedicated platform for brands wondering how to sell to its 800 million users. Adverts are not the only way for them to make their mark.
Alessandro Bogliari, co-founder and chief executive of The Influencer Marketing Factory, says his agency focuses on working with creators, rather than taking out ads (although ads can still boost viewing figures, he says). The idea is that the brand in questions contracts a few key influencers to make videos promoting a campaign, in the hope that their followers will mimic the videos and go viral.
One example is the agency's promotion of Shakira and Anuel AA's song "Me Gusta." It contracted six TikTok influencers to create videos where they recreated Shakira's eye makeup. The campaign eventuallly generated 19,100 user videos, 6,900,000 video views, and 1,170,000 likes.
And whether it's organic campaigns or adverts, Bogliari believes TikTok is still the most cost-effective platform for social media marketing.
"The organic reach of Instagram … it's really limited," he says. "You don't really get in front of enough people anymore. For the same price you can get millions and millions of people on TikTok."
The US government is considering a ban on the video-sharing app because it is owned by Chinese company ByteDance, raising concerns about China's influence on our digital lives. Will it be around to dominate the marketing landscape for much longer?
Social media consultant Matt Navarra thinks so. "My suspicion is the US will try and impose some sanctions or put increased pressure on TikTok and ByteDance," he says. "But a ban seems like another Trump thing that will talk the talk … it probably won't get that far."
Navarra thinks the UK will be less gung-ho about banning one of the world's most popular apps. "There are plenty of other steps they could take in terms of requesting ... [TikTok proves] its safety and its trustworthiness," he says. "That would possibly address some of the concerns without requiring a ban."
For now, the app looks set to continue to shoot novice video makers and savvy brands to overnight fame, tearing up the influencer rulebook — one viral video at a time.