Tik Tok Trend Report

2. TABLE OF CONTENTS

3. The fear of missing out has persuaded billions
of mobile users to check out the fastest
growing mobile platform, TikTok. Over 2.6
billion people worldwide have downloaded
the app, as reported in December 2020.
But what is it? TikTok is a short-form, vertical
video-sharing app that allows users to create
and share videos up to 60-seconds on any
topic. Some popular genres include comedy,
dance and education. Yes, that’s right...
education. YouTube is not the only place for
learning online anymore. In fact, TikTok offers
a short-form, aka microlearning, solution that
is the preferred way of learning in 2020.
TikTok was originally launched in Beijing, China in 2016. It wasn’t released into the
international market until 2017 which is when TikTok merged with the popular lip-
syncing app Musical.ly. A lot of Musical.ly’s original DNA still can be found on the
platform, such as lip-syncing videos and dance challenges.
TIME ISN’T RUNNING OUT
FOR TIKTOK...

4. During the Coronavirus pandemic, everyone had
more time to spend on their phones at home. As
a result, TikTok became the #1 top-grossing app
on iOS App Store globally in the second quarter
of 2020.
2020 was a great year for TikTok, especially in
America. It was the year that the United States
became one of TikTok’s largest markets after
India’s government banned the app. Former
President Donald Trump threatened to ban the
app too, accusing its Chinese parent company,
ByteDance, of jeopardizing national security. He
claimed it would give the Chinese government
access to user data and demanded a full sale
of TikTok to an American owner. Oracle and
Walmart Inc. then agreed to buy 20% of TikTok in
a complex deal pushed by the former president.
There haven’t been any recent threats of banning
the app by President Joe Biden, provided it can
ensure American user data is secure.
All that commotion created panic for TikTok users
and “why is TikTok getting banned” became
a trending Google search. In 2020, it was the
5th most asked ‘why’ question ahead of “why
is everyone buying toilet paper” and “why is it
called COVID-19”.
2020 Madness:
TikTok’s Explosive Growth

5. TikTok is available in over 150 different countries,
but focusing on the United States, there are an
estimated 100 million monthly active users and
about 50 million daily active users.
Let’s break those down:
• On average, U.S. TikTok users open the app 8
times a day.
• US TikTok users spend an average of 498.09
minutes on the TikTok app per month —
making TikTok the second most used app.
The most used app is Facebook, with users
spending an average of 769.16 minutes
per month.
• Roughly 60% of users are female, 40%
are male.
• In the United States, 18.2% of the active
TikTok accounts belonged to female teens
(19 and below).
While Gen Z (ages 10 to 24) make up the largest
age demographic on the app, users of all
generations have been swarming to TikTok. A
quarter of U.S. users, for instance, are aged 45-64.
WHO’S ON
TIKTOK
Audience & Reach

6. Much of what makes TikTok so popular comes down to the app’s unique features.
TikTok provides its users with the typical social media functions, like following, sending
likes, messaging and re-sharing content. Similar to Snapchat, TikTok allows users to edit
their videos by applying effects like changing the color of their eyes and even lip-syncing
videos. However, there are a lot of things that TikTok does differently than other apps.
Some examples include the vast selection of sounds, the infinite For You Page scroll and
collaborative features.
Let’s dive into them:
WHAT MAKES
TIKTOK TICK?
Platform Features
Sounds
TikTok sounds are made up of a variety of audio samples including
particularly catchy song choruses, original audio from user-made videos,
or audio taken from popular moments in television and movies. TikTok
gives users access to this extensive library of sounds and then aggregates
all content using the same sound on a singular page, much like a hashtag,
allowing users to spend hours viewing the creative ways others have used
the sound in their own content. Proper usage of this feature is especially
key to achieving a highly viral video. Ways to use sounds include keeping
the original sound on a video and encouraging others to use it too, adding
a trending song so that your content is more likely to be served to others, or
combining both.
For You Page
On the homepage, users will see two different feeds: Following and For You.
The “Following” page shows videos from people you follow. TikTok’s “For
You” page is similar to Instagram’s “Explore” page. It is curated by TikTok’s
algorithm and is designed to present you with a collection of videos you
should enjoy, based on your past behavior on the app. TikTok’s algorithm is
unlike any other app. Users stay on average for over 10 minutes at a time, the
highest of any other platform including Instagram which has an average time
spent in-app of almost 3 minutes.
The majority of a TikTok user’s time is spent on the “For You” page, making
the app different from Instagram or Facebook. Unlike the other major social
media apps, you are not dependent on a network. You don’t have to be
following users to come across relevant content. You don’t have to have a
following to be seen by (possibly) millions.

7. Q&A
This year, TikTok introduced a new Q&A feature, which
is now available to all users with Creator Accounts. The
new feature aims to elicit more engagement between
creators and their fans by enabling users to ask their
favorite creators questions that can then be answered
in future video clips. Questions in the comment
section of videos or livestreams are uniquely labeled in
order to make it easier for creators to quickly identify
and answer. Followers can see the list of queries on
the creator’s profile and “Like” each as a form of voting
for which questions they also want to see addressed
by the creator.
Live & Gifts
If you have 1,000 or more followers, you are able to livestream. This special
feature allows creators to receive virtual gifts from their fans purchased with
TikTok Coins. The gifts you receive can be converted into diamonds, which
creators can cash in. However, TikTok takes a 50% commission, so if you
earned $100 worth of diamonds, you only keep $50.
Duet & Stitch
Other adored features about TikTok include the ability to react to other
people’s videos by either dueting or stitching. Duets allow you to build on
another user’s video by recording your own video alongside the original
as it plays. The stitch option allows users the ability to clip and integrate
scenes from another user’s video into their own. Both dueting and stitching
are unlike any other app’s features and provide the perfect opportunity to
collaborate with other users.
Other Socials
You can share videos directly from TikTok to Instagram, YouTube, and
Facebook. TikTok also allows users the ability to link YouTube and Instagram
accounts on your profile. You can also add a website to your profile along with
your bio and profile picture or video. That’s right, you can add a video of 6
seconds to use in place of a profile picture.

8. A successful content creator on TikTok often finds their audience follows them across
other platforms like Instagram and YouTube, this is mostly because TikTok allows
creators to directly link their external pages in their TikTok profiles. However, there are
differences between influencers on TikTok and Instagram which should be kept in mind
as you choose the best influencer/platform combination for your campaigns and KPIs.
INSTAGRAM VS. TIKTOK
Platform Contrasts

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15. TikTok
Instagram

16. Brand Takeover ads are still images,
GIFs or videos that play as soon as a user
opens their app for the first time. The
ad contains a clickable link that directs
users to a brand’s website. TikTok takes
user experience seriously. They make sure
only one brand per day appears on the
user feed. Price points tend to be high,
as these brand takeovers guarantee high
impression rates.
These appear in a feed and are between
nine and 15 seconds long. Just like
organic videos in a feed, these ads can
be skipped by simply scrolling past.
These offer both organic and sponsored opportunities for brands. TikTok challenges
are a great way to encourage user-generated content and increase brand awareness. A
sponsored hashtag challenge is a fun way to seamlessly collaborate and integrate with
the TikTok community. When a user clicks on the sponsored hashtag, it will take them
to a landing page with the branding logo, link to their website, brief description of the
challenge and popular videos that are using the hashtag. These are typically started by
influencers who have a large following and amplified by smaller influencers or app users.
If you are looking to boost your challenge, TikTok offers promotional support for $150,000
per day where it will be shown on the Discover page.
Similar to a Brand Takeover, a TopView
ad appears in the user’s feed after about
3-seconds of clicking into the app.
However, it is less intrusive and looks less
like an ad. Unlike Brand Takeover ads,
Topview ads are videos that last up to
60-seconds with the sound on. It comes
more naturally and is seamlessly woven
into user-generated content.
Similar to Snapchat’s branded lenses,
TikTok’s branded effects allow brands to
customize and design their own filter.
TikTok’s Branded Effects can go live for
up to 10 days at a time. These augmented
reality filters are a great way to get users
to interact with your brand.
TikTok ads allow businesses to target their audience by gender, location, age,
interests and other unique variables. There are a variety of different formats and
price points. Let’s break those down to figure out what would work best for brands:
PLATFORM AD TYPES
Brand Takeover
In-Feed Ads
Branded Hashtag Challenge
TopView
Branded Effects

17. Chipotle’s #TikTokTimeOut challenge
was set up perfectly during the Super
Bowl to feature Chipotle’s new delivery
service. They partnered with over a
dozen popular influencers like David
Dobrik and Zach King. The influencers
shared sponsored content every time
a team timeout was called, helping
the campaign generated over 2.5
million engagements. This highlights
how younger audiences participate in
branded campaigns instead of passively
watching traditional ads on TV.
Macy’s went above just a hashtag challenge. While their TikTok account has only one
thousand followers and no content, they utilized the hashtag challenge plus feature
to drive a campaign home. This is an e-commerce feature that allows users to shop for
products right in the TikTok app. The hashtag’s landing page included a “shop now”
button where shoppers could see popular products at Macy’s like prom dresses and
there’s even a store locator.
It has been reported that the cost of advertising on TikTok can be anywhere from
$50,000 to $120,000, depending on the type and duration. With that in mind,
remember that companies like The Washington Post elevated themselves without ads.
The key to that strategy is authenticity and creativity.
How Brands are
Using Hashtag Challenges

18. Since TikTok is still new and trends change every week,
think about ways to make a relevant trending video
relatable to your brand.
The Washington Post is a prime example. This
newspaper knows how to keep up with trends and
has nearly 900,000 followers to prove it. The face of
the brand on the platform, Dave Jorgenson, is shown
here doing a trending TikTok dance while news about
the COVID-19 vaccine is shown in text-on-screen. Thus,
making a trend relevant to the brand.
Use hashtags that relate to your content. TikTok hashtags are incredibly important
because they are used to categorize content. They signal to the algorithm what a video
is about and can help get it in front of the right people.
Don’t be afraid to use smaller, more specific hashtags for some posts so potential
customers can find you. #marketing
Unlike Instagram, users are not coming to Tiktok to find new products to buy, instead,
they are looking for content that conveys authenticity and entertainment. Based on a
new U.S. study from Nielsen, people come to TikTok to lift their spirits, showing that the
real value of marketing is authenticity.
“Being real is the new cultural currency as today’s influence comes from the
authentic ideas and imagination of everyday people,” said Sofia Hernandez,
Head of U.S. Business Marketing, TikTok. “This opens up a new opportunity for
brands to take a more meaningful approach to marketing by truly connecting
with our community. Trends on TikTok create moments and movements that
extend off the platform and become part of our daily lives.”
Tip #1 Make Trends Relevant to You
Tip #3 Hashtags
Tip #2 Be Authentic
If your brand’s target audience is anyone between the ages of 13 and 40, you should invest
time in TikTok. The platform recently added the ability to include links and commerce
URLs in your profile and videos, making it even easier to market to users. So not only is the
organic reach on TikTok huge, but you can also drive meaningful traffic to your website.
IS TIKTOK RIGHT FOR YOU?
8 Brand Takeaways

19. If you try to start a hashtag challenge and want to boost it,
try turning it into a contest. You can offer an award or prize
in exchange for challenge participation or award a best
take on the challenge.
Cosmetics brand, e.l.f., nailed their contest by combining
a viral concept, unique hashtag, relevant prize ($250 of its
products), and smart influencer collaborations to reach
now over 7 billion people.
Aside from the top TikTok influencers pursuing celebrityhood full-time, most content
creators do TikTok as a side hustle. Several people have even become influencers on the
app by documenting their actual jobs. For example, @bruontheradio calls himself the
CEO of Radio TikTok. With almost 3 million followers, he records himself on the job in the
studio where he does entertaining challenges.
Try to start with a hook. Grab their attention at the beginning so they stay. The shorter
the video, the more likely users will watch to the end and then play it again. And every
time a video replays it counts as another view. Additionally, if it’s under 30 seconds, you
can even repurpose that video on your Instagram account using Reels.
Tip #4 Contests
Tip #6 Partner with TikTokers
Tip #5 The Clock is TickToking
7.1B views
Another TikTok influencer @sterlingmonett has over a million
followers on her account. She’s a model that went viral for her
uniquely edited fashion videos that showcase her funky clothes and
personality. Both of these examples show how TikTok influencers
have more to offer than just being influencers, they are real people,
documenting their real jobs.
“I love working with brands. Especially those that give me
creative freedom to show the products naturally in a TikTok.
Those videos tend to get higher engagement too because it
flows with my personal brand and my followers can tell that
my hand was on the making of it.” -Sterling Monètt
Work with TikTokers and their ideas. The more naturally your brand
fits their account, the better.

20. Multiple studies show how spending a lot of
time on social media can lead to anxiety and
depression. However, a new study led by Dr. Lee
Smith at Anglia Ruskin University shows how
people can change that. Moods can be increased
and people’s mental health can prosper if they
actively consume social media, rather than
passively. Instead of scrolling past mindlessly,
when people engage like leaving a thoughtful
comment, the results are positive.
Brand and sponsored influencers can help with this by commenting on their
branded content first in order to encourage others to do the same. As always, a clear
CTA is best so try giving direct instructions like “comment your favorite *blank* that
you want me to do next.”
This social media app is similar to YouTube in that it is a platform used to spread
knowledge. People love to learn and know secrets. Possessing knowledge that few
other people have makes them feel better about themselves and builds self-esteem.
Integrate your product into content like lockdown life hacks, fun facts, financial or
marketing advice. In this way, your brand can inject itself into the content TikTok
users are naturally looking for.
There are accounts for everything:
Tip #7 Call to Engage
Tip #8 Give Tips
Amazon finds Life coach/psychologist TikTok Instagram Tips

21. • Brands can elevate themselves with one of TikTok’s five ad types or they can
promote without paying by creating. The key to that strategy is creativity
and authenticity.
• When choosing influencers to partner with, focus
on authenticity. Many accounts have gained a
following by documenting their life, jobs, and
behind-the-scenes moments — these accounts
can be used to show authentic use of your product
in everyday life. For example, Sterling Monètt’s
behind-the-scenes video of a campaign with Kim
Kardashian’s Skims had better engagement than
the planned campaign video.
• A lot of TikTok viral videos look like they were shot
in their parents’ basement. TikToks are more about
good content and less about trendy aesthetics.
• You don’t need to have a following to get your content seen on TikTok, tap
hashtags and sounds as a way of increasing the likelihood that content will
end up on users’ For You Pages.
• Content on the app is constantly changing, think of creative ways to weave
your brand into current and relevant trends and challenges.
• TikTok is successfully performing right now and is predicted to only go up
from here. So TikTok, what are you waiting for...start using the app now!
NOW YOU KNOW
Recap

22. • https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/sep/22/tiktok-sale-the-reasons-behind-
it-and-the-new-deal
• https://openinfluence.com/tiktok-influencer-guide/
• https://wallaroomedia.com/blog/social-media/tiktok-statistics/#:~:text=U.S.%20
Audience%20%E2%80%93%20As%20we%20mentioned,between%20the%20ages%20
25%2D44.
• https://later.com/blog/tiktok-ads/
• https://brands.joinstatus.com/tiktok-vs-instagram
• https://www.mobileapps.com/blog/tiktok-statistics#TikTok_in_the_US
• https://au.lifestyle.yahoo.com/actively-consuming-social-media-could-benefit-your-
mental-health-study-finds-155348463.html?guccounter=1
• https://openinfluence.com/micro-learning-through-social-media-how-brands-can-tap-
into-this-growing-trend/
Sources