When we compare Instagram’s one billion monthly users, to TikTok’s 689 Million users, it may seem that Instagram is the preferred choice based on the potential reach that’s available. However, in the past year, we’ve seen the wonders of Tiktok’s algorithm, which has shown to encourage more of a level playing field, where content is priority over hierarchy. 

To test out Tiktok, I had uploaded a clip of a show that I was watching back in February, which has now reached 45k views and over 6k likes, this would never have been the case on Instagram. 

And just before yesterday, I had posted another video of the show that I watched and in less than a day, it has received 25k views and over 3k likes. I mean I did follow the Social media rules, which includes using 3 to 4 hashtags- 2 in a similar niche and 2 that are trending. Additionally, I did include a trending soundtrack in the background, which is encouraged on Tiktok, to help with the discoverability of content. 

The videos did have a good engagement rate in comparison to other platforms, but it didn’t convert into an increase of followers. This is not surprising, since with any platform, consistency, reliability and value is what can actually encourage people to follow a platform.  In any case, it’s worth experimenting to see what works and what doesn’t and thanks to Tiktok’s quick turnaround results, you’ll be able to quickly adjust accordingly. 

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Opportunities to target audiences

On the flip side, from a brands perspective, conventional platforms such as Instagram and Facebook have their own advantages, such as the availability and access to masses of insight and data that can be used to specifically target various audience groups. The downside to these platforms is the high cost of advertising associated with them. While using newer platforms such as Tiktok, would be far more cheaper and less competitive.

However, there are a few limitations of using Tiktok to promote certain brands, such as alcohol brands. This is probably because Tiktok had started off for a younger crowd, therefore, the existing processes and restrictions put in place are mainly there for them. Although, I think the lack of age regulations being put in place for all age groups could prove to be more ineffective for all ages from young to old. This being said, we have seen Tiktok change a lot over the past few months, so who knows these regulations may also change to accommodate everyones interests in the near future.

To conclude, Tiktok is pretty amazing, although whether you should use it or not, really depends on the nature of your content; but if you’re in doubt, why not use Tiktok in addition to other platforms. This may help diversify and increase your chances of getting your content discovered.