Tik-Tok is a platform which has grown rapidly in popularity over the past couple of years. Tik-Tok originally began life as a platform called Musical.ly, where the main feature of the app was users lip syncing to short clips of popular songs. Starting life in 2014, Musical.ly went on to be used by many people including celebrities like Ariana Grande, however after a drop in popularity, it was rebranded as Tik-Tok in 2018.

These days on Tik-Tok there are a wide variety of different features, including the use of filters, 3-minute videos and Creator Funds available throughout several countries. Tik-Tok is used by a vast amount of people, ranging from casual users and businesses, to celebrities and more, rapidly becoming one of the most popular social media platforms there is! But why do you think this might be?

Find out below why Tik-Tok is so popular, how it is different from other platforms, the effect of creator funds and other reasons you might have not even thought of!

 

How is it different from other platforms?

Firstly, Tik-Tok combines all the best features of the platforms before it. The accessibility to promote and interact with businesses that Instagram has, the use of hashtags and inside jokes between Twitter users, as well as the ability to create and share entertaining videos the way Facebook often does, all of which has allowed Tik-Tok to quickly attract and retain its audiences.

However, in order to stand out from its competitors, Tik-Tok also needed to have its own unique selling point. In this case, the main attraction to Tik-Tok is not only the variety of content it provides which is specifically designed for each user, as can be seen by the ‘For You Page’ tab, but it also is one of the easiest platforms on which to gain a following. 

This can be seen through many accounts that have had even just one of their videos ‘ go viral and gain sometimes as high as 10 million views, resulting in a huge amount of followers who want to see more of their content. This has become a huge selling point, not only for businesses but also for many influencers who wish to gain a following on Tik-Tok but also on other platforms such as Instagram. 

This is also very easy to achieve, as sometimes all it takes is to use the right popular feature and sound at the right time, along with the #fyp hashtag to ensure it ends up on many people’s ‘For You Page’.

 

How did lockdown affect Tik-Tok?

Lockdown also had a huge impact on Tik-Tok’s popularity. Over this period of time when many found themselves at home and bored, spending more time on their phones, this new and exciting platform offered a much-needed outlet for their socialising and creativity. This platform not only targeted the younger audience through trends such as ‘Tik-Tok dances’ but also targeted the more mature users through short summary clips of the news and other media.

As well as these benefits, the platform also provided comfort for many who felt anxious and wanted to watch some new entertaining videos to ease their stress – all contributing to Tik-Tok’s rapid growth.

 

How did Creator Funds influence the number of accounts created on Tik-Tok?

Another key selling point which attracted many audiences was the Creator Fund. With many following the government guidance to work from home during lockdown and Tik-Tok offering an additional source of income, this resulted in many taking advantage of this opportunity, which was highly appealing to many. 

As soon as it became evident that persistence is key, along with a keen eye for the right content, users came to realise they could potentially be provided with the opportunity to pursue Tik-Tok full-time – as many have done over the past four years, monetising the platform by promoting their business or creating videos. Because of the simplicity of the channel, Tik-Tok went on to further attract a large number of businesses and creators to the app.

 

Impact of shadow-banning?

However, it all isn’t always so easy. Sometimes, we can see the impact of shadow-banning when the videos or the account itself does not reach the amount of audience it normally does. This results in a huge decrease in the views as well as a decrease in income for the creators. This was then also impacted by the accounts sometimes being banned through ‘haters’ reporting their content.

This all demonstrated the importance of being extremely established and having a big following before making the decision to pursue Tik-Tok full-time.

 

Final thoughts:

Tik-Tok will continue to grow through the regular introduction of new features which appeal to different groups of audiences. Although it is important to acknowledge the risks of pursuing Tik-Tok full-time, this immensely popular platform provides many opportunities for multiple people and can be an amazing source of entertainment, income and even a source of enjoyment for many.