Extra, Extra! Watch All About It!Tick, tick … BOOM! Hear that? That’s the explosion of users that get their news on TikTok. A full third of TikTok users in the U.S. say they now regularly access news on the app, up from just 22% in 2020.
Skeptics may be wondering — isn’t TikTok the app for viral dance challenges and memes? Yes, but to paraphrase Walt Whitman: It contains multitudes. Trusted traditional news outlets such as NPR (191,000 followers), the Washington Post (1.4 million followers), and Daily Mail (4 million followers) have found a place on the app along with many respected journalists.
While the content these media companies produce ranges from serious breaking news to lighter human interest stories, the method in which it is delivered leans into the signature tone of TikTok and takes advantage of the hallmark features that make it so successful. Using music, humor, authenticity, short clips, and trending hashtags and sounds, news outlets are building quite the successful niche on TikTok.
Take UnderTheDeskNews, an independent news source that breaks down current events, political analysis, and special interest stories in approachable, easy-to-understand 60-second daily explainer videos. Host V Spehar literally delivers videos from under a desk as a fun inversion of the traditional broadcast news anchor setup.
If you’re struggling with how to utilize TikTok in the B2B space, you’re not alone. But building a TikTok presence doesn’t mean you have to dance or cater to teenagers. Take a cue from the news media’s strategy on the app. Every social platform has its unique style, and succeeding in it is just a matter of adapting your voice and approach to match it in a way that makes sense for your brand.
Remember — all work and no play makes B2B a dull space.
TL;DR: Respected news outlets are finding innovative ways to utilize TikTok, and B2B brands should take note.
The Long Game — Two Social Updates to Keep Your 👀 OnOn social media, things can change in an instant, and this week brought two quick hits you might have missed. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered:
TikTok has expanded the post description field from 300 characters to 2,200 — a 730% increase. The extra space will allow creators to give more context, expand detail, and make videos more searchable. As TikTok leans into discoverability and continues its quest to function more like a search engine, marketers can leverage this update to increase the chances of their content reaching the right audience.
Instagram Stories is also going long by rolling out the ability to post 60-second video clips. With less pressure to get in as much information as possible in 15-second segments, users will have a little breathing room to create stronger content. As brands navigate how to distribute short-form content across various platforms, longer Instagram Stories can serve as a helpful testing ground before fully committing to a strategy on other apps.
TL;DR: TikTok is increasing the character count for video descriptions to 2,200 and Instagram Stories can now be 60 seconds long. Both updates give short content a little more breathing room and brands a leg up on searchability and strategy.
What Lit Us Up
Hey, Referee, Won't You Turn the Music Up?Got a big announcement and want to make a splash? Rather than going all out with a multi-channel blitz, sometimes less is more to get your audience intrigued and talking about your major news. That’s exactly the strategy the NFL took when it came time to announce superstar Rihanna will headline the 2023 Super Bowl Halftime Show.
RiRi dropped the exciting news with a cryptic, caption-less, and playful post on Instagram, showing her hand holding up a football. But fans immediately heard the message of the tease loud and clear, and the post quickly racked up more than 6 million likes. The comment section was soon filled with hype for the performance, like the Bravo “Watch What Happens Live” account, which joked, “NFL = National Fenty League” (a nod to Rihanna’s cosmetics brand Fenty Beauty). When it came time for the NFL to confirm the rumors alongside show sponsor Apple Music, the league even briefly changed its social media bios to highlight Bravo’s wordplay and honor its halftime star.
While the chatter spanned the spectrum — good, bad, and everywhere in between — it was certainly swift and plentiful. Next time you’re planning a major announcement, whether it’s a product launch, an exciting new partnership, or a big event, consider if you have the right ingredients to break the news with a tease that playfully hints. You just might be pleasantly surprised by the organic and lively engagement it sparks.
TL;DR: The NFL and Rihanna’s announcement about the Super Bowl Halftime show was a brilliant primer on the art of the tease. Dangle just enough info to get your audience talking about your big news.
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