From the viral Apple dance and storytelling content to the straight-up nonsense of the symphony dolphin meme, the TikTok algorithm means very different things to different people leaving many marketers scratching their heads on how to effectively utilise it
Throughout the last 15 years, social media has completely transformed the world of PR and marketing, allowing brands to extend their reach to a wide variety of demographics and boost engagement amongst audiences. Quickly jumping from Facebook to Twitter and Instagram to Snapchat, PR campaigns always need to be 10 steps ahead of the game to stay relevant in today’s digital market. Although not an entirely new concept, TikTok’s short-form video-sharing platform has unlocked a new world of possibilities for branding, opening the door to boundless creativity and achieving virality overnight.
If you haven’t yet entered the TikTok realm – welcome! You’ve missed a lot, take a seat and grab a snack.
The Birth of Short-Form Video Platforms
First thing’s first, let’s rewind a bit to 2012, when the short-form social media genre all started with the beloved video-sharing app, Vine. Allowing users to share content up to 6 seconds, Vine was the birthplace of internet catchphrases and cultural moments that left us in stitches for years to come – “Road work ahead? Uh yeah, I sure hope it does.” While Instagram quickly surpassed the Vine craze by introducing 15-second video sharing, Vine paved the way for similar platforms such as Musical.ly, which featured short-form lip-sync, karaoke-style (and slightly cringe-worthy) videos.
TikTok’s journey began in 2016 when the Chinese-owned company ByteDance launched it as “Douyin”. After acquiring the lip-syncing app Musical.ly in 2017, ByteDance merged its features into Douyin and rebranded it as TikTok for global users in 2018. TikTok’s smart algorithm and catchy content quickly tailored the perfect “For You Page” (FYP) for users, making it a hit among teens, with many content creators transitioning from Musical.ly.
Pandemic-Tok
Although the app was slow to build on its audience mostly carried over from Musical.ly, TikTok experienced an influx of downloads during the height of the global pandemic. As billions of people battled isolation during repeated lockdowns, TikTok became a way for GenZ and Millennials to stay connected, with the app racking up a 45% increase in monthly active users between July 2020 and July 2022. Despite a downturn in consumer spending during this time, TikTok showed clear potential for driving brand awareness and marketing with its simple design, tailored algorithm, and creative features.
Why Use TikTok for PR?
Since hitting its peak, TikTok has become a playground for marketers, who’ve been revamping their messaging to match the platform’s energetic vibe, tapping into viral sounds and trends. It’s quickly turned into a creative goldmine, offering brands one of the hottest spots to boost visibility and connect with a wide-ranging audience. TikTok’s magic lies in its diverse user base, ease of going viral, its powerful algorithm, and seamless links to brand websites and social media channels.
Whether it’s sharing product news, showing off demos, launching new releases, or building collaborations, TikTok lets brands engage directly with consumers while building recognition. With the addition of TikTok Shop in several countries, users can now even buy products without leaving the app.
Built for endless scrolling, TikTok’s intuitive design keeps users hooked, with the average daily time spent more than doubling from 27 minutes and 24 seconds in 2019 to 58 minutes and 24 seconds in 2024. This means even more chances for brands to drop creative, funny, and original content that truly stands out.
Successful TikTok Branding
When thinking of successful TikTok branding, Duolingo’s big green (and slightly unhinged) owl instantly springs to mind. The brand cleverly adapted its language to resonate with TikTok’s young and meme-loving audience, tapping into viral trends, sounds, and humour. This playful approach, already a hit on other platforms, makes Duolingo unforgettable on TikTok. By creating a fun storyline—like the owl’s disdain for Google Translate and its unexpected love for Dua Lipa—Duolingo has built a quirky narrative that keeps users engaged and coming back for more.
Another standout brand on TikTok is the popular budget airline Ryanair – seriously, whoever is behind this TikTok account, we salute you. Much like Duolingo, Ryanair leans into its elite sense of humour, creating meme-worthy videos that don’t take themselves too seriously. By poking fun at common complaints, customer frustrations, and the usual travel mishaps, they’ve turned these pain points into comedy gold. What sets Ryanair apart is its authentic approach and Gen Z language, showing its followers that Ryanair understands their struggles and knows exactly how to keep them entertained – and booking.
How to Make Your Brand Stand Out on TikTok
At the end of the day, it’s all about letting your creativity and authenticity shine through, as TikTok users appreciate brands that adopt a more genuine and down-to-earth tone in their content. Don’t be afraid to show a bit of personality and have a laugh, and if you’re ever in need of inspiration, why not enjoy a scroll through the app yourself (strictly for educational purposes, of course). You might just spot the next big trend or pick up a few ideas to make your brand stand out from the crowd.
Before diving into TikTok content creation, it’s crucial you get to know your audience inside and out. TikTok’s user base is a smorgasbord of diverse preferences, trends, and cultures, so understanding who’s following you and what they’re engaging with is key. Here, the platform’s analytics feature will be your best friend, helping you pinpoint your followers’ interests, their interaction patterns, and the trending hashtags and sounds they love.
Once you’ve got a handle on your audience, it’s time to unleash TikTok’s fun features to make your brand shine, making use of effects like stickers, filters, transitions, and voice-overs to add a playful twist to your videos. Don’t forget to seek out influencers and journalists in your niche by searching for relevant keywords and hashtags. Engage with their content, collaborate on campaigns, or even invite them to take over your account for the day.
To track your success, keep an eye on your analytics, both on TikTok and through tools like Google Analytics, to measure engagement, traffic, and conversions from your videos. Regular monitoring will ensure you stay on top of your TikTok PR game and continue to stand out from the crowd.
Although the platform is known for dance videos and silly viral content, over the years TikTok has evolved into a retail space, informational outlet, and community-based environment. While the task of creating current, meme-worthy content, may seem daunting at first – and even a bit ridiculous – on TikTok, brands are rewarded for uniqueness and authenticity, so the weirder and wackier, the better! Marketers must also understand that creating engaging TikToks is very much trial and error but don’t give up so soon, the algorithm is working in your favour.
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