What is TikTok?

TikTok is the video-sharing platform on everyone’s lips, yet if you’re not familiar with this new social networking app, you may be wondering what all the fuss is about. Though it emerged on the global stage just three years ago in 2018, TikTok existed for four years before this under its previous name, Music.ly.

Musical.ly was a video streaming and sharing app that allowed users to create short lip-sync and comedy videos, and in 2017, it was acquired by TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance. The following year, ByteDance merged Music.ly with the new TikTok app to consolidate its data into one app and create a larger, worldwide video community. Shortly after, in 2020, TikTok surpassed Facebook as the most downloaded app of the year, firmly cementing itself as the must-have social media channel.

What is the TikTok app? Here is everything you need to know

1. What is TikTok?

TikTok is a video-sharing app and social networking service that lets users create and share short-form videos ranging from 15 seconds to three minutes on any topic. It’s owned by Beijing-based company ByteDance, which also operates a separate, similar app for the Chinese market, known as Duyin.

2. TikTok vs. Musical.ly

Musical.ly was a Chinese social media service launched in 2014 where users created and shared short lip-sync videos ranging from 15 seconds to one minute. ByteDance acquired Musical.ly Inc. in November 2017 and merged it into TikTok in August 2018. The TikTok app is based on the same short-form video concept but is much broader in scope. Unlike Musical.ly, however, it doesn’t only focus on lip-syncing to music.

Videos on TikTok often feature background music or other audio clips and can be customized by slowing down, speeding up, or adding a filter to the content. Additionally, users can add their own sound on top of the background audio.

3. How does TikTok work?

To get started on TikTok, users must first download the app before signing up to the platform using their phone number, email address, or third-party accounts such as Facebook and Instagram. Once logged into the app, users can use their phone contacts or social media followers to find friends already on the app. Additionally, they can search popular creators, categories (dance, fitness, beauty, pranks, etc.), and hashtags to find videos.

Although many users like to create their own video content on the platform, plenty prefer to just use TikTok as a way to find and follow video content or creators that interest them.

4. Why is TikTok so popular?

Since TikTok’s launch, the app has continued to grow at an impressive rate. In October 2018, it was the most downloaded photo and video app in the Apple store worldwide, surpassing Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram. Since then, the app has gone on to achieve more than two billion global downloads. Of this number, a large portion of downloads was from U.S.-based users. For example, TikTok has approximately 50 million daily active users in the United States alone.

Some of the main reasons for its increasing popularity include celebrity endorsements, localized content, and the service offers easy video content creation, sharing, and viewing. Additionally, the app is well-known for its quirky trends and hashtag challenges. TikTok is particularly popular among Gen Z, which refers to users born after 1996, and makes up over 60% of TikTok’s users. This popularity among the younger generation can be attributed to many elements of the app, including its widely diverse content, personalized selections, fresh takes on advertising, and empowerment of self-expression.

5. How can brands leverage TikTok?

TikTok due to its popularity and video content is certainly a channel worth leveraging for brands who want to put their products in front of a larger, more engaged, and younger audience. Brands can leverage TikTok in four main ways to build brand awareness:

• by using TikTok challenges and contests to encourage users to create their own brand-related video content

• by leveraging hashtags the same way as on other social media platforms to market their own marketing campaigns, products, or services.

Guess was the first brand to utilize TikTok in this way when they launched their #InMyDenim campaign on September 1, 2018. The campaign encouraged all US-based TikTok users to create video content wearing denim and using the hashtag.

• by getting their brand endorsed and mentioned by influencers who create content viewed by millions of users each day. Through leveraging these personalities, their target audiences, and the type of content they create, brands can produce creative, entertaining, and unique marketing campaigns like never before.

• through brand takeover Ads is perfect for maximum exposure and reach as it instantly draws the user’s attention to the brand. It does so by displaying a full-screen ad, which is either a three-second image or a three- to five-second video when the user first opens the app.

These takeovers are exclusive to different categories each day, and therefore only one brand can take over a category daily. The ad can be linked to the brand’s landing page or Hashtag Challenge within TikTok, generating more traffic to those campaigns.

6. TikTok FAQs

Who owns TikTok?

TikTok is owned by the technology company ByteDance, which is based in Beijing, and was co-founded by Chinese entrepreneur Zhang Yiming. With an estimated personal wealth of $44.5 billion, Zhang is one of the richest men in China.

Zhang is currently the chairman and CEO of ByteDance, however, it was announced earlier this year that he would step down as CEO at the end of 2021, with his fellow co-founder Liang Rubo taking his position.

Zhang was named one of Time Magazine's 100 most influential people in 2019, and was described as "the top entrepreneur in the world."

Along with TikTok, ByteDance has acquired a number of other products and services over the past decade, including news and content platform Toutiao ("Headlines"), Indonesian news recommendation platform BABE, News Republic, Flipagram, and Music.ly.

What is the point of TikTok?

Although TikTok is currently the most popular app, not everyone will understand what all of the fuss is about — particularly older adults. For Millennials and Gen Z, TikTok provides them with a new, engaging, and exciting way to interact with their friends, as well as the world around them. For younger generations who have grown up in the digital era, smartphones are an extension of their body. TikTok is therefore part of their youth culture, along with a method of entertainment and creative expression.

What is a TikTok account?

A TikTok account allows you to enter the TikTok app and start creating and sharing short-form mobile videos. When a user first creates an account on TikTok, it’s set to public by default. However, users are given the option to adjust their privacy settings within the app and can switch to a private account. Having a private account only allows a user’s “friends” to view their content, as well as comment, send a message, or produce "react" or "duet" videos with them.

Conclusion

After reading this TikTok guide, it probably comes as no surprise that the app surpassed Facebook as the most downloaded app last year. As you’ve learned, TikTok means big business and is certainly a channel worth leveraging for brands who want to put their products in front of a larger, more engaged audience.

After familiarizing yourself with the app and learning about TikTok’s features, how you can post on the app, why it’s so popular, and more, you’re now well on your way to establishing a successful presence on this must-have platform.