What is TikTok?
Unlike other platforms, this service mainly focuses on short-form videos. In TikTok, users post short vertical videos that are 15 seconds long and garner millions of views. These are mostly music videos, funny comedy skits, dances, lip-syncing, and reactions to trends. But more and more gamers and streamers are using TikTok to attract subscribers and promote their stream channels, games, etc.
And while many consider the platform another entertainment for teenagers, where they just make faces at the camera and conduct various flash mobs, the rapid growth of the platform's audience has led to celebrities and advertisers becoming interested in it, and famous bloggers now regard TikTok as another distribution channel.
Indeed, today the TikTok platform is rapidly gaining an audience. In terms of the power to influence emotions and popularity among young people, this trendy video-sharing can surpass even Instagram. After all, as of 2021, the number of active TikTok users has already grown to 1 billion. Established just five years ago, it causes intense chatting among Gen Z.
That's why Instagram and Snapchat, formerly struggling with Vine, are now trying to compete with TikTok. To date, Instagram and Snapchat have been working hard to poach TikTok's users.
But TikTok is giving away views more generously than Instagram. This new online video platform has a random algorithm that promotes different videos no matter how many followers the author has. In addition, the principle of promotion and the format of content consumption in TikTok is fundamentally different from other social media.
TikTok & social media
Social media show only what is interesting to the user (what he is subscribed to). Or they recommend content based on what the person looks at and likes and their socio-demographic characteristics and location. Social media tries not to annoy the user with extraneous or unnecessary content.
The videos are shown to a random audience of people from all over the world without regard to geolocation within the country, gender, or age. The feed is not limited to the number of subscribers. Upon entering the app, the user is instantly involved in scrolling through an endless feed of video content from unknown people.
However, over time, the AI (artificial intelligence) behind TikTok`s algorithm shows content that is increasingly relevant to the user's preferences. The system takes into account how long the user has been watching the videos, what the user likes, and other parameters that it adjusts the feed to.
Unlike Instagram, TikTok uses artificial intelligence to accurately measure the quality of your video and then ranks it on a scale of 10 to 10 million views. The more views a video has, the more distribution it gets. Each time your video's distribution grows, the requirements for further metrics increase. On Instagram, on the other hand, achieving organic reach is very difficult, and it's almost impossible to promote without advertising. That's why TikTok is the most appropriate platform for promoting broadcasts.
And remember, once you sign up for TikTok, be sure to use the keywords "streamer" and "Twitch" in your account short description. You should also add links to your other social media accounts. Then subscribers will be able to follow all of your activities. That way you can keep your audience through your content on TikTok. But also don't forget to add a link to your TikTok profile on your Twitch channel and your other social media pages.
So, the more social media and platforms you're using, the more audiences you can gain.
TikTok & Vine
Before TikTok came along, the No. 1 video-sharing app on the App Store was Vine. With its minimalist interface, the ability to record multiple snippets as part of a single video shoot, and a maximum video length of 6 seconds, Vine was certainly a much simpler platform than TikTok, but both have served their primary purpose: making content creation easier for non-creators. That's why they are so popular among ordinary users, especially teenagers who are always ready to show their imagination.
TikTok works in much the same way. Upload a short video, edit it in the Android or iOS app, and then feel free to post it to your subscribers' feed. And don't forget to share the link to your video on social media like Facebook or Twitter. You can also send it via messengers or upload it to other platforms.
TikTok & Twitch
Some successful streamers use their TikTok account to get their subscribers to follow them or subscribe to them on Twitch. They can share highlights of Twitch streams on TikTok or interact with their viewers.
One of the biggest advantages of the TikTok platform over social media is that you don't have to have many subscribers for your videos to go viral. You can just record a video, upload it to the platform and start getting views from other users. Plus, with a simple editing interface, it's easy to upload videos to TikTok right from your smartphone.
Small short videos quickly grab audiences, so if you post your product, game, or content reviews there, you can easily promote your brand or successfully promote your Twitch channel. The main thing is to show more imagination and creativity when creating funny dynamic videos. That's what most people like.
On TikTok as well as on other platforms, there are requirements for users. For example, you can conduct a livestream only when it will gain 1,000 subscribers. But there is an advantage - livestreams are shown to your subscribers at once (not randomly, like uploaded by you short video clips). This allows you to redirect your viewers to your Twitch channel or other social media where you streaming. By the way, TikTok lets you broadcast from its Android or iOS apps. Followers will be able to notice your broadcasts with a special icon on the main timeline (at the top of it) or a highlight around your profile picture.
To make better use of TikTok, we recommend that you start streaming there even before you start your broadcast on Twitch. This way, you can invite viewers to switch to your Twitch channel.
TikTok & livestreams
Besides being TikTok so liked by many people, this video-sharing service is even more useful for video game streamers. Many of them have already made a habit of posting clips of their broadcasts here, making a good compilation of the cool moments. Thus, filling the gap for subscribers who missed the broadcast. These clips also serve as a kind of advertising streamers to find new subscribers and viewers, with the help of TikTok. You can easily make your channel known to the world.
Show updates on your channel, talk about new games, announce competitions. It's always interesting to game fans and gamers. But, to attract more non-gaming people to your channel, show your other interests or life`s events as well. Believe me, it's not hard. Just always be creative!
By the way, the TikTok platform has a timeline algorithm, thanks to which all videos are shown randomly. So you don't have to rack your brains to find out the peak time for broadcasting your videos. Your viewers may still see old videos first, and then new ones. So it's not going to work right away.
TikTok & tags
As you know, to get your content seen by as many people as possible, social media use hashtags. TikTok is no different in this regard. If you want to attract new viewers, be sure to use the right tags. But unlike the same Facebook, you can add no more than 4-5 hashtags in the video description.
For greater efficiency, try using multiple hashtags at once, choosing the most trendy ones on TikTok (you can find the most popular ones on the Discover tab). And maybe your clip will be trending. But remember, hashtags should represent your content and be appropriate for your audience. So simple tags like #foryou are unlikely to help you.
It is better to use those that relate to the game you play. That is, if you upload a video from “Grand Theft Auto V” to TikTok, use the appropriate hashtags - #GTAV, #GrandTheftAutoV, #GTA5, or #Gta5Clips. But you can also use more global hashtags such as #Twitch, #Gaming, #Streamer, or #gameplays.
