TikTok will not save you
The red-hot network carries tempting promises — and big risks.
It feels like the only social network anyone is talking about today is TikTok.
It’s where Gen Z are. It’s growing exponentially. Agencies and brands are putting resources into TikTok to the exclusion of all others. Every other social network is trying to be TikTok, investing in short-form video at a frantic pace, trying to emulate the addictive algorithm that’s keeping so many of us scrolling all day.
Should your brand be on TikTok? Probably. It is growing, especially with desirable younger demographics. It’s a dynamic storytelling tool and an opportunity to reach broad new audiences with clever, relatively unpolished video.
Let’s take a cautionary look at the past before we put all our faith in TikTok.
The fall of Upworthy
Upworthy was one of the fastest-growing media companies of all time. Known for their aggregations of viral social content and headlines that relied heavily on emotion and “you won’t believe what happened next,” the company saw explosive growth in the early 2010s, powered in large part by organic distribution through Facebook.
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