What PR pros should know about the growing TikTok platform

As video becomes more important for online communicators, some brand managers might be willing to gamble on new platforms. Will TikTok become a major social media player?

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Just as marketers were starting to feel comfortable with the current social media landscape, a fresh platform is on a meteoric rise.

As eMarketer recently put it. “Not since Snapchat has any app shown as much potential as TikTok to disrupt the existing social media world order.” In an in-depth profile of the app titled “How TikTok Is Rewriting the World” The New York Times was just as effusive, stating “TikTok will change the way your social media works—even if you’re avoiding it.”

What’s the big deal? What exactly is TikTok, and what’s driving its popularity? Is it truly transformative or just a fad?

Here’s what marketers need to know:

TikTok calls itself “the world’s leading destination for short-form mobile videos”—which is a good starting point for understanding the platform. The app enables users to create, share and react to videos that are up to 15 seconds long. The platform also allows people to thread videos together and to share longer videos imported into the app.

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