TikTok is often viewed as an app primarily for a young, teenage audience. This perception isn’t surprising, considering that in the United States, 63.5% of active users are between the ages of 10 and 24. In Poland, users aged 18 to 24 form the largest audience, accounting for 44% of the 5.4 million users nationwide. Interestingly, 61% of these users are women.

The initial label of TikTok as a platform solely for teenagers has become less accurate over time. Since its debut in Western markets, TikTok has gained a broad user base from older age groups. Today, it is an entertainment platform with wide demographic reach, attracting both Generation Z and Millennials. Globally, 56% of TikTok’s users are women, a key factor to consider when crafting a marketing message.

In Europe alone, the app has over 100 million active users aged 18 and older. Interestingly, the largest group comes from the UK, where users spend an average of 66 minutes per day on the platform. Norwegian users, though smaller in number at 1.2 million, are the most engaged, spending an impressive 74 minutes daily on the app.

The Advantages of Communication on TikTok

Due to its unique content format, TikTok is a highly engaging platform. As demonstrated by the figures above, the average user spends about 52 minutes per day on the app, offering brands a significant opportunity for communication.

This diverse demographic, combined with high engagement rates, allows brands to effectively reach various audience groups in a format that is both convenient and highly consumable for users.

Engagement is particularly high among younger age groups, where TikTok videos outperform YouTube in terms of viewership. Traditional television has been completely overshadowed by social media among younger audiences, which isn’t surprising. Most young people have smartphones, giving them access to on-demand entertainment anytime, anywhere. To them, traditional media channels seem outdated.

7 Types of Communication on TikTok

The platform is dominated by different types of video content. These videos can be categorized based on their messaging style. Below are some of the most popular types of TikTok videos:

1. TikTok Trends (Challenges) — These are challenges, also popular on other platforms. On TikTok, the focus is often on replicating or performing specific dance routines, skits, or similar actions.
   • Example: CCC Dance Challenge

Spotify:

• TikTok Duets — These are side-by-side videos created by users who aren’t physically together but can still connect with each other through the platform. It’s a highly creative and demanding form of communication, as the creators must react to each other quickly and be well-coordinated. This type of interaction is highly engaging and allows, for example, artists to form relatively close relationships with their fans.
• Pranks— These involve practical jokes or funny skits, often filmed in a hidden camera style. Sometimes, the execution or theme of these pranks fits into the next category of videos, which are…

• Cringe Videos — A type of video designed to showcase a performance in the weirdest or most peculiar way possible. While it can sometimes be humorous, the main goal of this content is to evoke a sense of awkwardness or discomfort. Interestingly, this kind of content is highly popular and frequently gets shared beyond the platform, often ending up in larger compilations on YouTube.

• Reactions  — A popular format that showcases someone’s reaction to a presented video. Although it originated on YouTube, it truly flourished on TikTok. After clicking „share” on a video, users can select the 'React’ option and record their real-time reaction while watching someone else’s content. The new recording can be overlaid onto the original video, allowing both to play simultaneously.

• Role-playing — This involves users playing different characters and combining recordings to create the effect of interaction between multiple personas, usually all „played” by the same individual.

• Tutorials  — While they may not always fit the traditional definition of a tutorial, this term best describes videos where users showcase the different stages of their work, such as video editing, photo retouching, or creating a drawing. The final frames of the video typically reveal the end result of the process.

 

 

What’s interesting is that TikTok users’ content easily migrates and spreads to other platforms. The previously mentioned YouTube compilations or Instagram Stories often feature material sourced from TikTok, complete with its logo. It’s also common to find Facebook or Twitter posts that redirect users to the TikTok channel of the person sharing the content. Every TikTok video is watermarked with the username, which reduces the likelihood of someone claiming the material as their own. Additionally, if a video goes viral on platforms like Instagram, it increases the chances that someone will recognize the creator and find their TikTok profile.

A Space for Every Brand

This wide range of users allows brands to effectively reach diverse target groups — from 14-year-olds to 40-year-olds. As with other platforms, content needs to be tailored to the audience. However, TikTok makes this easier due to the immense popularity of certain video types across its user base. TikTok trends, for example, reach the majority of people on the platform.

The app also offers far greater flexibility and creativity in video communication, leading to higher dynamics and more interactions compared to Facebook, Instagram, or YouTube. The shorter video format helps maintain users’ attention for longer periods, which is crucial from a business perspective.

There is likely no other platform that reaches Generation Z as effectively as TikTok does right now. If you want to create a successful campaign aimed primarily at this demographic, you simply can’t ignore TikTok. The app’s users live fast-paced, dynamic lives, spending nearly an hour a day on it, but typically through several short sessions. Therefore, it’s important for brands to learn how to craft short, concise messages. TikTok users are masters of packing a full experience — joy, the beauty of a place, or a drawing tutorial — into short, easily consumable videos lasting just a few seconds. This concentrated burst of stimuli strongly impacts users and helps evoke the emotions that a brand wants to be associated with.

Article by: Paulina Roszkowska, Social Media Manager, Michał Sawicki, UX Designer