I'm writing this because every single client meeting now includes the question 'should we be on TikTok?' and my answer has evolved from 'probably not yet' to 'you need to understand this even if you don't post there.'
TikTok isn't just another social platform. It's a fundamentally different content distribution model. Instagram shows you content from people you chose to follow. TikTok shows you content an algorithm thinks you'll like regardless of who made it. This sounds like a small difference. It's an enormous one. It means a brand with zero followers can go viral. It means content quality matters more than follower count. It means the moat that brands spent years building on Instagram (follower base) is irrelevant here.
For brands used to building audiences over time and then marketing to that audience, this is terrifying. For brands with genuinely compelling content but no established following, it's liberating. The platform rewards interesting over popular. That's new.
For brands used to building audiences over time and then marketing to that audience, this is terrifying.
My practical advice to clients: you don't need to make TikToks yet (though some should). But you need to watch TikTok because it's where cultural trends are forming before they spread to Instagram, Twitter, and the broader internet. It's the leading indicator now. If you're only watching Instagram, you're seeing trends after they peaked.
Barnaby has the attention span of a TikTok user (three seconds before moving to the next thing) and honestly, he's my best model for understanding how Gen Z consumes content.