Are TikTok Influencers Changing the Game?

By now, everyone knows what TikTok is, the app that blew up exponentially over the pandemic seems to have only gone from strength to strength- It’s still my most used app daily, and like many others, I still scroll through my for you page for an unhealthy amount of time in one sitting.

Just like many other platforms like YouTube and Instagram, TikTok has found itself following the trend and having their own influencers. Cal the Dragon, GK Barry and Francis Bourgeois have all taken over the platform and peoples lives in some way. But how do TikTok influencers fair up against those such as YouTube? Can TikTok really hold up as another platform people can make a living from?

Is being a TikTok influencer “worth it”?

One of the unique things about TikTok, is that it disregards the long-game influencers travelled on other social platforms. For many influencers on the platform, their first ‘viral’ video was a complete accident- this isn’t to say TikTok is ‘easy’, not at all! The algorithm TikTok uses to pump videos they think you’ll enjoy watching means it's a lot easier to get your content out there, whether you’re aiming to go viral or not.

The recommendations TikTok sends you when you first open the app to get scrolling can help promote new content by creators to an audience that’s been hand picked to receive this content due to their preference. That’s the beauty behind TikTok.

While this sounds interesting, and many have jumped right in, TikTok can still be a very toxic place. Much like the infamous ‘Football Twitter’ occupying Twitter feeds, TikTok has had its fair share of problematic content circulating the platform. The type of content produced on TikTok can be harmful, and we’ve seen it claim the lives of young children want to replicate what they see on the platform.

While you might not think your content is dangerous, TikTok is inherently a self-comparison platform. Much like we see with Instagram, TikTok can harm mental health for both a user and a content creator. All you have to do is read through the comments of a “what I eat in a day’ video to see how malicious people protected by a screen can be. If you’re serious about becoming an influencer on TikTok, take time to reflect on your mental and physical health before and during your investment.

The focus on Micro-influencers.

For those who might not be aware, a micro-influencer is someone who has a following of between 10,000 to 50,000 followers (depending on where you might be looking these numbers may vary). A lot of companies will come to micro-influencers for promotion because they are cheaper and much more likely to specialise in a specific topic; for example, if you want to sell a book, then collaborating with an influencer in the ‘BookTok’ side of TikTok can be more beneficial than one of the big name players.

If you want an influencer who specialises in one thing, you’re going to find them on TikTok and they’ll likely come with a ‘cult-following’. Cult followers are more willing to purchase a product and engage with the content a creator might post- micro-influencers on the platform receive nearly 18% engagement on a post compared with just 4% from a bigger macro-influencer. So even if you think you’re a small content creator, you can still offer so much to brands looking to promote their products/services.

As a platform that is dominating the social media landscape and conforming to how household platforms now work (Twitter introducing the swipe to watch more videos option), if you aren’t on TikTok now as a creator or user, you’re going to be left behind.

If you’re looking to become an influencer, make sure you put yourself first, and while you may follow what’s ‘popping off’ in the algorithm it shouldn’t come at a cost for your mental and physical health. I’m sure everyone knows the saying the higher they climb the harder they fall; while it might not take much to go viral on TikTok, very little are able to stay, and the majority end up falling.