This week, comments may have been the most prominent feature on TikTok.
TikTok’s innovative video reply feature has allowed brands and influencers to draw creativity from the platform’s most popular comments to create fresh material for their channels.
But the inventiveness doesn’t stop there; there are always exciting new trends and creators to discover on TikTok, so we enlisted the help of Kelsey Docherty, a brand consultant, aficionado, and all-around video content pro, to give us the inside scoop.
TikTok Thursdays is an offshoot of Kelsey’s trend-watching series on her Instagram account (@kelsey tries) and features updates on everything happening on the popular music video app.
And this week, we’re getting right down to discussing how app comments have become a new form of creative currency:
An Overview of This Week’s TikTok Trends
The feedback you get on your videos will soon become your most valuable source of inspiration.
Perhaps you’ve noticed an uptick in video responses from brands and influencers to comments. Including a video in a response to a comment? Why, yes!
Video replies to comments remain in your TikTok feed, a feature available to all users of the app.
TikTok has significantly raised the bar, making it no longer sufficient to merely like and reply to comments with text.
Any one of your videos’ comments will do; just click on it. In response, a comment box will appear, and to the left, a red record button will flash. When you click that link, a recording screen will appear alongside a comment box. That’s brilliant, right?
The most important thing to remember from this week is to start engaging with the brand and influencers you love by commenting on brand TikTok videos.
Can you picture your favourite company or YouTuber using your suggestion for a video? That’s unlike any other social sharing app we’ve seen in terms of user participation.
And if you really want to take it to the next level, I suggest scrolling through the comments on your videos; someone may have said something that would be perfect for a video response! Try out the new video response feature in the next TikTok you use.
Looking for a deeper dive into TikTok and how to implement it into your marketing strategy? If you’re looking for a comprehensive resource on marketing on TikTok, you’ve found it!
This Week’s Biggest TikTok Fad
Does anyone else find themselves losing track of time as they mindlessly scroll through TikTok? The hashtag #TikTokRestArea is becoming popular as a way for creators and brands to encourage users to stop and relax.
When one of these videos pops up on your For You page, it can be quite a breath of fresh air. They cause you to pause and reflect, “Oh yeah, maybe I SHOULD take a screen break.” Or, as I often find myself saying, “Oh yeah, it HAS been two hours of me scrolling TikTok, hasn’t it!?”
There are a lot of people watching because the hashtag has 1.5 billion total views. This is a simple trend to test out if you’re looking for something new to try with your brand.
Manscaped, last week’s Brand of the Week, made its own #TikTokRestArea. Starface and Adam Rose are just as comparable as brands and artists.
A whopping 2,459 people commented on one of the most popular videos by @riiiiiicola, who dominates the hashtag and audio style of these pit stops.
TikTok Influencers
For Instance, verified TikTok influencers @alanchikinchow and @overtimemegan, as well as Stranger Things actor Noah Schnapp, have shared their thoughts in the video’s comment sections.
If this hashtag makes sense for your brand, try using it in your next TikTok video to see if you get more views and likes.
Milk Makeup, this week’s featured TikTok brand, is a popular choice amongst beauty gurus. I’ll explain why in a second.
Their videos are entertaining because they reveal clever ways to apply makeup, instruct viewers in the proper use of the products, host original challenges, and provide fashion advice.
Their work is remarkable in its breadth, originality, consistency, and suitability to the brand it represents. I don’t get the impression that they’re trying to sell me anything when I watch their videos, but I always remember them when I’m in Sephora.
Milk Makeup has a knack for writing catchy captions that encourage their followers to take action. With 31,000 likes, 117,000 views, and 831 comments as of this writing, this video of a bathroom full of Milk Makeup asks viewers to “Drop your emoji reaction.”
In addition to their giveaway posts, the one above is one of their most popular videos. In addition to asking questions like “Would you try this?” and “Tag a friend that needs this” in their product videos, they also use other strategies to encourage viewer participation.
The wonders of efficient advertising
They even show you on video how to repurpose a plastic bottle into a planter for your succulents or cacti.
When first establishing your brand on TikTok, it’s important to come across as genuine as possible. This doesn’t mean trying to force your brand onto the platform’s general user base, but rather, making content that users will find engaging and relevant to your brand’s mission.
Names in Art and Commerce to Keep an Eye On
Perhaps it’s due to my inability to keep track of the days while holed up by myself, or perhaps it’s just boredom. Perhaps it’s due to my lack of sustenance. Perhaps it’s a combination of these factors, but I’ve recently developed a strong interest in watching online cooking demonstrations and recipes.
Over a million people have shared this incredibly basic TikTok video, and nearly 10,000 people have commented on it.