TikTok introduced this month that it’s updating the utmost size of movies on its platform from three minutes to 10. Sophia Cohen, Head of Influencer Marketing at Moburst, discusses some of the recent changes made to the TikTok platform.
What Is the Big TikTok Update?
The replace is a giant deal as a result of TikTok has all the time been a short-form video platform – so the query arises, is it nonetheless?
It appears the choice was made in a bid to permit influencers to create extra in-depth vlogs, versus simply snappy clips, and never need to ship their viewers elsewhere for longer content material.
How Has the Industry Responded?
The industry-wide consensus about TikTok’s new change has been overwhelmingly detrimental. Change brings with it new metrics, new greatest practices, and a shift in method, so it’s typically greeted with skepticism.
However, critics really feel that even TikTok’s justification for introducing the replace validates their issues – they wish to give creators the possibility to provide long-form content material, however that detracts from TikTok’s present (very profitable) system.
The key to TikTok’s success up till now lies in the best way customers are incentivized to repeatedly rewatch movies on the platform. Whether a sure ingredient caught their consideration, they missed a specific clip, or one thing amused them, there’s nothing to lose from watching once more given how quick the movies are.
The snappy movies, from challenges to outfit prepare with me’s (GRWM), encourage customers to rewatch them repeatedly.
The new ten-minute most video size will imply customers are much less more likely to rewatch TikTok movies, so the general views will go down. Somewhat begrudgingly, the {industry} must set new benchmarks as soon as extra.
Why Did TikTok Make This Change?
TikTok revealed that it made the utmost size longer to cater to creators who wish to produce extra long-form content material. Positively talking, this presents extra space for various sorts of creators and completely different types of content material.
For instance, health instructors will now have the ability to create ten-minute, full-body exercise periods as a substitute of fast three-minute ab exercises. Or, trend stylists will have the ability to information folks by means of every week’s price of outfits quite than a day.
As a end result, these creators will not need to redirect their viewers elsewhere, corresponding to on YouTube, which they’ve been doing for a while. Consequently, TikTok is asserting itself as a direct competitor of YouTube, whereas providing creators the possibility to maintain all of their content material centralized in one place.
There’s no denying that TikTok is making an attempt to monetize the app much more by giving each customers and creators an additional characteristic that stops the necessity for YouTube video “trailers” redirecting TikTok followers to longer-form content material there.
Is There a Solution to Make This Update Better Received by the Industry?
Well, an concept Moburst has regarded into is whether or not TikTok might transfer its long-form movies to a devoted part of the app that’s separate from the For You web page.
Or, the answer might even be so simple as including a filter to permit customers to decide on the utmost size of movies they need. This would additionally give creators information on what size movies customers truly desire.
With both of these strategies, the long-form movies received’t interrupt the fast-paced nature of the For You web page if customers don’t need them to. This could be one of the simplest ways to maintain the TikTok dynamic as near what folks at present know and love.
Moburst has been questioning whether or not TikTok ought to contemplate shifting its long-form movies to a separate part of the app as Instagram did with IGTV. That manner, they’d have their very own devoted house quite than interrupting the fast-paced stream of the For You web page.
After all, isn’t one of the principle causes folks use TikTok (versus one other social media platform) for its short-form video content material?
TikTok has been the {industry} chief in this realm, to the purpose the place practically each different platform has tried to repeat it, corresponding to Instagram with Reels or YouTube with Shorts. Reels outperform all different Instagram options, which suggests TikTok’s going to see an identical sample.
At the tip of the day, you’ve acquired to have religion this can be pulled off efficiently provided that it’s TikTok, and, effectively, that speaks for itself.
However, Moburst can’t assist however the query that with out sticking to only quick movies, fast traits, bite-sized content material, and every part else geared in the direction of keeping people scrolling – will TikTok preserve its top-tier standing?
