Influencer Marketing on TikTok – Why different rules apply here than on Instagram

• #TikTok

TikTok vs. Instagram – What are the differences?

On Instagram, influencer marketing has been a tried and tested advertising measure for years, and in many cases it is very promising. Influencer marketing on TikTok is also growing and will soon be in no way inferior to its competitor in terms of success. Nevertheless, the marketing efforts on the two social media channels differ. Here are some reasons why different rules apply on TikTok than on Instagram.

Relevant KPIs

KPIs stands for Key Performance Indicators. By now, most of us probably know the most important points that are paid attention to in influencer marketing on Instagram. These include, for example, the number of creators’ followers, but also likes and comments. The so-called engagement rate is also particularly important. This indicates how likes and comments behave in relation to the number of followers and provides a good insight into how close the all-important bond with one’s own community is.

On TikTok, too, there are relevant KPIs that give creators and marketeers a sense of how successful a campaign has been, for example. The number of followers, likes and comments are also important here. Much more important, however, are the views creators get on their videos and the interaction rate, i.e. how strongly the community interacts with the content. Another important point is the number of shares, i.e. how often the video was shared. This indicates how much reach the video has generated in addition to the views.

The TikTok algorithm

TikTok is based on the “For-You-Page-Algorithm”. This means that content is displayed in a personalized manner based on user behavior and preferences. In other words, if a user repeatedly interacts with cooking videos or usually consumes them for a long time, it is very likely that he or she will mainly be shown such videos.

This type of algorithm allows creators on TikTok to achieve greater reach faster. This is mainly because on TikTiok it doesn’t matter how many followers you have – this metric says nothing about the possibility of going viral. Every user of the app can go viral with their content.

The Community

As already explained in the context of the engagement rate, the connection to the community on Instagram is very important. The better it is, the greater the chance that creators will perform better in campaigns.

On TikTok, things are a bit different. The connection to the community is also relevant, but the opportunities for interaction are nowhere near as numerous as on Instagram. TikTok users often see creators more as part of the community and less as promotional players. Creators who are successful integrate themselves into the platform, participate in trends, and generally act in a very authentic way. We can speak of a “one-of-us” mentality here – and this is much more pronounced on TikTok than on Instagram.

Tips from Lookfamed Management

Want more specific insights and tips on the influencer marketing rules of the game on TikTok? Our Senior Creator Manager Jana has summarized them in a (German) video.