What kind of content do your fans expect on TikTok? Tips for brands and content creators

After many years of Instagram’s dominance, we’ve come to know this platform inside and out. We’ve watched the most popular content change (goodbye vacation shots, hello everyday moments), admired shifting visual trends, and ultimately confirmed that aesthetics still rule this platform.

TikTok, however—the platform that has seriously challenged Instagram’s monopoly on short-form content—is a completely different beast. For brands to tame it the way they once tamed Instagram, they’ll need to step out of their comfort zone. How to do that is what we’ll briefly explore in this piece.

The same creators, different rules

Have you ever heard this little nugget of folk wisdom: “What works on Instagram doesn’t work on TikTok, but what works on TikTok will definitely work on Instagram”? There are several reasons why this insight often holds true.

First, TikTok’s algorithm is designed so that viral content is rapidly delivered to the people who are most likely to find it interesting. On TikTok, the polished, aesthetic-heavy content typical of Instagram tends to sink, while those who can capture attention within the first milliseconds rise to the top. That’s why the most successful influencers also diversify their content: on TikTok, you’ll usually see more unfiltered glimpses of their personal lives, while Instagram features more carefully staged content.

Second, as the content goes, so do the campaigns—fast. While Instagram followers value long-term brand–influencer ambassadorships, brand integrations on TikTok are far less binding. Here, quick campaigns built around the effort to create viral content deliver the best results, especially when targeting the platform’s young and impatient audience. This means that when planning TikTok campaigns, we must move faster—by the time the strategy is finalized, today’s top-performing trend may already have faded into obscurity.

So how do you create content that actually has a chance to shine on TikTok? The best approach is to rely on three of the platform’s most popular content categories.

What kind of content are your fans expecting on TikTok?

1. Practical

We’re sure you’ve heard friends or acquaintances talk more than once about new skills and unexpected everyday hacks they learned from none other than TikTok. From cooking tricks to new hobbies—or even relationship advice—easy-to-consume tutorials are something you can see on TikTok every day.

For brands, this type of content offers a valuable framework. By clearly identifying a problem their target audience is facing, brands can present a solution on TikTok—their product.

This problem–solution approach is fairly easy (and by now quite common) to apply across many product categories. Well-known examples include:

• Clothing brands launching the #333 challenge, answering the “I have nothing to wear” dilemma together with fashion creators;
• Floor-cleaning mops solving the question “how to clean your home effectively” alongside #CleanTok star Jack Callaghan;
• Beauty brands featuring dermatologists in their TikTok communication—answering important questions not from a doctor’s office, but from their own bathrooms.

2. Authentic

The days when social media users were searching for perfection are over. Today, they’re far more interested in watching personalities in all their shades—imperfections included.

That’s exactly why GRWM (get ready with me) videos and clips documenting everyday routines continue to dominate content charts. This type of content stands out for its filming style: it’s usually shot with the front-facing camera, reassuring viewers that there’s no crew of operators or directors behind the scenes.

Brands that don’t expect product testing to turn into an endless stream of compliments often see the best results. A single sincere endorsement from an influencer can become a powerful sales driver—and it doesn’t matter which integration format the creator chooses. Sometimes, influencers who captivate audiences with their personality simply try products and show their experience up close. Other times, the advertised product appears for just a second, yet still makes viewers pause and wonder which exact makeup shade or bread-baking pan their favorite creator chose.

In this type of content, there’s just one key variable: trust in the chosen influencer—who is usually the true creative lead of TikTok content.

What do these integrations look like in real life?

• Popular London-based lifestyle creator Jemima Grace incorporates a versatile travel backpack into her daily routine;
• Well-known U.S. content creator Delaney Rowe promotes haircare products by mimicking a “FaceTime” call with a friend;
• Lithuanian creator Meda Paulauskaitė talks about Douglas while getting ready for an event in the GRWM (get ready with me) format.

3. Fun

Can you laugh at yourself—or make others laugh? Then you’re practically destined for TikTok success. Absurd humor, nostalgia-filled sketches, funny real-life situations, or even merciless self-mockery—all of this quickly wins people over.

When collaborating with humor-focused creators, you need to be ready for the fact that it may take courage—and perhaps even breaking one or two brand positioning rules. Don’t forget that humor can do more than sell your products or services: it can help build a community, challenge your followers, and invite them to join in.

Among the well-known examples that made a large TikTok audience smile:

• Nostalgic carVertical content that takes viewers on a mental journey from the car straight to a Christmas Eve dinner;
• An unexpected integration of drag queens in the content of a Lithuanian car wash;
• Scrub Daddy cleaning sponge sketches that have absolutely nothing to do with scrubbing homes.