TikTok has exploded in popularity in recent years, becoming one of the most downloaded and used apps worldwide. The platform is best known for its short-form videos, but TikTok also offers other creative tools like Stories. TikTok Stories allow users to post photos and videos that disappear after 24 hours, similar to Stories on Snapchat or Instagram.
For brands and creators, TikTok Stories present an intriguing new opportunity to connect with their audience. But is it worth investing time in creating TikTok Stories? In this article, we’ll examine the pros and cons of posting TikTok Stories and provide tips for optimizing them.
What are TikTok Stories?
TikTok Stories is a feature that allows users to post photos and short videos that expire after 24 hours. They appear in a bar at the top of the app’s interface, separate from the main For You feed. TikTok describes Stories as “a way to share quick moments throughout your day” (TikTok, 2022).
When posting a TikTok Story, users can add effects, text, stickers, music, and sounds. Stories can be up to 10 seconds long for videos or single images. The feature is designed to provide a behind-the-scenes, candid look into a user’s daily life.
TikTok Stories were first tested in select markets in 2020 before rolling out more widely in 2021 and 2022. They are now available globally to all users over 18 who have updated to the latest version of the TikTok app (Hootsuite, 2022).
The Stories format is inspired by similar ephemeral content features on other social platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, and Facebook. However, TikTok has customized Stories for its own app’s style and user behavior patterns (TikTok, 2022).
Pros of Posting TikTok Stories
One of the main benefits of posting TikTok Stories is that it can help creators reach a wider audience and increase engagement. Stories appear at the top of followers’ feeds, so they are more visible than regular posts. Additionally, Stories remain pinned to a creator’s profile for 24 hours, giving followers more opportunity to view them.
TikTok recommends posting at least once daily to maintain high visibility. Frequent Stories keep your profile active and engaging. You can also link your Stories to your website or other social platforms, further expanding their reach.
Compared to standard posts, Stories often see higher engagement in terms of views, comments, and shares. The casual, “behind the scenes” nature of Stories resonates more authentically with viewers. TikTok’s Duets and Stitch features allow followers to interact with your Stories directly. This cultivates a sense of community between you and your audience.
Overall, utilizing TikTok Stories is an effective method for creators to boost their presence and build meaningful connections. As TikTok’s Creator Portal notes, Stories provide “more insight into your daily life” for followers.
Cons of Posting TikTok Stories
While TikTok Stories can be a powerful way to reach new audiences, there are some potential downsides to keep in mind as well.
One con is that creating Stories requires additional work. Unlike regular TikTok posts which live on your profile indefinitely, Stories expire after 24 hours. That means you’ll need to create new Stories daily in order to keep them updated. This constant need for fresh content could become time consuming for brands with limited resources.
Another con is that all Stories content is ephemeral – it disappears in 24 hours. Though this temporary content creates a sense of urgency and immediacy, it also means any valuable Stories content is not archived or searchable after it expires. Users cannot go back and reference your past Stories like they can with your regular video posts. This could limit the long-term value of any Stories content.
There’s also the risk that disappearing Stories content will not reach as many people as you’d like within its 24 hour lifespan. Unless Stories go viral quickly, their temporary nature means fewer eyeballs on your content overall. And if you put significant effort into a particular Story but it doesn’t take off during that one day window, that work is wasted once the Story expires.
Overall, the additional effort required to maintain frequently updated Stories along with their fleeting nature could make Stories more challenging for brands compared to regular posts. Marketers will need to weigh if the benefits of potentially reaching new audiences are worth the extra work for content that vanishes in a day.
Optimizing Your TikTok Stories
When creating TikTok Stories, it’s important to follow best practices to optimize your content for engagement and views. Here are some tips:
Keep stories short and snappy. TikTok recommends keeping individual stories under 15 seconds. Use quick cuts, text overlays, and other editing techniques to get your point across quickly.
Hook viewers from the start. The opening moments are critical. Use an attention-grabbing visual, text overlay, or sound to capture interest right away.
Post consistently. Posting daily stories can help build anticipation with your audience. Use reminders or scheduling tools to stay consistent.
Leverage trends and challenges. Jumping on popular memes, dances, songs etc. can help put your content in front of more viewers who are watching related trends.
Interact with viewers. Ask questions, run polls and encourage comments to make it more interactive. This can boost engagement.
Use captions and text overlays. Well-placed text makes it easy to convey key information at a glance.
Check analytics. Pay attention to completion rates, views, comments etc. to understand what resonates with your audience.
Promote your profile. Mention your profile name in stories to drive traffic to your main profile and content.
Reuse top-performing content. Repurposing your best stories can help maximize viewership.
Types of Content Best Suited for Stories
When creating content for TikTok Stories, it’s important to provide value to your audience with engaging and relevant topics. Some types of content that tend to perform well in Stories include:
Behind-the-Scenes Content – Give your audience a “sneak peek” at what goes on behind the scenes of your business or brand. Short behind-the-scenes clips allow you to showcase your products, office, team, etc. in an authentic way.
Announcements and Updates – Share quick announcements, news, product launches, sales, etc. via Stories. The 24-hour lifespan makes Stories a great channel for time-sensitive updates.
Trending Topics and Challenges – Jump on trending hashtag challenges, topics in the news, viral sounds, etc. Timing your content with what’s currently popular can help expand your reach.
Polls and Q&As – Engage your audience by asking questions and doing polls in your Stories. This can help you gather valuable insight into your followers’ interests.
User-Generated Content – Reposting and reacting to user-generated content in your Stories makes followers feel seen and helps build community.
Behind-the-Scenes of Content Creation – Give a peek at the process of creating your other content. This could include rehearsals, bloopers, planning, ideation, etc.
Quick Tips and How-Tos – Provide rapid fire tips and tricks related to your niche. The casual nature of Stories lends itself well to easily digestible how-to content.
Measuring the Performance of Your Stories
When posting TikTok stories, it’s important to analyze how they are performing to optimize your strategy. Here are some key metrics to track:
Views – This shows how many people watched your story. High views indicate your content is resonating with your audience.
Replies – This metric shows engagement, as it tracks how many people replied to your story. More replies signal higher interest.
Shares – The number of shares shows how many people shared your story with their own followers. More shares expand your reach.
Exits – This shows how many people swiped away from your story before it ended. Lower exits are better for engagement.
Watch time – The total watch time for your story indicates if people are watching until the end. Higher watch time is ideal.
Likes and comments – These engagement metrics demonstrate how much your audience enjoyed your story content.
Followers – Gaining new followers after posting a story means it reached new audiences.
Check your TikTok analytics regularly to analyze these metrics and see which types of stories resonate most with your followers.
Maximizing Your Reach With Stories
There are several strategies you can use to maximize the reach of your TikTok stories and grow your following. First, be sure to cross-promote your stories on other social platforms like Instagram and Facebook. Let your followers on those networks know when you’ve posted new stories on TikTok. You can even share short clips or screenshots to pique their interest.
It’s also important to make use of relevant hashtags in your stories. Well-chosen hashtags will put your content in front of users who are interested in those topics, but may not already be following you. Some good hashtag strategies include using both broad and niche hashtags related to your content and mixing in popular/trending hashtags along with more targeted ones. According to Sprout Social, “hashtags are essential for discovery on TikTok,” so make sure you are incorporating relevant hashtags in your stories. https://sproutsocial.com/insights/how-to-get-more-followers-on-tiktok/
Lastly, strategically timing your stories can boost their reach. Posting during peak times when more users are active on TikTok can get your content in front of more eyes. You can experiment with posting at different times of day and on different days of the week to determine when your audience is most engaged.
Notable Examples of Brands Using Stories
Here are some real-world case studies of brands that have found success using Stories on TikTok:
According to TikTok’s creative center, coffee chain Second Cup used Stories to promote their holiday drinks line-up. By using the poll and quiz features available in Stories, Second Cup drove a 130% increase in video views and a 95% increase in mentions.
As highlighted in this article, beauty brand NYX leveraged celebrities and influencers posting Stories about using NYX products. This strategy generated over 2 billion views for the brand.
Per this post, NBC used Stories on TikTok to promote content from Sunday Night Football by having talent announce games and provide commentary. The campaign drove a 36% increase in viewers aged 18-49.
These examples showcase how brands across different industries have successfully utilized TikTok Stories for marketing and engagement. By partnering with influencers, creating interactive content, and promoting their products and services, brands have seen increased reach, engagement, and sales.
Conclusion
In summary, TikTok Stories can be a great way for brands and creators to share ephemeral content and make deeper connections with their audience. The short videos and photos allow you to give followers a behind-the-scenes look or share your personality in a casual way. However, as Stories disappear after 24 hours, they require consistency and strategic planning to maximize their impact.
The verdict on whether TikTok Stories are worth it for your brand comes down to your goals, target audience, and resources. Dedicating time to thoughtful Stories on a regular basis can help boost engagement and give fans additional value. But low-quality or inconsistent Stories may do more harm than good. Assess whether you can commit to producing Stories that align with your brand’s message and resonate with your followers. If Stories aren’t the right fit right now, focus your efforts on mastering TikTok’s standard short-form video ads and organic posts.
In closing, TikTok Stories have the potential to captivate your audience and take your marketing to the next level. But they require an investment of time, creativity and strategy to fully reap the benefits. Use the tips in this guide to optimize your Stories, measure their performance, and evaluate if Stories are a valuable addition to your overall TikTok presence.
