#TikTok isn’t allowing my post to go to fyp

[4dtk]

Miss maam!

I found this tiktok on my fyp eheheh

Did you have anything in mind that you can make of it … preferably with Johnny bc he’s my bias 👉👈

((It’s my first time requesting, and I just wanted to say that I am such a big fan of your work and I’m so thankful you exist and continue to do this <33 that being said if u ever want to take a break pls feel free bc you come first!!!!!! Always!!))

Have a great day/night lovey!

third time’s the charm (johnny)

“Imagine while doing the ✨deed✨ with Johnny, tell him “you’re so big-” and his reply is “you can take it” skkdkdkdllddksls ITS JOHNNY BRAINROT HOURS BESTIE (I hope this stirs something in you hehehe)” <- also gonna combine it with this! tiktok for better access.

a/n: i am going to do a plot to this because i have tattoo artist johnny on my mind and it is NOT leaving until i write something about it. also i know the usual accompanying friend trope, but i didn’t wanna write something like that soooooooo. also i’m sure physical activity isn’t recommended after getting a tattoo so DONT FUCK AFTER IT OKAY GUYS. i know the sexual tension is unbearable. think about ur skin and ur tattoo. also thank u for the kind words anon! <3 and to second anon, love the idea. ur brain is so big. like johnny’s c-

warnings: tattoo artist!johnny, p*rn with plot, no foreplay, unprotected sex, mirror sex, missionary, riding, cowgirl, clit stimulation, sorta size kink, praise

word count: 5k

N//SFW UNDER THE CUT, MINORS DNI!

the first time you had dm’ed the tattoo artist that had kept showing up on your feed, you weren’t expecting much. with a forwarded message of the tattoo flash that he posted on account, you only had the unstained expanse of your back and your payday allowance waited to be spent. from a lame dare from your friend and the taunting teasing that you wouldn’t be able to bare the pain, you took it up yourself to prove them wrong.

and so when he, ‘johnny suh’, replies promptly, you’re panicking over the sizes and the placement, to which you keep directing it back to the tattoo artist. what size do you recommend? where on my body do you think it’ll look best? every message screamed tattoo virgin, but you would rather listen to the professionals than walk into a parlour with no knowledge on the level of pain or the aftercare needed.

the fifteenth was when you’d go in with a pounding heart and scary, intimidating people who worked their way around the parlour. with a wave from johnny (how the hell did he know what you looked like?), he waves you over as you stride over there, skin already tingling from looking at the various machines around the place.

there were many people like you, clean and far from being tainted, there were those who had whole sleeves down their arms, and there were people in the middle. you wondered where you would end up after this first one — all you heard was that it became pretty addictive after the first.

“pretty.” a boy with semi-long hair called out as you walked past and you turn to give him a smile as thanks. you would’ve decked him if he was anyone else, but the way he whispered it under his breath signalled to you how awestruck he was with your beauty, where you weren’t one to take much pride in it. it was shown in how your shoulder hunchs when you walk, or when you’d look down at your shoes.

“are you… (y/n)?” johnny calls out in front of the tattoo bed, a hand attractively propped up to support his head. clad in long sleeves, it was sort of uncharacteristic for an artist to cover his creations, but it wasn’t like you hadn’t seen his photos before on instagram.

he looks at you through his bangs, falling across his brown eyes as he scans you from head to toe. it wasn’t done in ill-intention, but it makes you feel flustered and jittery. “yeah, i am.”

he flashes a grin. it’s the brightest in the parlour and sharper than the ring of the bell near the door, and soon you’re relaxing just a little at his presence. “right, also don’t mind nakamoto, or yuta. still don’t know what he wants me to call him,” johnny mumbles the last part, “he likes pretty things, or people. you just so happened to catch his eye.”

with a glance towards the other male, he shoots you another gentle smile, going right back to the client sitting in front of him. it’s like he knew you were talking about him. johnny’s quick to get your attention, though, patting the space in front of him. in your fluster, you sit with your back to him, but he only laughs and asks you move to the other side of the bed — the side that’s closer to him.

“we still need to go over your design first, doll. you said you wanted it on your lower back?”

your lips fall into a straight line, “i mean, i’m just following what you recommended.”

“yes! okay, okay. sorry love, was just teasing.” johnny’s demeanour switches when he looks back to his iPad, full of designs from the flash you saw before. the paper prints out faster than you can ask about the size.

“can i lift your shirt up just a bit?”

you calm your shaky breath at that, “yeah, go ahead.”

the dip of your back takes johnny's breath away. it’s a normal looking back, but the way the line of your spine runs down the middle gives him chills. he gets vision of your back filled up with a piece of his, but he blinks it away instantly, bringing himself to focus on the task at hand.

“you want it centre?” you jump, and his hand grasps at your waist to calm you down. “relax.”

curiously and nervously, you take a look over your shoulder to look right at the mirror miraculously placed there. it would’ve been embarrassing if it wasn’t there. the design you picked out hovers over your back, and while it’s difficult to envision it without the whites of the paper, you can’t help but admit it looks pretty sick.

a breathy “yeah” drops from your lips and johnny drops your shirt too fast. perhaps he didn’t like how your back looked, but it was anything but that. the artist mentions something about printing the stencil, prompting you to sit down.

“this your first?” he shouts across the parlour and you wish he hadn’t. thankfully enough, most of the people had already left, leaving yuta and his client. you assumed it because you came around the last quarter of lunch hour. nodding slightly, you turn to face him where the stencil printer stood behind the paying counter, the monotonous sound effects providing a familiar atmosphere to the printing store on campus.

"friend put me up to it, said i wouldn’t be able to handle the pain.” johnny nods, saying nothing afterwards that leave you wondering if you said too much.

“appointments like that are pretty common here, although they’d usually be accompanied,” he smiles, presenting the design on the stencil paper, “would you like a partition to be put up? and also would you prefer to hold up your shirt?”

“oh! uhm- i’m okay. and would taking my shirt off be easier for you?”

johnny’s back is turned, leaving you to take the chance to admire how broad his shoulders go. it leaves you with imagination of how much print he’s done on his body. did he have someone who did it for him? did yuta do it? what’s the design-

“definitely, princess. i just wouldn’t want you to be holdin’ your shirt up for me all the way either, might be tiring. your choice.”

doll, love, princess. the pet names kept coming, and you couldn’t help but heat up when they left his mouth.

“oh, uh, okay... then. i’ll take it off.” with one swoop, the fabric is off your body. you were glad that you chose to wear a sports bra today at least, giving you a sense of security. with a warning, he cleans the lower part of your back and the coldness of the alcohol shocks you again. “sorry.”

you shake your head to pass off the apology, feeling the peel of the stencil. the dark blue ink stains your back and once again, out of curiosity, you look back at the mirror. there in the middle of your lower back sits the markings and the intricate tattoo, and despite your friends’ messages, you feel excited to get inked.

“looks nice on ya. is the placement and size okay?” johnny mumbles. it seemed like he couldn’t wait either. he gets his wish soon enough, giving another warning of the machine starting and the hundreds of needles that makes wounds on your skin. you take it well, resorting to squeezing the tattoo bed and shutting your eyes tight when it became too much.

you could feel his breath on your skin, close and then far again every time he wipes away the excess ink and every time he leans back to see the full picture. it felt like hours, though, not knowing what was happening or how far he was into the tattoo until you breathed a sigh of relief as he murmurs “almost done”.

at last, the machine stops and johnny admires his handiwork, a series of lines and shading that is amplified by the artist’s tattooing style.

“would you like to see? let me take a picture for you.” swallowing, you pass him your phone for the picture. the photo that greets you makes your jaw drop, and for a first tattoo, you’re pretty damn happy with it. the hand cradling yours is rid of his gloves, and you would complain about the unprofessionalism, but again, johnny suh? he was a certified pretty boy.

“am i able to put my number in?” his breath fans against your ear, and bit by bit, your body obeys him. the grasp on your phone loosens, the posture you hold is broken.

“yeah.” you lose count of how many times you’ve said that word of affirmation today.

they were right, it was addictive, although your little tattoo escapade wasn’t mentioned at all to your friends.

the second time you went back, there was the usual lunch rush, with way more artists and people in the studio than ever. you could see why — their service was unmatched, with a snack and food counter for sustenance. it’s convenient, and had really attractive artists.

like really really stunning. now that you’ve given a good look around the studio, you could separate the clients from the artists, viewing how they look like were crafted by Aphrodite herself. they looked like they belonged in a band, with johnny included.

“hey, pretty,” yuta smiled and it calms you down instantly, “johnny’s in his office. do ya wanna wait out here?” the other nods towards johnny’s tattooing station, cut off by curtains so that no one would go in. are you sure it’s okay to go in... but the words don’t come out. instead, you whip your phone out to text johnny, frantic and worrying that you’d get reprimanded by the other staff in the parlour.

[12:17pm, delivered]: hi? hello? kind sir, should i wait at your station? idk where to go man

[12:18PM, read]: yo!! hi, in the office right now bestie; also sorry for the ominous photo yesterday. i basically sent it with no words

[12:18PM, read]: also my office is the one door down the corridor, you can come in if you want. pls come in and save me

you scroll back up to see the photo again, a blur of objects, possibly from a late night of drinking. he was surrounded by other men while they clutched onto their own bottles of beer. you guessed it was just a normal boys’ night out of fun and drinking, possibly over a birthday or for old times’ sake.

[12:19PM, delivered]: oh no! don’t worry about it. thought that you sent it to the wrong number so...

also okay. everything okay in there?

you don’t get an answer for the rest of the walk there. before you can rest your hand on the knob, though, there’s a girl that swings it open with the force of a bear, storming out right down the corridor and out of the parlour. johnny catches your surprised expression, beckoning you with a crestfallen one.

he is awfully honest, which is something you don’t expect him to be. “sorry. just a customer who thought we had something. in all honestly, i don’t think i made any moves that might’ve led her on.”

you shoot him an uncomfortable smile. “i’m... sorry. is it a bad time?”

“no, no! you booked the appointment; we’ll be out there in no time. i just need you to confirm the design again for me.”

cautiously, you take a seat across johnny’s desk in the office, but other than that he’s extremely professional. it’s hard to believe he was asking for your number or making moves on another girl (he claims he didn’t earlier, but you could never trust men), and the way he guides you through the design makes you feel safe.

“she finally left?”

yuta’s right outside when johnny opens the door while you try to see the owner of the voice hidden by the larger body. the taller man lets out a groan. “she stormed out earlier, of course she did. she probably made sure everyone see her, too.”

the japanese looks around johnny to flash you an apologetic smile, “sorry you had to encounter her, pretty.”

you shake your head, “no! it’s okay. i’m sure every place has its bad customers. it’s kinda inevitable.”

when johnny works on your second tattoo later on, the words come out before he can warn you, and soon he’s spilling everything to you, although still focused on your shoulder. you weren’t opposed to it, offering soft hums to let you know that you were listening.

“she was one of the earlier customers. probably on the same premise like you came on. i— i can’t remember. she been involved with one of our artists before, but they recently broke off. so as a way to get back at him, she’s been coming here more and more often.”

“to make him jealous?” you cringe when the gun hits a sensitive spot, making your breath hitch at the pain.

“sorry, princess. yep, exactly. she’s tried her bets on yuta, even on some of the apprentices, which was... just low, honestly.”

johnny wipes at the excess ink, and he has to halt the machine just a little to either calm his shaking hands or quell his pounding heart. he wasn’t sure which was it. he admires how your collarbone protrudes out, masking the mesmerisation with a gulp.

“that’s terrible. ’m sorry you had to deal with someone like that,” johnny’s eyes shoot up to meet yours and your lips that whisper the words. it felt like the room had melted away, and your voice held all the honey in the world. it was so soft and so sweet it was all johnny wanted to hear.

the artist swallows, “it’s fine, doll. i’m just pissed at how she tried to take advantage of the younger artists here. still baffled at how yuta didn’t tell her off.”

the machine runs again and you bite your lip at the intimate moment that’s ended.

“she was one of the persons to fund this parlour.” johnny blurts, licking his lips that’s got you looking towards his face. “together with her ex. they opened this place together, and even with them broken off, he tries to keep in touch with her because their business relationship had always come out triumphant.”

“maybe they shouldn’t have mixed their personal and business relationships.”

johnny stifles a laugh, turning off the machine again to shoot you a stunning grin. “you’re ruthless, doll. yeah, maybe they shouldn’t have, because now whatever we do, she’s watching. she can probably bring this parlour down if she wanted to.”

you huff, “what a bitch. ’m really sorry, if that helps in any way. at least you told her off?”

“even then, it’s risky. i tried to be as nice as possible, setting boundaries, but she just had to book a placement that she knew would get me in a suggestive position.” johnny continues like nothing, taking through while the ink goes through your skin. with a lone finger, you tap his skin.

“what kinda position?” and you feel like such a fucking pick-me right now, but if you weren’t seeing wrongly and that you made johnny’s hands clam like a middle school crush, you sure as hell were going to take the chance.

johnny smiles, “would you promise me that same position the next time you get inked?”

fuck.

you hide your grin by looking to the side, avoiding direct eye contact until his laugh catches your attention again. “i’m serious, princess. wan’ you to come back again — maybe then i could ink the inside of your thighs.”

your breath is caught in your throat and the whole place suddenly feels hot. johnny’s gaze is unrelenting and bores holes into your skin. the incessant sounds of the machine ring louder in your ears. “s'that what she booked?”

johnny more or less confirmed your question, nudging your legs open with his knee and it actually makes you feel like mush in his hands. you wonder why he didn’t take this position earlier.

the rest of the session is done in sexual tension that felt like, and you couldn’t sigh without notifying the other of your nervousness. johnny liked it, though, smiling to himself every few minutes at how you turned your head, only to be brought back when the needle hits a painful area.

you couldn’t even pick up your phone to spam text your friend, who would, unfortunately, be the person to receive your excited messages later. all because of this tattoo artist you met two times. two and you were already risking it all.

“i mean it, yeah?” johnny smiles when you pay him, and when he says that, you were so sure he’d say that you need not force yourself if you didn’t want to, that you had free choice over your body.

[4:23PM, read]: i was being serious, but i also don’t want to pressure u love. i really do wanna get to know u better though just, i want it to be mutual. :)

you booked another appointment not even one week later.

[11:56PM, read]: ooh, custom huh? what makes u think i do customs?

[11:57PM, delivered]: oh my god, do you not???? i’m so sorry johnny i’ll go find someone else!!!

[11:59PM, read]: NOOODFJGJJ i was kidding omg — i do do customs pft

[11:59PM, read]: i’m rlly sorry 💀 i like to mess with people. guess i should tone it down

[12:00AM, delivered]: damn ok u really scared me. yeah so ummm... for this next one, i kinda want...

johnny’s not afraid to admit that he stayed up all night to work on your custom tattoo. with droopy eyes and a canvas filled with the outcome of your unique ideas, he was done, sending it to you at the crazy hour at 6am. he knocked out right after.

you wave to him to next time you enter, sky darkened with the exception of a few pink hues that you snapped a picture of earlier. the parlour is quiet, save for some music leaving the speakers overhead. “how did you do this within 6 hours?”

“all you, baby. your ideas and references were solid, so i just had to piece the things together.”

baby. new pet name. you wished he used it more.

you were already getting used to the pain and the alcohol wipes and everything, but johnny between your legs was something that no matter how much you ingrained it into your brain, you always came back for more.

“you doing okay?”

“bold question to ask. it hurts like hell, johnny.” he gives you a consoling smile, like it did anything, but the tight grip he has on your thigh hardly gives you any room to squirm about like the other two times. the creases on his gloves increase more and more as he stretches your skin. every hot breath against your thigh gives you goosebumps, not ignoring the wet patch in your underwear, either.

it wasn’t weird to feel pain like always, but the inner thigh isn’t somewhere that people usually felt the familiar poking of the needles. you figured that you were just more sensitive than the average person, but you always blamed it on one of the most attractive people being in between your legs at the moment.

johnny was glad you booked a night appointment, too, and while he does the bare minimum of what a guy should be and do, he just wants the excuse of it being late so he could drive you home. he thinks that you would look very nice against the leather of his seats, and he can already see him not wanting to say goodbye as the lamppost light complements your features.

the hour is spent with muscles taut and toes curled in case you ruin the tattoo bed with your clenching, while johnny looks focused as always. you don’t miss the cheeky glances he sends you. the mix of the tightened grip on your thigh and the gun digging into an uncomfortable place makes your mouth drops open in an inaudible whimper, legs only spreading while you adjust yourself.

“i’m sorry, doll. it’s getting harder by the minute. i can’t—” the machine stops and he places it down swiftly, locking eyes with you. in a second, he’s right up in your face to kiss you, harshly.

johnny swallows your sounds, parting his lips a little too fast to get all of you and your taste. it’s intoxicating, and the artist feels himself fall deeper and deeper until there wasn’t any landing. you return his fervour with your own, pressing your hands onto his chest until he moans.

“i’ll- i’ll finish your tattoo first, ’kay?” you nod giddily, brushing fingers across your lips in disbelief.

your back against his office door was to be expected, of course. even in times of passion, he still cares for the parlour which is undeniably wholesome, mentioning how fucking on the beds weren’t sanitary. either way, you needed him. johnny is careful around the newly inked skin even as he’s feeling you up, kissing down your neck before you’re caving into him. caressing your sides until you plead with your eyes. you really were sensitive.

in no time, he has you on the desk which is rid of all the miscellaneous items on it, from stationery to papers to stencil prints. he stands in between your legs, parting them gently which proves each because of your skirt. he presses a finger against your clit, and you buck into it, earning a smirk from the male.

“baby, you’re really so damn sensitive.”

your words don’t come out, because by then he pulls your underwear towards you so that your clit is pushed up against the fabric. he continues doing it, gaining moans from you each time your panties are tugged higher and higher. and when johnny’s finally had enough, he rips it off of you.

“i- aw man, i just got these yesterday.”

“so you were planning?”

you shrug in response, grinning when johnny leans down again to plant a kiss to your lips. “can’t tell you how much i wished today would go well.”

“i’d say it’s going pretty well.” the other teases, removing his long-sleeved shirt in haste, and every part of your reaction was worth it. from coloured ink to the darkest ink that taints his body, he had it all. “it’s going exceptionally well, now.”

“s-sorry, just- all your tattoos are stunning. why do you cover them up?”

“parents. they don’t like me working as a tattooist, so i don’t look at them on the daily, although i wished they just accepted my job and passion.” your hands on his tatted body draws him from his feelings, and you’re in awe of how firm his body feels. it would have to wait for next time, if there was one.

offering a sweet smile, you comfort him without words. you can feel him relax, but it stays at the back of his mind. “i’m sorry, it’s- am i weirding you out?”

“not at all—”

“you still wanna fuck?” you’re taken aback by the sudden question, but a hearty laugh escapes you, along with your affirmation. removing his boxers, you stare, jaw dropping as he fishes out his dick. it’s heavy in his hands, and without waiting, you reach out.

you can barely wrap your fingers around it. the simple gesture has johnny closing his eyes, the warmth of your small hand spreading towards the rest of his length when you slowly start stroking. “right away?”

you nod, “can’t wait- wan’ it right now.”

“you sure? you need to be stretched out, p-” driven by lust, your yank him closer by the dick, nudging the tip against your folds yourself. it collects your slick that’s leaked out from the kissing, the groping, the body reveal, the cock reveal, and oh my god, you felt like a high school girl watching porn for the first time.

“this your first?” and unlike your first response on the first day, you shake your head. the real deal starts when he slips it in inch by inch, and your mouth grows lax, relishing in the way his cock splits you open slowly.

“oh my fucking god-” the other’s groans, slowly getting used to the way your pussy sucks him in. it’s hypnotising, and all he can focus on when you clench and unclench around him. “you’re so big-”

“you can take it.” johnny smiles at your whines, chest moving up and down from how much his cock stretches you out. your mouth doesn’t ever close, dropping more and more the deeper he moves into your gummy walls — you could feel every vein on his length. “keep squeezing me like that and i just might cum, doll.”

you giggle, bringing his face to yours, “bring it on, babe.”

johnny purses his lips, you asked for it, before he thrusts into your cunt harshly. it draws a long moan out of you, and he takes it as a sign to continue, rocking into you with a speed that even your fingers couldn’t manage. it always got tired, shame.

“oh my g-god, johnny-!” your moans echoes off the walls of his office, and it’s affecting him. he throbs in you, seemingly even growing even more when he’s deep in your sopping hole. each time his hips meets your ass only gives your arousal more opportunity to latch onto him, creating strings that connect you. it was so fucking filthy.

“princess, you feel so fucking good-” he ruts into you like a starved man, the lewd noises of the situation overwhelming you: from the skin slapping to the wet noises of your pussy, to the raspy groans the other was letting out.

“more. please, please!” a hand to your clit brings a string of profanities from your lips, mixed in with whimpers and whines of wanting more. beside you, the second skin that clings to your tattoo creases, but you can’t bring yourself to care when your artist’s cock impales you so good. “w— wait- i need to-”

moans are all you know before you’re releasing all over his length, coating him with your juices until it’s soaked. clutching tight onto his forearms, you watch as your cum all but drips to the floor, wetting the table just a little that you bashfully smile up at him. “wh-what about-”

johnny shuts you up with a kiss, sweeping you off your feet before he carries you to the sofa beside his table. he kicks a few pens away with his dick still buried in you and looking at how he settles you on his lap, the small, micro movements make you mewl at the sensation.

“you okay?”

“never been bet— ah!” his cock reaches the deepest part of your cunt, brushing against your cervix ever so slightly that he gets you twitching on him.

“can ya ride, pretty girl?” you’re moving before he finishes his sentence, ignoring the pulsating feeling of your clit. it’s sensitive from the orgasm seconds ago, but you’re set on making the other reach his high as well. you ride like your life depended on it, bouncing on his dick until your thighs burned and your heart tries to pump blood everywhere.

“that’s it, that’s it, princess. fuck my cock,” johnny secures your arm around his shoulders, inked to the touch that you can’t help but rake your nails over the expanse of his back. it’s all you can anchor yourself until your head spins, the ache in your thighs becoming unbearable. your moan out tiredly, burying your face into his neck.

“johnny, ’m tired. tired- thighs hurt.”

“no worries, baby, c’mon hold onto me.” and if you think johnny’s shown his physical prowess before, you’re swooning even more as his arms wrap around your lower half. he lowers you onto his cock, in time with the pounding of his hips, doing this all while supporting your body weight.

the new position is gratifying, his cock reaches depths in you and repeatedly abuses your cervix before it was all you could feel. his pelvis against the curve of your ass fit perfectly, echoing against the office’s walls along with johnny’s grunts and praises in your ears. “oh, fuck, baby- you’re so tight, so so tight!”

it goes on just like that, treating you like royalty by doing all the work, but even he gets tired. “just like that, baby, hold on for a lil longer.” you hover over him and he fucking pounds you into oblivion. the arms wound around your ass go to your waist as he fucks his cock deeper and deeper into you, hips jerking up and coming in contact with your dripping pussy.

johnny groans at how your warm your walls feel, hips chasing his orgasm until you’re cumming at same time, his dick slipping out of you while he spurts ropes of cum up over his torso. you rub fingers over your clit to get the most of out of it, grasping tightly onto the other’s shoulders. the other probably had heart eyes at the way your back arches and your head is thrown back, hand rubbing at your clit to prolong your high while your juices drop down your thighs.

eventually, the adrenaline cools, dropping down onto the other’s thighs tiredly. your core was still pulsing and throbbing, but you’re spent, both from the tattoo and the sex that you wanted to crash right there.

“c’mon, let’s get you cleaned up, baby.”

“hm? okay... baby? yeah. call me that more.” your words are slurred, but your body still is alert, wrapping around his waist as he stands.

johnny smiles softly, “think i might be calling you that even more, now, doll.”

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[butchbarbieagainstterfs]

I’m seeing a lot of crypto shit lately on tiktok and I was wondering your opinion on if it’s crypto or not. But a lot of criticism of “gender neutral is just masculine because feminine isn’t acceptable” which is a criticism that stems from the lack of skirts/dresses/leggings etc in gnc clothing brands etc, but I feel very weird when I see non trans ppl saying it lmao. Because it feels very terfy to hear white woman complaining that femininity isn’t acceptable in neutrality. When the reality is that neutralizing clothing means to remove oppressive shapes that oversexualized afab people, and to remove the hyper masculinity of other clothing. Like if you bind then you probably don’t want a form fitting shirt. You can embrace feminine styles but allow space for those who don’t. The bigger issue is these brands actually putting unisex in the men’s categories like old navy etc. but small independent brands making gnc clothing with trans ppl in mind aren’t haters of women lmao.

I actually saw a video saying that exact thing on my fyp this morning! And like…I do sort of understand where they are coming from, bc unisex basically is just like men’s cuts and it is more acceptable in society for a woman to be masc than it is for a man to be feminine (which is bc of misogyny)

But yeah ngl I had the same thought as you. I like unisex and men’s T-shirts bc they don’t cling to me and sexualise me. And like I don’t think saying the sort of thing they were is inherently a TERFy thing necessarily? But it’s hard with cryptos 🤷🏻 and it wouldn’t surprise me if cryptos did post that sort of thing

Also: there is a shop I go to sometimes that doesn’t gender their clothes at all, and that includes their dresses and skirts!

#my stuff #anti terf

[sugawara-sweetheart]

H-hi! Dont mind me bouncing in here asking for a matchup.. I'm a 5'4.5 bi, INFP-T, Libra girl who cosplays, draws, game s,sing,cook,bake and dance. I have a huge poster, pop figures and plush toy collection as well. I'm very quiet until someone talks to me but I do get chatty shortly after. I'm a weakling for Science and Galaxy stuff. I tend to be a people pleaser, overthink and forget things often which can trigger my anxiety and depression. I'm pretty sensitive too. 1/2

I get childish at times although being called too mature for my age (despite the meme wars I have with my friends). I'm usually in a giant hoodie, leggings and with earbuds 24/7. When I get close to someone,Im clingy and I love hugs! Im never not in a comfy state unless working out. Im extremely scared of the dark and insects. T-thank you! I've been seeing your matchups a lot on my dash and I love how you do them 🥺 Have a great day, cutie.

i am going to hell for how late i’m answering this🥺i’m really sorry for the wait but i really hope you enjoy this!💞also i’m always here for you if you’d ever like support with your mental health and i think you sound super cool🥺

i match you with...hanamaki takahiro!!

you and oikawa are probably geeking out one day over science when hanamaki overhears and whilst he insists oikawa is an alien, he immediately adores you

hanamaki and you make the perfect couple because you’re both laidback and relaxed spouses who are mutually supportive, loving and caring

always makes you laugh and feel loved because he’ll always compliment you, even on little details that normally go missed

he probably often comes up to you feigning shyness and you’re like yes??

“y/n, i have to confess...i’m in love with you!”

“makki, i should hope so; we’ve been dating for over a year.”

makki enjoys seeing you socialise with his friends but he’s respectful of your boundaries and is secure and happy enough to leave you alone for a few hours if you need 

he finds you so cool and interesting because of all your hobbies and definitely brags to everyone about how amazing you are 

“my s/o can draw, write, cook, bake- anything you can think of she can do it! what can you do, crappykawa?”

i think he’d love seeing you cosplay. he probably teases you for it at first but LOVES when you cosplay, especially as one of his favourite characters. he will take plenty of pictures for you and always finds you cute costumes! 

when you cook, makki says he’ll help but ends up just giving you back-hugs and asking you to feed him the ingredients but pouts when he has to do the washing up

definitely eats the cooking chocolate you need for baking

you and hanamaki bond over games and become the best multiplayer duo there is- often making the other seijoh boys frustrated when they can’t beat you. hanamaki buys you your consoles in your favourite colours with matching headsets too

finds tiktok dances for you two to learn together and you go viral on the fyp for how cute the two of you are together

always lets you wear his hoodies. he’ll deliberately leave them out for you, making sure they’re spritzed with his favourite cologne so you take them and wear them, always feeling like he’s close to you🥺

his cool, collected nature allows him to be observant and see clearly so he’s aware of your emotions, easily picking up on what can be offensive to you and always respects your sensitivity, never invalidating your feelings

but if you do get a bit upset, he won’t hesitate to apologise and will listen to you properly as you communicate your feelings. he’ll pull you onto his lap and cuddle you, murmuring apologies into your ear till you forgive him. he’ll never forget it either

he LOVES your collection of plushies and figures and will always buy you new ones. he learns all the names you’ve given to them too but teases you when you insist of cuddling a plushie instead of him

stargazing and science museum dates- he isn’t necessarily interested in science but he hears enough about it from oikawa to be able to speak to you about it. or he likes hearing you talk about all the planets because even if he can’t understand it, he thinks you look beautiful when you’re talking about something you love 

the most caring boyfriend ever. his calming personality is reassuring for you, but he is always direct and patient whenever you overthink, gently reassuring you till the nasty thoughts go away and he always tells you every day how amazing you are so you don’t worry about pleasing him. he always sends you little reminders and leaves post-it notes up for you 

if your symptoms are bad, makki cares for you silently. he’ll know what to do whether it’s tidying up for you, asking you to shower with him, making you a healthy meal even if you have no appetite without you needing to tell him first 

loves how clingy you are and definitely teases you

“you really love me so much, don’t you, y/n? what would you do without me?” but pouts and pulls you into him if you’re like “fine, i’ll go then!”😤

meme wars and conversing entirely through them. your albums are full of funny tweets, reaction pictures and tiktoks 

you telling your love story: “i slowly...i slowly started to seducted by him- like he started to seduce me!!!”

hanamaki thirsting for you: “that is very much aDeQuAtE😍😍😍😍”

#matchups #matchup #haikyuu #hq #haikyuu headcanon #haikyuu imagines #hq imagines #hq headcanons #haikyuu matchup #hq matchup #haikyuu x reader #hq x reader #hanamaki #hanamaki imagines #hanamaki headcanons #hanamaki matchup #hanamaki x reader #hanamaki x y/n #nekxrizawa

[aahsoka]

So having been on tiktok for a bit I wanna talk a little about it.

What I like

It’s actually rather entertaining to scroll through up to 30 second videos one after the other. Sometimes the humor falls flat or it’s not your taste, but the algorithim is quite good at recommending the kind of content you will like.

I joined right when there was a big trend going around about sharing your culture, and soon after a Blackout trend where non-Black creators stopped posting for a day & spread/supported videos by Black creators. So I ended up with a fairly diverse fyp or “for you page”. It also quickly gathered that I am bisexual, so I get plenty of lgbt+ content. There’s some art mixed in there, some cosplay, some historical costuming/seamstresses, lots of avatar jokes lately, musical theatre content, fashion, girls in bikinis on rollerskates (in outer space), commentary on political issues, body positivity, all the kinds of stuff I like. To get a feed that caters to your interests you just have to watch & like videos you’re interested in & eventually it gets a feel for what you’ll watch and what you won’t.

Theres a trend where people say which ‘side’ of tiktok they’re on and I get ‘science side of tumblr’ flashbacks but I’ve mostly avoided the “straight” and conservative sides of tiktok. I would be considered a part of “woke”, “alt” (as in alternative) and lgbt+ tiktok (there are separate ones for each letter of the acronym). Possibly also “theatre” and “cosplay” tiktok. These categories are nebulous and you’re usually part of multiple communities; its just as arbitray as ‘science side of tumblr’ was.

The format reminds me of snapchat a little, and I love to talk to myself on video & post dumb thirst traps for my friends (none of which I’m attracted to so idk what my goal is there) and make stupid jokes. So this app is kinda perfect for my attention seeking side & hyperactive tendencies. Its very easy to consume on a short attention span, though not as easy as vine was.

Being in quarantine, its a way for a lot of people to engage in hobbies that involve community. Cosplay is pretty popular, as its a fun way to show off a costume & dress up & have fun without having to attend a convention. I enjoy the way lip synced audios can be used to emulate the character someone is dressed as; that’s something you couldn’t really do unless you were really good at impressions. Its a nice succinct way to show the process of creating a cosplay as well.

Those who enjoy theatre, but cannot perform in shows at this time, are able to create mini-monologues & sketches as well as sing parts of their favorite songs. Its an avenue through which to perform without putting anyone at risk of the virus. It’s also an easy way to show off your talents without having to go through the audition process & actually get cast in a show as a prominent enough role that someone will notice it.

It’s a convenient format for discourse and educational videos. Nice, short, easily digestible tidbits that stay in your mind. This extremely catchy song, for example: “Black neighborhoods are overpoliced, so of course they have higher rates of crime, and white perpetrators are undercharged, so of course they have lower rates of crime. And all of those stupid stats you keep using are operating off a small sample size. So, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up”.

As well as other videos where people take the time to explain historical events, satirize racist arguments to demonstrate why they are wrong, talk about prevalent tropes in movies, teach a few signs in ASL, share facts about their culture, etc, etc. I have found there are quite a lot of people there from unique and fairly unknown cultures and backgrounds- and this is a place where they’re able to share their culture & existence with people all over the world. There are a thousand different viewpoints. Their videos are doing far more for diverse representation than any other platform, I’d argue, as everyone is extremely visible on the app. (‘Their’ as in the creators, not the app itself).

I also have enjoyed coming across new artists on the app. It’s really fun to watch the process they go through, as most art videos deal with the whole creation of a piece. It’s inspiring. I have also come across a painter who’s work I’m in love with, and a woman who makes and sells the CUTEST ceramic mugs, and I need to purchase some stuff from them both.

Now onto the bad:

Unfortunately, the app doesn’t have much in the way of a filtering or warning system. I talked about that tiktok of the kids coming across human remains? That was just on people’s fyp. Just popped up. No warning. No reason for it to still be up. Traumatizing.

You can click on a video and say ‘not interested’ (I do this to literally every video I get where some girl is thirsting after kylo ren 🤮..... like I want the star wars videos just not THOSE videos). However, it doesn’t seem to know exactly why you weren’t interested, because I still get those videos from time to time. There’s no content filter where I can blacklist the kylo ren or any other hashtag.

There’s some very shitty content. There are racist conservatives. Misogynistic teen white boys. Really weird thirst traps. Videos where people lip sync to something with a straight face and tag it with #acting. Harmful body image trends. I thankfully stay very clear of this, but this kind of content makes me worry for the minors on the app. The one’s who don’t have enough of a concept of self yet to realize they don’t need to be able to do the newest pointless beauty trend to be beautiful, to realize it’s ok for them to be gay, to realize how predatory some adults can be, etc etc.

It is extremely easy to come across minors on the app who don’t look like teens. One time I went to a girl’s page and it said she was FIFTEEN. I’m usually good at guessing ages but something about this app messes that up. I wish there was a way to separate people under 18 and adults. Where I don’t have minor’s thirst traps popping up on my fyp. Where pedophiles don’t get a chance to curate that fyp intentionally. If anyone reading this has kids, I highly recommend they make their tiktok private or only viewable to friends.

Just like any site, there are plenty of bigots. Lots of racist comments. Plenty of transphobia. Any hatred you’ve seen elsewhere, of course it exists on tiktok. I have actually zero clue if you can report people & if it works. Most people seem to send a video commentary to their haters or duet a video of a racist pointing out their racism. I’ve heard of creators blocking people, however. I remember a tiktok of a Black woman who’s video somehow went fairly viral in Poland and now she gets a lot of racist comments from this large group of random racisf Polish followers she has and its extremely time consuming to block them all, as there’s no mass block feature.

The rumors about what works with the algorithm and doesn’t abound. I’ve heard well lit videos get more views. Many people suspect they have been shadowbanned for speaking out about current events. TikTok will remove the audio from videos sometimes if they deem it controversial enough. Most of us know they were criticized recently for intentionally keeping Black creator’s videos from being seen (a catalyst for the Blackout, actually). Or you may also recall when it was criticized for widely removing lgbt+ content. Those creators are fighting to be seen the same amount as straight cis white creators are allowed to be seen with no effort.

The effects some trends could have on teen girls. So many of them are already so uncomfortable in their own skin simply because of societal standards, but the absolutely meaningless challenges people come up with on tiktok make it so much worse. One trend was based around whether your finger touched your lips when you put it in your nose. Or if you could get your clasped hands around the back of your legs and over your butt (if they get passed, you have a flat ass, if they get stuck, its big). These completely arbitrary signifiers of the things you need to have in order to be pretty, are far more ridiculous that anything I have seen yet in my life. I worry about little girls taking these ideas to heart. There is a very kind body positive community on the app & I hope more people can find that.

There’s also that thing where they steal your data. Like most apps. But apparently they got a lot more invasive than usual, so I would look into it before making an account; if you want to do that.

I think the apps users can be great & its a pretty intuitive set up. It certainly deserves its popularity solely as a creative form of social media. That being said, its owners are so so insidious & do the worst things. Just like all other social media, its controlled by the worst kind of people. Who can never figure out how to effectively get rid of nazis or keep kids safe from adult content.

These are my less serious gripes with the app:

1) Lip syncing

When people lip sync and don’t do any kind of skit, joke, etc, just look as if they’re saying what someone else said; I hate that. I have to go back and find the original tiktok so I can like it instead. You literally did nothing interesting by ripping off someones audio and moving your lips along to it. So many people on this app are creative and so many others lack any semblance of creativity.

Also people are too easily impressed by lip syncing to kinda-fast songs. I lip synced to like....10 seconds of the devil went down to georgia and two people praised my lip syncing abilities. Like, I can also sing and talk fast, out loud, isn’t that more impressive? more skillful? The fiddle playing in that song is impressive, not the fact I can lip sync ‘the devil went down to georgia, he was lookin for a soul to steal, he was in a bind, cause he was way behind.’ Have you ever seen someone play Johnny’s fiddle solo????? It’s insane!!!

Rather than see someone lip sync to the verse in Stressed Out 2x faster than normal (which is, extremely simple and the song was overplayed and ingrained into our collective consciousness) and go WOW what about someone.....doing the verse out loud. You can litterally just mouth random words and look like you’re saying the right ones. It’s driving me crazy lmao. I’m set to become a God of tiktok because I have a repertoire of fast songs and rap verses memorized. It’s not even an uncommon skill to speak or sing quickly, people literally make rap music for a living! Listen to it maybe.

2) “Acting”

I am begging you to stop making me sit through those horrible POVs. I cannot take another girl not quite fake crying towards the camera as she lip syncs the words from a song that apply to the random situation she decided she was in. I cannot take another boy who thinks its sexy to stare into a camera and smirk in every single situation he creates.

Back to lip syncing, making facial expressions along to words isn’t really acting. Try saying the words out loud perhaps? The inflection you use with your lines is a pretty big part of acting. Like you can lip sync all you want, just stop tagging it with #acting.

3) Comedic timing, or lack thereof

You don’t need the entire intro to sit there looking at the camera waiting until the first line starts and you can lip sync to the part that’s the joke. You could cut off at least 15 seconds. Brevity is the soul of wit.

When your joke involves both reading text on screen and listening to the song for the punchline, if it isn’t done prefectly, its so difficult to follow. I can’t read a paragraph in 5 seconds. Paraphrase.

4) self deprecating artist audio

the audio thats like ‘this wont get views’ ‘I suck’ ‘you probably won’t see this anyway’ LOVE YOURSELF

It sucks when people dont enagage with your art but it sucks worse when your value in yourself and you art is based solely on receiving that validation. Please find a healthy medium.

Also you’re asking for pity, and you don’t want that. You want people who genuinely love your art for what it is.

5) editing videos is really hard how do you make such cool & smooth transitions????

please help me I don’t understand

Finally

here’s my account if you’re interested

#this long ass opinion article no one asked for #tiktok #social media #jordan talks #long post /

[danasappdesign]

Questionnaire responses

1. Setting of base location: Urban/city= 60%, Suburbs= 20%, Small town= 20%

2. What colors, aesthetics, and/or visualizations do you associate with ice cream?

- White, brown, pink. Creaminess texture while being firm in shape. Rounded. Overflow of toppings including sprinkles or chocolate syrup

- White, aqua, any color pastel

- Light brown, white, pale pink, cream, hot pink, bright blue, mint green

- Pink, tan, white, light green

- Bright pastel colors, summer, comfort, and sweet aromas

- Brown, butterscotch, and beige mostly and all the other nudes

3. Describe your relationship with/ feelings toward ice cream?

- Amazing experience to enjoy any time of the day. Uplifting and makes me feel happy. Can never go wrong with a scoop of it. Pure love

- Always here when needed, especially when feeling a bit down or just craving something sweet.

- It's cold but makes me feel warm inside

- It’s my stress reliever and I often crave eating it 😘🤤🤤

- A strong relationship or a bond that never broke

- My certain flavors that are my go tos just feel amazing! It's like heaven in your mouth! Just fun food!

4. How often do you go out for ice cream, or think about going to an ice cream shop?

- Weekends I feel like going out to get ice cream, especially if it is a hot sunny day.

- Frequently

- Once a week

- Maybe like twice or thrice a week

- Way too often but definitely once a week

- I go out for ice cream like twice a month but I think about it a lot more often than that

5. Where do you usually go when you want ice cream? (Select all that apply)

- Local ice cream shops: 40%

- Known ice cream chain: 40%

- Look for something new: 33%

- Supermarket/ corner shop: 7%

6. What is your preferred method of finding new places and restaurants to go to?

- Word of mouth: 47%

- Social media: 60%

- Google/Yelp: 33%

- Walk around and find places: 7%

7. How do you differentiate between ice cream shops? What makes a store somewhere you want to go to?

- The amount and variety of flavors makes each ice cream store unique. Also, the layout of the store itself differentiates each place. I want to go to a place that has the feeling of being a family owned store and has an authentic feeling to it.

- If they have samples and I get to stand there and think abt what I really want without feeling judged

- Knowing the flavors or the extra mile they will go with add ins. Have to go where that's the main/only thing sold .. I'm not big on like McDonald's, DQ.... Fast food place ice cream. I'd rather actual ice cream shops.

- The overall feel of the place. I think if they go the extra mile to promote a lifestyle and make themselves a unique brand I would go again

- I more often go to ice cream shops that have unique flavors and methods of making ice cream

- Showcase, display, and decoration. Large choice of ice cream (vegan, gluten free, variety of flavors), kind employees, and a clean place.

8. What are things you pay attention to online when considering/ researching a place to eat? (ex. photos, reviews, ratings, descriptions, etc.)

- Reviews/comments are very important. Photos of the place itself I pay attention to. Additionally, I pay attention to how well the website of a place is. If the website is neat and provides plenty of information, it goes well for the place as well.

- All of the above. Also word of mouth ratings from friends and family. That way you actually know if it's good or not.

- Photos and reviews, but like real photos, not fake ones!

- Reviews ( photos and rating ), location, menu

- I pay attention to reviews, ratings, and descriptions

- Photos mostly, but also reviews and ratings

9. Tell me about a time when you really wanted to go out for ice cream and needed help finding a place to go:

- Going on a date is very important to know where a good ice cream place is. You could go out in a very remote area on a date and it may not be easy to find an ice cream place near you.

- When I was visiting a small city and was desperate for some ice cream but I knew nobody there to get direction for the best shop in the city

- Never. I always have a place to go because I have a list

- We were looking for a place to eat some ice cream, ended up going to the first place we saw and were a bit disappointed.

- Never💅🏻 Instagram tells me where to go😂

- I know all the places in my city where I can get ice cream.... so didn't need any help!

- My daughter for her birthday wanted fun ice cream with toppings... so I researched and then named a few I thought she would like. We ended up at a place called Orange Leaf. Yummy frozen yogurt with lots of flavors and you get to serve yourself and put on as many toppings as you want. Just have to be careful. When they weigh it to give final pricing 😅

10. Where did your love for ice cream stem from? Who do you share this with, or how do you express this?

- Growing up my family always had ice cream for dessert. Ice cream just resembles being in a safe homey environment and it's the most fun to enjoy with those who too make you feel most comfortable.

- I generally love dairy products and have a sweet tooth, ice cream is both, so it's super! I express my love by ogling ice cream online and eating it whenever I can.

- My family loves ice cream... Especially my mom, she is my go-to partner to eat ice cream with!

- My mom... She's always loved ice cream, vanilla and butter pecan... she always says "ice cream is good any time of the day... breakfast, lunch, and/or dinner." I get my love of ice cream from her!

- I like to go for ice cream with my friends

- Probably the fact that my father encourages my love for ice cream😂

11. How might you go about sharing your experiences, good or bad, at a specific ice cream spot?

- Post a picture to social media: 60%

- Tell or text a friend about it: 68%

- Write a review on Google/ Yelp: 28%

-I do not share my experience: 20%

12. Has social media impacted or influenced how you view your relationship with ice cream? If yes, how so?

- While social media creates the desire for ice cream, the real relationship of ice cream is the experience of enjoying it so I wouldn't say it has impacted me greatly

- Not really! I just take it as everyone has different taste! Someone may say they don't like it. But honestly if you don't try for yourself you'll really never know. Everyone is different in what they like. I'd definitely take their opinion into consider but ultimately it's my taste buds.

- Made me realize all the options available , even if we have certain diets to follow (Vegan , lactose free , gluten free )

- Instagram make it look soooooo good so I want to try it out

- Sort of because sometimes I like to post a picture of the ice cream I get

- Not really but I do fall for a lot of ice cream clickbait pics and love watching the videos of it being made, like the rolled ice cream

13. Tell me about a time when social media played an important role in your ice cream cravings or your love for ice cream

- Just seeing amazing photos of the ice cream itself from different locations wants me to travel to those places to experience what those photos showed

- Ice cream videos are usually on my fyp and I check different places from there. One time I wanted to go out with a friend and I went on TikTok to find fun things to go eat in the city and I found a place called Mr. Dips, so we went there.

- When I see super yummy combos of ice cream being made on a reel or something... I'm like gotta try that. Or if it's based on a character from a movie or a book for my daughter. I Gotta try it.

- When I see other people posting that they're eating it, like my friends

- Generally, seeing people post pictures or reviews of ice cream makes me crave it.

- When looking at someone's story sharing pictures of their ice cream and really wanting one (especially if it's really hot outside)

14. Are there any challenges or obstacles you face on the topic of ice cream? If yes, what accommodations might help with this?

- Finding the best place to eat ice cream that isn't sold by a big brand company. Google tends to put chained ice cream stores at the top of all the searches and I hate that. I wish there was a setting that allowed you to put in specific needs that would pinpoint the exact store you want to go to

- Food restrictions. Not everyone has a large selection of options. So always having some gluten free , lactose free / vegan ice cream options is really good and could really brighten up people's day.

- Not really. Lol. Maybe if certain flavors would be more available. Haggen daz makes an amazing green tea ice cream but I can never done it anywhere anymore. Bums me out... (Sorry can't spell)

- Apart from the fact that I'm kind of lactose intolerant, and I'm trying to shed a few pounds no.

- Nah, not really

- Finding the right richness. I like chocolate but it has to be just right. Vanilla is a bit less challenging but it needs to be rich too

15. How far would you travel for ice cream?

- I wouldn't drive more than 30 min away to get to a store

- 3 hours at top

- A walking distance

- 30- 45 minutes not more

- Maybe a drive across town but I’m not going across country to have the best ice cream lmao

- Depends... how much I'm craving for!! Definitely anywhere within the five boroughs

16. When traveling what is your preferred mode of navigation?

- Maps: 20%

- Google maps: 93%

- Waze: 7%

17. Thoughts on ordering ice cream to your door from a food delivery app such as Ubereats or Postmates? Have you ever done it? Please elaborate on your experience.

- Never done it. It may be practical but I personally find the experience of eating ice cream more enjoyable when going out to the store and buying it and eating it there

- Done it, loved it, but it wasn't really anything special, just plain ice cream

- I have. Honestly, I’d rather go out myself for things like icecream

- So dumb. I did it once. It comes melted. I think the only time I’ve cream is really worth not going into your own freezer for is when you go to a cool shop

- I have done it with a place called Screamery. It’s amazing ice cream and it stays so soft and cold no matter how far. Ofc there’s a limit but it’s amazing otherwise.

- I haven't done this before but I'd be open to it if I trusted that it would be handled well in transit.

[clarencenicholsonata]

3 Ideas for TikTok Contests to Drive Engagement with Examples

Released in 2016, TikTok has grown into the sixth-largest social network in the world. That puts it ahead of Snapchat, Pinterest, and Twitter. With 100 million active users in the United States alone, the platform is rapidly rising up the ranks of the most popular social networks.

While its user base mainly consists of Gen-Z, with 16-24 year-olds accounting for 41% of all users, the number of users that are 40 and older is on the rise. This means that small businesses with a younger target market should already have a TikTok presence, while those with an older one should consider developing a TikTok strategy sooner rather than later.

Another thing that sets TikTok apart from other social networking sites is that you don’t need to have a large following to go viral, allowing you to reach an audience beyond just your followers, provided your content is engaging enough. This makes it an excellent platform for small businesses to share their brand and reach new audiences.

An effective way for small businesses to increase engagement on TikTok is by running a contest. While similar to running a contest on other platforms, running a TikTok contest does require a couple of considerations, including:

Understanding what content performs well on TikTok to maximize engagement,

Reading TikTok’s Community Guidelines to ensure your contest follows the rules.

Before we dive into the meat and potatoes of TikTok contests let’s see what you can expect in this article:

Planning your TikTok Contest

The difference between TikTok Challenges and Contests

3 Ideas for TikTok Contests with Examples

Planning your TikTok Contest

While having the right idea for your TikTok contest is vital, you need to plan it out properly to ensure that it has the best chance of success. While the goal here is to drive engagement, you may have others, which you need to make clear before coming up with the contest.

Knowing your goal will allow you to decide on which metrics to track and how to track them. You’ll also need to come up with a hashtag for the contest so you can monitor entries.

To promote your TikTok contest there are a number of options available to you. These include:

Partnering with TikTok - this is an expensive option meant primarily for big brands

Hiring an influencer - while this too can be pricey depending on their following, micro-influencers are a good option for small businesses to increase their reach

Offer a prize enticing enough to spread the word organically

The difference between TikTok Challenges and Contests

One important thing to note is that TikTok contests and TikTok challenges can seem similar but shouldn’t be confused.

A TikTok challenge is an organic trend that isn’t controlled by a brand or business and, due to its viral nature, sees contributions from around the world. One of the biggest examples from 2020 is the Renegade Challenge which required participants to master a 15-step choreographed sequence. It took TikTok by storm, with celebrities from Kourtney Kardashian to Oprah getting in on the fun, generating over 2.5 billion views in the process.

@bigshwangnick

“renegade” dance tutorial ?? #dance #tutorial #foryou #fyp #renegade #DealDropDance #streamingwars #onthecourt #BornToGlow #makemefamous

♬ Hardest Dance Tutorial - nick joseph ?

On the other hand, a TikTok contest is (largely) controlled by a brand or business and will feature a prize, a timeframe, may require a landing page, and rules that outline how participants can enter.

TikTok contests might use the mechanics of TikTok challenges, but it’s very rare for a contest to become a challenge.

While running a TikTok ad campaign can give good results, if you want to cost-effectively drive engagement for your small business with an audience beyond your followers, a TikTok contest is a powerful strategy that can deliver the results you’re after.

Monitoring TikTok trends is a helpful way of understanding what type of content resonates with users. While there are no set rules to follow when coming up with ideas for TikTok contests, there are a couple of things you should keep in mind. These include:

Keeping the challenge simple and accessible

Encouraging authenticity and creativity

If you don’t understand TikTok analytics, it can be tough to know what kind of contest ideas would perform well on TikTok. As TikTok themselves say, “don’t make ads, make TikToks.” To help, we’ve found X ideas for TikTok contests with examples that you can adapt for your small business.

3 Ideas for TikTok Contests with Examples

1. Get your audience dancing

This type of contest builds on dance challenges, one of the most popular challenge formats on TikTok. A typical dance challenge will require participants to master a sequence of dance moves set to music. Examples of these include the previously mentioned ‘Renegade Challenge’ or the ‘Tootsie Slide Challenge’ started by Drake. When it comes to brands, Chipotle, with its “#GuacDance Challenge,” is a perfect example of a business doing a dance challenge right.

Chipotle “#GuacDance Challenge”

Based on the popularity of these types of challenges, Chipotle launched its’ #GuacDance challenge, which asked participants to create their interpretation of a ‘guacamole dance’ in exchange for a free serving of guacamole.

The challenge, which featured the viral “Guacamole Song” by children’s musician Dr. Jean, received 250,000 video submissions and 430 million video starts over six days. The result was Chipotle’s biggest guacamole day ever, with more than 800,000 sides of guacamole served.

@brentrivera

When guacamole is free @chipotle when you order online/in-app on July 31st? #GuacDance #ad

♬ The Guacamole Song - Dr. Jean

2. Get creative with your brand

TikTok users love showing their creativity and unique take on things. Encouraging them to remix your brand or use your products in exciting ways is a fantastic way to increase engagement with your brand and to showcase your products in user-generated content organically.

Two brands that successfully built on this idea were Crocs and Mercedes Benz. Let's take a look at how they applied this strategy.

Crocs “#ThousandDollarCrocs Challenge”

Crocs was already featuring in viral content before joining TikTok. This was thanks to organically created challenges such as the “Shaving Cream Challenge,” where people stepped into shaving cream-filled Crocs. Another example was the “Crocs Shoe-Throwing Challenge,” where participants show how Crocs always land flat on their sole when thrown up in the air.

Building on this interest around their brand, Crocs joined TikTok and gained over 100,000 followers in a week. To build on this momentum, Crocs decided to launched a competition in partnership with musician Post Malone whose song "I’m Gonna Be" contained the lyrics, "Richard Mille my watch; thousand dollar Crocs.”

Through the #ThousandDollarCrocs challenge, Crocs asked its fans to share what they thought their $1,000 Crocs would look like "by customizing, enhancing, or by just embodying the Come As You Are mentality and letting the world know I’m gonna be whatever I want."

The campaign offered the winner a pair of $1000 Crocs, leading to an 18% increase in TikTok followers in the first 24 hours.

@brittany_broski

y’all can stay mad. Me n Posty stay dressin ? #ThousandDollarCrocs @crocs #sponsored

♬ original sound - Brittany

Mercedes Benz “#MBStar Challenge”

With Gen-Z and millennials making up 40% of car owners on the road, Mercedes Benz knew it needed to increase brand awareness and engagement amongst that demographic. They did this through the #MBStar campaign, which encouraged TikTok users to get creative with Mercedes Benz’s famous star logo for a chance to be featured on their Instagram page.

Running only in the UK and Germany, the campaign had over 70,000 participants and more than 800 million video views. The luxury car brand also gained more than 30,000 new followers.

@mercedesbenz

Join us for the #MBStarChallenge and show us how you let our star shine! #MercedesBenz @laurieelle

♬ Shape like a shining star - Mercedes

3. Encourage self-confidence & positivity

Authenticity is critical on TikTok, and content that speaks to this performs well. Users of the platform value encouraging self-confidence and promoting positivity and will tend to engage more with brands that reflect these values.

Both Ralph Lauren and e.l.f. cosmetics are perfect examples of how authentic content resonates on TikTok and testifies the type of engagement that this strategy can produce.

e.l.f. cosmetics “Eyes Lips Face Challenge”

One of TikTok’s most successful branded hashtag challenges to date is e.l.f. cosmetics’ ‘Eyes Lips Face Challenge’ which has generated over 5 million user-generated videos and more than 6 billion views.

The cosmetics brand commissioned a song called “Eyes. Lips. Face.” specifically for the challenge, a first in TikTok marketing, and asked participants to show their self-confident moves for a chance at winning $250 worth of e.l.f. Cosmetics makeup and skincare products.

Not only did the campaign result in a massive amount of entries, but it also gained organic traction with celebrities such as Lizzo, Kevin Hart, and Jessica Alba jumping on board without payment. Thanks to the song’s popularity on TikTok, e.l.f. released a music video and a full-length version on streaming platforms where it reached #4 on Spotify’s Global Viral Chart.

@jessicaalba

#eyeslipsface my errryday look #honestbeauty #cleanbeauty

♬ Eyes. Lips. Face. (e.l.f.) - iLL Wayno & Holla FyeSixWun

Ralph Lauren “#WinningRL challenge”

Building off its sponsorship of the US Open, Ralph Lauren created the #WinningRL campaign, promoted via a series of sponsored and organic videos starring “Booksmart” actress and tennis enthusiast Diana Silvers.

The challenge asked users to post videos showing how they are “winning in life,” with the three videos with the highest engagement winning Ralph Lauren US Open apparel.

Ralph Lauren went even further than a standard branded hashtag challenge using TikTok’s branded hashtag plus feature. This feature allowed the user to shop its US Open collection directly from the app.

To date, the campaign has amassed over 800 million views.

@lani.baker

What does #WinningRL look like in your day? ??☕️?? @ralphlauren #ad

♬ Clap - TikTok アシスタント

Gymshark “66 Days | Change Your Life Challenge”

Taking advantage of the popularity of fitness content on TikTok, fitness clothing brand Gymshark launched a simple but effective campaign that called for participants to set a personal goal that they would like to achieve in 66 days.

To stand the chance of winning a year’s supply of Gymshark goods participants had to post a picture at the beginning of the challenge and a reply to that picture 66 days later tagged with #gymshark66.

Gymshark partnered with a number of twin TikTok influencers, another popular trend on the platform. This strategy helped them to achieve an overall average engagement rate of 11.11%, with the #gymshark66 hashtag receiving 45.5 million views.

An example of how to effectively utilize influencers on the platform, the campaign also highlights the importance of understanding the strengths of the platform.

@francescapitt0n

Thank you so much for all the support ❤️ I will see you guys in a few days ??? #gymshark66 #gymshark #getfranfit @gymshark

♬ ily (i love you baby) - Surf Mesa

Wrapping Up

From the above examples, it should be clear that the type of content that does well on TikTok is very different from what performs on Facebook or even Instagram. Trends and challenges perform the best, but users also value authenticity. For that reason, if you’re planning on running a TikTok contest, you must adjust your strategy to match the platform.

As a relatively new platform, knowing what works on TikTok can be tricky. However, the ideas for TikTok contests listed above are proven examples of strategies that have been successful on the platform. These ideas are:

Getting your audience dancing

Getting creative with your brand

Encouraging self-confidence and positivity

While it’s impossible to predict what works, using the ideas and examples given above as jumping-off points for your next TikTok contest will greatly increase your chances of creating one that is engaging and successful.

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How TikTok Hauls Are Taking Some Of The Mystery Out Of Plus-Size Shopping

When the pandemic put a hold on in-store shopping, one of the leading complaints about online shopping was the inability to try things on before spending the money. After all, buying all the items we’re interested in, many of which we know we’ll have to send back, is not only a waste of resources and time but, for many, financially impossible. What’s worse is trying to decipher the wild inconsistency of sizing among retailers (even in the same store, products labeled a size 16 can vary drastically; it’s even more confusing when brands use their own proprietary nomenclature for sizing). For plus-size shoppers though, this guessing game was a problem long before the pandemic, as most department stores and retailers that sell plus-sizes don’t carry them in stores, leaving plus-size women with no other option but to blindly online shop. 

That’s where TikTok’s growing community of honest plus-size fashion haulers comes in. From Remi Bader’s viral “realistic hauls” to Katrina Nichole’s uplifting and informative ones, content creators on TikTok are taking the mystery out of shopping online when plus-size. 

“When we try on something that’s normally our size, and yet it doesn’t fit, we often end up blaming ourselves,” Bader tells Refinery29. “My mum would beg me to go shopping, and I’d always say no. It always ruined my day.” As she got older, she learned what clothing worked for her, and eventually found humour in the way so many brands mislead e-commerce customers by using styling tricks and hacks to make a garment appear one way when it fits entirely differently in real life. 

@remibader

Let’s show the REAL haul. We don’t always look that good.. ##fyp ##sizedoesntmatter ##plussize ##curve ##curvemodel ##size14 ##size16 ##haul ##plt

♬ YOU’RE THE ONE – KAYTRANADA

After one particularly baffling online order arrived from PrettyLittleThing during lockdown, Bader, who had just joined TikTok at that point, decided to film herself trying on her purchases. “I was hysterically laughing just looking at myself,” she recalls. “I posted it, and it blew up.” Soon afterward, thousands of messages flooded her TikTok inbox commiserating along with her, and thanking her, too. 

According to Bader, her hauls are successful because everyone can relate to that disheartening feeling when you believe something should fit, but it doesn’t: “Everyone gets so upset thinking it’s their fault,” she explains. “What I’m trying to point out is that it’s the clothing brand’s fault, because the sizing is never the same across the board.” 

@remibader

I want to love @revolve but they need to do better!!! ##remisrealistichauls ##realistic ##haul ##revolve

♬ original sound – Remi Jo

In a recent Revolve haul, Bader went through a selection of items sized XL to XXL. From a romper and two-piece set to a blazer, everything included in the haul would look great — that is, if it fit the way the size indicated it should. Bader’s hauls prevent us from falling into the same trap; her ability to laugh it off is what allowed her to gather 1.1 million TikTok followers in a few month’s time.

Bader and other haulers also share which brands are doing things right, and how to use one label’s method of sizing to figure out their corresponding size at another one.

Unlike Bader’s realistic hauls, Nichole prefers to only show the pieces she’s ordered that she genuinely loves. “I’ll share if something doesn’t fit me right because sizing is so inconsistent,” she tells Refinery29, but otherwise, she’ll often choose to only highlight the things she keeps. “If it’s something that doesn’t work for me, I almost want to tell you really in-depth why it doesn’t work — if it’s the style, the fit of the fabric, the way it feels on my skin, or whatever it may be.” With each video being just 60 seconds, there just isn’t enough time on TikTok to go into that kind of detail (but they oftentimes do end up on YouTube). 

@thekatrinanichole

I am obsessed with SKIMS but need your help on which color to keep: pink, sage or white? ##plussizefashion ##skims ##loungewear ##plussize

♬ a lot of money in the grave by auxtin marc – outfits ✘ anime

One thing that both haulers do is share their honest opinions and feedback with the brands they work with, whether it’s in their actual hauls or behind the scenes. In her Revolve haul, Bader chose to end the video with a plea to the trend-forward retailer: “Please, Revolve, please just make some larger clothing,” she begs. “On the website, it says XXL, but when you go and click that, there’s barely any items on the website that are XXL. What if I came in and I created a brand for you… but for curvier women? Don’t you want to cater to more people and make more money? It’s very simple!” 

Nichole speaks directly with the brands she works with to try and come up with solutions. “I’ve had brands literally design clothes based on my body type,” she says. “They will send me sample sizes, ask me for my measurements, and then I will tell them, ‘Okay, it fits me around the waist, but the back doesn’t have enough fabric, so it’s coming down too low.’ Some brands will work with me in that regard to make sure that a piece fits bodies in the way that they’re hoping it will.” 

Unfortunately, it’s going to take some time for these brands to make those changes, and for more brands to realise they should, too. In the meantime, TikTok haulers like Nichole and Bader will continue to make light out of the vulnerable try-on process. Given how much they’ve already done for plus-size women, one day, maybe they won’t have to.

Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?

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How TikTok Hauls Are Taking Some Of The Mystery Out Of Plus-Size Shopping published first on https://mariakistler.tumblr.com/

[easyhairstylesbest]

How TikTok Made Pro-Choice Activism Cool Again

In Charlotte, NC, a man referred to as Chris has unwittingly become a TikTok celebrity. He doesn’t have an account—that we know of—and it’s unclear if he’s even aware of his popularity, but his own dedicated hashtag, #christok, has more than 174 million views.

Chris isn’t the typical subject of viral internet fame. He looks to be in his late 50s. He shows up to an abortion clinic in Charlotte just about every day dressed in business casual attire with a sign that reads, in bold white letters, “THOU SHALL NOT MURDER.” His voice is low and dull, even when shouting about unborn children seeking vengeance from God.

But Chris has become a sort of canvas onto which the women of Charlotte for Choice can project the realities and follies behind the everyday grind of pro-choice activism. Since summer, the local organization of abortion clinic escorts and defenders has posted countless videos of him and other anti-abortion protestors outside their local clinic, A Preferred Women’s Health Center of Charlotte, in order to show the world exactly what patients are up against.

“Any video with Chris in it, people go crazy for,” said Reiley, a 20-year-old clinic defender and TikToker (@loveurmother) with more than 445,000 followers. In September, she posted a video dissecting Chris’s “4 moods”, which range from “waiting for patients to harass” to “pouting because you can’t harass patients.” There are also videos of him arguing with clinic escorts, stretching out his tired knees, arguing with other anti-abortion protestors, and getting inadvertently roped into a dance off. The women at Charlotte for Choice have made national headlines for their posts, including a viral video of a clinic defender sticking it to a protestor by referring to God as “sky daddy.” It’s all part of a growing trend on the Gen Z-driven platform—one that’s having as much impact offline as it is on.

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“It was actually TikTok that made me become an escort in June,” said Amy, a 20-year-old in suburban Detroit. (Several sources in this article asked to be identified by only their first name or nickname to protect their privacy.) Amy, who goes by the moniker @basicasstrashcan, was the first clinic escort to grace my own TikTok For You page, the app’s algorithmic homepage curated to each user’s tastes and interests. (If a video winds up in the #FYP algorithm, it’s almost guaranteed to get a high viewership.) In the first video I saw from Amy, she rated clinic protestors on a scale of 1-10, docking points for poor dress or shrieking at patients, all set to a mash-up of Super Mario theme songs.

This content is imported from TikTok. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

Amy’s own introduction was through Hannah (a.k.a. @42069horndog), Charlotte for Choice’s first TikToker who started as a clinic defender this summer with her mother, a long-time volunteer with the group. “I just thought she was kind of funny,” Amy said. “But I was also morbidly curious about the protestors. Like, what’s with these people?” She ended up calling a few local clinics in June and has been volunteering pretty much every Saturday since.

“I don’t want you on the sidewalk just yelling at people. I want you to understand the perspective of the greater movement and what it means.”

Now, Charlotte for Choice has a waitlist of people who want to train as volunteers, and the organization says that this influx of interest has taken place just over the past few months—since Hannah, Reiley, and others have been posting about their experiences on TikTok. Currently, the organization offers two volunteer opportunities: clinic escorts, who help patients get from their cars into the building, and clinic defenders, who use counter-protest methods to distract anti-abortion protestors by directly engaging with them from a safe distance. Volunteers must also undergo a training session that covers the basics of anti-racism and reproductive justice. “I don’t want you on the sidewalk just yelling at people,” said the training lead and media strategist for Charlotte for Choice, who asked to remain anonymous, citing privacy concerns. “I want you to understand the perspective of the greater movement and what it means.”

In the United States, most clinics are what are known as “non-engagement clinics,” where volunteers are not allowed to directly engage with protestors. Planned Parenthood Federation of America, for example, recommends non-engagement, though each affiliate is able to decide how to manage the protestors at their own clinic. “The aim of the recommendation is to not feed or escalate protests, conflicts, or activity outside of health centers, in order to lessen the chaos patients may encounter,” a PPFA spokesperson told ELLE.com. “Our recommendation comes from the desire to center patients’ experiences.”

Still, the practice of clinic defense has been around since the 1980s, initially as a response to anti-abortion extremists attempting to block patients from getting their abortions, which eventually resulted in the passage of the 1994 Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act. The law was designed to create a buffer between anti-abortion protestors and clinic patients, but activists say that the FACE Act has been, at best, loosely enforced, especially during the Trump administration. Anti-abortion protestors continue to disrupt patient care and harass visitors with alarming tactics, from shaming patients with bullhorns to carrying assault weapons with their protest signs.

An anti-choice rally outside a Planned Parenthood in St. Louis, Missouri, in June 2019.

Michael B. ThomasGetty Images

“There is always a place for de-escalation tactics,” said Kim Gibson, a member of the non-profit Pinkhouse Defenders in Jackson, MS, home to the state’s last remaining abortion clinic. “But [anti-abortion protestors] are there to escalate the situation.”

The Pinkhouse Defenders have been engaging with protestors since 2013, and last year, Gibson formed a spin-off group, We Engage, to organize and encourage counter-protests at clinics and government functions. Both groups have been posting their encounters on Facebook since 2018 but then realized TikTok was where the action was happening. In December, they posted their first videos to the platform with guidance from the team at Charlotte for Choice.

The influx of TikTok content is owed in part to a strategic change in Charlotte for Choice’s approach this summer. Though the Preferred Women’s Health Center has worked with Charlotte for Choice defenders for years, the two groups decided to band together to move toward a more full-fledged counter-protesting model. It was a controversial move—in early December, the New York Times reported that a handful of Charlotte for Choice board members resigned due to the more confrontational tactics, and they’re not alone in their reservations. But pro-engagement activists insist that, so far, nothing else has worked.

According to the Charlotte for Choice’s media strategist, the Preferred Women’s Health Center has seen an estimated 60,000 protestors over the last four years, with no sign of letting up. Most Saturdays, a Charlotte-based group called Love Life draws hordes of protestors in matching blue T-shirts, sometimes in the thousands, on a piece of land directly across from the clinic’s administrative building—something that Charlotte for Choice believes patients shouldn’t have to face alone. Since this summer, they’ve unofficially renamed the land “Pro-Choice Park” and “Christian Coachella.” They play kazoos and loud music and stand on top of cars with signs in counter-protest.

“Engagement is not for every clinic,” the strategist conceded, adding that the goal isn’t to make the protestors go away—that would be naive. “We just want to make it difficult for them to exist in that space comfortably.”

A happy but unexpected side effect of the newfound TikTok frenzy is that now, not only is the brazenness of anti-abortion protestors on full display, the viral videos are also filling a void for some Gen Z activists. On the political stage, reproductive healthcare continues to get left behind, even by those who support it. Democrats didn’t once mention the term “abortion” at the national convention this year, and even though the party platform has become increasingly progressive on the issue—touting LGBTQ+ inclusion and the repeal of the Hyde Amendment—Dems aren’t always connecting with their base. In a recent Times report, Gen Z and millennial activists associated with racial justice movements expressed lukewarm feelings toward “reproductive rights messaging that is focused strictly on legal abortion access.”

Meanwhile, Republicans had no problem going on anti-abortion tirades at their own convention and pushing for anti-abortion policies that have, for decades, chipped away at reproductive healthcare access, making it nearly impossible for many people, especially those who are low-income or from marginalized backgrounds, to access the safe and legal care they need. The party’s political fervor against abortion seems to match that of protestors on the ground.

This content is imported from TikTok. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

The clinic volunteers I spoke with all said they supported abortion rights before they began working at their local clinics, but collectively, it just didn’t seem like that big of a priority. “I thought that it was important and that people should have access to it, but I was never one to fight for it,” said Jaicie, a 20-year-old clinic defender in Charlotte with over 250,000 TikTok followers on her account @jaiciesmall. In a recent video, she attempted to challenge a couple of men dressed in dark clergy uniforms to a staring contest as they chanted Hail Marys outside the clinic; she managed to get one of them to crack a smile.

Exposure to the odd and often menacing behavior of right-wing protestors at abortion clinics seems to be effectively galvanizing for some Gen Z activists—more so than legislative talking points or complicated court cases taking place in various states across the country. “When I could see patients visibly afraid and terrified and then see this huge group of pro-life protestors out there, yelling at them and degrading them and making them feel guilty about this decision that they’re making, that was when it all clicked for me,” said Jaicie, who started defending at the Charlotte clinic after she saw a friend of hers from middle school volunteering on TikTok. Though she’s begun to post videos herself, she acknowledges that the priority is, and has always been, patients’ safety. “Our goal is to make patients feel comfortable and safe going in to get their procedure. That is number one.” Helping patients is one of the best parts of the job, said Reiley. She’s even had people reach out after the fact to thank her and other clinic defenders for making them feel better protected.

“I always felt like I was powerless…But being out here clinic defending, I see first hand how it makes a difference.”

However, the feedback on TikTok isn’t always positive, and volunteers say they’ve experienced death threats and trolling. Jo, a 19-year-old in Yuba City, CA, who posts her counter-protest content under the name @virgobb, said she had her original account taken down for “hate speech” and enlisted the help of her pro-choice community to regain the thousands of followers she once had. People have also faced harsh consequences for their activism offline. Anti-abortion protestors have taken legal action against at least two Charlotte for Choice volunteers, and many reported receiving harassment in public, at home, or their place of work, according to the organization’s strategist.

But despite the trouble, they say their efforts are rewarding. “I always felt like I was powerless, especially because I don’t have a lot of money,” Jo said. “I grew up poor. I’m a minority, and I never felt heard. But being out here clinic defending, I see firsthand how it makes a difference…It just makes me feel like I’m legitimately doing something about it.”

This content is imported from TikTok. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

They’re also proud of the community they’ve built online. “We made it so that you can no longer ignore these issues,” Jaicie said. “We’re putting this right on your screen, in your face, while you’re trying to have fun and watch TikToks. Yes, we are having fun, but we are also posting a really important message—reproductive health is huge, and you have to pay attention to this.”

As for the future of pro-choice activism, the clinic volunteers I spoke with all have different ideas about what could be useful, from bolder messaging to increased awareness about fetal development. Meanwhile, Chris from Charlotte will keep holding his giant sign, shouting Bible verses, and harassing patients. Perhaps the most meaningful response at our disposal, at least for now, is to hold his antics up to the world and tell him to shut the hell up.

Annie Werner Annie Werner is a writer from Texas living in New York.

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How TikTok Made Pro-Choice Activism Cool Again

[devontroxell]

9 Data-Backed Reasons to be Advertising on TikTok (and Not Just to Zillenials)

As a Zillenial, I was super against downloading TikTok because I didn’t want to fall into the category of being a stereotypical GenZer. However, after my housemate taught me how to Renegade and then with quarantine happening, my boredom got the best of me and I downloaded the app to learn more TikTok dances. After realizing it is much more than just a place to show off your moves, I have become a daily user and consume art, animal, dance, DIY, and even frog TikTok. The beauty is that there are endless unique communities and content niches within the platform, so believe me when I say it is nearly impossible for a user to ever get bored.

Regardless of how popular the platform has become, many advertisers are hesitant to advertise their brand on TikTok because of three general assumptions:

All TikTok users are GenZ

There’s no place for my business on TikTok

TikTok is just another social media platform

The truth is, Tik Tok is a great advertising platform. So in this post, I’m going to debunk these three myths by providing 9 data-backed reasons you should be advertising on TikTok!

1. You can reach a diverse audience through TikTok ads

It is no secret that most of the content creators on TikTok are GenZ, but a common misconception about TikTok is that every user is between the ages of 16 and 24. While 41% of users do fall into this age range, this means that 59% of the platform is made up of users from the Millenial, GenX, and even Baby Boomer generations (my 60 year old father is on the app—hi dad!).

In fact, within the past 18 months, the number of US adult TikTok users has grown 5.5 times, receiving more downloads within Q1 2020 than any other app ever during the same time span (likely due to the spread of COVID-19 and quarantine, but 5.5 times is still impressive).

Image source

Most of the ads that I see on my TikTok are for ecommerce, streaming service, and app downloads, usually wanting me to take some sort of action like go to their website or start a free trial. And as you know, there are streaming services, apps, and other platforms and products for all ages and walks of life. Emily True, one of our Account Managers at WordStream who is a Millennial, also sees ads on TikTok for products in line with the lifestyle of her generation. “I see a lot of eCommerce and lifestyle ads on TikTok,” True says. “Some ads are from my favorite clothing brands, and I tend to see a lot of electronics and tech accessories too.”  

As you can see, there is a very apparent opportunity to advertise to the GenZ demographic on TikTok if your brand matches that demographic. However, with 59% of users being 25+ along with the unique communities within it, there is opportunity to reach countless other niches, age groups, and other specific demographics by advertising on TikTok.

Source: @heididamelio on TikTok

2. TikTok makes it easy and affordable to create great campaigns

Many brands, especially small businesses, don’t think it’s worth the time and money to be advertising on TikTok, thinking it’s too difficult to set up campaigns, create authentic and engaging video content, and keep track of yet another platform’s data. In reality, it isn’t that hard to set up a TikTok campaign, and there are many other resources to help you get started.

And if you were worried about not having the budget for advertising on TikTok, fear no more! TikTok is helping small businesses advertise on their platform through their relief program, Back to Business, which is providing $100M in ad credits for advertisers worldwide. Their goal is to help small businesses who have been financially impacted by the COVID-19 crisis and get them back to business. Eligible businesses can claim a one-time ad credit worth $300 USD to be used by the end of 2020.

Image source

  Advertisers who utilize this program will have access to self-serving advertising features such as creative tools, flexible budgets, performance targeting, and business accounts. They will also have the ability to potentially reach millions of users worldwide and create meaningful brand content that shows creativity and drives engagement.  

3. TikTok’s versatile ad formats facilitate engagement

With TikTok’s In-Feed ads, if done right, there is a high probability for a user to engage with your ad. There are different ad formats to choose from when advertising on TikTok, including:

Topview ads

This TikTok ad placement is the best, unmissable spot. Similar to Top of Page for PPC, your ad will show as the first video when a user opens TikTok, capturing their attention right away.

Source: @HollisterCo on TikTok

Brand Takeover ads

Similar to TopView, this is a full screen static or dynamic display, delivering strong visual impact. Think of these ads as similar to non-skippable Youtube ads or bumper ads. Like TopView, this ad often shows right when a user opens TikTok but with no ability to like or comment. Best practice is to use this format along with other formats available to give you the widest and deepest reach.

  Source: @HBOMax on TikTok

In-Feed Ads

Tell brand stories like a TikTok pro by integrating content in a user’s For You Page (FYP). These ads give the ability for users to like, comment, share, follow, and shoot videos within the same TikTok sound.

Source: @Bumble on TikTok

Branded Hashtag Challenge

Engagement format that taps into user passion for creation and expression for strong brand awareness with a level of engagement that goes beyond a click. Gives users the ability to participate and create content around your campaign theme.

Source: @bliss on TikTok

#4: TikTok is great for influencer marketing

Collaborating with TiKTok creators is a powerful form of influencer marketing, which enables you to promote your brand via content that has the highest potential reach, behind Facebook and Instagram.

These creators (influencers, celebrities, bloggers, and athletes) use TikTok to share their perspectives, recipes, families, dance moves, and other aspects of their daily lives. But unlike Instagram which uses heavy editing, professional studio lighting, makeup, and camera work, the idea on TikTok is to share experiences in the raw. This makes for more relatable and genuine content. 

Many influencers like Charli D'aMelio and Addison Rae have been discovered through TikTok and have gained tens of millions of followers within the past year, not to mention forged many business partnerships very early in their career.

Sources: @jlo and @officialreesetiktok on TikTok

Pro tip: TikTok users are savvy, knowing when they are being marketed to, so make smart decisions about who you partner with and how you deliver your promotions. Work directly with content creators to align on a message and a format that will resonate with both your and their fan base, and at the same time produce real business results. TikTok assists in creating these partnerships through their data by matching brands with the best possible influencer.

Source: @javierr on TikTok

#5 TikTok ads increase brand exposure

Influencers aren’t the only ones who can drive trends. Anyone and everyone can participate in trends and have the opportunity to have their video go viral on the FYP, including your brand! Making video ads that are based on daily trends increases their relevancy and likelihood to show on someone’s feed because it allows for frequent content rhythm, instant relevance, and continual discovery.

#6 You're advertising to engaged consumers on TikTok

The common misconception for many is that TikTok is just another app that takes up more screen time. The benefit of this increased screen time is that the usage of TikTok is on an upward trend, which is a solid opportunity for advertisers to reach a group of engaged consumers.

Here's the monthly TikTok app user engagement in the US from October 2019 to March 2020 (in average minutes per visitor), thanks to Statista:

 Image Source 

Because of the variety of content on TikTok, there is something for everyone. Whether you are a clothing brand, an app, a service, transportation company, restaurant, in the music industry, or anyone who wants to increase visibility for their products and services, there is a place for you on TikTok. Advertisers have neverending trends to capitalize on for the highest reach like TikTok’s daily and dynamic trends, popular music, hashtag challenges, trending dances, and even duets.

#7 You can showcase products authentically on TikTok

Something unique about advertising on TikTok is that it is authenticity-driven. In comparison to Instagram, where users tend to show off their best selves, TikTok encourages users to be their authentic selves, allowing people to broadcast their style, daily lives, talents, pets, stories, and creations while having the opportunity of going viral. Participating in TikTok’s authenticity, rather than mimicking it, will drive your brand to success. Your business has the ability to increase awareness and showcase your products and services to users who have never heard of you before; and with the right messaging, increase engagement too.

#8: You can implement more effective video marketing on TikTok

Now you might be saying, can’t I just do video marketing on Facebook on Instagram? Well, the answer is yes, but because TikTok’s medium is solely video, advertisers have the ability to connect with users through the use of sound. With Facebook and Instagram, advertisers are usually limited to static images or short videos, and the average user is less likely to turn on sound when viewing an ad on these platforms. I'd encourage brands to use popular songs or sounds that are trending on TikTok so the ad feels native to the viewer.  

#9: TikTok is a great way to stay ahead of the social media marketing curve

The reality is that TikTok is only going to grow more from here. With new updates to their site, TikTok has taken over traditional forms of social media and created a new wave of creativity among people of all ages. Hopefully this post helped to debunk some of the common myths surrounding this new and growing platform, and has you excited to start showing off your brand and creativity by advertising on TikTok!

9 Data-Backed Reasons to be Advertising on TikTok (and Not Just to Zillenials) published first on https://wabusinessapi.tumblr.com/