Emphasis on the ‘real’.

If Instagram introduced ‘authenticity’ as the buzzword of choice for the social media age, TikTok was the one who put it up in lights. Eschewing the feed-perfect aesthetic in favour of something more in-the-moment, TikTok made authenticity the gold standard for younger consumers.

Yes, it might have all started with viral dance routines and mime-along memes, but today TikTok is a serious competitor for the crown of the social media realm (if it hasn’t won it already).

With an increasingly diverse user base straddling genders and generations, TikTok has delivered effective engagement for everything from luxury fashion labels and the hottest beauty brands, to high street fast food outlets, selling entire product ranges out in days once they’re picked up by the #tiktokmademebuyit brigade. But before you dive in, a reminder that these lofty heights are only reached when the platform is handled correctly…