Why TikTok is the platform for your next video series
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In the world of social, screens are plenty and attention is scarce. According to Statista, 71% of US adults consume social media while watching TV. As trends favour an increase in daily screen time, brands need new ways to capture undivided attention - and cater to shorter spans - when telling their stories. The answer: a social video series.
Snapchat is arguably the format’s originator, releasing Snapchat Originals in 2018. It now boasts a slate of original programming, pulling in celebrities like Megan Thee Stallion and Will Smith. Naturally, media brands like Channel 4 see an opportunity here, with the TV broadcaster producing a social reality series named You Do You exclusively for Instagram late last year. And this July, Meta announced the release of its metaverse-focused Are We There Yet? The playlist has over 78 million followers with three episodes released.
A social-first video series is a chance to capitalise on social video’s growing dominance. The Drum reports that the average user now spends around 100 minutes a day watching online video. Platforms are enhancing their short-form offerings accordingly - from Instagram Reels-ifying all video to Facebook ramping up its in-feed video recommendations.????
For video on demand platforms, a social-first series offers something that traditional video can’t. A social-first video series is exactly that: social-first. Social has the power to connect brands with audiences, enable virality, and encourage fans to build community. Make a hit video series and you might trend because someone else has decided to post about it. Release a hit video series for social, and that engagement becomes yours.
The average user now spends 100 minutes a day watching online video.
It’s also an opportunity to generate social buzz around your new programming, like the release of a film or a TV show’s latest season. This is exactly what we did for Just So You Know, our award-winning TikTok video series with Amazon Prime Video UK. Just So You Know was launched to celebrate the second season of hit show Modern Love, and marked TikTok UK’s first Original Series.
Our motivation was clear, but a good social video series can’t exist without purpose - it must speak to the right audience and on the right platform. TikTok represented new territory for this format, but we let audience, not familiarity, dictate where we should be. Just So You Know, our video series with Amazon Prime Video UK, was made by and for the LGBTQ+ community, which thrives on TikTok; 14% of users define themselves as LGBTQ+ (higher than other social platforms). “All too often this community’s voice is marginalised or portrayed in a stereotypical way that isn't representative of their experiences, especially when it comes to love stories,” says Social Chain’s executive creative director David Feldman, who led the campaign.
"We created a space for these young people to tell their stories in an authentic way."
“Providing our TikTok creators with the pre- and post-production filming bells and whistles only one of the world’s biggest streaming services could provide, we created a space for these young people to tell their stories in an authentic way. Everyone from the cast and crew, including the director, casting assistant, producer, music composer and poet who helped adapt the creators’ stories was also part of the LGBTQ+ community and had the artistic freedom to make their stories genuine and honest.”
Plus when brands speak on TikTok, audiences listen; according to recent data from the Kite Factory, the platform is one of the highest-ranking for capturing undivided attention.?
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?Just So You Know is Modern Love for the TikTok generation. Against a backdrop of neoncore visuals, six beloved TikTok creators recalled their experiences of first love over footage of their chosen art form, be it dance choreography, drill music or drag. Artist Daniel Molyneaux composed the soundtrack, available as a TikTok Sound so the community could feature it in their own videos. Another reason to choose TikTok: videos become conversational in nature, encouraging fans to take in, then take on, your content.
The success of Just So You Know speaks for itself. The series achieved over 17 million views and over 230,000 active engagements only two weeks after going live. Six episodes - one for each creator - dropped simultaneously, driving organic conversation among viewers watching at the same time. And this year, the series earned Digiday Media Awards in all three nominated categories: Best Video Campaign, Best Use of Social and Best Use of Video.
"Making content TikTok-native was technically challenging, but necessary, to do the creative justice and set a production standard."
If Just So You Know has any learnings, it’s that a successful TikTok video series needs to do three things in order to succeed: be platform-native, utilise creators and relate to or embolden the community. “Making content TikTok-native was technically challenging, but necessary, in order to do the creative justice and set a production standard for future projects,” explains Will Hughes, Social Chain’s account manager. “It still feels like TikTok, despite the TV show-level production,” adds David.
Moreover, TikTok creators represent a valuable gateway into the communities you want to reach - and if the partnership is authentic, it’ll shine through in the content. Just as the original Modern Love is about real people and real love stories, Just So You Know replaced traditional celebrity with grassroots TikTok talent and benefitted from the support of the community. Plus you’ll get added cross-platform views and engagement if creators share your work to their own channels.
Importantly, consider the impact your partnerships have on the audiences you’re connecting with. Strive to empower, not speak for, the community, whether that’s through your creative, technical, or business decisions. If your series was made with a particular group in mind, use the series to give a platform to the people who represent it, and provide them with tools to tell their stories. That way, audiences will do more than just watch - they’ll feel like a part of it.
Watch all six episodes of Just So You Know here .
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