Everywhere we look our industry is discussing the evolution of the creator economy and which platforms will be at the forefront. If there is one thing we know for certain, the entire industry is moving toward multiplatform content and distribution. While YouTube and podcasts have already established themselves as complementary cross-distribution leaders for creators, TikTok is positioning itself as the rising star.
With 94 million active monthly users in the U.S., the platform’s usage grew 8.4% in 2022 and its momentum is predicted to continue next year. While YouTube user consumption continues to remain strong and podcast listenership in the U.S. continues to grow at an impressive clip, TikTok's user growth and unique offering make its platform very complementary with the others.
While these platforms—YouTube, podcasts, and TikTok— may seem like an unlikely power trio because they are such different mediums, all three provide unique creative canvases that are perfect for creators to really connect with their audiences in different yet meaningful ways. TikTok with its maximum video limit being 10 minutes, YouTube with a maximum length of 12 hours for verified accounts, and podcasts having the ability to stretch over one hour per episode, they create an ecosystem that offers three unique aspects to the relationships these platforms have with each other, creators and users.
The biggest names in podcasts keep it real
One of the key growth and monetization strategies for creators has always been to go multiplatform. Expanding their footprints to other platforms allows them to showcase their creativity in new ways and reach incremental audiences. So it is no surprise that some of the biggest podcasters have decided to expand to TikTok and YouTube and give their existing audience a new and unvarnished look at their day-to-day lives.
On TikTok specifically, Sean Hayes is one of the cohosts of “SmartLess” that has racked up over 125 episodes, as well as on “HypochondriActor” with over 80 episodes. “SmartLess,” that he hosts with Jason Bateman and Will Arnett, is considered one of the top podcasts on the market today. Sean decided to use TikTok to branch out into social media and give his audience real access to his personal life.
Alex Cooper of “Call Her Daddy” also takes the no-holds-barred “real talk” that her podcast fans have come to know and love and brings it to the small screen scroll of TikTok to the delight of her 1.4 million followers. In her TikToks, she invites her audience to go grocery shopping with her, watch her get ready in the morning and have a lengthy discussion about her “death row meal”—hint, it involves pizza, two types of fried chicken and tequila.
TikTokers have lots more to say using podcasts
Charli and Dixie D'Amelio, who are arguably TikTok’s biggest stars and have a whopping 200 million followers between the two of them, started their own podcast in September 2020, “Charli and Dixie: 2 Chix.” These two who became famous for their dance moves and not their voices, giving podcasting the old college try to share their thoughts on social media, snacks and new hair and make-up trends.
But there have been some TikTok-to-podcast success stories as well. Stanzi Potenza, with 3.4 million TikTok followers, has seen success with her podcast “What the Fresh Hell is This?” And Alisha Marie (596 million followers) and Remi Cruz (395,000 followers) have been successfully creating content for their podcast “Pretty Basic” since 2018. They all use their platforms to reach their audience with longer format conversations and in-depth discussions of their careers and lifestyles.
Podcasts about how to be a TikTok creator
In addition to both native podcasters and TikTokers using YouTube to expand their sphere of influencer and digital footprint, we have also seen a number of podcasts about succeeding at being a TikTok influencer. As any successful creator knows, it ain’t easy. Becoming a successful TikTok creator takes persistent effort, staying on top of the unpredictable algorithm and team work with other creators. That is why so many aspiring TikTokers turn to these type of podcasts to grow their audience and revenue.
The future of creator marketing really lies with these very unique and growing platforms. If influencer marketing has taught us nothing in the last decade, momentum counts, and both podcasting and TikTok have momentum in spades.
To chat with the Ad Results Media team, contact us to discuss your creator marketing needs.
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Link to original Ad Age article.
