Although TikTok doesn't share specific stats about its users, it's been estimated that over 500M people are active on the platform, with the most growth across India and other parts of Asia. Did you know that the app has been downloaded by 1 in 7 people in Thailand alone!
Available in 75 languages, TikTok has proved to be fertile ground for would-be influencers and creators looking to build an audience and a community around their content. The app has been downloaded over 1.2 billion times, with 41% of TikTok users aged between 16 and 24. That’s an audience actively primed for even more social media consumption, and a massive opportunity for creators to build upon.
But while TikTok-famous teens are basking in the views and followers their videos generate, outside of third-party brand deals, there’s still no way to monetize content on the app. While there is advertising on the platform, no ads are run directly against videos uploaded by creators, so there's no way to benefit from a percentage of that revenue, as is the case with YouTube.
Of course, generating revenue on YouTube via AdSense isn’t a walk in the park these days, but creators still have that financial opportunity open to them. But even the most popular TikTok accounts don’t have anything like the amount of subscribers the top channels on YouTube attract, and for many TikTok uploaders, they are starting from scratch when it comes to building a following on YouTube. But it can be done, and here are three quick tips to kick you off:
3 Ways to Migrate Your TikTok Audience to YouTube
#1 Build Upon the Content That Made You Popular on TikTok
While lip-synching, or dancing around to the latest Arianne Grande release may have generated a healthy following on TikTok, it isn't going to get you far on YouTube. At all. Apart from the issue of using copyrighted content (which is absolutely an issue on TikTok and will lead to a takedown if you’re caught), tuning in to see you do the same old thing but on a different platform is going to get very old, very fast.
However, the chances are that you built your TikTok following based on your personality and quirks, and that is a fantastic head start for any creator. On YouTube, viewers may come for the content, but they will stay for the creator, and if you’ve been successfully publishing video content elsewhere and have an understanding of what your audience likes, that’s a hugely transferable skill. But you need to be willing to learn about what works, which takes us on to our next tip:
#2 Understand How YouTube Works
There are many similarities between TikTok and YouTube. Both are platforms to watch and engage with content, but like any other video creator, you’re going to need to evolve and significantly up your game if you want to succeed on YouTube. Yes, you’ll bring some of your audience with you, but to grow your subscriber base and generate the kind of views and engagement needed to generate on and off-platform income.
Determine what your YouTube goal is. Just wanting to be famous really won’t get you very far, and certainly isn't the best long-term strategy. It sucks to hear but those superstars you all know on love have put years and years of work into the platform - it didn't happen by accident.
Understanding how the YouTube algorithms works, what content to create, and how to optimize that content while growing your community takes time, patience, and skill but if you make a start now, using the resources provided on this blog, and on the vidIQ YouTube channel, you’ll be going in the right direction.
#3 Give Your TikTok Fans a Reason to Follow You to YouTube (and Ask Them To!)
This may be the most obvious tip in the world but if you have a YouTube channel, add it to your TikTok profile! Fans can’t follow you if they don’t know where else you live on the Internet.
OK, now that’s out of the way, think about how you can encourage your TikTok audience over to YouTube. You can always ask them of course, that never harms. But also think strategically about why they should follow you and offer up that incentive. YouTube allows you to upload videos that are 15 minutes long (longer if you are a verified channel) so post teasers on TikTok for that extended content.
Give your followers a taste of what to expect on YouTube and be consistent about it so it becomes part of your publishing strategy. It’s best practice for any creator to “create once, publish everywhere” so you get the maximum bang for your buck.
Thank you for reading our tips. Now please enjoy the best video that has ever been uploaded to TikTok. You're welcome:
Want To Get More Views on YouTube?
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Carla Marshall is the Head of Content Marketing at vidIQ. She has 10+ years of experience in video marketing, social media management, content marketing, DRM, and SEO. She was previously Editor in Chief at ReelSEO.com, and as a journalist and video marketer, she's covered news stories, creator journeys, and digital-first publishing initiatives across all the major online video platforms. She is YouTube Certified and a judge for the Shorty Awards, as well as the UK, US, Canadian, Global, and EU Search Awards.
