5 takeaways from Develop and Implement a TikTok Strategy for News, Even if You’re a Tiny Team

Kristen Kornbluth (@kornbIuth), a volunteer with the ONA Resource Team, compiled these key moments from the ONA20 session on Oct. 2, 2020. To view a recording of the session, register for on-demand access to the ONA20 archive. Session participants included:

  • Shauna Rempel, Social Media Strategist and Consultant, Ryerson University School of Journalism
  • Mathilde Augustin, Social Media Journalist, Global News

5 key takeaways:

  1. For news outlets, TikTok is worth investing in because it lets you try something new, stay competitive and add another storytelling tool to your journalism toolbox.
  2. TikTok has a young, engaged audience, one that has grown a lot in the past year. There are lots of opportunities for engagement.
  3. How to have a successful TikTok account for your outlet:
    1. Make it a team effort
    2. Make it authentic
    3. Make it sustainable
  4. It’s a good idea to have a niche TikTok for a vertical! You’ll find deep engagement there if you target your posts correctly (using the right sounds, hashtags, etc.)
  5. Make sure you have some videos banked before starting an account — you don’t want all posts to be spontaneous or about of-the-moment trends.

Memorable/tweetable quotes:

  • “[TikTok] built morale, especially since it was at the beginning of the pandemic. It made us feel like we were part of something together.” —Matilde
  • “We have so much respect for [@washingtonpost’s] @davejorgenson … but you don’t have to be a copycat of what they’re doing.” —Shauna
  • “If you build the audience, monetization opportunities will come.” —Shauna

Links to additional resources

Was there anything mentioned in the session that attendees might want to track down?