With over 1.7 billion users as of 2023, TikTok is one of the most used social media platforms worldwide. The app is a short video-sharing tool that gained massive popularity during the lockdown period of 2020. It invited users to connect through mass media trends among friends and communities.

The main demographic of TikTok represents young, dynamic, and creative cultures. For game developers looking to create content on TikTok, it's a fantastic platform to help grow your community while improving the visibility of your games.

Understanding the TikTok platform and mastering its audience is the first step in creating powerful content to help promote your game and build your community. Keep reading, as we’ll focus on how to do just that and how to use these key insights in your favour!

The Importance of TikTok for Game Studios

1,394,000,000 gamers search for video game-related content on TikTok. The platform's yearly report also shows the following stats to keep in mind when creating your game marketing strategy on TikTok:

• 75% of gamers discovered new gaming content on TikTok

• 41% downloaded the game after seeing gaming content on TikTok

• 36% purchased to play games after seeing gaming content on TikTok

"82% of TikTok users play games at least once a week. People have always bought games their friends are playing. But now they also buy games and engage with content endorsed by trusted creators." - TikTok Business Report 2023

Game content on TikTok shares so much personality. Videos on the platform have become some of the biggest influences in a gamer's purchase decision. The content created through the platform is known to capture gamers' imaginations quickly and gravitatingly. On TikTok, videos are short and straight to the point.

Videos must catch viewers' attention in 3 seconds, or they will be pushed to scroll to the next video. This is thanks to the app’s simplistic and endless available content that matches the viewer’s watch time and engagement algorithm. In the blink of an eye, the viewer must be intrigued by the device's visual presentation of the content provided.

Given the fleeting nature of attention on the platform, your videos must be visually inviting. Below is the recent analysis report on video game content watch time amongst gaming community age groups.

Based on the successful trends in TikTok gaming, you should aim to showcase the essence of your game through memorizing graphics, unique characters, memes, or exhilarating gameplay in a relatable manner to your target audience. As a guide, TikTok allows users to study their profile’s algorithm through quarterly reports that share feature updates for in-app editing, trends, predictions, and stats that will help aim your content to please the right audience.

Use your content’s reception through gamer behaviour and how gamers interact with other video game content to deliver adapted yet inviting experiences. Below are some basic recipes in content creation that should be mastered on TikTok. With GameRebellion and TikTok by your side, your army of insights stands tall and is ready to serve you proudly!

1) The Right Way to Participating in Trends

TikTok trends are like large tide waves that come and go as fast as they appear. TikTok thrives on the currents of trends and challenges, making the market a continuously evolving landscape that you need to learn to surf comfortably. Aligning your content with trends or creating your game-specific challenges can invite your target audience to do the same, which boosts visibility through hashtags and general discussion surrounding TikTok.

Pay attention to what’s trending every morning and at night. TikTok does a great job of tracking the behaviour of our watch history. Using this, you can track your target audience and study the content they interact with through their public likes, comments, and favourites. Oh, one more thing before we move on: notice when you run into a game’s video that shares something in common in its design with your game, such as the genre. Watch how and why the created content is successfully promoted to their community.

This can inspire you to create familiar and approachable content for gamers while introducing your unique experience through your video game.

TikTok releases Gaming trend reports monthly to help gaming content find success in reaching audiences

2) Use Popular Sounds and use of in-app Music

Never underestimate the power of a good beat. Music and sound effects are the soul of TikTok videos, capable of transforming simple footage into an immersive experience. However, game developers must be aware of users' mistakes when implementing music into their content during editing before uploading their videos on TikTok. For many years, the “classic” editing approach on other platforms would have encouraged you to edit your video with music using external editing software.

But when this file is uploaded to TikTok, the platform will not label what song is being used and will not add your content to the music’s search by users. If you add music through TikTok, the algorithm will track that song’s use and categorize your video to that song’s trending content.

Beyond music, if you want to reach your target audience on this platform, you must utilize the tools the app has provided you. TikTok offers a vast library of in-app sound effects to help you find tunes that accentuate your game's atmosphere and draw viewers deeper into the world you've created.

They provide you with editing tools that you do not need to commit to in video production development beforehand. The best part about these tools isn’t how easy they are to use; TikTok will show you what sounds or songs are trending throughout your watch history. Using the in-app music will broaden your game's following even further, as those with a history of viewing the songs or sounds provided in your content will find related and similar content that also uses these songs, increasing your chances of being seen by your target audience.

3) Collaboration with Expert Content Creators

Popular gaming creators on TikTok can be valuable allies when trying to build your gaming community. These individuals have a strong relationship with their followers, encouraging users to follow their steps as influenced behaviours. Seek creators who create content whose genres align with your game’s presentation. We introduced this topic earlier, but there is a difference between content by game studios and a public figure of the gaming community.

An expert content creator has a large influence on gaming behaviour and even on how feedback is perceived about the game by the influencer. Followers of content creators have a personal connection to their personality. For example, long-time influencer Richard Tyler “Ninja” Belvins has smashed records above and beyond as one of the largest influencers in video game community history.

Ninja was the key force behind “Fortnite” and its success amongst millions of kids who wanted to play with the superstar on his livestream during the beginning of Fortnite’s years.

Epic Games, the studio behind Fortnite, has since then worked with the gamer many times and has delivered much appreciation of the game’s success to Ninja. Subscribers who want to participate in online games or share their experiences as their content creators will check out your game if they genuinely enjoy watching your game through their view.

Collaborating with creators by providing a free game code in return for a review or reaction on TikTok may boost your game’s visibility by introducing it to communities. As with Ninja earlier, remember to research the creator's attitude and professionalism; their personality will represent and affect your game's brand.

4) Fostering a Thriving Gaming Community

Engagement is the currency of TikTok. Users deeply connect with the users who engage on the platform and connect with those who create on it. Interacting with your target audience through comments, likes, or shared content delivers a sense of community and belonging. You want your community to remember your game and the story that comes with it. TikTok is a personal social community that encourages gamers to follow the content they feel most connected to.

TikTok makes searching for your target audience easier to locate than other social media platforms, thanks to the app’s search bar being so specific. Here, you can write anything related to (in this case) your game’s genre, design, and game features. With the search results, you can view the current trends surrounding keywords and the reception from viewers in the comments and like sections.

It's important to interact with your audience by replying to likes, comments, and shares on TikTok. Have them feel personally involved in the creation of your game to build a strong sense of community amongst your followers.

Plus, if you encourage engagement, your video may have an even wider reach by possibly appearing on the user’s mutual feed, which can begin buzzing around your game and bring even more people to your page!

Lastly, don’t forget to create a “call to action” that invites viewers to join your community by following your page, your game’s Steam storefront, or even your Discord community! This should be placed at the end of your video and no longer than 3 seconds so as not to lose the eyes of watchers and not to lose the authentic relationship you have built with your audience during the video.

A call to action is placed at the end of the video, encouraging viewers to participate in the community for more related content!

5) Content Creation Consistency

Consistency is your compass on TikTok. It's a map that leads you to a steady stream of a growing following that will keep your target audience engaged and eager for more. However, uploading regularly does not secure consistent viewership. Refer back to why your community has decided to follow you in the first place, and pay attention to where these followers come from through your analytics page (which we’ll get into later). By releasing consistent and quality content, your performance on TikTok will improve.

Your community may get comfortable expecting the type of content you post on a specific day at the right time. Think of how we all remember to brush our teeth every morning as the first thing we do when we wake up.

It’s the same context about your content creation in the eyes of your audience, where watching content becomes a habit for users on TikTok who feel that they need to check their feed during the leisurely parts of their day. If you upload content unrelated to what has made people follow you in the first place, you may drive away new followers by alienating them.

If you can get your audience to get a habit of checking your feed because of its great content at a certain time of the day, they may only look forward to seeing what’s next for them!

This does not mean, however, to ignore your videos that are not as successful. Your reach will never improve for each video, so it’s important to look at the content and ask your community: Why? Don’t be shy to reach out to your community and accept criticism that will benefit your TikTok production.

Consistent and top-quality content cements your presence on the platform as you invite even wider audiences. Align your postings with game updates or events, turning each post into an anticipation-building event that keeps your audience coming back for more.

Palworld’s content is identified through its templates and the shared content type. The content was uploaded consistently, and the studio presented gameplay footage designated with gamer demands in the genre. They also replied to and shared comments!

6) Understanding TikTok Analytics for Better Content Performance

TikTok analytics reports will help you track what may or may not work for your game. These reports are the telescoped view of data you need to know:

• Total Viewers:

  • The amount of viewers who have clicked on your video.

• Total Play Time:

  • How long has your video been played in total by viewers

• Average Watch Time

  • The average watch time a viewer has stayed in your video before scrolling away. It also lets you know at which point viewers have stopped watching the video.

• New Followers from the specified Video:

  • Viewers that have followed your account through the viewed content.

• Engagement Rate:

  • The average number of interactions your video received per viewer. It’s calculated by the total number of interactions your content receives divided by the total number of viewers, times 100%

• Traffic Source:

  • Where viewers have discovered your video, whether it’s from their feed as followers, from a mutual’s page, or by searching keywords.

• Viewer Types:

  • The types of viewers are divided into returning viewers who have previously seen your content, new viewers, and followers vs. non-followers who are completely new.

• Gender, Age, Location:

  • Of course, knowing where your viewers are coming from by location is important when it comes to time zones and the audience that your game is trying to connect with. This applies to the gender and age that your video is reaching as well in order to note and edit any changes to your content strategy and game’s design.

With all this data, you can produce TikTok content targeting your desired audience while applying new elements to your game marketing strategy and even in-game features that best cater to your game's community.

Regarding the game design approach, the art style or game genre may appeal to a certain audience that you originally did not plan to catch. Using TikTok’s analytics, you can apply trends surrounding your audience to your game’s production and marketing that may allow audiences to feel more connected and prompt them to check out your game.

With all the data you have, there are only smooth sails across the sea to reach gamers ahead!

Achievement Unlocked: TikTok Power Content

Ultimately, TikTok’s gaming community has been known to caretaking a thriving and strong force of gamers who want to find new experiences to enjoy. Let your genuine passion for your game shine through your content. Embrace the platform's creative unpredictability with enthusiasm, and it will help your gaming community grow in numbers, loyalty, and confidence. It offers a vibrant, dynamic platform for game developers to connect with a vast audience.

TikTok can sometimes come off as overwhelming, but with these tips and tricks, we encourage game developers to embrace the imperfections of TikTok and celebrate its ever-growing opportunities to help reach your target audience. It's a large climb to the top of the mountain that holds many challenges. But once you have reached the peak of it all, the view will only be spectacular.

Dive into our GameRebellion community for more game marketing solutions to help reach your target audience through your game marketing strategy. We'll see you next time!