How to Find TikTok Influencers

TikTok is rapidly becoming the social platform of choice for our youngest generation. With its members creating and sharing short-form videos up to 10 minutes in length, Generation Z's obsession with TikTok is undeniable. 

Brands targeting this demographic are finding it increasingly essential to establish a presence on the platform. Not only has TikTok become a hub for youth culture, but it has also spawned a new generation of influencers who hold more sway over today’s teens and tweens than traditional movie or television stars.

It's no surprise, then, that TikTok is now the leading platform for influencer marketing, with 68.8% of brands utilizing it in their campaigns. This surpasses other popular platforms like Instagram, which is used by 46.7% of brands, and Facebook, trailing behind at 27.5%. However, for those not as familiar with the platform, particularly if you're from a different generation, finding the right TikTok influencers can be a daunting task.

In this guide, we are going to take a look at some of the methods you can use to search for TikTok influencers. 

How to Find TikTok Influencers:

How Popular is TikTok?

As of 2024, TikTok continues to solidify its position as one of the most influential and rapidly growing social media platforms globally. Its rise has been nothing short of remarkable, capturing the attention of a diverse and highly engaged user base across the world. Below are some key statistics that underscore TikTok's widespread popularity:

Monthly Active Users: 

TikTok has surpassed an impressive 1.5 billion monthly active users as of 2023, with projections indicating that this number could reach 1.8 billion by the end of 2024. This growth trajectory underscores TikTok's relentless expansion and increasing influence on global social media trends.

Daily Engagement: 

TikTok stands out for its high levels of user engagement, with the average user spending approximately 95 minutes on the platform each day. Remarkably, 90% of TikTok users access the app daily, highlighting its role as a staple in the daily lives of its users.

User Demographics: 

TikTok's appeal is particularly strong among younger audiences. In the U.S., 25% of its users are aged between 10-19 years, while globally, 53% of content creators on TikTok are between 18-24 years old. This demographic data shows TikTok’s significant influence over Gen Z and young millennials.

Regional Popularity: 

TikTok's reach is vast, with significant user bases in the U.S., Indonesia, and Brazil. In China, where TikTok operates as Douyin, the platform boasts over 750 million daily users, reflecting its dominance in the region.

Download Numbers: 

The app's global impact is further highlighted by its over 4 billion downloads worldwide, signifying its deep market penetration and widespread adoption across various regions.

Revenue Growth: 

TikTok's financial performance is equally impressive. In 2023, the platform generated approximately $16.1 billion in revenue, marking a 67% year-on-year increase. This surge is largely driven by TikTok's strong appeal to advertisers, with its parent company, ByteDance, seeing substantial growth in ad revenue.

Content and Usage Trends: 

An emerging trend on TikTok is the growing popularity of longer videos, with content exceeding one minute gaining significant traction. This shift not only diversifies the platform's content but also positions TikTok as a formidable competitor to video-centric platforms like YouTube.

How Does TikTok Compare to Other Influencer Platforms?

The number of TikTok downloads is now at a staggering level, particularly considering that few people over 30 use the platform. However, monthly downloads still don't exceed those of Instagram, Facebook and YouTube. Nevertheless, there are now considerably more TikTok users than those on Snapchat, and it is rapidly moving closer to the user numbers of the “Big 5” social platforms.

The type of content featured on TikTok differs from what you see on the other platforms. This is partly because of the way TikTok is structured, as well as the nature of its user base. TikTok’s users share short videos, not text posts, static images, Stories, or longer-from videos. TikTok users don’t write the types of captions you see on Instagram posts, nor the longer blocks of text commonly included in Facebook posts. While you can use hashtags on TikTok, users don’t use the quantity of them that Instagram fans do.

TikTok users do use some similar creative touches, similar to those Instagrammers use in their Stories, such as filters, however. TikTok is probably more interactive, however, and you are more likely to see short videos of TikTok users in their everyday lives than you do on the other platforms.

Live Streaming is commonplace on TikTok, possibly a hangover from Live.ly, which dominated in the Musical.ly days. However, there is one niche where TikTok doesn’t rule the live streaming roost with its young users – Twitch still is far more popular with gamers.

Carrying Out Influencer Marketing Campaign on TikTok

Although TikTok has recently introduced an official advertising platform, influencer marketing is still probably the most common way for brands to market on TikTok. Here, brands partner with influential TikTok creators to create relevant content and share it with their audience. 

If you produce a product that would interest a group of typical TikTok users, then TikTok influencer marketing can be a highly effective way to build up brand recognition. Of course, like all influencer marketing, your partnership with a TikTok influencer has to come across as authentic. There has to be genuine synergy between your brand and the chosen TikTok influencers. TikTok's Generation Z audience is cynical and savvy, and will quickly see through any attempt to try and shoehorn a lousy fit between influencers and brand.

Research Your TikTok Influencers

If you do believe TikTok to be a good fit for your audience, you then need to find compatible influencers. A good starting point would be searching for influencers who share videos on relevant topics in our new TikTok influencer tool.

Of course, you first need to understand the types of videos that your potential customers prefer to watch. What kinds of influencers will attract them most? TikTok is now far more than just an app for youngsters to lip-sync. So you need to understand your target audience well.

When you get to the point where you have an excellent understanding of the types of influencers to approach, you will want to take a closer look at the posting habits of individual influencers. Ask yourself why they are popular. What types of videos do they share? Do they appear to follow the same kinds of values as your brand, or is there a high likelihood of a conflict of interest? Indeed, you should take a good look to ensure that they aren’t already making posts promoting your competitors.

In particular, look closely at their engagement metrics. You want to work closely with people who are capable of genuinely influencing the tastes and interests of their audience, not just people with large follower numbers.

As with all types of influencer marketing, you have three main methods of finding TikTok influencers:

1. Do all of the research yourself, using TikTok itself and whatever other tools you can find to help you
2. Pay for a subscription to one of the influencer platforms that supports TikTok
3. Work with an agency, and use their suggested method to discover your TikTok influencers

Search for TikTok Influencers on Google

Apart from our new tool, the obvious starting point to find influencers if you aren't paying to use a platform or agency is to start with a Google search. Be aware that there is no particular correlation between those TikTok influencers who appear at the top of a Google search and those who make the most successful influencers. You will need to take a good look at the available statistics and the types of videos shared by the influencers you find this way.

Use a search term like “top TikTok creator” along with the name of your niche. For instance, you could search for “top TikTok beauty creator."

Check if Any of Your Existing Influencers Also Excel on TikTok

If you already use influencers on Instagram, Snapchat, Twitch, or YouTube, it is possible that these people also run accounts on TikTok with good-sized audiences. Assuming that their TikTok audience meets your preferred demographics, then it may be worthwhile expanding your existing relationships to TikTok. 

Indeed, it is worthwhile checking whether influencers you know of on another platform also feature on TikTok, whether you have an existing relationship with them or not. If they are popular on YouTube or Instagram with a Generation Z audience, they may also have a sizeable following on TikTok as well.

Platforms that Cater to TikTok Influencers

We have written extensively about influencer platforms, and have reviewed quite a few of them. We are noticing that a number of these are adding TikTok to their offerings. At the moment, Grin, Fanbytes by Brainlabs, Upfluence, Post for Rent, and Izea include a tool to help you find TikTok users.

Although you have to pay to use a platform, it will often be a worthwhile investment, as they make it much easier to carry out influencer discovery, and usually include a wealth of data that can help your decision-making.

Agencies that Cater to TikTok Influencers

You might prefer to pay a TikTok marketing agency to organize your influencer marketing for you. Although fewer agencies cater to TikTok than the better-known platforms, many now do so. These include Fanbytes by Brainlabs, the Influencer Marketing Factory, 6Degrees, Influencer Agency, and PMYB, amongst others.

Source: fanbytes.co.uk

You can often leave influencer discovery up to the agency, which will recommend suitable influencers to you. In some cases, TikTok talent management agencies work with one of the platforms, and many have an in-house influencer discovery tool to find the best influencers for your brand.

About the Author

Influencer Marketing Hub

Writer

The Influencer Marketing Hub Team brings together a diverse group of experts with a passion for influencer marketing, digital trends, and social media strategies. Each piece of content crafted by this team is researched and written to provide valuable insights, tips, and updates for our readers. Our authors are dedicated to delivering high-quality, informative, and engaging articles that help businesses and influencers thrive in this rapidly changing digital world.