Famous for short-form videos, TikTok is experimenting with new publishing formats. On Monday (24), the app announced text posts. Thus, users will be able to just write, without having to photograph or film.
To make a text-only post, just open tap the “plus” sign in the bottom bar of the app, select “Camera” and then “Text”. You can choose the font, center or align right, among other options. There are several color options for the text and background of the post.
The post can also have sound, stickers, emojis, tags and hashtags. You can also mark a location, release comments, and allow Duets. The text post can be placed in stories (yes, there are stories on TikTok) or in the feed.
The company says the new format “increases the options for creators to share their ideas and express their creativity.”
It’s not the first time the network has ventured into formats outside of video. In October 2022, TikTok released posts with only photos.
They appear as a carousel in the app, and can have background music. Although they were received negatively, they even make success on the For You page – in mine, at least, always appears a post like this.
Copy, but don’t do the same
TikTok isn’t the first video network to try to win over users who prefer text, either. In early July, Meta launched its Threads, which is pretty much a copy of Twitter built on top of the Instagram network.
Apparently, companies are trying to take advantage of user dissatisfaction with Elon Musk’s management of Twitter.
The task, however, is not easy: Threads arrived breaking records for downloads, but the number of active users plummeted in two weeks. Now, estimates are 13 million active users, versus 200 million on Twitter.
TikTok has experience trying to copy formats that are successful on other networks, but it doesn’t always work out.
The app tried to take on TikTok Now, a clone of BeReal, an app that gained traction in 2022 for encouraging users to capture real moments spontaneously. The appeal, however, was discontinued in June.