Ever wondered what content gets the most views on public sector TikTok?
Then look no further because I’ve gone through the numbers for 12 public sector accounts and looked at more than 250 posts.
The surprising answer is that meme content performs best for public sector accounts.
Meme content often comes from editing in Capcut to take advantage of the tool’s templates that allow you to tailor a moment of pop culture with your own message.
Here’s the numbers.
However, meme content isn’t always the easiest to achieve. Ephemeral and flippant this plus into the audience but isn’t always recognised by senior people as being content befitting of the organisation.
On this, they are both right and wrong. To them, they are right. But often senior people just don’t like TikTok. The answer to that is that they’re not the audience. Yes, you can create something that is inappropriate using a meme. But more often than not it can land with a younger demographic.
What a meme looks like on TikTok
This clip from West Sussex Council shows the meme of Gary Barlow taking selfie video saying ‘This is my idea of a good day out.’ You can then add an image or footage. Here’ the background is a polling station.
What original content looks like on TikTok
In this clip, A& E staff deliver a warning message that A&E is nearing capacity. Original content can either have a piece to camera delivered like this, record ambient noise or have a voice over added.
What music looks like on TikTok
Music is where TikTok gets its reputation, of course. Universal struck a major deal with the platform to allow 15-second clips be used by creators. However, be warned. If you have a public sector account it would be advised if you converted to a business account. This way you’ll only be shown the tracks that have been licensed for commercial use.
This South Wales Police TikTok uses music to good effect.
In summary
TikTok will have a different audience from the rest of your channels. They will demand Tiktok-shaped vertical content that is entertaining, easily digested, grabs attention and doesn’t bore.
What was striking was that the reach of TikToks was greatly higher than the follower numbers. The research here looked at follower numbers and then looked at how many people had viewed. North Lanarkshire Council, for example, has less than 3,000 followers but produced video routinely that was clearing 60,000 views. That’s incredible and credit to them.
This shows that the cut through on TikTok can be much different to on other social channels. But no wonder. TikTok’s algorithm is about interests not friends and family. So, if you produce content that echoes other people’s interests then you’ll be seen by more people.
As part of the study I looked at Oxford City Council, North Lanarkshire Council, West Sussex Council, Metropolitan Police, South Wales Police, Dartmoor National Park Authority, Great Western Hospitals NHS Trust, Sandwell & West Birmingham NHS Trust, Peterborough City Council, London Ambulance Service and South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue.