To complement its infinitely-scrolling feed of short-form videos, TikTok is adding some short-form text posts to the mix. The app has unveiled a virtual bulletin board that account owners can use to share updates, new content releases, and other news items.
TikTokers over the age of 18 with at least 50,000 followers now have access to the new feature. Early users of the bulletin board have included several media companies and brands, including People Magazine and French soccer club Paris Saint-Germain.
Users can follow an account’s bulletin board by tapping the board’s name when it shows up underneath the creator’s bio. Once they tune in, followers will be notified every time the board is updated, and they can use emojis to react to posts.
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“Today we’re announcing the launch of bulletin board, a new in-app channel which helps creators communicate and share content directly with their fans and followers,” reads a TikTok Newsroom post. “Bulletin board is a one-to-many broadcast channel, making it quick and easy for creators to post news and updates, share exclusive content with their followers, and build thriving communities on TikTok.”
TikTok is not the only social app exploring the potential of one-to-many messaging. Instagram rolled out a similar feature last year when it debuted its Broadcast Channels, and YouTube put more emphasis on its Community Tab when it renamed that section of channel pages to Posts. TikTok’s answer to those tools underwent months of testing before its public rollout.
Forum-style threads aren’t the most natural fit on social video apps — hence YouTube’s one-to-many feature taking years to find its footing — but beyond the obvious benefits related to audience engagement, TikTok has pinpointed some specific uses for its new feature. Recording artists, for example, can use bulletin board posts to drop new music (which followers can then add to their favorite streaming services).
And much like TikTok’s decision to increase the maximum length of its video descriptions, this move empowers the app in the world of search. Adding more text to TikTok helps steer the search queries that are being made by an increasing number of Gen Z consumers. And in the world of AI, more text theoretically begets more training material.
At the end of the day, there’s not one perfect way to use TikTok’s bulletin board. It’s a simple way to blast out messages to millions of people at once, and for that reason, it will be a welcome addition for the upper class of the app’s creative community.
