With 100 million Americans today using TikTok to browse short-form videos, the social media app has exploded in popularity after only being released globally in 2018. And that growth has brands eager to get a piece of the app's viral success.
To help companies tap into TikTok influencers to help grow their brands, Chicago startup Popular Pays has developed a new search tool for brands to find creators who can be used in marketing campaigns.
On Monday, Popular Pays announced the launch of TikTok Search, a tool that allows companies to browse from more than 550,000 TikTok creator profiles and discover talent that can be used to create a viral campaign. Companies can filter creators by number of followers, average views, and average number of likes.
Popular Pays CEO Corbett Drummey said the search function is meant to provide an easy and efficient way for brands to dive into the TikTok creator universe, lowering the barrier to entry into the popular but still relatively new social media platform.
The search tool comes as Popular Pays doubles down on TikTok as part of its social media marketing channels.
Founded in 2013, Popular Pays helps brands connect with social media influencers on digital ad campaigns, allowing companies to execute campaigns with popular social media stars on Instagram, Pinterest and other platforms.
Earlier this summer, Popular Pays launched an end-to-end integration of TikTok on its platform, allowing brands to launch organic and paid marketing strategies on TikTok.
About a third of the startup's clients are using or are in talks to use TikTok with Popular Pays, and it has become one of the company's fastest-growing channels. Popular Pays has worked with brands like OLLY, Gushers, Fruit by the Foot, and Current Media on TikTok campaigns.
Drummey said Popular Pays had its best quarter ever in Q2, thanks in part to the growth of TikTok marketing and the boost in online content creation during the Covid-19 pandemic.
"In a time when most things shut down, creators were open for business," he said.
Despite its popularity, the U.S. fate of TikTok, owned by China’s ByteDance, has hung in the balance in recent weeks.
President Donald Trump threatened to ban TikTok in the U.S. if the company couldn't find a buyer for its American operations. The Trump administration argued that the app poses a security threat because of data that could be shared with the Chinese government.
The latest proposal would allow Oracle to become TikTok’s U.S. technology partner and create a U.S. headquarters for the company. However, ByteDance would retain a majority ownership stake in the app, according to The Wall Street Journal. The companies have reportedly set Sunday as a deadline for the high-profile deal, according to reports.
