The rise of NewsTok

The Future. In the search for new audiences, news publishers like The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post are flocking to TikTok. And many are getting creative with their Tok strategy. From hiring lovable personalities to creating weekly series, the future of journalism might be short-form.

News flash
News publishers are figuring out TikTok.

• 39 out of Comscore’s top 50 news publishers created a TikTok account over the last two years.
• CNN has released an average of 13 videos per week, with 1.3 million followers and 11.3 million likes.
• The Washington Post has a series dubbed “Misinformation Mondays,” which combats inaccurate news stories.

Ctrl + C, Ctrl + V
But the move to TikTok isn’t as simple as you may think. News publishers can’t just copy and paste their web or video content and expect it to go viral. Instead, many are realizing the importance of investing in native and authentic content strategy.

LADbible, for example, posts with a mix of user-generated and original content, testing out different tones with their research panel. BBC, on the other hand, saw lots of engagement around big newsworthy stories like the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.

But The Washington Post just might take the cake — its ‘dorky dad’ approach, spearheaded by Dave Jorgenson, has earned the platform over 1.5 million followers and counting.