TikTok will give advertisers even more data on trends and users

TikTok introduced a slew of new advertiser tools at the company’s annual advertiser summit on June 3rd. The new products range from AI-powered ad tools to new features connecting creators and brands, but the overall picture is clear: advertiser content on TikTok is about to become much more tailored and specific.

The company will give brands precise details about how their target audience is using the platform — including AI-generated suggestions on ads to run. Using a tool called Insight Spotlight, advertisers will be able to sort by user demographics and industry to see what videos users in the target group are watching and what keywords are associated with popular content. In an example provided by TikTok, an AI-generated suggestion recommends that a brand “produce video content focused on ‘hormonal health’ for female, English-speaking users” and to include a specific keyword. Another feature in Insight Spotlight analyzes users’ viewing history to identify types of content that are bubbling up.

TikTok rose in prominence partly because of its spin-the-wheel, seemingly random quality: anything or anyone could go viral overnight. Brands did their best to keep up by jumping on trends, using popular formats and songs, and partnered with influencers who seemed to be at the center. The new tools will give advertisers even more ways to specifically tailor their content toward what is already happening on the platform and what people are searching for and watching.

In this way, advertiser tools are TikTok’s equivalent of search engine optimization (SEO) — flooding the zone with content that attempts to capture organic user behaviors. The idea that TikTok can be used as a search engine has been around for several years, and the company says that one in four users search for something within 30 seconds of opening the app (brands can also buy ad space on search result pages).

The company is also launching a streamlined way for brands to farm influencer content. A new tool called Content Suite pulls together vetted user content that mention a brand; the advertiser can then scroll through videos and request permission to turn them into an ad, all in one place. Otherwise, brands would have to find videos themselves and then work out permissions with the creator through side channels like direct messages or comments. Content Suite makes this process part of the TikTok ecosystem.