The gaming marketer's ultimate guide to TikTok content
Gamers from around the world flock to TikTok to create and enjoy gaming content. In fact, more than half of TikTok users watch gaming-related short video content daily.¹ The immersive, full-screen, sound-on short video format lends itself perfectly to sharing gameplay clips, walkthroughs and tutorials, cosplay and other forms of game fandom. Gamers are eagerly engaged on our platform, constantly looking to discover, share, and join the conversation around their favorite games.
For game publishers, the key to winning the hearts of TikTok gamers is to think like a creator, join in the fun and show up as a member of the community.
Organic content is king
An authentic, always-on organic strategy on TikTok allows gaming brands to build a following, engage with their audiences, and ultimately drive conversions down the funnel. A Business Account is the key to getting your branded content on TikTok. With a Business Account, you can:
Reach new audiences without limits: No matter how many followers you have, TikTok's For You feed allows content to travel freely. The rich content that lives and circulates on TikTok makes the platform an important channel for gamers to discover and engage with games.
Inspire trends through co-creation: On TikTok, your branded content can be reimagined by our users. It's not uncommon for people to be so engaged and inspired by your work that they create their own version.
Build a loyal community: By cultivating a following on your TikTok Business Account, you can build a loyal and engaged community who are more likely to interact with your content, and may even talk about your brand to others.
Did you know?
12
On average, TikTok’s gaming audience follows 12 Business Accounts.²
61%
61% of TikTok users see brands more favorably if they create or participate in a trend on TikTok.³
191%
Your followers are 191% more likely to like or comment than non-followers.²
Plan your gaming content strategy on TikTok
On TikTok, content evolves fast. Every day, new trends are born and new storylines are invented — from both users and brands. Below are some ideas and creative approaches to level up your organic strategy on TikTok.
👾 Level 1: Establish your brand's character
Time to look inwards and figure out who you want to be on TikTok! Think about the elements of your game that align authentically with TikTok’s culture, and then build upon some of those key components to establish a brand personality that stays consistent across your TikTok content.
Embody a unique persona Gaming brands can take a single person, character or avatar and use it as living personification of the brand on TikTok. This can be a memorable and effective way to show up!
Maintain consistency in your tone and branding Strive to maintain a consistent tone of voice and branding across your content. Branding is most effective when you have a unique and easily identifiable identity. Think about how you want your brand persona to show up on TikTok - for example, is it funny, informative, nostalgic or relatable? Narrow it down to a few adjectives and use these to guide your content planning and creation.
👾👾 Level 2: Brainstorm the possibilities
Now that you've positioned your brand, what should you post? Think about how you can leverage content from other channels, take in-game elements or even company assets and turn them into potential topics to delve into on TikTok.
Think outside the box and imagine different ways and perspectives through which you can express your brand and integrate your game features with formats that are native to our community.
TikTok is all about shared inspiration. Take a look at the For You page, see what's working from other videos, and think how you could apply elements to your own content. You can also use the Trend Intelligence tools in our Creative Center to find trending hashtags, creators, sounds, and more. Consider mixing different types of elements: play with sounds, effects, text overlays and tools to fine-tune your storytelling.
Announce major updates and events
Make sure your important updates stand out. Beyond just adapting your TV commercials and social promotions for TikTok, you can also use various TikTok-specific formats to share relevant game updates, events, and announcements. These videos should strongly highlight the most important information that all followers should know, such as a version update, new map update or brand collaborations.
Promote in-game elements
Gaming elements are always a good idea for game lovers! Leverage your existing assets for your TikTok videos by featuring content that’s directly related to the game, like gameplay, characters, weapons, maps, etc. This will give TikTok viewers a real glimpse into the game and keep loyal fans engaged.
Share what happens behind the scenes
Give your audience a reason to stop and watch your videos. TikTok is a great place to treat your followers with exclusive TikTok-only content, like behind-the-scenes, office tours and game development content. This exclusive “insider” view that hasn’t been seen elsewhere can help to boost engagement and interaction from gaming fans.
👉 Follow and join in on gaming community trends
True success for brands on TikTok comes from a solid understanding of the community and an active effort to use and get to know the platform. Trends can come from anywhere: a catchy sound, caption, or even just an in-app effect. Join in the fun by trying out different trends to test and learn what works for your brand.
Cookie Run joins the popular renaissance challenge using game characters
Tap into subcultures
On TikTok, gaming is now a mainstream community that embodies all kinds of subcultures. Game developers can incorporate these diverse themes and interests into their content: think how your gaming audience's interests could overlap with other communities, like baking, dancing, fashion, beauty, entertainment and more. For gaming brands, this is an opportunity to unlock new audiences. By tapping into the right subcultures, you can engage with your core audience while also attracting new fans.
Beauty x Gaming: TikTok creator shares her Roblox-inspired makeup look
👾👾👾 Level 3: Create your plan of attack
A content calendar is your roadmap to a successful marketing strategy. There are countless benefits to having a high-level plan in place before you start posting.
We’ve broken down the types of gaming content above into three levels of frequency. Plan your long-term calendar around these types of content, maximizing reach and engagement by posting consistently around peak hours.
To help manage and automate your posting schedule, consider using an integrated content platform from one of our Content Marketing Partners.
🔴 Low frequency
Announce major updates and events
🟡 Medium frequency
Promote in-game elements
Share what happens behind the scenes
🟢 High frequency
Follow and join in on gaming community trends
Tap into subcultures
Did you know?²
The average posting frequency of verified Business Accounts on TikTok is 2.8 posts per week.
The top 100 business accounts, measured by engagement rate, post an average of 4.2 posts per week.
👾👾👾👾 Level 4: Spark interaction
Interaction is a crucial aspect of what makes TikTok so effective. Take the time to learn about your audience’s passions and cultivate a community around their shared interests. Be sure to add relevant calls-to-action in the captions for higher engagement.
Join users in the comments section
TikTok’s comment section allows brands to connect with their fans and make them feel valued and heard. It's a good idea to regularly monitor your comments and pay attention to what viewers are requesting and asking. You can leverage comments to build real relationships with gaming fans, forming trusting bonds that make them feel heard and valued. This has become such a powerful channel that many brands have already started to build their content production plans around engaging and interacting with users who comment. You can take interactions a step further by replying to comments with a video
Add a call-to-action to each video
Encourage interactions by providing triggers and guidance for engagement. For example, ask users what they think or prefer, or open questions like who their favorite character is. Include a tangible call-to-action in each video or caption, like leaving a comment or registering for a live event. To maximize the engagement factor, you can even encourage viewers to Duet or Stitch your video.
Did you know?¹
7 out of 10 brands with the highest engagement rates actively participate in discussions in the comments section of their videos
Level up: Combine organic with paid
An effective organic strategy serves as a solid foundation game brand marketing, which in turn strengthens the effectiveness of paid activity. Striking the right balance between paid and organic is key! Game developers can use organic content to supercharge the performance of paid campaigns, and vice versa, driving more success on TikTok.
Spark Ads: your go-to format for authentic connections
Spark Ads are a great way to boost organic content that’s already proven to be successful. With Spark Ads, brands can foster connection by delivering ads that maintain the interactive features of organic content: the post remains linked to your brand's profile picture and TikTok handle, directing new audiences to your Business Account.
Drive engagement and conversions with paid peaks
Whether it’s about introducing a new game, sparking community interaction, or driving lower-funnel metrics, paid peaks in the form of advertising solutions like Branded Effect and Branded Hashtag Challenge will help to grow your audience and deliver against marketing goals.
You may also like: Play everywhere: Connecting with mobile gamers on TikTok
See how other gaming brands found success: Explore gaming case studies
Sources
1. TikTok internal data, 2022
2. TikTok internal data, verified Business Accounts, Mar 2022
3. US TikTok Marketing Science, Understanding TikTok's Impact on Culture Custom Research, conducted by Flamingo, March 2021