Love it or hate it, TikTok is impossible to ignore.

With one billion regular users it’s the world’s fastest growing social media platform and some brands definitely get it more than others.

Those companies who were brave enough to get onto TikTok early, are now reaping the rewards.

Across the world, the average TikTok user spends 52 minutes on the app each day.

While the reach potential of TikTok is hugely enticing, the unfortunate reality for brands on TikTok is that their competition is basically every other creator on the platform.

They can no longer rely on their huge budgets to out-produce everyday creators producing content that mere mortals could only dream of creating.

On the contrary, brands now have to think like everyday creators on the platform and produce content that is authentic and in keeping with other videos on TikTok.

With this in mind, here are five on brands absolutely living by TikTok’s very own mantra – don’t create ads, create TikToks.

  1. Ryanair

1,600,000 followers / 14,200,000 video likes – https://www.tiktok.com/@ryanair

Ryanair is the largest airline on TikTok and has over 1.6 million followers for good reason. The people behind Ryanair’s content are brilliant as they have genuinely mastered bringing their planes to life using a filter that places a face on inanimate objects.

The mixture of Ryanair’s unique personality, the filter, and trends is the key to their success, driving an engagement rate of over 40%. If you are not laughing after scrolling through Ryanair’s feed, you have no sense of humour. They have fully embraced being authentic on the platform and the engagement rate is a clear sign of their success.

  1. Duolingo

4,500,000 followers / 85,000,000 video likes – https://www.tiktok.com/@duolingo

Duolingo was one of the first companies to bring its mascot to life through TikTok. The Duolingo team regularly dress up in their bird mascot costume and cause havoc around the office.

The content is entertaining and doesn’t worry about always selling what the app actually does. With videos regularly reaching over a million people, they have built unbelievable awareness with TikTok users and fully embraced being authentic on the platform.

There are now more companies like Marks & Spencer and Percy Pig using the mascot approach but Duolingo was the OG when it comes to this content style.

  1. Black Country Living Museum

1,300,000 followers / 22,100,000 video likes – https://www.tiktok.com/@blackcountrylivingmuseum

Black Country Living Museum is one of the biggest museum accounts on TikTok as its content brings history to life. Black Country Living Museum has taken edutainment to a whole new level, pairing 40s-era costumes with today’s music and trends that highlight critical moments of history.

It’s a combination you probably never thought of; if you did think of it, you probably thought it’d never work; but somehow, Black Country Living has made it work.

The content is authentic and entertaining while also being educational, a perfect combination for success on TikTok

  1. Luxe Collective

854,000 followers / 22,700,000 video likes – https://www.tiktok.com/@luxecollective

Luxe Collective has taken educational content and storytelling to a whole new level on TikTok, constantly creating content that informs their community about amazing stories within the fashion industry, as well as how to spot fake designer products.

The content is presenter-led and they’ve nailed the power of the hook, capturing the attention of TikTok viewers within the first 3 seconds of the videos. The team are constantly analysing what works on TikTok and keep their content strategy fluid to ensure they’re keeping up to date with trends and how people are using the app.

  1. Little Moons

255,000 followers / 4,100,000 video likes – https://www.tiktok.com/@littlemoonsmochi

Little Moons is a family-owned business that specialises in the delicious dessert; mochi. The brand saw a 700% increase in sales at Tesco during lockdown that could be directly attributed to TikTok.

While the initial craze was user-generated, Little Moons recognised the opportunity and continued to produce native content on TikTok. They have fully embraced TikTok by jumping on trends and using popular filters and sounds.

Additionally, they used TikTok to leave clues in their videos about where customers can find specially marked packages in supermarkets for their chance to win a month’s long supply of Little Moons.