By Emma Leonard and Charlotte Hoyle

With the potential to transform how we disseminate and consume science, TikTok isn’t just about dance trends.

The world of healthcare is being transformed by social and digital trends, albeit slowly. Healthcare and pharmaceutical (pharma) companies are beginning to harness the power of social and adopt new digital channels to connect with patients and customers. But while many of us talk social shorthand, others can often find themselves wondering where to start with platforms, handles and hashtags, and what they need to do to adopt these channels of communication. One platform that is still one of the most mysterious, even amongst the digitally native, is TikTok.

‘That’s the platform where people dance, isn’t it?’. That’s true to some extent, but it’s not just a channel to watch people bust their latest moves. It’s also an essential platform within any digital strategy and key for influencers looking to grow their personal brand. So how does that affect the healthcare world, we hear you cry, and why do we need to make sure we understand TikTok as part of the social mix? Let’s take a look.

A new platform on the block

Initially launched in 2016, TikTok is a video sharing platform where users can create and view short-form videos filmed on mobile phones. The platform has experienced rapid user growth over the past three years and now has an estimated one billion monthly active users. TikTok has become renowned for accelerating dance trends, memes and other templated content. User-generated content (UGC) created in the app can be edited and accompanied with trending sounds, before being shared with the digital community. Part of TikTok’s mass appeal is the speed in which new trends can proliferate on the app, which creates a constant stream of new and vibrant content to engage with.

TikTok’s success and addictive nature is most likely a result of its algorithmic observation and interference. It is the algorithms that work hard to ensure that users are constantly fed a series of videos that appeal to their likes and interests, in the hope that they spend more time using the app. Combining this consistent personalisation with lighthearted content catalyzes the enjoyment users feel whilst engaging with the app, positioning it as an entertainment app over being lifestyle focused. This distinction has allowed TikTok to make significant headway against previous social media monopolies held by Facebook and Instagram (who are now part of the widely known umbrella company ‘Meta’).

Healthcare professionals with millions of followers

It’s clear to see why the younger generation love TikTok, but what has been more difficult to appreciate is how this channel is playing out within the healthcare environment. The pandemic however really brought to light that healthcare professionals (HCPs) are using TikTok to directly communicate with patients, with many using the channel as a way to tackle misinformation and raise awareness of key issues regarding COVID-19.

But even before the pandemic, HCPs were already busy building their profiles on TikTok, with their video content tailored to appeal to a broad (and often quite young) audience beyond tight peer communities. Plastic surgeons, A&E trauma surgeons, paediatric specialists, newly qualified residents, general practitioners and the nursing community have all been creating video content for TikTok for years now, with many amassing millions of followers. Yes, that’s right, we said millions. Most brands and organisations dream of those follower numbers but fail to ever reach them

With many social media users now preferring to receive information via video content rather than written content, these HCPs are using TikTok to grow engagement levels and deliver content that is unique, personable and easy to digest. What’s more is that much of this content also extends the core values of healthcare providers and is becoming an integral part of healthcare social media ecosystems, allowing HCPs to interact with populations on a more personal level.

UK doctors such as Maddy Lucy Dann (@maddylucydann) and Dr. Karan Rajan (@dr.karanr) have become huge TikTok influencers and are using the power of their online voice to reach the masses. Maddy Lucy Dann is a doctor striving to educate young people about women’s health and body image, working shifts in A&E alongside creating engaging social content for her followers. Dr. Karan Rajan is a full-time general surgeon in the NHS and an honorary lecturer at the University of Sunderland, as well as being an avid TikTok creator, educating and spreading information under the hashtag #learnontiktok.

https://www.tiktok.com/@dr.karanr/video/7096164562407312645?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7071286993082893830

https://www.tiktok.com/@maddylucydann/video/7085402451888688390?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7071286993082893830

UK doctors such as Maddy Lucy Dann (@maddylucydann) and Dr. Karan Rajan (@dr.karanr) have become huge TikTok influencers and are using the power of their online voice to reach the masses. Maddy Lucy Dann is a doctor striving to educate young people about women’s health and body image, working shifts in A&E alongside creating engaging social content for her followers. Dr. Karan Rajan is a full-time general surgeon in the NHS and an honorary lecturer at the University of Sunderland, as well as being an avid TikTok creator, educating and spreading information under the hashtag #learnontiktok.

In the US, healthcare practitioners are also looking to TikTok to widen their reach. Doctors across a whole range of therapy areas are having huge success on the platform, including Dr. Muneeb Shah (@dermdoctor), who has gained 13.8 million followers by sharing dermatological advice and recommending products for different skin types. Dr. Mike (@doctormike), Dr. Jennifer Lincoln (@drjenniferlincoln) and Dr. Brian Boxer Wachler (@brianboxerwachlermd) are also documenting their experiences within the US healthcare system for audiences of over a million people each, and are rewarded with consistently high engagement rates for their fun and informative content.

https://www.tiktok.com/@dermdoctor/video/7078815989508427050?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7071286993082893830

https://www.tiktok.com/@doctormike/video/7049114529439157550?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7071286993082893830

So, what type of content are they sharing and what are the key themes?

• Peer-to-peer: while this is mostly HCPs poking fun at healthcare bureaucracy and differences across specialities, this can also be inspirational and emotional
• Point of view: content that is aimed at improving public health through expert opinions
• Patient education: this is by far the most common form of content, with HCPs informing on disease prevention, procedures, and healthcare in general

With channels focused on video, there are a further three themes to also be aware of:

• HCP image: healthcare professionals explaining/showing their daily life routines
• Healthcare information: explaining of symptoms, diagnoses, procedures and outcomes
• Healthcare education: teaching medical skills

Above all, the content created harnesses the power of hashtags to connect and reach patients, with all videos on TikTok sorted by the hashtags people use. Each hashtag acts as a folder that houses all of the content with #MedTok and #doctorsoftiktok some of the key hashtags being used today.

Can we really harness the power of TikTok in the healthcare world?

Yes, is the long and short of it, but there will be different use cases depending on type of organisation and target audience. In the pharma world, TikTok creators are the digital opinion leaders. In most, but not all, cases they will also be active on Twitter and connected digitally to a strong peer network. They will publish regularly on digital channels and will share science weekly, if not daily, making them a key influencer for any drug launch or medical science liaison activity.

These digital opinion leaders are the perfect complement to traditional key opinion leaders and must be considered as part of any communications programme. By understanding where these digital influencers publish online, who is in their network and the type of content they prefer, pharma organisations can build outreach activities that address these needs directly and develop content that is easily digestible and most importantly, shareable.

From a healthcare and patient perspective, many TikTok influencers are working with brands on campaigns such as symptom checker apps and study tools which appeal to the hectic lifestyles of HCPs and medical students. With audiences having been found to be much more receptive to authentic-feeling content over constructed, glossy advertisements where the message is ‘sell, sell, sell’, using content creators for advertising is now a highly adopted strategy on TikTok. For optimum success on the platform, and a better chance at cultivating a strong positive sentiment, healthcare brands should be looking to create TikToks, not ads (there’s a big difference!), and collaborating with HCPs who are a dab-hand with an iPhone camera.

So, what are the key takeaways?

TikTok has proven it is here to stay and with over one billion monthly active users on the app there is huge potential for big pharma and healthcare brands to reach untapped audiences, for relatively little financial expenditure. With 90% of generation Z (born 1997–2012) reporting that they turn to social media to seek medical advice, brands need to be showing up online to reach their audiences.

With TikTok comprising a whopping 94% of all social media app downloads in 2021, it really is the place to be, and collaborations with digital influencers are proving to be an excellent way to resonate online and leave a lasting positive impression. Pharma is notorious for being slow off the mark when it comes to trend adoption, but with TikTok proving to be a market-leading platform, this really is an opportunity not to be missed!