• by Colin Kirkland , October 20, 2021

It’s no surprise that TikTok has found a new way to highlight some of its most popular influencers.

The blossoming social media platform is built on creator-uploaded content and the support of that content from its 1 billion-plus global users. 

Over the past few years, influencers have become a major asset in the arsenal of marketers and agencies. Not only is the influencer marketing industry set to grow to 13.8 billion in 2021, but a 2019 study found that 86% of Gen Z and millennials (13-38 years old) surveyed were willing to post sponsored content for money and 54% would be an influencer if they could.

U.S. TikTok users are spending 850 minutes per month on the app. It's a promising platform, to say the least, for brands and agencies to drive sales.

TikTok’s all-new Discover List: “Creators to watch, just for you,” features 50 “TikTok stars” in five different categories: 

Changemakers (“creators who speak up and speak out”); Icons (“creators who are a culture within themselves”); Innovators (“creators who bring a new twist to art, fashion, beauty, and more”); Foodies (“creators who are going above and beyond in the creator space”); and Originators (“creators who have started viral dances, sounds, aesthetics and more”). 

“With this list, we're honoring both the hard work and the passion TikTok creators put into the content they create, and we're giving credit to originators of viral trends while also showcasing the diverse voices on the platform as well as the strength of our community,” read a TikTok post. 

The list was created by TikTok’s community team, which is led by TikTok’s director of creator community, Kudzi Chikumbu. 

Decisions and nominations were made through examining “engagement, views, video creations, account growth, likes, interactions with followers, and also which creators and content have sparked conversations both on and off the app,” nominated creators and examined measurements like “engagement, views, video creations, account growth, likes, interactions with followers, and also which creators and content have sparked conversations both on and off the app,” according to a TikTok spokesperson.