{"id":30413,"date":"2022-09-08T11:09:33","date_gmt":"2022-09-08T11:09:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rivaliq.com\/?p=30413"},"modified":"2023-09-13T16:04:52","modified_gmt":"2023-09-13T16:04:52","slug":"top-universities-tiktok-2022","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rivaliq.com\/blog\/top-universities-tiktok-2022\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Universities and Colleges Winning on TikTok in 2022"},"content":{"rendered":"

As TikTok has risen to be the social media platform of choice<\/a> for younger generations, brands and organizations have flocked to the short-form video app. Of course, higher education institutions have been no exception.<\/p>\n

Looking to attract and connect with their Gen Z audience, plenty of colleges and universities have caught on to the importance of being on TikTok and ramped up their presence on the social media platform accordingly. As such, it was a no-brainer for us to include schools\u2019 TikTok performances in our annual Higher Education Social Media Engagement Report<\/a>.<\/b><\/p>\n

In the spirit of that report, we decided to deep dive into a few of the top-performing colleges and universities on TikTok to figure out what it was that made them excel. If you need some ideas for your next video, check out how these five universities are acing it on TikTok.<\/p>\n

Examples from Top-Performing Universities on TikTok<\/h2>\n

University of South Dakota: Turning On-Campus Fun Into Online Engagements<\/h3>\n

With 22.8K followers at the time of writing, the University of South Dakota<\/a> ranked 2nd on our list of top higher education institutions on TikTok \u2014 an impressive feat for a school with less than 10,000 students enrolled<\/a>. But perhaps it\u2019s exactly that intimate setting that\u2019s enabled the University of South Dakota’s official TikTok <\/a>to create the kind of engaging content loved by so many.<\/p>\n

Racking up more than 1.62M total engagements and 10.7M views across 93 videos, the university\u2019s presence on TikTok is nothing short of impressive. The student-run TikTok account has clearly chosen humor as its weapon of choice, cracking jokes and acting out skits tailored to its Gen Z audience.<\/p>\n

The University of South Dakota\u2019s page especially stands out for its active presence on campus. Beyond highlighting things that are already happening at the school, Riley (the main face of the account) also actively creates fun moments by engaging with other students himself.<\/p>\n

For instance, on Star Wars Day, he dressed up as Darth Vader and surprised students with lightsaber duels all over campus in a spin-off of the \u201cCan you hold this?\u201d trend. The TikTok\u2019s engagement rate by view was nearly 3x higher than the Higher Education median of 6.7% and there were even requests for a Part 2<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Riley<\/p>\n

There\u2019s also plenty of content that involves Riley starting on-campus challenges in which students could win free school swag. The \u201cMake Me Laugh\u201d challenge was so popular that it ended up being a 4-part series, with the highest-performing post being \u201cMake Me Laugh 3.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"One<\/p>\n

The University of South Dakota\u2019s approach to TikTok content shows how offline interactions can translate to online engagements. By going out and creating fun on-campus moments for people online to enjoy, the university not only engages with its current student base but also showcases the fun of campus life to prospective students. Combine that effect with having a relatable and recognizable face run the account and it\u2019s no wonder the school\u2019s been killing it on TikTok.<\/p>\n

Baylor University: Staying On Top Of Pop Culture Trends<\/h3>\n

Ranking 3rd on our list of top D1 colleges and universities on TikTok is Baylor University<\/a>, which enjoys 16.9K followers, as well as an impressively high average TikTok engagement rate by view of 16.7%.<\/p>\n

Out of the 110 TikToks it posted during the tracking period, 85 videos had an engagement rate by view that was greater than the industry median. With about 77% of its TikToks knocking it out of the park in terms of engagement, the official TikTok of Baylor U<\/a> is an account worth learning from. Here\u2019s what\u2019s notable about its approach to TikTok content.<\/p>\n

For one, the university posts quite frequently, averaging a little more than 2 TikToks a week, which is well above the Higher Education median frequency of 0.75. This makes a lot of sense considering that the account is big on using viral audios and pop culture moments. With how fast new trends pop up on TikTok, you have to post quickly and often to catch that window of relevancy.<\/p>\n

With its finger on the pulse of the latest content trends, Baylor University does a great job of using popular TikTok sounds and formats to shine the spotlight on student life and express its school spirit.<\/p>\n

The university\u2019s top-performing TikTok, which boasts an engagement rate by view that\u2019s 3.3x higher than the industry median, combines Baylor\u2019s lovable live mascots with the \u201cI would like to see the baby\u201d audio. The popularity of the sound, which had nearly 4M views on the original TikTok and more than 93K videos using its audio, helped boost the reach of Baylor\u2019s video by getting it pushed through to more users by TikTok\u2019s For You Page algorithm.<\/p>\n

\"One<\/p>\n

Baylor University\u2019s TikTok is also an encouraging example of how there\u2019s more to the platform than creating viral videos with 1M+ views or having hundreds of thousands of followers. If Baylor can achieve consistently high levels of engagement without either accolade, so can your school or brand.<\/p>\n

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