TikTok Introduces Text Posts That Look Like Instagram Stories

While social media companies tend to copy TikTok‘s successful short-form video format, this time around the app is taking a page from competitors’ books as it introduces text posts.

TikTok’s Spin on Text Posts Looks Similar to Instagram Stories

TikTok announced the update on 24 July 2023. In a TikTok Newsroom post detailing the change, the company said that it text posts will provide a way for users to express their creativity.

In its announcement, TikTok said:

“Today we’re thrilled to announce the expansion of text posts on TikTok, a new format for creating text-based content that broadens options for creators to share their ideas and express their creativity. With text posts, we’re expanding the boundaries of content creation for everyone on TikTok, giving the written creativity we’ve seen in comments, captions, and videos a dedicated space to shine.”

But don’t assume it’s aiming to become a new microblogging platform, similar to Meta’s launch of Threads. Rather, text posts on TikTok seem to take inspiration from Instagram Stories due to their visual focus.

Text posts on TikTok include various features such as the ability to add sounds, background colors, stickers, and tags or hashtags. TikTok claims that these text post features make this type of content as “dynamic and interactive as any video or photo post”. You’ll even be able to allow users to post TikTok Duets with your text posts.

You can access the text post feature by selecting the camera tab in the app and selecting text. This option appears alongside the video and photo post options.

TikTok has a Stories feature that lets you post updates that disappear after 24 hours. But the design of text posts on TikTok can’t help but remind you of Instagram Stories.

A New Type of Post for TikTok

Whether or not TikTok text posts will become popular remains to be seen. But the new type of post will add more creative options and variety for users.