How Netflix Grew Its TikTok Audience by Over 9M Followers in a Year

Key Takeaways

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From April 2021 to March 2022, Netflix experienced a +70% increase in their audience on TikTok, gaining over +9M followers. Here's how: 

Post Cadence: Compared to the prior year, Netflix nearly doubled its post cadence on TikTok, averaging 100 videos per month. 

Video Duration: Netflix generated the most views on average with videos 0:00-0:30 minutes long, while they generated the most engagement on average with videos 2:01-2:00 minutes long. 

Hashtags: On average, videos with 4 hashtags generate the most views, while videos with 2 hashtags generate the most engagements. 

Influencer Partnerships: Netflix works with various influencers to create content and promote TV shows and movie releases. Some of these partnerships were niche-driven, while others aimed to reach a broad audience. Partnerships have included humorous skits, branded challenges, TV/movie reviews and reactions. 

Content & Messaging: 

• Engaging Subtitles: Playful subtitles which convey the speaker's emotions. 
• Celebrity Challenges: Viewers get to know popular characters/celebrities by watching them participate in challenges.
• 2000s Nostalgia: Throwback content featuring shows or movies that Gen Zs grew up watching.
• Meme Videos: Light-hearted, humorous and relevant videos that speak to the Gen Z audience in a relatable way.
• Audience Challenges:  Videos invite the viewer to participate in some sort of challenge.
• LGBTQ+: Videos featuring LGBTQ+ characters and relationships.
• TikTok Trends: Using current trends on TikTok to incorporate shows/movies.
• Split-Screens: Videos that let the viewer watch two things at once. 
• Foreign-Language: Netflix showcases many foreign-language shows and movies on its TikTok.

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In July 2021, 98% of Canadian Gen Z’s reported watching a streaming service. Q3 2021 marked the first time Gen Zs consumed more TV on streaming services than on broadcast — streaming an average of hour and half of TV online per day. 

• Q3 2021 was the first time Gen Zs (outside of China) consumed more TV on streaming services than on broadcast
• 98% of Canadian Gen Z’s watch streamed videos
• 19M Canadians are estimated to be Netflix users by 2025
• 60% of Canadian Gen Z’s regularly use a second digital device while streaming videos

From April 2021 to March 2022, Netflix experienced a +70% increase in their audience on TikTok, gaining over +9M followers. Netflix saw the greatest amount of growth in Q4 2021, gaining 4.5M followers in the quarter. 

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Netflix’s TikTok audience is predominantly made up with Gen Zs, with over 90% of its account followers under the age of 24. Additionally, the audience skews female—only 36% of followers are male.

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This growth on TikTok was at a much higher rate relative to Netflix’s other social platforms from April 2021 to March 2022. 

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Post Cadence

Compared to the prior year, Netflix nearly doubled its post cadence on TikTok. From April 2021 to March 2022 Netflix posted an average of 100 videos per month. 

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Video Duration

Netflix generated the most views on average on videos that were 0:00-0:30 minutes long, while they generated the most engagement on videos that were 2:01-2:30 minutes long. Over half of the videos they posted were less than 0:30 minutes long.  

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Hashtag Strategy

Netflix generated the most views on average on posts that used 4 hashtags in its caption, while posts with 2 hashtags generated the most engagement on average. In addition, 48% of Netflix’s videos featured 2 hashtags. 

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Netflix uses a combination of branded and non-branded hashtags. The most successful hashtag for generating likes and comments was #netflix, followed by #squidgames. Its top non-branded hashtag was #comedy. 

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Influencer Partnerships

Netflix works with micro, macro, mid and celebrity influencers to create content and promote TV shows and movie releases. A few examples include:

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Some of Netflix’s partnerships are niche-driven, while others aim to reach a broad audience on TikTok. Examples of these partnerships include: 

• Relatable or humorous skits 
• Influencers reacting or reviewing new shows/movies
• Influencers participating in promotional challenges
• Creators sharing niche content that integrates new Netflix shows/movies

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Engaging Subtitles

Netflix's TikTok videos use playful subtitles which convey the speaker's emotions. This is done by perfectly timing the words with the video's audio, placing the words in a nonuniform way, and using phonetic spelling. These animated subtitles add value to viewers who watch the video with or without sound.

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Celebrity Challenges

Netflix creates entertaining content that allows viewers to get to know popular characters and celebrities from their original shows by having them participate in challenges. Often these challenges are inspired by trending challenges on TikTok, such as: 

•  “Put a Finger Down Challenge”
• “This or That”
•  “Pass the Phone to Someone who…” 

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2000s Nostalgia 

Nostalgia-based content has become widely popular on TikTok, with the hashtag #nostalgia having 32.8 billion views. This trend is characterized by videos featuring childhood memories, Y2K fashion trends or pop culture references from the early 2000s to 2010s (Source). Netflix often shares throwback content featuring shows or movies that Gen Zs grew up watching, such as Legally Blonde, Shrek, Batman, and Spy Kids. 

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Meme Videos

Memes are a common language amongst Gen Zs. According to GWI, 67% of Gen Z TikTok users use the platform to find funny/entertaining content, and 40% of Gen Z social media users follow meme/parody accounts. 

Netflix creates funny meme videos that feature clips from their shows/movies or common Netflix binge-watching experiences. These content pieces are light-hearted, humorous and relevant and speak to Gen Z audience in a relatable way.  

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Audience Challenges

Netflix often shares videos that invite viewers to participate in some sort of challenge, such as guessing the show, solving a puzzle inspired by Netflix shows, or spotting the number of items shown in a particular video. Videos generate engagement by encouraging viewers to respond with their answers in the comments. 

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LGBTQ+

21% of Gen Z adults identify as LGBTQ+ — almost double the rate of Millennials, five times that of Generation X and eight times the rate of Baby Boomers (Source). 

Netflix has been a leader in LGBTQ+ representation, ranking as the top streaming service for LGBTQ+ character inclusion in 2021-2022 (Source). Additionally, on Netflix's TikTok account, they often share videos featuring LGBTQ+ characters and relationships.

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TikTok Trends 

Netflix keeps up with current trends on TikTok and incorporates them into its strategy. Netflix shares videos inspired by trending themes while featuring clips from its original shows/movies.

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Split Screens 

Netflix often shares videos of split-screen videos that let the viewer watch two things at once. Some of Netflix’s split-screen videos include: 

• Final Scene vs BTS
• Original vs Blooper
• Parallels in different shows or scenes
• Scenes in different languages

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Foreign Language 

According to GWI, half of Gen Zs surveyed said they "often/regularly watch foreign-language TV shows", and 49% said they are interested in other cultures/countries. Netflix features many foreign-language shows and movies on its TikTok. Netflix's highest viewed video on TikTok features Squid Games, a South Korean survival drama television series. 

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