TikTok Unveils Text Posts

TikTok has unveiling a new way for creators to post content and potentially taking a swipe at Twitter in the process.

The company announced the new feature in a blog post:

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.

The company says text creation will be accessed via the Camera page:

When you access the Camera page, you’ll be able to choose from three options: photo, video, and text. By selecting text, you’ll be directed to the text creation page, where you can type out the content of your post.

TikTok is also adding various ways to enhance text posts:

Upon reaching the Post page, you’ll find familiar options to customize your content. These include adding Sound, tagging a location, enabling comments, and allowing Duets, among others. These features make it so your text posts are just as dynamic and interactive as any video or photo post.

The timing is conspicuous, with TikTok releasing the new feature while Twitter is in the midst of a major rebranding that is not going well. TikTok likely sees the new feature as a way to steal some of Twitter’s thunder.