May is Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month (AANHPI), and to mark the occasion, TikTok has announced a new line-up of special event programming, as well as a showcase of top AANHPI creators, to help promote and share the event with its user community.
First off, TikTok says that it will be showcasing AANHPI musicians in the app via the sounds page in the app. That’ll provide more exposure for culturally-aligned creators, which could help to boost interest and diversity via TikTok music.
Which is particularly important when you consider the role that music plays in the app. TikTok has become a key platform for music discovery, with artists that gain attention in the app often able to take the next step in their career.
Highlighting AANHPI musicians then could be a valuable promotional opportunity for many.
TikTok also says that it’ll be shining a spotlight on “inspiring, diverse AANHPI creators and brands who are using TikTok to celebrate AANHPI heritage and uniquely grow their businesses.”
TikTok will also encourage users to shop from AANHPI brands, as part of its #ShopAPI TikTok Shop hashtag challenge. Which isn’t really a challenge, as such, you just spend money with the highlighted businesses. But it’s another means to promote specific sellers in the app.
Finally, TikTok will also highlight a range of top AANHPI creators throughout the month.
As explained by TikTok:
“Our 2024 TikTok AANHPI Visionary Voices list recognizes 15 Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander business owners and innovators who are visionaries in their fields and making a positive impact on and beyond TikTok. This year’s honorees are forging incredible career paths in entertainment, fashion, wellness, food, music, film and more.”
This is the fourth time that TikTok has run its AANHPI Visionary Voices push, which has helped many creators from these communities gain more exposure and opportunity in the app.
TikTok has played an important role in helping minority voices gain more exposure, which has also made it a more important platform for many of these communities, in connecting with audiences. Which will be a loss if TikTok is eventually banned in the U.S., but ideally, TikTok will be able to arrange a sell-off before the deadline, in order to stay in operation for American users.
You can read more about TikTok’s AANHPI events, including bios of its Visionary Voices, here.