TikTok is testing a new video Q&A feature that allows creators to respond more directly to their audience’s questions with text or video answers. The feature is in both video and live broadcasts (TikTok LIVE), but is currently only available to select creators who opted in for the test.
Q&As became one of the main ways in which creators engage fans on social media and proved particularly popular in places like Instagram Stories and other social apps like YOLO integrated into Snapchat, or even smaller companies.
On TikTok, however, Q&A is now a big part of the commenting experience, as many creators respond to individual comments by posting a new video explaining their response in more detail than a brief text comment. Sometimes these responses are meant to clarify or add context, while other times creators will confront their trolls with their video responses. As a result, TikTok’s comments section grew to play a larger role in shaping TikTok’s trends and culture.
Q&A is also a key way for creators to interact with fans when live streaming. But it can be difficult for creators to keep up with an onslaught of questions and comments through today’s live chat interface.
Seeing how creators were already using Q&A with their fans is how the idea for the new feature came up. Like the existing “respond to comments with video” feature, the Q&A option allows creators to respond directly to questions from their audience. When available, users will be able to designate their comments as questions by pressing the Q&A button in the comment field of a video, or they can submit questions directly through the Q&A link on the creator’s profile page.
For creators, the feature simplifies the process of answering questions by allowing them to see all of their fans’ questions in one place. There is no limit to the number of questions a creator can receive, although not every question needs to be answered.
During the test, the new Q&A feature will only be available to creators with public creator accounts who have more than 10,000 followers and who have opted the feature into their settings. Participants in the test include some creators on the safe list of TikTok’s Creative Learning Fund program, announced last year, among others.
TikTok says the Q&A feature is currently being tested globally and it aims to roll it out to more users with creator accounts in the coming weeks.