TikTok Launches 'Photo Mode' Feature To Let Creators Share Photo Carousels Natively

TikTok announced 'Photo Mode,' a new native photo feature. With 'Photo Mode,' creators can share high-quality images in a carousel format, automatically displaying them one after another.

It's a surprising move, but also not surprising in a way. Even though native video (especially short-form video) is the craze today, there's a great population of creators that still prefer to share still images, especially those who grew up on Instagram. In light of Instagram's overall video ambitions and the fact that photos have essentially taken a back seat to Reels, creators are forced to either create Reels or accept that their photo content won't get the visibility or reach it would have previously.

With TikTok now supporting native photos, these creators have more optionality where they can share photo content. While they are likely to continue to put effort into Instagram, 'Photo Mode' will be appealing as it allows creators to share content in their format of choice with the possibility of benefiting from TikTok's algorithm, just like video-first creators.

This also empowers TikTok native creators to become more "multi-format" creators, similar to what YouTube is fostering with support for long-form video, short-form video, live video, text, images, polls, etc. 'Photo Mode,' along with support for videos up to 10 minutes, live streaming, and longer post descriptions, gives TikTok creators the option to be "multi-format" creators.

Though more brands are activating creators on TikTok, some brands haven't, as they prioritize photo content for repurposing, resulting in them still focusing on Instagram for their influencer marketing initiatives. This could convince these brands to run ‘Photo Mode’ based campaigns on TikTok now that there is a format that supports and matches their needs.