TikTok Adds New Feature in Q&A Section, Creators can Now Respond to Questions Via Text or Videos

Sieeka Khan, Tech Times 21 January 2021, 07:01 am

Social media app TikTok is testing a new video Q&A feature that allows TikTok creators to respond directly to their audience and follower's questions with either text or video answers.

The feature works across both video uploads and livestreams called TikTok Live, but this feature is currently only available to select creators who have accepted the test-run.

TikTok new Q&A feature

According to TechCrunch, Q&As have become a top way that creators talk to their followers on social media, and that they have been very popular in other social media apps such as Instagram Stories and in other social media apps like Snapchat-integrated YOLO, or even in smaller startup platforms.Q&As are mostly used by influencers, creators and celebrities.

On TikTok, Q&As are now a massive part of the platform and has been included in the fans' experience as many TikTok stars respond to their followers via comments that can be seen in each published video, according to PocketNow.

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Most creators respond to comments by posting a new video and adding the screenshot of the comment, then typing in their answer to it. This is done because TikTok allows just a few characters per comment in the comment section.

These are also done by creators in order to clarify a misconception or to add context to their previous video or answer, there are also times that these are done by creators to clap back at trolls, which is proven more effective via video responses.

Because of this, the TikTok comment section has now become a massive part in shaping trends and culture on TikTok, according to Yahoo.

Q&As are also an important means for creators to talk to their fans when they livestream. However, it can be difficult for creators to keep up with a flood of questions, comments and reactions through the current live chat interface.

Seeing how TikTok creators were already using the Q&As with their fans is how the idea for the enhanced feature started. Just like the existing "reply to comments with video" feature, the Q&A option lets TikTok creators to directly respond to the questions of their audience.

Users then will be able to designate their comments as questions by a simple tap on the Q&A button in a video's comment field or they can also submit questions directly through the Q&A link on the profile page of the creator.

For the creators, the feature can help simplify the process of responding to questions, as it can let them show all of the questions in just one place. There is no limit to the number of questions that creators can get, though they do not have to reply to each one of them.

How the feature went live

The Q&A feature was first spotted by Matt Navarra, a social media consultant, who then posted screenshots of what the feature looks like if it is used, and it includes how it appears on the profiles the users.

During the test-run, the new Q&A feature is only being made available to creators who have public Creator Accounts that have more than 10,000 followers and who have opted into the feature with their Settings.

The participants in the Q&A test include some safe-listed creators from the Creative Learning Fund program of TikTok that was announced in 2020, among others.

TikTok also stated that the Q&A feature is now being tested globally, and its goal is to launch it worldwide so more users with Creator Accounts can start using it.