After the 2022 midterms, the Cooperative Impact Lab published initial findings for the Digital Innovation Fund, telling the story of how, in just four months, we stood up and administered one of the most extensive research-grant programs focused on TikTok’s uses for progressive politics and social good.

Across the space, from TikTok newcomers to seasoned professionals, virtually no progressive groups feel they have a grip on what effective political TikTok content looks like, how to generate it, or how to have it support organizing strategy consistently. As established digital tactics like Facebook ads get more expensive and less effective, the knowledge gap on how to speak online is becoming downright dangerous.

Since November, we’ve been hard at work studying the results, crunching the numbers about what works on TikTok, what doesn’t, and why. Below you’ll find a read-out of our strongest signals, what we think they mean, and what we believe needs to come next.

This work is not just about tactics on TikTok — it’s about rethinking how we, as a movement, can invest in digital messaging and persuasion that is authentic, collaborative, and relationship-driven — and how we’re supporting the talent within organizations to lead the way.