The Social Pulse: Finance on TikTok

For our second edition of The Social Pulse, our team turned the lens to finance content trends online. Here's our take on how fintech and financial services brands can be part of the conversation.

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As consumers are increasingly taking a proactive stance towards their finances, good financial habits have become a bigger part of the conversation online. This is distinct from conventional investment or FIRE-type content which tend to focus on strategies for long-term investing or financial goals, and appeal to a demographic with high financial literacy. Instead, the finance content trends we looked at this month surfaced a softer approach to financial content that focuses more on cultivating good financial habits or short-term lifestyle changes, making it more accessible for those starting out on their financial health journey.

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Rebuilding finance tracking with AI

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Finance creators are showing how they are using accessible AI tools to build personalised expense trackers and spreadsheets. Through sharing step-by-step guides and their AI prompts, they show how easy it is for anyone to build and customise your personal tracking tools, without any coding experience needed.

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BRAND OPPORTUNITY:

‍Finance brands can partner with AI-centric or finance creators to guide potential customers or existing users on how their services or platforms can be used as part of a personalised finance tracking build. The result is a more credible piece of content, that also gives the brand a platform to introduce themselves to a wider audience.

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Gen Z language takes over financial content

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Gen Z audiences want to learn from Gen Z creators. Especially when it comes to complex topics such as how to establish good financial habits, they are far more receptive to advice delivered through relatable language or authentic personal mistakes. 

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When creators openly share their costly missteps and lessons learnt, Gen Z audiences view these mistakes as proof of credibility and a way for them to gain financial wisdom risk-free.

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BRAND OPPORTUNITY:

‍Creator-fronted content series can be a potential entry point for brands. As creators share how they have learnt from their financial mistakes and how a specific finance brand now plays a key role in improving their financial health, the brand can naturally become part of the conversation.

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Worth it or not worth it?

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Creators are capturing viewer attention by sharing numbered lists of purchases they believe are “worth the money”, which either influences audiences to buy or sparks strong debate. While the list format acts as an effective retention tool to keep people watching, the most impactful engagement comes from those who disagree with the featured items. The comment section turns into an interactive arena, where audiences debate and rewrite the list to assert their own credibility and spending judgement. A further sub-trend on “not worth the money” has also appeared, further echoing the relevance of this content trend.

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BRAND OPPORTUNITY:

‍Brands can lean into either trend, sharing an intentionally opinionated list that mixes everyday lifestyle upgrades with smart financial habits, or repurposing the format entirely to spark active community discussion around healthy financial habits. 

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Underconsumption-core

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Against the backdrop of potential recessions and job insecurity, creators are declaring personal “no-buy” periods, during which they will strive to not buy anything or buy very little. They tend to spell out the rules of this period to hold themselves accountable, and report back on how they are doing after.

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BRAND OPPORTUNITY:

‍Using the concept of “no-buy” periods, digital banks or finance apps can showcase their features that can enable users to control their spending and stay in touch with their goals.

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