Data is central to digital marketing in 2025 – and TikTok is one of the best social platforms for launching data-guided campaigns.

TikTok users leave heavy digital footprints. Brands can collect every impression, share, like, and comment, and use TikTok analytics to make sense of their audience.

Do it right, and TikTok can become one of your core marketing channels, where you can engage with audiences, launch new products, and drive brand awareness.

Brands of all sizes are using TikTok to reach massive audiences, and the competition for attention is fierce. Those who dig into TikTok analytics have the best chance of conquering the platform.

This article breaks down why TikTok analytics matter, which metrics you should track, and how to use these insights to sharpen your content strategy. We’ll explain how Brandwatch’s all-in-one TikTok marketing solution can make your life easier, too.

Why TikTok analytics matter in 2025

TikTok analytics and data is a big reason why the platform is such a success – for users and brands alike.

Users benefit from a hugely powerful algorithm that gives them what they want time and time again. Brands can tap into the digital footprint left by users and align their strategies to their target audience.

TikTok’s growth over the past few years has been nothing short of astounding. The platform has over 1.56 billion monthly active users, making it the fifth most popular social network in the world.

It’s popular and serves both audiences and brands – what’s not to love?

The role of TikTok analytics

TikTok analytics matter to brands because they act as a window into user activity. From engagement metrics to watch time and everything in between, many data points are available.

This creates ample opportunity to connect with users and find new audiences, using data as a guide. Jumping on fresh trends, connecting with influencers, running TikTok ads – whatever it is, you need analytics to point you in the right direction.

What’s more, TikTok’s shopping feature means you shorten the conversion funnel.

With the right data, it’s easy to identify target audiences, create campaigns you know will work, and achieve a return on investment (ROI) that meets your goals. You can also track competitors and see what they’re doing right and wrong.

Whether it’s increasing brand awareness, boosting sales, or something in between, you can do it on TikTok if you take analytics and data seriously.

Key TikTok metrics to track

Using a TikTok analytics tool like Brandwatch to house all your data is the best way to stay on top of your campaigns.

But before you get started on TikTok, it’s important to understand the core metrics worth following. These are the metrics you’ll use to benchmark against your competitors and assess the success of your strategy.

Don’t worry – you don’t need to obsess over every single metric. Focus on the key metrics that truly indicate how well your TikTok marketing is performing.

  • Follower growth: Measure how your follower count is changing over time. A steady upward curve means you’re doing something right to attract new followers.
  • Engagement rate: This reveals how actively people interact with your content. A high engagement rate means your content resonated – people felt compelled to like, comment on, or share it.
  • Profile views: This metric counts how many people visited your TikTok profile. It’s a great indicator of interest in your brand.
  • Video views: This reveals how many times your video was watched. Compare views across your videos to identify which topics or formats draw the biggest audience.
  • Average watch time (retention): This insight shows how long viewers watch your video on average and what percentage watch the full video. It’s one of the best indicators of content quality and relevance. Use this metric to gauge how engaging your storytelling is.
  • Audience insights (follower demographics and behavior): Official TikTok partners like Brandwatch provide data about your followers, including their demographics (gender breakdown, top countries or regions) and when they’re most active. Use TikTok insights to tailor your content strategy and create campaigns that appeal to your core audience at a time when they’re actually online to see it.

Effective TikTok analytics aims to pull these and other metrics together and analyze them thoroughly. Learn what your audience likes and dislikes, how they interact with content, and what they want to see.

>> Learn more about TikTok metrics in our guide here

How to access TikTok analytics

Ready to check your TikTok stats? Getting to your analytics is pretty straightforward on TikTok, though the steps differ slightly between personal (creator) and business accounts.

You can also access your TikTok analytics through Brandwatch and get even deeper insights.

Here’s how to access your TikTok analytics in 2025.

Access for Creator Accounts (personal)

Personal TikTok accounts can access analytics but you need to have posted at least one public video. It’s also a good idea to ensure you’re on a “Creator” account (TikTok usually prompts people to switch to a creator account to get analytics).

This is free and just unlocks the analytics features. To switch, go to your profile, open "Settings and Privacy", and select"Account" > "Switch to Creator Account" (if not already on one).

From here, you can open your analytics dashboard via your TikTok profile menu (the three lines ≡ icon). Tap “Creator Tools” and then “Analytics.”

You should now see your Analytics overview, typically starting with the “Overview” tab. Click on other tabs to explore further.

Access for Business Accounts

Brands with a TikTok Business Account have analytics enabled by default. Access business analytics by going to your profile and tapping the ≡ menu icon.

Tap that, and then tap “Analytics.” This will open a dashboard similar to the creator analytics but tailored for businesses. It provides an overview of your content performance, followers, and so on, just like the creator analytics do.

Use TikTok on desktop for more features.

Access via Brandwatch

You can also access TikTok analytics through Brandwatch. Log in to your account and head to the Social Media Management dashboard. Dive into deep metrics with tools like Audience, Measure, and Benchmark, and assess your TikTok campaign in real-time.

Brandwatch's social media management tool is a place that brings together everything you need to succeed on TikTok (and other social channels) in one place.

Schedule and auto-post your TikTok videos at the optimal times and keep up with your TikTok community through a unified social inbox.

Then, dive into the analytics. Pull all your key TikTok metrics into custom reports. You can track your follower growth, view counts, engagement rates, and more with filters for different time ranges.

Then, combine Social Media Management with Brandwatch Consumer Research to listen to what your audience is saying in real-time. Social listening helps brands understand audiences, analyze user sentiment, and spot trends.

If you want to learn more about how Brandwatch can help you, speak to one of our experts.

Using TikTok analytics to support your content strategy

Knowing your numbers is great, but the real power of analytics lies in how you use them. TikTok analytics can (and should) directly inform your content strategy. Instead of guessing what to post and when to post it, you can make data-backed decisions that improve your results over time.

It’s best to adopt a two-pronged approach when adjusting your strategy. Begin by looking at what the TikTok data is telling you. What’s worked well and what hasn’t? By reviewing which videos got the most views, highest engagement rates, or longest watch times, you can spot patterns in what content resonates with your audience.

Dive into audience data and discover who is generating the best levels of engagement. Are they the audience demographics you’re trying to target? Pay attention to comments and run sentiment analysis to understand how people view your brand.

You’ll understand your audience’s preferences: humor vs. informative, short, snappy videos vs. longer storytelling, trending challenges vs. original skits, etc.

Next, look at your posting schedule and its relationship to trends. Are there times when engagement peaks? What’s causing these spikes? TikTok moves fast – what happens when a fresh trend blows everything else away? Is your content robust and interesting enough to ride the storm and keep people interested when most are looking elsewhere?

All of these insights feed into your content strategy. The second stage is to implement your findings. Focus your content types on what works – short videos, behind-the-scenes clips, product launches, etc.

Then, figure out the optimal time to publish based on your analytics data, and don’t be afraid to experiment. A bit of A/B testing will help further eliminate the least effective content types and publish times so your strategy becomes more efficient.

Finally, keep pace with your audience by using a social listening tool like Brandwatch. Track user sentiment in real-time and make strategy adjustments as you go.

Soon, you’ll have a smarter, more efficient content strategy that uses TikTok analytics to evolve and stay ahead of the competition.

Tips for improving TikTok performance based on analytics insights

Before we wrap up this guide, here are some quick TikTok analytics tips to get you thinking about improving your overall strategy in 2025. 

Identify the perfect post times

Posting at the right time is really important on TikTok. The algorithm promotes instant hits, so the first hour after a video goes live is crucial.

If your analytics show a spike in user activity around 7-9 PM, try to consistently post in that window. This way, you catch your fans when they’re ready to watch and trigger the TikTok algorithm.

Double down on successful themes

Something as simple as looking back at your top five performing TikToks from the past few months could be enough to alter your strategy. What do they have in common? Once you identify the winning elements, incorporate them into your future content.

This doesn’t mean every video should be a clone – you should use a research tool like Brandwatch for a more detailed approach. But it’s a good start. Give your audience more of what you know they enjoy.

Use A/B testing

Your analytics can guide small experiments. For instance, try creating two versions of a similar video – one that’s 15 seconds and one that’s 30 seconds – and see which holds audience attention better (check that average watch time).

Or, test different hooks in the first three seconds of your video on two different posts and see which one leads to a higher completion rate. You’ll continuously refine your approach by experimenting and observing the data.

Join the conversation

An often overlooked part of a brand's success on TikTok is engagement beyond just posting videos. Make sure you reply to comments on your videos promptly. Users appreciate it, as does the TikTok algorithm, and higher comment counts might even help your video’s engagement rate.

Consider visiting the profiles of your top followers or frequent commenters and engaging with their content, too – building those relationships can turn casual viewers into loyal fans.

Stay authentic

Keep an eye on which trending hashtags, videos, and sounds drove a lot of views for you. If hopping on a particular trend gave you a big spike, plan to participate in trends regularly as part of your strategy.

However, always put your own brand’s twist on it. Authenticity is key on TikTok – users can tell when something is forced.

Start influencer partnerships

TikTok analytics reveal which influencer accounts most align with your brand. Turn this alignment into a mutually beneficial relationship and launch an influencer campaign. Keep on top of all the analytics with Brandwatch’s Influence tool and get your brand noticed. Learn more about influencer marketing on TikTok here!

By applying these tips, you’ll discover the true benefits of TikTok analytics insights. It’s all about using data to continually improve performance and track the results.

The beauty of TikTok (and social media platforms in general) is that it offers instant feedback. Every piece of content is a chance to learn and adjust. With a thoughtful, data-informed approach, you can turn TikTok into a high-performing channel in your marketing arsenal.

Explore TikTok analytics today

TikTok analytics takes the guesswork out of your marketing. Data shows what your audience cares about, how your content is performing, and where you should focus your efforts.

In 2025 and beyond, successful marketers on TikTok are those who combine creativity with analytics insight. The key to unlocking all this is using a tool like Brandwatch.

Whether it’s the all-in-one Social Media Management platform for handling your day-to-day TikTok operations or the deep listening capabilities of Consumer Research to uncover trends, Brandwatch is here to empower your TikTok strategy.

With the right insights and TikTok analytics tools, you’ll be well on your way to social media marketing success.