The campaign only launched a TikTok in September, but Collins says they receive more volunteers via TikTok than any other platform.
"I interact with a lot of people who've never gone to any meetings, they don't know anything except what they see online," so it's crucial to "reach them with good messaging." And it seems to be working. In addition to volunteers, the campaign has raised about $5,000 through the fundraising link on Instagram and TikTok. That figure isn't huge, but it becomes more impressive considering the young age of most of Collins' TikTok following. Collins told Business Insider that the campaign has raised over $128,000 so far, which mostly goes toward his staff. According to the most recent FEC filings, the campaign had raised over $43,000 by the end of September, and spent about $12,000. Aside from repaying an $800 loan, the rest was categorized as "operating expenditures," which Collins says goes toward paying his staff.
Collins is hopeful that TikTok will be such an effective marketing tool that it will make up for the campaign's lack of ads and mailers. In the short time he's been using the app, Collins has gotten better at using TikTok. Some of his videos have gone semi-viral, which he believes is good for himself and socialist messaging overall, but he also needs to reach his constituents to win. Collins and his team have focused on using "effective hashtags" on videos, like "Washington state," "Olympia," and "Tacoma." TikTok's own locations data makes videos more likely to be seen by people who live nearby, which can lead to more local views.
Collins and his campaign are gambling on TikTok and social media to compensate for a lack of traditional advertising. He made the unusual and potentially risky choice not to spend any money on advertising, which is corroborated by FEC filings. TikTok is still young and untested as an a source of political influence, so it's uncertain whether Collins' gamble will pay off.
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