TikTok exploded during the pandemic as its 15-second videos spawned a new generation of influencers who are raking in millions with lucrative advertising campaigns aimed at their Gen Z audience.
While the majority are in their late teens and twenties and post everything from dance routines to lifestyle tips, baby boomers have quickly found their own fan base who use the app to pass on their valuable wisdom.
The middle-aged social media stars have built a huge following online by sharing cleaning tips, advice on tailoring a suit and even what to do if you find yourself in a tricky legal battle with your ex.
In return, content creators in their 50s and 60s were offered book deals and marketing deals with brands, giving their careers—and their bank accounts—a huge boost.
Ann Russell, 60, joined TikTok during the pandemic to keep an eye on her niece, who recently joined the platform with no intention of sharing her own experiences from her job as a cleaner.
Ann Russell, 60, joined TikTok during the pandemic to keep an eye on her niece, but ended up becoming a sensation by sharing cleaning tips on the app
Jeremy Beaumont, 60, runs Rhodes Wood, a traditional tailor in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, and has seen a huge boom in business
Tracey Moloney – a Chippenham-based divorce lawyer known as 'The Legal Queen' on the app – gives advice on everything from divorce to custody battles
But Russell soon found a new online community. She became CleanTok's agonizing aunt and hundreds asked for advice and tips on cleaning up.
A video asking Russell – who describes herself as the “English cleaning lady” – whether there is a difference between liquid and genetic detergents has been viewed more than 28.8 million times.
The New Forest local, known by some as the 'TikTok Aunty', now has 2.5 million followers on the app, which led her to write two books – one about saving money and one about cleanliness.
More recently, Russell has opened up about her treatment process after being diagnosed with ovarian and endometrial cancer. She decided to document her illness to educate others: “The more people know, the better.”
The ad revenue from her TikTok has allowed her to take the time she needs to recover from her illness.
The influencer believes younger generations are interested in her clips and tips because they don't have as much hands-on experience with cleaning as older generations.
“In the last few generations we haven't watched other people do this because our way of life has changed so drastically,” Russell told the Times.
“Most children of my generation and younger would have been at home with their mother. I was at home with my grandmother and watched her cleaning.
The Legal Queen now has more than half a million followers and her videos with advice on legal disputes are viewed millions of times
Russell has been dubbed the “TikTok Aunt” by some and now has 2.5 million followers on the app
In a viral video, Russell explains the TikTok trend where users sprinkled washing powder on their carpets to make them smell better
“It sinks in when you watch people doing things, like learning to cook.”
Russell isn't the only one benefiting from TikTok's huge young audience.
Tracey Moloney – a Chippenham-based divorce lawyer known as 'The Legal Queen' on the app – has a similar journey and gives advice on everything from divorce to custody battles.
With more than half a million followers, her videos offering legal advice, such as whether you should know how much your ex's new partner makes, garner millions of views.
Other videos touch on the sensitive issues surrounding child custody, with Moloney addressing stereotypes about family courts that favor mothers or offering advice for victims of domestic violence.
Some of Moloney's marriage advice videos are now sponsored by Zopa Bank.
Jeremy Beaumont, 60, who runs Rhodes Wood, a traditional tailor in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, has seen a huge boost in business since his son Charles suggested he start posting on TikTok.
Sales at her suit shop are up 35 percent and Beaumont is stopped on the street.
He told the Times: “We made a video called 'How to Tie a Windsor Knot,' which my dad showed me when I was five, and it got a quarter of a million views in an hour.”
“And by the time we left work there were well over a million. In the morning there were 3 million and currently there are 11.4 million.”
“It was like watching a slot machine. So we didn't look back. It had a huge impact on our business.”
Other well-received clips on her site include instructions on how to do “gentlemen square,” tricks for seeing if jeans fit without trying them on, and how to shine your shoes.
The videos received millions of views, including a virtual tour of the store that attracted nearly 500,000 followers.
Katy Howell, managing director of social media marketing agency Immediate Future, said the success of boomer-age influencers is not surprising as they fit with the “true core of TikTok”, where 52 percent of users are over 30.
She told the newspaper there is a myth that TikTok is “for teens, tweens and under-20s.”