We are currently running three pilot programmes to help encourage young people in Northern Ireland into STEM careers – our most experimental (and challenging!) pilot is now at its halfway point so we wanted to let you know how we are getting on. It’s a one-year project looking at ways to engage young people with science and technology through TikTok.
We are really pleased with how our TikTok channel is performing – the channel has 505k likes and of the 6,275 followers, 63% are female. The top performing video has been viewed over 2.3 million times! Our TikTok expert Lyn Mutch from Noodlehorse Media has been busy capturing content from local businesses like Denman, as well as participating in events run by colleges including SERC and Springvale and visiting STEM resources such as the Ulster Museum and the DreamMachine.
@pulsar_ni That was awesome! The teail is to scale and the distance between the 1st 4 planets is short… aftwr that though 🚀 #ourplaceinspace #belfasttiktok #mountainbikeride ♬ What You Know - Two Door Cinema Club
But what has the last six months taught us about TikTok and how we can use it to bring science and technology to young people in an entertaining way?
Our project goal is to use TikTok as a way to encourage young people into STEM careers with local businesses. So we decided to use the platform to test what appeals to 13-18-year-olds, creating content to engage with this hard-to-reach group and getting them thinking about careers in science and technology.
@pulsar_ni Never grow the whole way up! Yeah this #knex set was aged 8+ but it’s still an awesome way to learn about gear ratios and other #stem ♬ In the Bosom - Sweet After Tears
We started off by choosing four content pillars:
Our first videos encouraged young people to create science experiments and maths puzzles at home. One of these was the Sierpinski Triangle, and boy did it go viral! Our top performing video in the series had over 2.3 million views! We got great engagement as well, with followers making their own triangles and asking how it worked.
@pulsar_ni #tiktokpoll what on earth is going on in the house of #sierpinskistriangle? ♬ What on earth is going on in the house of commons - ItsZKRM
Lyn also got busy getting in touch with businesses and colleges to see if they would like to work with her. A big shout out must go to SERC Bangor, who welcomed this project with arms wide open by giving Lyn opportunities to use machinery in their state-of-the-art facilities, attend their Girls in Engineering day (for 4-12 year-old budding engineers) and finally be a judge at the SERC EEE day.
@pulsar_ni The entrepreneurs of tomorrow were out in force at #sercbangor! Thanks @ainemcgreeghan769 ♬ original sound - Pulsar NI | Discovering STEM🔬
Denman in Bangor was also keen to collaborate – as Lyn says: “Pairing up with the iconic hairbrush makers, who already hold massive clout on TikTok, was a great experience. It was a pleasure to watch the manufacturing process and the company’s exciting improvements.”
@pulsar_ni I loved this factory tour. Thanks @Denman Brush - so many interesting processes happen before the iconic #denmanbrush hits our shelves! #manufacturingtechniques #denmanbrushes #manufacturingtok #bennybenassisatisfaction ♬ Satisfaction - Benny Benassi Presents the Biz, Isak Original Extended - Benny Benassi & The Biz
And a trip to Bangor Print Workshop helped Lyn to understand how technology has evolved over time:
@pulsar_ni Modern technology 💻🖨️ or something a little more retro? #letterpressprinting ♬ original sound - Pulsar NI | Discovering STEM🔬
The past six months of this project have provided incredible insight into how to reach young people on TikTok.
So what have we learned so far?
Successful content can come from the most unlikely places. The Sierpinski triangle popularity happened due to the repetitive nature of the videos. It was a journey people could follow along with each day. It has a measurable outcome, highs and lows and a repetitive format. Using the same trending sound for each of the videos gave an identity. It also inspired others to recreate the trend themselves. This success came with a caveat—people only wanted to see triangle videos and views significantly dropped for other content. Rather than focus solely on vanity metrics, we ensured that the original content pillars were still the focus.
@pulsar_ni More to me than just Sierpinski triangles! But on that note, my rulers arrived! Let’s get back to drawing it! #mathstok #stemcareers #womeninstem ♬ Vegas (From the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack ELVIS) - Doja Cat
Everything is content.
At each event we attend we make sure we create more than one piece of content. The use of relatable trending sounds has provided us with creative scope for more than one video per event, as well as giving us insight into what kinds of videos are popular with young people.
@pulsar_ni Did I miss anything? #science #technology #engineering #maths #stemtok #womeninstem #girlsinstem #studyingstem ♬ You need to know these 3 things - Brooklyn Social | TikTok Coach
What we’ll be doing in the next few months
We are going to make more social media listening tools to stay on top of trending topics and audio. We’re also going to look at ways to avoid being pigeon-holed by the success of one type of video (we are looking at you, Sierpinski Triangle!).
@pulsar_ni How many elements of the periodic table can you name off the top of your head? #sciencetok #stemtok #womeninstem #sciencefacts #periodictablesong #ulstermuseum ♬ original sound - Lyra
We are also going to be working on some events at the Northern Ireland Science Festival in February, so keep an eye out for details nearer the time. In the meantime, a huge thanks to Lyn for all the amazing work she has produced and the energy and expertise she brings to the project. We are looking forward to the next six months of TikTok STEM fun! You can follow us at https://www.tiktok.com/@pulsar_ni
If you would like to work with Lyn on this project, you can contact her at lyn@noodlehorse.media – she’d love to hear from you! We’ll finish up with a round up of the last six months of Tiktok fun:
@pulsar_ni Six months of creating content to engage with the hard-to-reach group of 13-18 y/o’s and getting them thinking about careers in science and technology. Here’s to the next six months! #stemtok #scienceexperiments #manufacturingprocess #factorytours #denmanbrush #sierpinskistriangle ♬ Fire Like This - Hardknox