The news: Direct messages (DMs) are becoming a key channel to reach consumers as follower growth, once the gold standard for social media success, declines.

• The average number of shares for brands on TikTok increased 60% quarter over quarter in Q1, per Dash Social’s 2025 Social Media Trends report, showing a pivot toward private content distribution.
• At the same time, average monthly follower growth for brands on TikTok dropped 27% YoY.

Going private: This shift aligns with Gen Z’s evolving behavior on social platforms. Today’s users prefer inbox interactions over noisy public comment threads.