Museums on TikTok: Key Strategies for Attracting Generation Z

[EN] Digital transformation has profoundly impacted the cultural sector, altering both the creation and distribution of content as well as audience habits and practices. The Covid-19 pandemic accelerated this transition, pushing museums to adapt their communication strategies to attract new audiences, particularly Generation Z - defined as those born between 1997 and 2012 (Pew Research Center 2019). In this context, TikTok has emerged as a key tool for connecting with this demographic, whose consumption of digital content is characterised by dynamic, fragmented and interactive practices.This international study analyses the strategies of the three museums with the highest number of followers on TikTok - The Sacramento History Museum, located in Sacramento, California, USA; the Black Country Living Museum, in Dudley, United Kingdom; and The Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met), in New York, USA - to understand how they generate engagement, establish valuable relationships and encourage in-person visits from Generation Z. The selection of these institutions is based not only on their follower counts, but also on the impact their strategies have on their digital audiences and on the institutions themselves: an aspect that has been scarcely explored in previous studies.Through a mixed-methods approach combining content analysis, interviews with museums' digital communication managers and an evaluation of key indicators on Social Blade, this research identifies essential factors for engaging Generation Z, such as creativity, authenticity and adaptation to trends. The findings reveal that TikTok not only amplifies museums' visibility but also redefines their role in the digital ecosystem, fostering closer and more interactive communication with young audiences.This case study not only provides new perspectives on the use of TikTok in the museum sector but also proposes a methodology for analysing its impact, laying the groundwork for future research in digital cultural communication.