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Now a powerhouse social channel with nearly 1.6 billion monthly active users worldwide, it’s impossible to ignore the impact that TikTok and each TikToker has had on the digital landscape. With new e-commerce integrations, massive public figures on the platform, and a slew of influencer marketing opportunities, there’s something for every campaign to utilize.
Not only does TikTok cater to short-form video content, it recently ventured into long-form! Opportunities arose for up to 10 minutes of content to be uploaded to the app. TikTok encourages creativity, allowing each TikToker to craft engaging content that resonates with niche audiences. Brands can collaborate with influencers to create authentic storytelling through challenges, tutorials, product reviews, and behind-the-scenes glimpses that showcase their products in a relatable manner, with public figures that have already garnered the trust and loyalty from supporters.
Partnerships with influencers can be tailored to align with specific campaigns, leveraging their unique styles and audience demographics. However, this kind of brand visibility is sought after, and sometimes overused in an already oversaturated market. So, how can you best use TikTokers to support your campaign goals? It all starts with crafting the right campaign, finding the right influencers, and ensuring you’re prioritizing community and connection.
Should You Use TikTok for Influencer Marketing?
Before diving into the specifics of a TikTok campaign, consider whether or not this is the right platform for you. While there is a great deal of visibility, engagement, and audiences, if your content isn’t performing well, you’ve wasted time.
So consider these parameters for success – is TikTok the right fit for your campaign and company?
1. You need the right target audience.
Unlike many other traditional social media platforms, TikTok has become the primary outlet for younger generations, like Gen Z, to find all the content they’re looking for – from beauty advice, to fashion, news, and entertainment. With a wide variety of content on the “FYP,” it only makes sense for brands to promote on the app.
2. Can you make relatable, witty, or short-form content?
There are countless ways to use TikTok in an influencer marketing campaign: e-commerce partnerships, hiring creators, and more. However, being able to represent your brand accurately in short-form content isn’t an easy feat.
@duolingo sad g(owl) hours #duoplushie #duolingo #languagelearning #emo
Ensure that you’re able to share the information about your brand on TikTok before diving head first into it. Remember, there’s a million ways to structure a campaign. Not everything has to be 100% serious. Sometimes being active and crafting a witty brand image can help drive your success further than any other routes.
3. Craft your brand’s marketing campaign goals.
What are you hoping to get out of a marketing campaign on TikTok? If the answer is engagement, reaching new audiences, or even driving consumers to your own platform – this might be the perfect place for you.
4. Are there influencers that align with your brand or campaign?
We can almost assuredly answer this question for you: yes. There are absolutely influencers in every niche aspect of TikTok but the real question is: are they accessible? Pricing for TikTokers is not only elusive, in many cases, but diverse depending on individual metrics, followers, and platforms.
First, figure out who would align with your campaign – even if they’re not directly involved in your industry. Think out of the box – the new audiences that you can reach might be the new consumers you pull in. After you figure out what influencer direction you’re headed into, then consider your budget.
5. What’s your budget for influencers?
Depending on your budget, there might be certain influencers that are out of reach for your campaign. Be that as it may, that doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice your campaign goals. Even micro-influencers, that tend to cost much less for content creation and promotion, can boast successful engagement and reach.
Don’t underestimate the power of creators, even if they have small communities. These niche creators have loyal followers and will surprise you by just how successful they can be at promoting products.
How to Utilize Influencer Marketing on TikTok
Once you’ve found your niche, solidified some kind of influencer partnership, and outlined a budget for your campaign, you can start to think about how you want to utilize TikTok. From in-feed videos, to brand visibility growth, and Live collaborations – the options are nearly endless.
1. In-Feed Native Videos
These advertisements are sponsored videos that are integrated into the For You Page. The videos are not structured like a normal ad and usually follow current TikTok trends to fit into the audience’s regular feed. They are 9-15 seconds long and, if the viewer isn’t interested, they can easily scroll past it. If you’re selling a product or service, you could use these videos as a chance to talk about them more. If you’re looking for brand visibility, consider opting for a viral challenge or trend to get people’s attention back to your page.
Sometimes, connection works best. Find ways to humanize your brand! Customers will not only be more interested in your content, but more trustworthy of you in their consumer interactions.
Although the other types of advertisements on this list are paid for daily or weekly, brands must pay for these advertisements per the number of impressions they would like. As long as they pay for a minimum of 600 impressions, there is no limit to the number of guaranteed impressions a brand buys.
2. Hashtag Challenges
While they’re more intended on TikTok to promote “FYP” visibility for the average user, hashtags can be an easy way to garner visibility during a campaign. Especially if they’re tied to a certain trend or challenge, you will likely garner even more engagement and views.
Ensure that you’re not only focusing on your campaign, but also the ever-evolving door of trends, debates, and discussions happening on TikTok. Leverage what people are already talking about and interested in. Being chronically online, even as a brand, can help you to contribute to the saturated market in ways that won’t bore or “cringe out” younger generations of users always in the know.
Of course, you can always start a hashtag challenge yourself, to get people talking about and interested in your brand. If you need inspiration, just look at a beauty influencer on TikTok. Nearly every makeup challenge and makeup trend are perfect examples of successful branding.
3. Brand Takeovers
These advertisements take over the audience’s entire screen when they open up the app. This type of advertisement is the hardest to ignore, as the viewer must press the skip button in the corner of the screen in order to exit the ad.
If you’re using a brand hashtag, challenge, or lens, you can use these kinds of ads to draw more visibility to them and harness more engagement from users. If you’re hoping to drive viewership to an offline link or brand page, this also might be highly effective for you.
4. Branded Filter/Lens
Branded filters and lenses are other interactive types of advertisements that a brand can pay for and any influencer or creator can use. Brand lenses or filters are available in the trending section for up to 10 days and can increase brand awareness and allow users to put their own creative spin on a brand’s advertisement.
Typically working well for brands that already have a popular product or recognizable image, these filters can be most effective when you partner with a popular TikToker. Not only does the filter associate your brand image with a trusted influencer on the platform, you’re able to harness the influence of their niche community with more targeted ads and campaigns.
While they’re subject to changes and ultimately dependent on your specific goals, influencer collaborations, and duration, below are some estimates for influencer marketing pricing on TikTok using the aforementioned tools:
| Advertisement Type | Pricing |
| In-Feed Native Videos | $10 per impression |
| Hashtag Challenges | $150,000 per week |
| Brand Takeovers | $50,000 per day |
| Branded Filter/Lens | $80,000 per day |
Partnering with Influencers
In addition to purchasing advertisements through TikTok, brands will also establish partnerships and brand deals with influencers and content creators on the app. This not only allows influencers to get paid directly for advertising a brand or product on their own account, it helps brands to build visibility and gain credibility with already-trusted public figures.
Although there are a lot of brand-safe, popular TikTokers on the platform, it’s important to find influencers that suit your specific brand and niche the best. Consider the ways these two specific categories of influencers can best suit your campaign:
1. TikTokers with success on multiple platforms
If you’re considering a public figure or influencer that has large followings across platforms, you’re paying for more than just a standard TikTok advertisement. Because they already have such an impactful presence, with followings across apps, their prices will inevitably be higher – as they’re likely doing tons of other partnerships and collaborations. Think: Alix Earle, Jake Shane, Drew Afualo, or James Charles.
2. Tiktokers that only have a high following on TikTok.
For “TikTok Natives,” that only have a large following on TIkTok, you might get away with a more budget-friendly compensation package, as they only have influence on the one platform. However, just because they tend to be cheaper for marketing campaign deals, doesn’t mean they’re any less effective – or even more effective, in their designated niche and community on the platform.
According to Influencer Marketing Hub, here are the budget expectations you should consider for influencers, depending on their follower count:
| Influencer | Follower Count | Pricing Per Post |
| Mega-Influencer | Over 1M | $2,500 + |
| Macro-Influencer | 500K – 1M | $1,250 – $2,500 |
| Mid-Tier influencer | 50K – 500K | $125 – $1,250 |
| Micro-Influencer | 10K – 50K | $25 – $125 |
| Nano-Influencer | Less than 10K | $5 – $25 |
Hiring an Influencer Marketing Agency for Your TikTok Campaign
Whether or not a brand hires an influencer marketing agency will influence the price of the campaign as a whole. Influencer marketing agencies can help brands to carry out influencer campaigns smoothly – from helping with content brainstorms, to connecting them with the right creators, and ensuring each party is well supported and successful. The influencer marketing services often ensure influencer brand relationships are healthy, campaign strategies are on track, and everyone is fulfilling their end of the bargain– from engagement, to creation, and payment.
To focus more on the brainstorming aspect of campaigns – from analyzing metrics to creatively crafting content – marketing agencies can take over budget spending to give brands more time for the fun stuff. With the right balance of input, the right collaborations, and a well-planned marketing campaign, brands have huge success in reach with TikTok.
