In this guide we’ll cover what TikTok is, how to navigate the app, why, how you should work with influencers and how to execute a campaign.
TikTok Influencer Marketing
In this guide we’ll cover what TikTok is, how to navigate the app, why, how you should work with influencers and how to execute a campaign.
TikTok Influencer Marketing
In this guide we’ll cover what TikTok is, how to navigate the app, why, how you should work with influencers and how to execute a campaign.
What is TikTok
TikTok is a video-sharing app where users have the ability to shoot and edit videos that are up to 60 seconds long. These videos can have animations, filters, and more. Most videos on the app are under 15 seconds long. Content on TikTok is humorous, light-hearted and not overly produced.
TikTok originated as Musical.ly, so music is an inherent part of the platform experience. Users can create and share “Sounds,” appending them to their videos like audio emojis, or they can search for videos that all use the same Sound in common, much like a hashtag. These Sounds are where many of the app’s viral trends are born.
20 min read
10 min read
What is TikTok
TikTok is a video-sharing app where users have the ability to shoot and edit videos that are up to 60 seconds long. These videos can have animations, filters, and more. Most videos on the app are under 15 seconds long. Content on TikTok is humorous, light-hearted and not overly produced.
TikTok originated as Musical.ly, so music is an inherent part of the platform experience. Users can create and share “Sounds,” appending them to their videos like audio emojis, or they can search for videos that all use the same Sound in common, much like a hashtag. These Sounds are where many of the app’s viral trends are born.
TikTok has over 732 million global monthly active users
– TikTok Internal Data, Oct 2020
Navigating the App
Homepage
The home page in the app has two sections, “Following” and “For You.” In the Following section, you’ll see content from accounts you follow, and in the For You section, TikTok has algorithmically curated videos for you.
Sharing
TikTok allows you to share to all social media platforms. You can copy the link directly to a particular TikTok video for re-sharing purposes. Additionally, you can save any video directly from the app.
Discover
The Discover page helps you find videos that TikTok thinks you’ll enjoy.
Navigating the App
Homepage
The home page in the app has two sections, “Following” and “For You.” In the Following section, you’ll see content from accounts you follow, and in the For You section, TikTok has algorithmically curated videos for you.
Sharing
TikTok allows you to share to all social media platforms. You can copy the link directly to a particular TikTok video for re-sharing purposes. Additionally, you can save any video directly from the app.
Discover
The Discover page helps you find videos that TikTok thinks you’ll enjoy.
User Age Demographics
TikTok Internal Data, Oct 2020
Ages 13 – 17
Ages 18 – 24
Ages 25 – 34
Ages 35 – 44
Ages 45 – 54
Ages 55+
User Age Demographics
TikTok Internal Data, Oct 2020
13 – 17
18 – 24
25 – 34
35 – 44
45 – 54
55+
User Age Demographics
TikTok Internal Data, Oct 2020
13 – 17
18 – 24
25 – 34
35 – 44
45 – 54
55+
Why Work with Influencers on TikTok
Connecting with Gen Z
Marketers looking to connect with Gen Z should seriously consider working with influencers on TikTok. Over 40% of TikTok’s user base is categorized as Gen Z, and more than half of Gen Zers trust reviews from influencers (AdWeek).
Gen Z has an estimated $44 billion in spending power (Forbes), with up to $600 billion when including their influence on the spending power of their parents.
Building a Community
Brands should be present on the channels where their consumers spend time. However, it can take time to grow and develop a following on a new social network like TikTok. Influencers can help accelerate this by promoting the creation of user-generated content and resulting consumer engagement around your brand’s content.
Brand Awareness & Engagement
TikTok is driven by humor, music, creativity and authenticity, so it’s a natural fit for building brand awareness and generating engagement. Hashtag “challenges” encourage consumers to participate in conversations, and TikTok’s algorithm makes it easier for content to go viral compared to other social channels.
“TikToks” have also proliferated on other social media channels, especially Twitter and Instagram. This is because TikTok makes it easy within the app to share its content to other platforms. You can tell if a piece of content originated on TikTok by the watermark found in the corner of the asset.
Why Work with Influencers on TikTok
Connecting with Gen Z
Marketers looking to connect with Gen Z should seriously consider working with influencers on TikTok. Over 40% of TikTok’s user base is categorized as Gen Z, and more than half of Gen Zers trust reviews from influencers (AdWeek).
Gen Z has an estimated $44 billion in spending power (Forbes), with up to $600 billion when including their influence on the spending power of their parents.
Building a Community
Brands should be present on the channels where their consumers spend time. However, it can take time to grow and develop a following on a new social network like TikTok. Influencers can help accelerate this by promoting the creation of user-generated content and resulting consumer engagement around your brand’s content.
Brand Awareness & Engagement
TikTok is driven by humor, music, creativity and authenticity, so it’s a natural fit for building brand awareness and generating engagement. Hashtag “challenges” encourage consumers to participate in conversations, and TikTok’s algorithm makes it easier for content to go viral compared to other social channels.
“TikToks” have also proliferated on other social media channels, especially Twitter and Instagram. This is because TikTok makes it easy within the app to share its content to other platforms. You can tell if a piece of content originated on TikTok by the watermark found in the corner of the asset.
TikTok has over 2.78 trillion monthly video views
– TikTok Internal Data, Oct 2020
How to Work with Influencers on TikTok
Branded Hashtag Challenge
What is it?
Hashtag challenges on TikTok encourage users to create their own content in order to participate in an overall conversation or trend. A typical challenge requires users to record themselves completing a specific action or following a set of directions. They are usually very humorous in nature.
Successful Hashtag Challenges:
Jimmy Fallon’s #Tumbleweed Challenge created 8,000 videos with over 9 million views in seven days.
There are more than 5 million #InMyFeelings challenge videos on TikTok compared to 1.7 million on Instagram.
Why this format?
Hashtag challenges encourage your consumers to create a disproportionately large volume of content about your brand and increases the opportunity for this content to go viral.
Brand Takeover Ad
What is it?
A Brand Takeover ad appears immediately when users open TikTok, and this ad is the first interaction they have with the app. A brand takeover ad can be a 3-5-second long GIF, JPG or Video.
Why this format?
Drive traffic: These ads can drive users to click through to an external or internal destination.
Category exclusivity: TikTok only allows one advertiser per day.
Brands can expect to see just over 1M impressions per day.
How to execute?
IZEA can help manage the creation and execution of a brand takeover!
Topview Takeover
What is it?
A Topview Takeover is similar to a Brand Takeover with the following exceptions:
The ad can be up to 60 seconds, however, 30 seconds is recommended.
Viewers can engage with the content, similar to an in feed TikTok post.
Topview Takeovers have sound, Brand Takeover ads do not.
Why this format?
Topview Takeovers are great for driving engagement!
This ad format yields a higher CTR than Brand Takeovers.
TikTok has a 16% CTR benchmark for Topview Takeovers compared to a 12% CTR benchmark for Brand Takeovers.
In-Feed Video Ad
What is it?
In-feed videos appear for viewers as they’re exploring content or are browsing the “For You” page. They are five to sixty seconds long, but TikTok recommends that their length be between nine and fifteen seconds. They appear in full-screen, and they automatically play with the audio on.
TikTok makes these ads appear natively within the user experience. The ads are formatted like an organic TikTok in that they have a profile picture of the account that posted, a user name, and the ability to like, share and comment on the video.
Why this format?
It’s great for driving users to click through to an external or internal destination, or to even complete a download. There are opportunities for organic amplification
and earned impressions via the
sharing functions.
TikTok Sounds
What is it?
Users can create original sounds that range from audio clips to original music. In addition, users can leverage trending sounds, much like hashtags.
Why this format?
Marketers can work with influencers to create custom sounds or utilize their own brand-generated sounds to build awareness and engagement.
Because sounds are leveraged like hashtags, it also makes sense for brands to ask influencers to use certain sounds that might be trending for additional exposure.
How to Work with Influencers on TikTok
Branded Hashtag Challenge
What is it?
Hashtag challenges on TikTok encourage users to create their own content in order to participate in an overall conversation or trend. A typical challenge requires users to record themselves completing a specific action or following a set of directions. They are usually very humorous in nature.
Successful Hashtag Challenges:
Jimmy Fallon’s #Tumbleweed Challenge created 8,000 videos with over 9 million views in seven days.
There are more than 5 million #InMyFeelings challenge videos on TikTok compared to 1.7 million on Instagram.
Why this format?
Hashtag challenges encourage your consumers to create a disproportionately large volume of content about your brand and increases the opportunity for this content to go viral.
Brand Takeover Ad
What is it?
A Brand Takeover ad appears immediately when users open TikTok, and this ad is the first interaction they have with the app. A brand takeover ad can be a 3-5-second long GIF, JPG or Video.
Why this format?
Drive traffic: These ads can drive users to click through to an external or internal destination.
Category exclusivity: TikTok only allows one advertiser per day.
Brands can expect to see just over 1M impressions per day.
How to execute?
IZEA can help manage the creation and execution of a brand takeover!
Topview Takeover
What is it?
A Topview Takeover is similar to a Brand Takeover with the following exceptions:
The ad can be up to 60 seconds, however, 30 seconds is recommended.
Viewers can engage with the content, similar to an in feed TikTok post.
Topview Takeovers have sound, Brand Takeover ads do not.
Why this format?
Topview Takeovers are great for driving engagement!
This ad format yields a higher CTR than Brand Takeovers.
TikTok has a 16% CTR benchmark for Topview Takeovers compared to a 12% CTR benchmark for Brand Takeovers.
In-Feed Video Ad
What is it?
In-feed videos appear for viewers as they’re exploring content or are browsing the “For You” page. They are five to sixty seconds long, but TikTok recommends that their length be between nine and fifteen seconds. They appear in full-screen, and they automatically play with the audio on.
TikTok makes these ads appear natively within the user experience. The ads are formatted like an organic TikTok in that they have a profile picture of the account that posted, a user name, and the ability to like, share and comment on the video.
Why this format?
It’s great for driving users to click through to an external or internal destination, or to even complete a download. There are opportunities for organic amplification
and earned impressions via the
sharing functions.
TikTok Sounds
What is it?
Users can create original sounds that range from audio clips to original music. In addition, users can leverage trending sounds, much like hashtags.
Why this format?
Marketers can work with influencers to create custom sounds or utilize their own brand-generated sounds to build awareness and engagement.
Because sounds are leveraged like hashtags, it also makes sense for brands to ask influencers to use certain sounds that might be trending for additional exposure.
In-Feed Video Ad
What is it?
In-feed videos appear for viewers as they’re exploring content or are browsing the “For You” page. They are five to sixty seconds long, but TikTok recommends that their length be between nine and fifteen seconds. They appear in full-screen, and they automatically play with the audio on.
TikTok makes these ads appear natively within the user experience. The ads are formatted like an organic TikTok in that they have a profile picture of the account that posted, a user name, and the ability to like, share and comment on the video.
Why this format?
It’s great for driving users to click through to an external or internal destination, or to even complete a download. There are opportunities for organic amplification
and earned impressions via the
sharing functions.
TikTok Sounds
What is it?
Users can create original sounds that range from audio clips to original music. In addition, users can leverage trending sounds, much like hashtags.
Why this format?
Marketers can work with influencers to create custom sounds or utilize their own brand-generated sounds to build awareness and engagement.
Because sounds are leveraged like hashtags, it also makes sense for brands to ask influencers to use certain sounds that might be trending for additional exposure.
Get Your Copy Here
What Marketers Should Know
Contracting Minors
Minors who are influencers cannot enter into contracts directly, and parents or legal guardians must sign any agreements required as well as provide consent for usage of the minor’s publicity rights.
Compliance with Laws
It is a Marketer’s responsibility to comply with all applicable laws when communicating with or collecting and storing personal information from a creator (including minors). Marketers must also comply with TikTok’s Terms of Service when executing sponsored social campaigns.
Music Rights
Sponsored content must utilize royalty-free music or have the right to use a song.
Analytics
TikTok does not currently have an API. There are limited metrics on content that are visible to viewers. Please reference the TikTok Analytics section below for further information.
Note: Last year the FTC issued a complaint against TikTok (formerly known as Musical.ly), alleging that the app violated the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) by collecting information from minors. COPPA requires websites that market to or collect information from children under the age of 13 to acquire parental consent before collecting personal information from those users.
What Marketers Should Know
Contracting Minors
Minors who are influencers cannot enter into contracts directly, and parents or legal guardians must sign any agreements required as well as provide consent for usage of the minor’s publicity rights.
Compliance with Laws
It is a Marketer’s responsibility to comply with all applicable laws when communicating with or collecting and storing personal information from a creator (including minors). Marketers must also comply with TikTok’s Terms of Service when executing sponsored social campaigns.
Music Rights
Sponsored content must utilize royalty-free music or have the right to use a song.
Analytics
TikTok does not currently have an API. There are limited metrics on content that are visible to viewers. Please reference the TikTok Analytics section below for further information.
Note: Last year the FTC issued a complaint against TikTok (formerly known as Musical.ly), alleging that the app violated the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) by collecting information from minors. COPPA requires websites that market to or collect information from children under the age of 13 to acquire parental consent before collecting personal information from those users.
How to Execute a TikTok Campaign with IZEA
Managed Services
Marketers can partner with IZEA’s managed services team to seamlessly execute their own TikTok campaigns. Our industry experts will fully manage your campaigns from influencer identification, special contracts, analytics collection and measurement, and more. IZEA may even be able to get your brand’s TikTok account verified!
To learn more about whether a managed service TikTok campaign is a good fit for your brand, please schedule a consultation with our Managed Services team. Current customers can connect with their customer success manager to discuss TikTok campaigns in more detail or setup a survey within the platform to identify specific types of TikTok influencers.
Note: As TikTok does not have a public API, IZEAx does not have TikTok influencer connections or automated analytics collection.
Influencer Identification
IZEA has identified creators in our marketplace with TikTok accounts and has assembled a list that marketers can access.
Marketers can also identify TikTok influencers through VizSearch by searching for hashtags such as #tiktok, #tiktokinfluencer, #tiktokvideo, etc.
You can also connect with your Customer Success Manager about setting up a survey within the platform to identify specific types of TikTok influencers.
Workflow Execution
IZEAx’s workflow can be used to execute TikTok campaigns. The Article project template can be used to facilitate content creation, review and payment. Marketers can also require influencers to provide metrics from their post after content publication.
Analytics
When vetting influencers through the TikTok app, Marketers can see an influencer’s followers and total amount of likes. Views per video are also visible on each video. Marketers can request that influencers provide screenshots of their analytics after they’ve published content.
How to Execute a TikTok Campaign with IZEA
Managed Services
Marketers can partner with IZEA’s managed services team to seamlessly execute their own TikTok campaigns. Our industry experts will fully manage your campaigns from influencer identification, special contracts, analytics collection and measurement, and more. IZEA may even be able to get your brand’s TikTok account verified!
To learn more about whether a managed service TikTok campaign is a good fit for your brand, please schedule a consultation with our Managed Services team. Current customers can connect with their customer success manager to discuss TikTok campaigns in more detail or setup a survey within the platform to identify specific types of TikTok influencers.
Influencer Identification
IZEA has identified creators in our marketplace with TikTok accounts and has assembled a list that marketers can access.
Marketers can also identify TikTok influencers through VizSearch by searching for hashtags such as #tiktok, #tiktokinfluencer, #tiktokvideo, etc.
You can also connect with your Customer Success Manager about setting up a survey within the platform to identify specific types of TikTok influencers.
Workflow Execution
IZEAx’s workflow can be used to execute TikTok campaigns. The Article project template can be used to facilitate content creation, review and payment. Marketers can also require influencers to provide metrics from their post after content publication.
Analytics
When vetting influencers through the TikTok app, Marketers can see an influencer’s followers and total amount of likes. Views per video are also visible on each video. Marketers can request that influencers provide screenshots of their analytics after they’ve published content.