4 things that effective creator campaigns have in common

You’ve probably heard at least one story of how a TikTok creator helped a brand drive massive success. Creators can be the catalysts for products selling out and brands having big-time resurgences on the platform. Even as the economy and internet habits change in 2023, TikTok creator marketing will still remain a powerful way for advertisers to reach their audiences; within an economic downturn, people seek out clothing, tech, and other "treats” to make themselves feel better.¹ Plus, we know that 64% of TikTok users buy a product after watching creator advertising.² So as long as a brand knows how to make quality content with creators, they can continue to see results on TikTok.

And thanks to some internal research within TikTok Creator Marketplace, TikTok's official platform for brand-creator partnerships, we know which creator advertising performs the strongest—so we can help brands connect the dots on what exactly we mean by “quality content.”

We've distilled our research into actionable advice for advertisers, so they can nail their TikTok creator content strategies this year. Let's dive in.

Why TikTok creator marketing drives results

Big, innovative brands are leaving behind the old way of making ads in favor of creator collaborations that push the boundaries of what advertising looks like. Why are they doing this? Because it's effective. TikTok creators help advertisers build favorability and trust—which drives results.

A great example of this is some recent content from Hyundai. They partnered with @amauryguichon, a creator known for making intricate chocolate sculptures, and @chefreactions, who's known for duet videos in which he reacts to outlandish food creations—including those from @amauryguichon.

@amauryguichon created a chocolate model of Hyundai's IONIQ 6, and @chefreactions—a longtime Hyundai customer—reacted. The final video seamlessly incorporated brand messaging while adhering to creative principles that help content take off on TikTok.

We wanted to better understand how and why videos like this are so successful. So we analyzed more than 300 top-performing videos from the Creator Marketplace, TikTok's official platform for brand-partner collaborations, looking for patterns among the videos with the highest engagement rates. Then we validated our findings with first-party research to make sure they aligned with user sentiments. (Which they did.)

Here's what we found.

Which elements make the most engaging TikTok Creator Marketplace videos?

Among the videos we analyzed, those with the highest engagement rates tended to:

1. Ditch the script

2. Find a natural hook

3. Use trends (strategically)

4. Pick the right community

Let's look a bit more closely at each of these principles and what you need to know about using them when building out content plans.

1. Ditch the script

When content is delivered in a creator's own natural voice, it can drive a stronger engagement rate, since being real is crucial on TikTok; 47% of viewers agreed that creator content on TikTok felt "authentic".²

This video from Peech, a text-to-speech app, is a great example. They ran content with @aminasnotokay, in which she used her typical conversational tone to talk about how the product works:

The dos and don'ts of "scripting" your content

• ❌ DON'T use prescriptive language. Let creators speak in their own words. Viewers can tell if someone else wrote the lines for them, and it takes away from the authenticity of a video.

• ✅ DO share enough information so the creator seems knowledgeable. A creator’s knowledgeability is the #1 motivating attribute that drives a consumer’s likelihood to buy a product they see on TikTok.²

• ✅ If you need to include lengthy CTAs, DO put them in the caption. Hearing a creator say "link in bio" or "use my code" might take away from the entertainment value of a video. Putting those prompts in captions allows interested users to find them without feeling pressured.

2. Find a natural hook

Entertaining stories are the key to viewers' hearts. 4 in 5 users say TikTok is very or extremely entertaining, and viewers spend 26% longer watching entertaining ads, when compared to ads with low entertainment value.³ And when a brand is integrated naturally into a video, viewers will find it more engaging. That's what we mean when we say advertisers should find a natural hook for their creator-led content. When a creator uses their typical storytelling techniques or trademarks in branded content, the resulting videos are more likely to have the entertainment value that users are used to.

A perfect example is the below collaboration between Lyft and creator @heytonytv, who's known for making sketch videos featuring a vice principal character. He tapped into that character for his campaign with Lyft—creating a funny video that felt equal parts organic and entertaining.

The dos and don'ts of finding a hook

• ✅ DO have creators make content that follows their typical style. Don't make them deviate from what they're good at — it will stand out to viewers and come across as insincere.

• ✅ DO give the story time to breathe. If your brand needs to appear farther along in a video in order for the angle to feel strong, it can be better for engagement rate than rushing to integrate your brand before the story premise is set up.

• ❌ DON'T try to force a hook where it doesn’t make sense. Ask your teammates and the creator, honestly, if the hook seems convoluted. If it feels off to them, it'll feel off to viewers, too.

3. Use trends (strategically)

TikTok is practically synonymous with trends—but they're not all created equal. It's best to choose ones that make sense both for your brand and the creator you're working with. When you do, the resulting content feels the most organic and honest, and it allows you to show that you're trend savvy (which users love: 77% of viewers like brands better when they create or participate in trends on TikTok⁴).

For #inspo: in a recent campaign, family-owned bread brand King's Hawaiian tapped into the #CookWithMe trend as a part of its Slider Sunday initiative. The brand partnered with creator @wereennistogether, who put his own spin on the prompt and demonstrated how King's Hawaiian buns can take Sunday meals to the next level.

The dos and don'ts of using trends (strategically)

• ✅ DO ask creators to leverage big trends they've used before. Tapping into super-popular trends, like dances, is a great way to speak users' language. But if your creator makes a dance video for the very first time as a part of your campaign, it may not feel sincere to viewers.

• ❌ DON'T feel boxed in by trends that follow a specific style or tone. 78% of users agree that the best brands on TikTok create videos on all sorts of topics and interests.⁴

• ✅ DO think beyond just "buzzy" trends. Utilize longer-term trends that persist for months, like ASMR. Or form relationships with creators that spark buzzier trends (like the woman behind the "It's A Chicken Salad" sound.) Want to learn more about the different types of TikTok trends and explore some of the most popular ones on the platform? Check out the trends hub in TikTok's Creative Center.

4. Pick the right community

TikTok's subcultures can give you a built-in audience to work with. And it can be useful to select ones that make more sense for your brand—similar to the above advice about selecting relevant trends. When you do tap into communities in a nuanced and effective way, it can help you form bonds with viewers, who value the different niches on TikTok. 70% of users say they "feel part of a community on TikTok", and 76% of viewers like it when brands are part of special interest groups on the platform.⁴

The dos and don'ts of picking the right community

• ✅ DO speak to adjacent communities to deepen your audience. For instance: A homeware brand partnered with a gaming creator to promote their room organization products as a part of the gaming setup trend. (Videos tagged with #GamingSetup have over 13 billion views to date.) While homeware brands don't have a direct link to the gaming community, their product is relevant to the nuanced interests of that niche group.

• ❌ DON'T view all communities as interchangeable. For instance: If that homeware brand asked the gaming creator to use lingo that was common in the #FoodTok community, the content wouldn't fly, since not all communities are created equal. Or, if they asked that #GamerTok creator to post a 'fit check, which has nothing to do with her typical style, viewers would be confused—and likely not engage with the video.

• ✅ DO ask creators to leverage memes and lingo where possible. If they reference in-language, in-jokes, or anything else that makes it clear they understand their community, they'll drive more trust with their viewers.

For detailed information about TikTok's branded content toggle and our policies regarding what can be posted as branded content on TikTok, please refer to our Branded Content Policy here.

Sources

1. GWI, "Connecting The Dots," 2023

2. TikTok Marketing Science Global Creators Drive Commerce Study 2022 conducted by Material. Note: Users bought a product directly on TikTok, online elsewhere, or in-person. Creator advertising in this case means a creator Spark Ad (organic content promoted by a brand) OR a brand's In-Feed Ad featuring a creator (paid partnership).

3. TikTok Marketing Science Global Entertaining Ads Study 2022 conducted by Marketcast

4. TikTok Marketing Science Global Community and Self-Expression Study 2021 conducted by Flamingo