TikTok Influencer Marketing – This is how a campaign on the platform succeeds

Many brands evaluate TikTok according to the same criteria as Meta or Google. Put in the budget, track conversions, check ROAS. Based on this principle, TikTok often appears weak. Logically - it doesn't work after that.

TikTok is primarily a demand creation channel, not a conversion channel. Users come with the intent to entertain, not with the intent to purchase. Nearly 2 billion users worldwide scroll, discover and get inspired. However, the purchase takes place three days later via Google, a direct search for the brand name or a click on a meta retargeting ad. The purchase looks organic, you can't trace it back to TikTok. So if you only measure the last click, you are underestimating TikTok.

What makes TikTok special compared to other platforms:

• Algorithmic reach instead of follower logic: TikTok uses the For-You feed based on relevance instead of the number of followers. Nano-creators can also go viral.
• Young but growing target group: Although the younger demographic still dominates in the DACH region, the spectrum is becoming broader.
• Own content culture: Authenticity, trends, sounds and native formats make TikTok what it is. High-gloss advertising material generally works worse here than candid content.
• Favorable reach: The CPMs on TikTok are still significantly lower than on Meta in many areas.

TikTok in the marketing funnel: first touch, not last click

Videos on TikTok attract attention. This puts them in the upper part of the funnel. Users don’t know your brand yet or have only noticed it in passing. Through a native creator video, they become aware of your company and become interested, but only buy at a different touchpoint. That's why Google and Meta are not competitors to TikTok: Instagram and Co. are often the platforms through which a purchase takes place.

Particularly important for a successful TikTok campaign with influencers: The starting point is always the creator. No format works better on the platform than native creator content. So you need someone who will organically incorporate your product into their videos and talk about it like anything else. In our YouTube video we also explain what you should specifically pay attention to and also show you how to avoid 5 typical mistakes in TikTok influencer marketing.

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Before you book a creator or create a briefing, define your goals - both in collaboration with an influencer marketing agency and independently. TikTok can do a lot, but not everything. The social media platform is particularly suitable for brand awareness, community building and introducing new target groups into your funnel. Direct conversion goals, on the other hand, are usually better served on other channels.

You can easily pursue these campaign goals on TikTok:

• Increase brand awareness and open up new target groups
• Build a community around your brand
• Drive traffic to website or social channels
• Create demand that converts on other channels

The number of followers is even less meaningful on TikTok than on YouTube or Twitch. The key factors are engagement rate, niche fit and, above all, authenticity. Does the creator really fit the brand? Does a product integration appear organic or like a paid commercial? So whether you book nano influencers, micro influencers or macro and mega influencers – the target group fit is much more important. It is also worth taking a look at possible red flags:

• Noticeably high follower growth without corresponding reach for videos
• Comments that are generic, interchangeable, or limited primarily to emojis
• Previous brand deals that seem unnatural or overproduced

The most important principle in every TikTok briefing: Give the creator space. If you impose too many specifications, such as a fixed script, rigid messaging or complex production requirements, you destroy exactly what works on TikTok: native authenticity.

Perform on TikTok:

• Short, hook-driven videos that hook you in the first two to three seconds
• Trend-based content with current sounds and formats
• Product integrations that feel like a natural part of the creator content

However, you should avoid overproduced clips that look like classic advertising and rigid key messages that leave no freedom. Videos that are too long don't work on TikTok or at least need a very clear common thread.

A successful TikTok campaign follows a clear process. Creator marketing agencies also follow these steps. Everything starts with creator selection and briefing, followed by 3 phases: seeding, evaluation and Spark Ads.

Phase 1: Seeding and Testing

It's best to work with several creators at the same time right from the start. Let the videos go live organically and track hook rate, watch time, shares, saves and organic reach for each individual. The goal in this phase is primarily to identify successful creators.

Phase 2: Evaluation

It's completely normal that not every video performs. That's why you're looking for the videos that have above-average organic strength. This is evident from our experience from influencer campaigns with brands like Magic Holz or Emma

• Hook rate over 30 percent
• Good hold rate
• Comments that show engagement

Phase 3: Spark Ads

You can boost the videos that have convinced you organically as Spark Ads directly from the creator profile. This way the video stays on the creator's profile and keeps all likes, comments and shares. For users, it looks like normal TikTok content. An important bonus: Every engagement that arises through your paid amplification contributes to the creator profile. This strengthens your relationship with the creator and makes further collaborations more likely.

You can divide TikTok metrics into three levels, each answering different questions. At our Performance Influencer Marketing Agency we love nothing more than numbers and that's why we give you an insight into the KPIs in the levels.

• Hook Rate: Percentage of users still watching after three seconds. Below 25% is critical, above 30% is the target, above 40% is strong.
• Hold Rate & Watch Time: Average watch duration in relation to video length. Your goal: over 40%. It shows whether your video is convincing in terms of content after the hook.
• Scroll Stop Rate: Number of times users pause while watching your video. It is an indicator of the visual strength of the first frame.
• Shares and Saves: Higher quality signals than likes. Both increase your organic reach.
• Click-Through Rate (CTR): Relevant once you scale through Spark or TikTok Ads. It is typically lower on TikTok than on Meta, but is still an important indicator of efficiency.

Before booking a creator, look at these five metrics on average over the last 20 to 30 videos.

• Average Hook Rate: Shows how consistently a creator generates attention.
• Watch Time in relation to video length: Over 40% signals that the community is really listening.
• Views in relation to the number of followers: If someone with 100,000 followers regularly achieves 500,000+ views, they are actively boosted by the algorithm. That's exactly what's special about TikTok.
• Comment quality: Substantial reactions, interested questions, personal experiences or just emojis? The former shows community connection.
• Previous brand integrations: Do previous collaborations work natively? This is the strongest factor in the success of your campaign.

At this level, you measure the impact on your company's marketing performance in general. This ultimately shows whether TikTok is doing its job as a first-touch channel:

• Blended ROAS: Your total ROAS across all channels. When TikTok does well, it improves.
• Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC): As TikTok activates new audiences that would be more expensive via Meta, the overall average CAC decreases.
• New Customer Rate: TikTok is good at reaching users who don't yet know your brand. If the proportion of new customers increases during active TikTok campaigns, it shows that TikTok is working.
• Direct Traffic Lift: One of the most reliable indicators around. Track your direct traffic in Google Analytics in periods with and without active TikTok campaigns. It is often significantly higher if you use TikTok.
• Brand Search Uplift: Increasing search volume for your brand name via Google Search Console during ongoing TikTok campaigns is a clear indication of success.

TikTok offers brands that understand the platform logic great opportunities while still offering comparatively affordable reach. But the important thing is: you have to understand the platform and find the right combination of creator choice, briefing and consistent monitoring. If you understand TikTok as a demand creation channel that generates willingness to buy before a user even knows that they want to search and if you link the platform with converting channels, the difference becomes apparent in overall marketing.

Would you like to strategically set up TikTok influencer marketing for your brand? Ad Specialist supports you as an influencer marketing agency - from creator selection to briefing to campaign evaluation. Get in touch now and let’s discuss together what is possible for your brand.