How to Get Sponsored on TikTok

TikTok is one of the newest and hottest social media platforms. The future growth of TikTok users makes it a very attractive platform for both sponsors and influencers.

As TikTok continues to grow, aspiring influencers are exploring ways to monetize their accounts. For aspiring TikTok influencers who want to make money, this blog outlines how to get sponsorships.

Many well-known TikTok creators have thousands or even millions of followers and TikTok creators who are just starting out may get intimidated by the success of those who are “TikTok famous”. With this guide, we outline how up-and-coming TikTok influencers can get sponsorships to grow their accounts.

About TikTok

TikTok was created in 2017. It is a video platform designed to deliver short-form content to users. TikTok users can upload and post videos up to 15 seconds in length.

The platform has grown very fast, amassing 689 million active users worldwide as of January 2021 and is already the 7th highest used digital platform. With the fast adoption of users, TikTok poses a real threat as one of the top social media platforms.

TikTok content is categorized as “trendy”. Many users will post video content that could include lip-syncing, dancing, and pranking, though other subcultures do not involve these things.

What is a TikTok sponsorship?

What does a TikTok sponsorship look like? If you're not familiar with TikTok sponsorships, let’s review what they are and how they work. Sponsorships on TikTok involve a brand or company that pays an influencer to promote their product or service. Influencer product placements are more personalized to the influencers’ content, as opposed to traditional TikTok ads.

How many followers do you need to get paid on TikTok

Early in 2021, TikTok released a new program called the “Creator Fund”, which pays eligible creators with a large following. To join the program, creators will need to meet the TikTok sponsorship requirements of at least 10,000 authentic followers and 100,000 authentic video views in the last 30 days.

Of course, there are other ways beyond the TikTok Creator Fund to get paid, with sponsorships among the most common routes. There is no set number of followers that you need to have to get sponsorships -- but the number of followers you have could play a large role in determining the amount that a potential sponsor will pay.

How do sponsorships work on TikTok?

Brands and companies looking to sponsor TikTok influencers are looking for people to promote their product or service to a receptive audience. There are a few different ways that TikTok influencers can work with brands:

Branded content

Branded content on TikTok is any content for which influencers receive some form of compensation. This could take the form of a brand endorsement, partnership, or another kind of promotion for a product or service. When this happens, influencers need to disclose their ads by following their local laws and regulations and using #Ad or #Sponsored in the post.

Sponsored posts

Sponsored posts on TikTok are a common way for TikTok influencers to work with brands. With sponsored posts, influencers create content and publish it to their account in exchange for payment from sponsors.

Affiliate marketing

With affiliate marketing, influencers can partner with brands and earn money by promoting products on their account. TikTok influencers can join affiliate programs and add affiliate links to their accounts. They earn a commission on the sales generated from those links.

Co-marketing

With co-marketing, brands and influencers can collaborate on creating and promoting a video.

Use a branded hashtag challenge

With Branded Hashtag Challenges, consumers create content for brands using “user generated content”. Branded hashtags can turn TikTok users into unofficial brand ambassadors by authentically engaging them. To help promote their BHC, brands can team up with TikTok creators to create content and use the hashtag.

Become a brand ambassador

Companies and TikTok influencers can forge long-term partnerships with brand ambassadorships. Brand Ambassadors regularly promote a brand in a positive light over a specified period. Brand ambassadorships and affiliate marketing programs are generally similar in structure, but differ based on industry. For example, fashion companies will often offer a brand ambassadorship rather than an affiliate program.

What TikTok influencers need to do to get sponsored

TikTok influencers looking to get a sponsorship need to know the ins and outs of their profile, following, and brand. Whether it's your first time looking for a sponsor or you're trying to land a huge sponsorship, here’s what influencers need to do to get sponsorship opportunities.

Cultivate a brand

Getting a sponsorship starts and ends with the content you create. You create your brand on TikTok with your content; the brand that you build will ultimately dictate the types of companies that want to partner with you. As a TikTok influencer, you should have a concrete concept of your personal brand which should be reflect in the content posted on your profile. Make sure the content aligns with what you want your brand to be.

Know your audience

It's important to know who exactly your audience is. Try to figure out the demographics of your audience, including their ages, genders, and regions. In addition, knowing your typical user’s interests and behaviors can be important; this can help you build audience personas, which will improve your qualitative understanding of your audience.

Post content consistently

Being consistent on TikTok is key to building your presence. To grow your TikTok channel, you should post at least once a day. Establishing a consistent post schedule will help you gain visibility and, ultimately, increase the size of your audience. Posting 1-2 times per day is said to help reach more users on TikTok. It also helps build your followership when users come to expect watching your videos.

Interact with followers

TikTok gives users great ways to interact with followers and users. While responding to your video comments is a great start, there are a few other creative ways you can interact with your followers and other TikTok users:

• Duets - On TikTok, a Duet is a video that follows along or responds to another person's original video.
• Reply to Comments with Video - Make a video in response to a comment or message on TikTok.

Improve your feed appearance

TikTok is known for having an algorithm that works. The algorithm combines music used, location, captions, hashtags used, and engagement performance, among other factors. By taking advantage of the TikTok algorithm, you can increase the visibility of your content. You can also use the #FYP (which stands for “for your page”). The #FYP hashtag is thought to be part of the TikTok algorithm and can increase chances of your videos being seen by others on the 'explore' page.

Build your following

The number of followers you have is an important consideration for brands looking to work with influencers. If possible, you should also know how quickly your following on TikTok has grown. Be sure to keep track of your following and the rate of growth as best you can.

What brands look for with influencers

Brands view TikTok as a growing platform and an opportunity to reach new audiences through their creators. For influencers and creators, knowing what a brand typically looks for in the right influencer can help you find the right brand to work with; here are some tips on what sponsoring brands look for when partnering with a TikTok creator:

• Great Content - Strong, engaging content will go a long way toward impressing potential sponsors.
• Engagement - You should have data to back up your content. Beyond just video views, you should know things like the average number of comments on your posts, the average number of likes on your videos, and the number of people who follow your profile.

Finding the right sponsor to work with

Part of finding a sponsor is finding a brand that is the right fit to sponsor you. For a sponsorship to be successful, both parties need to get what they need out of the relationship.

To find the right sponsor, TikTok influencers may want to ask themselves the following questions:

1. Is the brand trustworthy or credible?
2. Would you recommend or personally endorse the product?
3. Is this brand a good fit for your TikTok brand and the content you create?
4. What’s the brand’s potential budget?

It’s important to find a sponsor who fits your TikTok profile. Factor in all of these considerations when you have an interested sponsor. Ultimately, you want to do something that feels right for your TikTok brand.

Pitching sponsors

When you’ve found a sponsor that could be a good fit for your profile and there’s a mutual interest, the next step is pitching them. The pitch is your opportunity to tell a company why you and your TikTok profile present an excellent marketing opportunity.

When pitching sponsors, keep the following in mind:

• Make it clear that you’re looking to be sponsored by the company.
• Identify the proper marketing objectives the brand may have.
• Know your audience and how they view the product or service being promoted.
• What kind of value does your TikTok profile provide for a sponsor? Keep this in mind when you pitch to a potential sponsor.

Work out the terms of the TikTok sponsorship

When you’ve both agreed that the fit is good and that you'd like to move forward, the final step is to create the terms of the sponsorship. The terms of a TikTok sponsorship should cover the following:

• Compensation - This is the total amount you’re going to get paid in the agreement.
• Payments - How often will you be paid (weekly, monthly, or one-time deal)? Payments are either on a per-view basis, or less commonly, an influencer can charge a flat fee for videos.
• Post Frequency - How often are you required to post for this sponsorship?
• Content - What type of content will the TikTok influencer be creating to promote the product or service? Are there specific images or videos that should be included? Will the content be delivered through TikTok posts, stories, or both? What hashtags should be used?