Millions of consumers trust social media celebrities, like TikTok influencers, compelling to co-operate with them during the last few years. While it has become a staple of online marketing, it can be tricky to identify which social media platforms to leverage for influencer marketing since there are so many to choose from. Interestingly enough, TikTok is ruling many of these conversations nowadays. The platform became a global sensation in 2018, and it has grown steadily since then, despite all the controversies surrounding it.

Source: CNET
TikTok has been downloaded over two billion times in just two years, making it a globally leading social platform that’s known for one thing only – making really short videos.
Let’s find out what makes TikTok better than its competition.
What Is TikTok?
TikTok, originally named Douyin, was made in 2017 by Chinese developers for an Asian audience. Musical.ly, a similar app, was introduced to a more western audience and quickly caught on in the USA. In 2018, these two apps were merged and rebranded as TikTok. The users on this app aren’t just limited to making music videos (as was the case with Musical.ly), but they can make all kinds of video content as long as it’s short, snappy, entertaining, and gives viewers a reason to feel. That’s the secret to TikTok success.
People who use it successfully (TikTok influencers) have millions of followers. That’s why this platform is getting attention from advertisers and marketers looking for ways to attract audiences to their causes.
That’s what makes TikTok a cost-effective channel for brands to get started with influencer marketing. However, it is crucial to understand how it works, what content should be published, and how to search and work with the right influencers.
If your brand is looking for new ways to engage your audience, here’s a comprehensive guide to TikTok influencer marketing and what it is all about:
How TikTok Works?
TikTok is entirely dedicated to short-form video content that lasts from 15-60 seconds. These videos could be about anything – dances, cooking, lip-synching, pranks, comedy, and all else that can be considered entertainment.
TikTok is an easy to use platform predominantly for youngsters, letting them create their videos miming their desired music tracks. Also, it offers an extensive range of genres for users to choose from.
Furthermore, TikTok also lets users add visual and audio effects such as filters and background music, giving content creators a platform to showcase their creativity.

Source: Statista
How To Find The Right TikTok influencers
No matter what social channels you opt for, the first step is to select appropriate influencers for your brand.
For TikTok influencer marketing, you need to partner with app users who have a considerable following.
For starters, it is essential to understand that a user needs at least 1000 followers before they are allowed to live stream on the platform. They also need to be 18 years of age or older to deal with third parties.
TikTok influencers charge for their services depending on the exposure they can get for your brands, so the more followers they have, the more you’ll pay them. The next step would be to ensure that their videos align with your marketing needs.

Source: Rebecca Zamolo
For example, @rebeccazamolo has 14.1 million fans who love her for gymnastics, comedy and general interest videos.

Source: Jason Coffee
Similarly, @jasoncoffee is known for creating family-oriented content with his kids for 20.5 million fans.

Source: Amara Que Linda
@amaraquelindarawr from Columbia commands 12.3 million fans who love her Spanish comedy videos.
TikTok influencers like these can give you access to a global audience of young decision-makers who’d love to indulge in your offerings if their favorite TikToker tells them to.

Source: Square Space
Here are a few ways to find these influencers:
Influencer Sponsored Content
You can discover new video content through the search functionality that’s built into the app. Use relevant hashtags to find the sponsored content on TikTok and locate content creators you should reach for a partnership.
Google Search
Targeted Google search can generate useful results.
You can search for “top TikTok content creators” or “famous TikTokers” to find some popular influencers. You can also modify the search terms for a particular niche.
For instance, if you need to market a fitness clothing brand, you can search for “fitness TikTok creators”.
Check Established Influencers
Finally, it’s good to cross-check the popular influencers on digital platforms like YouTube, Instagram, etc. Influencers have a strong online presence, which means if they have a good fan base on YouTube and Instagram, they may also be established on TikTok.
Understand Your Audience
Know which influencers they would resonate with the most. Is your audience more interested in music video tracks? Are they into clips about fashion and beauty tips, or comedy sketches?
Don’t collaborate with TikTok influencers because they have a considerable following – opt for ones who can connect with your right audience and help you accomplish your goals.
Conduct thorough research to find influencers who can help produce and promote meaningful content for your audiences.
What Does It Take To Collaborate With TikTok Influencers
Once you have chosen the right TikTok influencers, it’s time to get in touch with them.
However, it is essential to remember that they are already making quite a lot of money off the platform. So you’ll have to sweeten the deal to ensure that it is mutually beneficial.
Here are some of the things to consider when partnering with TikTok influencers:
Contract Terms
Be mindful that you don’t re-share influencer generated content without their approval. Start with defining the terms of association and explicitly state that the produced content is for marketing purposes. Also, be sure to specify the duration of the ownership agreement.
Brand Message Communication
Ensure you specify the main goal and message to the TikTok creators, so they know what to communicate in the influencer marketing campaign. This helps you ensure that the campaigns serve their purpose and have predefined objectives.
Specific Deliverables
To ensure a successful TikTok influencer campaign, you need to communicate what you expect from it. Clearly specify components such as visuals, audio, format, talking points, etc. It will help your influencer meet your expectations while executing the strategy.
Influencer Innovativeness
Let the TikTok influencers run their creative minds. Refrain from directing every single step in the process. Allow them to practice their creative freedom so that the sponsored content resonates with the audience.
Clear Deadlines
It is imperative to set deadlines for campaign deliverables to ensure the plan is executed in an impactful way. Define the duration, content, deadlines, publishing schedule, etc. beforehand to avoid the misconduct later.
What Kind Of Content Performs Well On TikTok?
Naturally, it’s crucial to evaluate how well the TikTok influencer content performs for a particular campaign. For that, you’ll have to determine its ROI.
Assess how well they integrate your brand’s values, message, and voice to their content while maintaining consistency. Did the campaign lead to any brand mentions, engagement, and conversions? If yes, how many?
Here are some of the content types that perform exceptionally well on TikTok:
Organic Content
While TikTok is an excellent platform for influencer marketing, you don’t want to come off as too salesy, particularly because Generation Z disdains any content that imitates traditional marketing.
Innovative and original content appeals to the viewers and gets them hooked.
Challenges and Hashtags
Users on TikTok are quite responsive to challenges and eagerly participate in them. Usually, these involve hashtag challenges to ask others to make a particular type of TikTok video and share it with the relevant hashtag.

Source: TikTok
In 2019, TikTok sent a pitch deck to European ad agency and endorsed hashtag challenges as an exceptional advertising format. So you can rest assured that hashtags work spectacularly well on this platform.
Visual/Audio Effects
Visually appealing content, unique design elements, and enhanced audio captivate viewers’ attention and generate a high engagement level.
Who’s Talking About You On TikTok?
Influencer Marketing is one of the most effective forms of reaching your target audience, especially if your business caters to youth. However, it is also imperative to monitor the metrics that help you know about your audience’s awareness and engagement.
No matter how effectively you leverage the social channels through online marketing, it all goes in vain if you don’t track your brand.
Multiple tools are available to help you assess your online presence. If you don’t want to miss out on any conversation, comment, or mention of your brand, then Mentionlytics is the tool for you.
Furthermore, you can keep track of your brand, product, and campaigns across all social platforms. Competitor’s analytics, hashtags tracking, find the right influencers, lead generation, and more – Mentionlytics lets you manage your online reputation better than anyone else.
Visit our website and learn more about our tools to help you with TikTok influencer marketing and other social media platforms.