10 tips to make your TikTok promotion outstanding
With over one billion users, TikTok is the platform that marketers want to exploit the most right now but it is still in its infancy and requires careful planning before you jump in. Jonathan Patterson, Project Coordinator, at PromoVeritas explains more.
Running promotions on TikTok and following the rules is a different ball game from other social platforms where they have refined their extraction processes and policies for promotions. Brands can run prize draws and competitions compliantly and in the interest of their users relatively easily on other platforms but TikTok has very little regulation and its extraction capability is limited which means making sure that all entries are counted is extremely difficult.
Our hot tips
- Be authentic – the word might be overused but that’s because it’s so important to create content that fits your brand and audiences without trying too hard
- Use the Discover page to find out what themes or hashtags are trending so you can be as current as possible – but only if its authentic and fits!
- If you are using creators or influencers make sure they stick to the rules about paid-for advertising – our influencer pack can support both brands, agencies and their talent
- TikTok prize promotions often work best when used to sign-post an entry page on a different platform
- But if you want to stick with the TikTok platform to collect entries and generate UGC you must plan ahead and use a verification expert like PromoVeritas to guide you with data collection options
- Dance contests or singing duets are a great contest format for going viral
- But think carefully about moderation and how to eliminate unwanted content
- Always have a set of full T&Cs for your TikTok promotion and a link to them in your post – you can use our PromoTerms service to host these easily
- You should also post the promotional summary terms in the creative, or at the very least in the comments
- Familarise yourself with TikTok’s rules which are stlll developing and might affect your brand – for instance HFSS advertising must follow guidelines and a disclosure process, whilst alcohol brands (even alcohol free) cannot be promoted at all.
Some of our favourite TikTok campaigns
Chipotle – a prize worth winning
What do free delivery, free queso and a Chipotle sponsorship have in common? Chipotle combined them in their #ChipotleSponsorMe competition. The prize was one of five ‘Celebrity Cards’ worth $8,000 which entitled the holder to a free meal every day for a year! Followers had to post a creative Chipotle TikTok video to enter and get free queso and delivery thrown in too. The hashtag received over 2b views.
Pretty Little Thing – spreading the word is key
TikTok followers are less brand conscious than those on Instagram – consider that Gap has less than 8k followers on the platform. With more than 1.8 million fans, Pretty Little Thing, has gained popularity on the platform by using lots of popular influencers to share promotion posts. These promotions are usually simple “Like and Comment” prize draws that are easy to run on a global scale.
Hotwire
Last summer Jason Derulo and travel app Hotwire launched a TikTok challenge to celebrate the return of travel. The winner of the #HotwireHotelGoals challenge was selected by Derulo himself and won a holiday worth $50,000 complete with a private jet flight to a 5 star hotel.
Mastercard
BRITs sponsor Mastercard ran a TikTok dance challenge with the help of Diversity leader Ashley Banjo and the track Freedom! 90 by George Michael. The winner was crowned #BRITsMover of the Year and won VIP tickets to the 2022 BRIT Awards whilst runners up starred in idents on the 2021 awards show. To be entered participants had to upload their TikTok duets to a branded microsite where they were verified and judged by our team to select the final winner.
Ryanair
Not a promotion but it must be pointed out that the Irish low-cost airline has struck a cord with TikTok users where it boasts 1.5 million followers and has more than 41.9 million likes, making it the biggest airline brand on the platform. The videos, which mock passengers, rival airlines and its own service, have proved a particular hit with users and is a masterclass at keeping up with latest trends on TikTok.
Your promotion will also require careful planning from experts like PromoVeritas – from following the rules in your Terms & Conditions to help with extracting data. To find out more about running promotions on TikTok and other platforms or to watch a recording of our recent TikTok Workshop contact us at info@promoveritas.com.
