How to run a promotion on TikTok

Abi Roman

TikTok is one of the fastest growing social media platforms in the world. It has 500 million active users globally, making it the ninth most popular social network ahead of Twitter and Snapchat. But can you run a promotion with it? Our Compliance Manager, Amy Powell, takes a closer look at the TikTok phenomenon.

Launched internationally in September 2017, TikTok’s users film 15 second videos of themselves lip-syncing or acting out funny sketches with the use of songs, filters and sound effects. These short snippets are massively entertaining and shareable which explains TikTok’s exceptional growth. And all of this makes a perfect backdrop for a promotion aimed at the youth market but there aren’t specific rules for promoters yet. Instead, TikTok puts the onus on the promoter to comply with the local laws of the markets they are targeting – these are the rules worth noting in TikTok’s Advertising Guidelines;

9. Promotions

Any promotions, sweepstakes, or contests (collectively, “Promotions”) you run on TikTok must comply with all legal requirements for the territories in which you plan to run the Promotions. This includes posting official rules, disclaimers, and other terms, and complying with marketing regulations.

Unless we agree otherwise, your Promotion must not imply a TikTok endorsement, partnership, or association of any kind, or the same for any other TikTok affiliated company.

TikTok’s guidelines also refer to influencer rules:

4. Disclosures

All advertisements must include any mandatory disclosures, and all disclosures must be clear and prominent. Any advertisements without mandatory disclosures will be suspended.

Protecting children

There are lots of other things that are prohibited from the platform because TikTok are aware of the high proportion of young users. The list includes tobacco, alcohol, gambling, High Fat Salt and Sugar food and drinks, dating apps and crucially all children’s products and services – so if your brand involves any of these avoid using TikTok for promotions.

TikTok promotions we love

Contiki Content Creator – This competition offers the winner a $5,000 budget to explore the world with a friend and be an official TikTok Creator.

Chipotle #Boorito contest – A modern twist on their Halloween tradition of offering discounts to customers in fancy dress, Chipotle encouraged those in costume to post videos of themselves on TikTok, with the five most liked posts winning a year’s supply of burritos.

Ralph Lauren #winningRL – TikTok users were encouraged to make videos of themselves either winning at tennis or at life to win official Polo U.S. Open apparel.

And some top tips from PromoVeritas on running TikTok promotions…

  1. Always post the Terms & Conditions in your promotional post to make it clear how and when to enter, what the prizes are and what restrictions there may be for entrants.
  2. Use a unique hashtag to easily track entries but first be sure to check that it isn’t being used elsewhere.
  3. Always follow the local laws of wherever you are targeting. This can make things complicated but PromoVeritas can advise you on how to run your promotion compliantly anywhere in the world.
  4. Be aware of copyright – check first if you want to share an entry that uses music or content from a film or musician that is copyrighted.

Before you rush to promote your brand on TikTok find out more about the rules and limitations first. Our Legal and Operations teams have hands-on knowledge and experience of running promotions on all kinds of social media platforms, globally. We also invite you to join us at our next free Breakfast Briefing all about running promotions on social platforms and using Influencers on Wednesday 15th January 2020. To find out more contact us on 0203 325 6000 or email info@promoveritas.com.

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