How to Build a Winning TikTok Ecommerce Strategy in 2025

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Finding a way to gain an edge over your competitors has never been more critical than it is today. With the rise of ecommerce, businesses are flocking to the online marketplace to boost profits and visibility through. But this mad dash to the digital landscape has created fierce competition. For every product you sell, several other businesses likely sell the same or a similar item. How do you stand out? One way is to leverage TikTok. The short-form video platform is home to over 1 billion users and has quickly become one of the most popular channels for ecommerce. TikTok's e-commerce strategy can seem overwhelming at first. In this article, we’ll explore the basics of developing a TikTok ecommerce strategy to help you gain a competitive edge and boost sales.

Shophunter's Shopify sales tracker is a valuable tool for helping readers achieve their objectives, such as finding the most effective search solution that enhances their customers' shopping experience, increases product discoverability, and drives significant growth in sales and conversions for their e-commerce business.

What is TikTok Ecommerce?

TikTok ecommerce refers to selling products through the TikTok app. This can be achieved by switching to a business TikTok account and setting up a TikTok shop. Other ways to sell on TikTok involve video shopping ads or an affiliate program to promote products from other brands. TikTok can also be used as a marketing channel to drive sales in your online store.

How TikTok Ecommerce is Made Easier With Shop

The beauty of TikTok Shop is that everything stays in one place. With TikTok Shop, sellers can manage their inventory and orders using the same tools they’re already familiar with, such as Shopify or BigCommerce. At the same time, users aren’t forced to go through as much trouble during their shopping journey. Payment capabilities in the app itself remove the need for separate tabs and make it more convenient for people to make purchases.

The Benefits of TikTok for Ecommerce

TikTok is part of a larger trend of retail, social commerce, an industry expected to reach $80 billion in the US by 2025. While this industry grew independently, TikTok has made a unique and significant contribution. This is due to its users' natural tendency to engage in social shopping.

Take for example, the viral hashtag #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt. Since its birth, the hashtag has generated 60 billion views (as of this writing), and consumers, partners, and brands use it to discover new products and jump on hot trends.

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7 Ways to Grow Your Audience and Increase Sales With TikTok

1. Lead with Entertainment, Not a Sales Pitch

When entering TikTok's ecommerce space, focus on creating content that entertains your audience. Avoid pitching your products; let them take center stage naturally within engaging videos. If you can go viral with your content, your products will get more visibility and sell themselves.

2. Strive for Virality

The ultimate goal of TikTok is to create viral content. Generally speaking, a surge of attention almost always equates to a spike in sales, a quick, temporary pop, or a sustained boost in your numbers. If you’re lucky, you can go viral thanks to some coveted user-generated content (UCG). This is where a user creates content that includes your brand or products.

You can encourage customers to post UGC with incentives like discounts and other perks. A great example of UGC is the story of the catnip product:

Cat Crack

A video a user posted of their cat going crazy over the product gained over 20 million views. According to Junglescout, Cat Crack sold more than 2,000 units in two days because of the post.

3. Set Up a TikTok Shop to Sell Directly to Fans

If you run an online store, consider adding TikTok as a sales channel. Many social media platforms offer ecommerce features, and TikTok is no exception. As a business account, you can apply to set up a TikTok Shop and access features like a profile shopping tab, live shopping, and paid advertising. If you’re a creator without a dedicated brand, you can still create an ecommerce experience.

Create merch for TikTok, including selling your stickers using print-on-demand. Creating video shopping ads lets you insert product links directly into engaging content, making it an effective e-commerce tool. Your e-commerce brand benefits from setting up a TikTok store because the social media platform has become a destination for product discovery and the genesis of trending products.

4. Use TikTok Features to Connect With Potential Customers

TikTok has several features that create a direct communication channel with your viewers to learn more about them and build meaningful connections. One of them is the Q&A feature, which allows your audience to ask you questions directly through your profile, in the comment section of a video, or during a TikTok LIVE.

Try having users ask me questions about you, your brand, and specific products you offer or promote. Two other community-building features are Sitch and Duet. Stitch lets you “stitch” another user’s video into yours. Duet plays another user’s video next to yours in split-screen format. These tools have great viral potential.

5. Partner With Influencers in Your Industry

TikTok influencer marketing can be a boon for your ecommerce store. While thousands of creators are ready to work with brands, ensure the influencers you choose and the audiences that follow them align with your products. This will ensure that the sponsored content feels authentic. A great place to start is TikTok’s Creator Marketplace. It’s a “matchmaking service” to help brands find the right influencers. You’ll see helpful features like creator discovery, campaign management, and reporting.

There are plenty of ways to partner with an influencer, such as:

TikTok video reviews of your product

A co-sponsored giveaway

A brand takeover of your business account

Asking them to push their audience to your TikTok storefront

Find influencers to drive sales with Shopify Collabs

Shopify Collabs makes it easy to partner with creators, promote your products, reach new customers, grow your sales, and track affiliate campaign performance, all from Shopify admin.

6. Get More Traction With TikTok Ads or Promoted Posts

Creating organic marketing content and building your following this way can be a lot of work. If you have an extra budget, like a boost to help you reach your goals faster, TikTok ads or promoted posts are great options. TikTok ads work much like ads on other social media platforms. You can create campaigns with specific objectives using the Shopify TikTok app and then build your ads within them. Once the ads are live, use the Shopify dashboard to track and optimize their performance.

Two side-by-side TikTok ads, TikTok ad examples from Salt & Stone and Hyba, feel natural alongside organic content in the feed. You can promote individual posts if you don’t want to invest in full ad campaigns. The Promote feature is fairly straightforward. Choose your budget, duration, and a few other settings, including whether you’re interested in getting more views, website visits, or followers.

7. Use Affiliate Links to Promote Products and Brands

Creating an affiliate program can help you spread the word about your brand on TikTok by allowing other TikTok users to promote your products and earn a commission on sales. On the other end of the spectrum, affiliate marketing is a great way for those without a dedicated brand to earn income while promoting their favorite products and businesses.

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How to Get Started With Your TikTok Ecommerce Strategy in 2025

Content is Currency: Create Engaging TikTok Content to Kickstart Your Ecommerce Sales

Use TikTok strategically to engage your target audience and drive them to your products. On TikTok, content is currency. TikTok users open the app looking for engaging content, which keeps them around.

Your posts should be entertaining, visually appealing, and, above all else, sales-generating. Creating specialized, engaging content for your audience can help you better engage them and build a loyal following, which will then play a big part in driving ecommerce sales.

Strategically Select the Types of Content You Create

TikTok is primarily a video-sharing platform, but that’s far from the only medium available for connecting with audiences on the app. TikTok accommodates several different types of content, from regular video clips to e-commerce-specific product catalog features.

In-Feed Videos

In-feed videos appear in users' Following and For You Page feeds, ranging from 3 seconds to 10 minutes long. In-feed videos are versatile enough to be used for virtually anything. You could make a long-form video touting the results of a product for a particular demographic or make a short-form video showing how easy it is to use. The options are limitless, while TikTok’s offering of in-app editing tools is always growing.

Text Posts

Set against a background and sound of your choosing, text posts offer an easy way

to get simple written messages out to followers. Use text posts to announce organizational updates like changes to shipping policies and business leadership or share quotes and funny updates. A broad range of styling tools makes it easy to frame whatever you have to say the right way.

TikTok LIVEs

TikTok LIVE lets you broadcast events and discussions to followers in real-time. It is well suited for creating interactive and engaging experiences with viewers. Q&A sessions, product reviews, and behind-the-scenes looks at the creative process provide a great opportunity to showcase products and services with instant feedback.

New TikTok LIVE Shopping features allow merchants to display items to viewers in real-time. You can use this to create your own ‘Shopping Channel’ experience or as a way to connect what’s being shown on the stream to actual items in a catalog.

Stories

TikTok Stories are short-form posts that remain publicly visible for 24 hours. Their short-lived nature makes them perfect for promoting time-sensitive offers and sales. TikTok even has a Countdown Sticker Interactive Add-On to make things all the more pressing for buyers.

Leverage User Generated Content

User-generated content (UGC) is a form of marketing that involves turning customer-created content into promotional material. This can be done in various ways, from encouraging people to post reviews or testimonials on your products or services to asking customers to submit their own video and photo content.

UGC can get people talking about products, grow hashtags and mentions, and increase overall brand awareness. Ask @JVNHair; the hair care company draws thousands of new followers to its account by reposting customer-made videos. These videos illustrate the diversity that JVN’s brand aims to promote while providing social proof of product quality.

UGC can be sourced directly from customers or through TikTok’s Creator Marketplace. Connected to the TikTok app, the Creator Marketplace enables business owners to find and work with product promoters worldwide. Partnerships made through the network are official to TikTok and facilitated with built-in campaign management and reporting tools. An ability to search for creators that cater to more than 150 markets in over 50 different languages provides an unprecedented amount of control over who you influence with UGC and how.

Organize Content Well

The types of content you publish shouldn’t just be diverse, strategically selected, and well-organized. It's best to manage things as if people are seeing your profile for the first time every time. This will give people an easy way to find information and allow them to build an understanding of who your brand is and what you’re all about.

For example, if you are a fashion outlet, break up your posts into categories like new arrivals, behind-the-scenes looks at my team, or influencers wearing products. Take @TheOrdinary as an example. The wildly popular skincare products company creates playlists to pin groups of topic-specific videos to the top of its profile page. Potential customers can confidently make their first purchase with relevant answers and guidance available in one place.

Tap Into the Potential of Hashtags and In-Video SEO

TikTok's hashtags can be considered an organizational system in and of itself, defining content by short phrases and words. Using them properly makes it easier for people to find what they’re searching for while boosting your brand's and posts' visibility. Ecommerce businesses can leverage hashtags in several ways. Depending on your objectives, you might use them to showcase new products or highlight specific product categories such as:

#tshirts

#accessories.

You could also build a hashtag around an event like a sale or use trending hashtags relevant to your industry.

Deploying hashtags correctly increases the chances of your content showing up where it’s most relevant, including on the For You Page of users who engage with videos in the same category. Adding text to your videos further improves content visibility by providing context for TikTok’s algorithm when recommending videos. Part of this algorithm involves a keyword-based system that organizes posts based on the terms they contain. This applies to both post descriptions and text in the videos themselves. Apply what you know about SEO to target specific audiences with relevant content.

Make Ads a Part of Your Strategy

While organic content forms the basis of a strong TikTok ecommerce presence, ads are necessary to supplement your organic efforts and bring in extra business.

Understand the Different Types of Ads TikTok Offers

Similarly to other social media platforms like Facebook or Instagram, paid ads on TikTok are mixed in with the organic content feed, known on TikTok as the For You Page. TikTok offers several types of ad placements on its platform. Each placement has a slightly different purpose and offers advantages beyond extra exposure.

In-Feed Ads

In-feed ads are the most commonly used ad format on TikTok. These are placed directly between users’ feeds, appearing as short videos or images. They usually feature a call to action (CTA) at the end, such as “swipe up” to visit a website.

Spark Ads

TikTok Spark ads use existing content from a brand's account to create an ad shown to users on the TikTok For You Page. These placements look very similar to regular posts, with the only real differences being a small 'Sponsored' banner and the option to add a CTA button.

TopView Ads

TopView ads are similar to in-feed ads but specifically appear when users launch the TikTok app. Placements can be videos or images that take up the entire screen. The goal here is to grab users’ attention before they have a chance to engage with anything else.

Live Shopping Ads

Live ads promote TikTok lives by placing broadcasts between regular video content on the For You Page. You can use live ads to promote your products with the TikTok live shopping feature.

Branded Hashtag Ads

Branded hashtag ads help promote user-generated content campaigns. Usually limited to a specific period, these initiatives encourage users to post content related to hashtags that tie back to a business profile. This is an effective way for brands to engage with their audience and create a sense of community.

Consult the Creative Center

TikTok’s Creative Center is an amazing resource for brand owners who want to learn more about how the app’s content, feed, and ecommerce features work. Far from a typical FAQ page, the Creative Center offers advice that ecommerce entrepreneurs can use to their advantage as they strive for popularity on TikTok.

There’s abundant data available for insights into current trends, top-performing sounds, hashtags, and more. The ‘Top Ads’ dashboard displays TikTok’s best-performing auction ads to give you a better understanding of who’s doing well and why. Results can be broken down through multiple filters: country, industry, language, objective, format, and KPIs. You can even search based on keywords and brand names, which is invaluable for competitor analysis.

Study Your Audience With Analytics Tools

Ads and organic content are only as effective as they are well-informed. Thankfully, TikTok has a wide range of analytics and reporting tools that can give you insight into your content's performance for better results. By keeping tabs on who engages with what you create most, you can adjust marketing efforts and products to be more appealing.

Post Analytics

Post analytics give account owners an overview of their content’s performance over up to 60 days. Accessible through ‘Creator tools’ > ‘Analytics,’ you'll have access to a dashboard that reports key metrics like:

Follower growth

video and profile views

Likes

Comments

This is also where analytics for LIVE broadcasts are shown. They are broken down into attributable followers, views, streaming time, and earnings.

This space is great for its insight into performance and the ability to compare data from multiple posts and cross-reference key metrics. After comparing this data, you might notice exciting trends that are hard to identify through the notification center alone. For instance, one month's top uploads could have something in common, like using particular hashtags or sounds. Knowing what has driven the success of past content can help you create future content that's even better at selling what your ecommerce store has to offer.

TikTok Ads Manager

TikTok Ads Manager is a control and command center for paid advertising campaigns on the TikTok app. Exclusively available to business accounts, it's where your brand's admin team will go to launch, modify, and manage ads.

The Ads Manager has a range of settings and targeting options that help you determine who sees your ads when they see them, and how long and often they're seen. Its functionalities extend beyond just setting up campaigns to include comprehensive analytics and optimization capabilities.

TikTok Pixel

The TikTok Pixel is a tiny piece of code designed to be installed on websites to measure, optimize, and build audiences for in-app ad campaigns. It's not required of TikTok Shop owners but highly recommended if you want full insight into the connection between your online store and TikTok business profile. With a pixel in place, it becomes much easier to follow customers through the buying process as they engage with content on both channels.

The installation process looks different across e-commerce platforms, so it's recommended that you do some research before getting started. Once set up correctly, you can track events (like product views or purchases) in the pixel dashboard and create custom audiences based on various criteria. This is great for creating retargeting campaigns and targeting users who are more likely to convert.

Meet TikTok Seller Expectations

Every seller on TikTok Shop is expected to adhere to the platform's terms and conditions. Policies exist to protect businesses and buyers alike and are enforced using a point-based system. TikTok can issue between 1 and 48 Violation Points for every infraction of its rules. The enforcement measures vary based on thresholds:

12 - 23 points: Temporary restrictions on campaign participation, new listings, and access to TikTok Shop benefits for seven days

24 - 35 points: Restrictions increase to 14 days, impacting order volume limits and campaign participation

36 - 47 points: Temporary shop deactivation for 28 days and further campaign restrictions

48 points: Permanent suspension and possible legal actions, including reports to authorities. Beyond the immediately noticeable enforcement actions outlined above, failure to follow TikTok’s merchant policies may also indirectly hurt your prospects for sales.

Restricted accounts are suppressed on the For You Page, which is the main place where users discover brands and purchase products. A seven-day, 14-day, or 28-day suspension should be viewed as just as much of an opportunity cost as a platform access one.

Know the Rules

Knowing and following TikTok's policies for store owners is in your best interest. There are rules governing various issues, from product listings to fulfillment to fraud. All can be found on the TikTok Shop Academy website. Here's a high-level overview of the key policies you should pay attention to:

Compliance with advertising standards

Prohibition of counterfeit or prohibited items

Accurate representation of products and services

Timely order fulfillment and shipping

Customer service obligations and response times

Adherence to payment processing guidelines Ignorance is not bliss regarding compliance.

Familiarizing yourself with the above rules will help you avoid repeated violations' pitfalls and potential losses.

TikTok Shop Service Level Agreements (SLAs)

Service Level Agreements (SLAs) are benchmarks that help define seller performance and expectations. TikTok monitors SLAs using a combination of internal and external audits, in-app reporting, and algorithmic detection methods to ensure a consistent buyer experience on its platform.

As a TikTok Shop store owner, you should know what these metrics are, why they might change, and have a system in place to remain in good standing. Below is a summary of the three most important SLAs on TikTok Shop, along with recommendations on effectively meeting these expectations:

Late Dispatch Rate (LDR)

Late Dispatch Rate (LDR) measures the percentage of orders that do not reach TTS Shipped or Dispatched status until after the TTS SLA Cut-Off Time within a given evaluation period. TikTok Shop sellers must maintain an LDR equal to or less than 4%.

That means that if you receive 1,000 orders, up to 40 should be on time. LDR comes down to inventory management, fulfillment turnaround time, and the reliability of your shipping options. Investments in these areas and ongoing monitoring, evaluation, and improvements will mitigate the risk of late dispatch.

Valid Tracking Rate (VTR)

Valid Tracking Rate (VTR) refers to the percentage of orders with accurate tracking information the seller provides. This metric ensures customers can monitor their shipments after purchase. It only applies to sellers who have selected "Ship by Seller" as their shipping option.

Staying under TikTok's VTR limit of 95% is a matter of diligence. When inputting tracking IDs and shipping provider names, you should cross every "t" and dot every "i." Double-check that the tracking numbers you enter are valid and correspond to the shipping labels you have generated every single time.

Seller Fault Cancellation Rate (SFCR)

Seller Fault Cancellation Rate (SFCR) tracks the percentage of orders canceled due to issues on the seller's end. This includes reasons like inventory shortages, miscommunication with buyers, or failure to fulfill orders promptly.

TikTok Shop requires an SFCR of equal to or less than 2.5%. You'll save yourself a lot of Violation Points by taking every one of your responsibilities as a seller as seriously as possible. That can mean many things, such as regularly updating stock levels to reflect availability, keeping buyers informed about their order status, and ensuring prompt customer communication.

A Reliable Fulfillment System Is Key to a TikTok Ecommerce Strategy

The above expectations placed upon TikTok Shop store owners make reliable fulfillment necessary. Well-defined strategies ensure that vital order processing responsibilities are always taken care of. A business’s ability to consistently meet SLAs often depends on the resources invested in its warehouse infrastructure and teams.

Warehouse Management Software (WMS), lot tracking, and real-time inventory updates can all improve efficiency while lessening room for error. Consider hiring a logistics manager to ensure supply chain KPIs align with TikTok Shop’s standards.

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1. Do a “What’s In _______”

Have you ever wondered what people carry in their purses/cars/bags? Well, so do a million other people on TikTok, and this is how Coach and Emi Jay jump on it: A What's In My Purse video from a creator who features multiple brands such as Emi & Jay and Coach. You can do this in three ways:

Show your audience what you have in your car/bag/purse/wallet/refrigerator etc.

Partner up with influencers like @hhhhaleema to showcase your products.

Find content that features you/a competitor of yours, and comment on those videos.

Quick Tip: Do a quick search to check for related topics (as well as the best-performing ones) and the view count:

2. Show Your Support towards a Cause

Want more sales out of your TikTok marketing strategy? Showcase exactly what you offer regarding sustainability or any other cause. Note how Popsockets does it with their video: Popsockets showcasing their sustainability initiatives in their TikTok. Here’s what you need to keep in mind:

Share visuals of how you’ve implemented the cause within your brand

Popsockets shows that its products and packaging are sustainable: Popsockets shows the exact steps to making them sustainable.

Use the correct hashtags that correspond to your cause.

Quick Tip: Keep your sustainability initiatives as a callback in every other video script, caption, and hashtag.

3. Callback to a TV Show

This strategy works especially well if you’re a brand establishing themselves. @thingsmembroidered casually showcases their behind-the-scenes in every other video, This time, they drop in a Gilmore Girls (along with a Gilmore Girls product), and go viral: @thingsmembroidered calling back to Gilmore Girls through their TikTok. Here’s how you can apply this TikTok content idea for your brand:

Use TikTok analytics to assess your “most viewed” audience segments and check their ages.

Search for era-defining TV shows and create captions/limited products based on them.

Shoot content/recreate iconic moments from those shows.

Quick Tip: Use the text element to drive subliminal messages that will ultimately drive sales (like the “pov: you’ve been…tiktokshop” text).

4. Do an Interview

All social media algorithms love this format and thus, it remains evergreen. Other than that, the interview format is a fantastic way to generate social proof: Downy interview series on TikTok for brand awareness and social proof Here’s how you can apply this TikTok content idea: Partner with creators who are popular in your country for this format Or conduct an interview yourself/through your employees—conduct a giveaway alongside Quick Tip: Ensure you use your interview data within your store too—for example: “98% of customers agree {x} lasts for {x} days (see the results here).”

5. Do a “What would you ______”

Want to build relatability and get some product videos? Use your products to inspire your customers (and learn more about them), as Michael’s Craft Store does: Michael's Craft Store inspires their TikTok. How do you create a TikTok video like this?

Analyze how your products can be used, and create a list of projects you can showcase.

Start by shooting and creating videos in steps with a partner creator

Always end with a CTA make my caption inspire & drive action)

Remember, you can always use these videos within your product pages to serve as inspiration.

Quick Tip: To make your pitch resonate more, you can also try experimenting with an “of course, you/we are {insert hobby/profession}” narrative.

6. Correct a Paper

Most brands on TikTok need to be more moderate when showcasing their products. This trending content shows a teacher correcting a student’s paper who has written Bei's product names: TikTok trending idea in which a teacher corrects a paper. Why does this TikTok strategy work?

Positions your brand in a playful way, along with subtle product placement,

It brings participation from creators who haven’t interacted with the brand before

Quick Tip: Ensure you capture the sounds well because this format also works as an ASMR video.

7. Show a Sneak Peek

When Oatly launched their TikTok account, their first video showcased multiple short clips from their entire content line: Sneak peek of a month of content by Oatly as their TikTok Content Strategy Here’s how you can make this TikTok content strategy work for your brand:

Repurpose and re-edit existing content, such as YouTube videos, advertisements, or product videos

Produce half of your upcoming month’s content calendar and build a trailer out of the videos.

Avoid shooting every video in the same format (like showing your face in every video).

Showcase bloopers, BTS, quick clips from your videos, etc. Create a teaser to show what’s ahead.

Quick Tip: Remember that this video is a trailer for your brand, showcase your brand’s personality but be high on relatability.

8. Mention a Brand

We’ve all heard about brand collabs and takeovers. But, those run expensive. There’s a better (and more convincing way) way to do that, so note how Bando does it: Mentioning other brands on TikTok is a solid TikTok marketing strategy. Here’s how you can apply this trending TikTok strategy to your brand:

Find brands that align with your products (for example, Bando’s glasses have reached out to Poppi and Dr Pepper)

Purchase those partner products and leave a review of those products while showing your product

Don’t forget to tag the brand in your caption (and comments)

Quick Tip: This format also works for products that don’t align. For example, if you’re a pet care brand, you can set up a hidden treat challenge, which shows a pet finding the hidden treats on an action camera.

9. Show How To Do It (With a Punch of Humour)

Humor may be subjective, but your goal as a brand is to connect to your community. Fortnine, a motorsports equipment brand, builds videos interlaced with humor, which results in hilarity (and engagement): Fortnine Canada's video shows customers how to do it with humor. Here’s how you can apply this TikTok strategy for your brand:

Don’t try to be funny (if your brand tone doesn’t support it).

Gags like products falling off (or a simple exasperated look) can complete the job.

Humor shouldn’t be the goal. Being conversational should be.

Quick Tip: Feature quotes and hilarious comments on your product types from various TikTok videos and Reddit forums.

10. Include Seasonality In Challenges

Do this if you struggle with finding inspiration regarding challenges: Finding seasonality within your challenges can help on TikTok. Here’s how you can make this TikTok format work for you:

Tag influencers trending for this hashtag (ask them for quick advice).

This is an elaborate before-after video to showcase your products in an elaborate setting.

Experiment with video transitions and effects to make the best impact.

Use the correct hashtags (or come up with a unique one that includes the seasonal aspect, like “springtok”).

Quick Tip: You can also use this format to show off sustainability initiatives in your workplace/products.

11. Harness The ‘Fan’ Inside

People were already asking what the G.O.A.T. was wearing. Duracell went ahead and answered it. They don’t hire 3 C-Suite executives to do it. It’s a fan (and employee) exclaiming, “OMG!!! IT’S THE GOAT IN A DURACELL VEST!!!!” Duracell harnesses the fan inside on their TikTok video. Do you want to apply this trending TikTok content idea to your brand?

Use AI to mock up a celebrity’s likeness with your product (or Photoshop it).

Comment on how great the celebrity is (and how your product would fit right).

You can also launch a custom collection for a celebrity-inspired product (think Baublebar’s Taylor Swift bracelets).

Quick Tip: Ensure that it doesn’t look too real. The goal is to tag the celebrity and ask them, “Wouldn’t you just love this?”

12. Show a Day In The Life

The ‘a day in the life’ format is (and will be) forever evergreen. It showcases your product in use by someone your audience can relate to: Day in the life TikTok with product placement. Here’s how you can apply this TikTok strategy to your brand:

After you’ve posted a few initial videos, check the audiences TikTok is showing your videos to.

Research professions within your audience through a post (or on your post-purchase drip).

Partner up with creators or invite customers from various professions to be a part of it.

Consider showing some helpful tips (related to the profession) within your ‘day in life’ videos.

Quick Tip: Use your video thumbnail with a visual hook (that teases the product), note how the following video cover evokes curiosity: Video thumbnail showing a hook to induce click-through plays

13. Do a Mystery Product Launch

Do you have a new product launch coming up? Keep your users returning for more with a mystery unboxing, as @nanoleafofficial does a Mystery product launch by Nano Leaf official on TikTok. Here’s how you can apply this TikTok strategy to your brand:

Tease your product in at least 6 to 7 videos before it launches.

At the end of every video, drop an Easter egg. For example, Nanoleaf showed this box in their previous three videos.

Encourage comments from users (and make sure to reply) Quick Tip: Consider a giveaway for users who’ve guessed correctly.

14. Send Them a Gift

Instead of doing a random giveaway or spending way too much on ads, Beyond Yoga, a DTC brand, chooses comments and awards them for doing a giveaway based on entertaining comments. Here’s how you can apply this TikTok strategy to your brand:

Create a weekly format where I feature the winners and what they won.

Frame a post where you ask users to comment on a topic (and the best comment wins).

You can also start by selecting a comment from your previous videos, as Beyond Yoga did: Select a winning comment like Beyond Yoga does.

Quick Tip: If you have no comments (just yet), ask friends and family to comment, keeping the product in focus.

15. Unbox It (with ASMR)

Blue Bottle Coffee, another DTC brand, is onto the fact that ASMR + Unboxing = Evergreen. Blue Bottle Coffee is showing an ASMR unboxing on their TikTokX. Here’s how you can apply this TikTok strategy to my brand:

Shoot your video in vertical and horizontal formats for YouTube and TikTok.

Add in hashtags that are trending on TikTok for ASMR videos.

Include these videos within your product display as well.

Quick Tip: Try a twist on unboxing videos by adding unexpected elements (like cats, strangers, or babies) and opening your package.

16. Solve a Pain-Point (Like Returns)

The crux of a converting (and viral) video is informative, like Coach’s: Coach solving a pain point for its customers within their TikTok video. Source: Coach. Here’s how you can apply this TikTok strategy to my brand:

Explain how your return policy/any other policy works.

Use a quick but informative hook (note the text and the background video).

Say the most important things within the first 3 seconds.

Show how your policy helps them (and adds to a grander scheme of things, like sustainability).

Quick Tip: Ensure my captions reflect where users can get more information. Consider using a link shortener with a dedicated landing page.

17. Support a Cause (and you just may go viral)

The TikTok algorithm matches users to videos they have watched (and looks at how much of a video is watched). This is why this video from Black Rifle Coffee, a veteran-founded brand, went viral: Black Rifle Coffee shows support for a cause within their TikTok. What had worked for Black Rifle Coffee? The reason here was “showing up and doing good” It started with @mrstoombs’ viral video, in which she tagged @blackriflecoffee for a reply to her son’s appreciation letter to BRC: Mrs Toombs's son's letter on her TikTok @mrstoombs’s video went viral, hundreds of existing customers (and users) sent out the letter to Black Rifle Coffee So when Black Rifle Coffee showed up at her doorstep to surprise her son, what ensued was delight (and virality) BRC leveraged continuity, collaboration, and above all, warmth, with good ol’ storytelling (and an unexpected partnership)

Quick Tip: Show off your TikTok on your website too (and give them a preview of what they can expect): TikTok feature on Black Rifle Coffee's website

18. Create a Series

The best way to show consistent results is to take users through my processes simply. Golden Hive Mead takes wacky recipes that tie to pop/gamer/TV culture (take this Mountain Dew for an example): Golden Hive Mead on their TikTok creates continuity with a series. How do they make this TikTok strategy work for themselves? Every recipe follows a series of steps:

Creating

Checking

Updating

Packing

Every video offers actionable tips to show users, “You can do it too.” The goal is to cement Golden Hive Mead as their experts (and foster mead-making in their community). They simply review user comments if they ever feel they’re lacking content.

Quick Tip: Add an actionable CTA at the end of every video. Golden Hive Mead says, “if you make this yourself, let me know how it turns out, and be sure to check out my other recipes and enjoy your mead.”

19. Do a Limited Edition Back-In-Stock Video

Apart from the memes and the “give me a free Displate” jokes, Displate knows how to amp up

and bring back products. How does this video go viral (that, too, instantly)? Exclusivity, along with a set of orchestrated events. Disp late's TikTok marketing strategy is bringing back a limited edition product to stock. Here’s how they perfected their TikTok content:

Changed their bio link to their custom collection: Displate changing their TikTok bio link.

Announced their exclusive limited-edition “Cyberpunk 2077” collection on TikTok only two days before the back-in-stock video.

Ran a flash sale email for email subscribers to ensure that on-site items sold out.

Ensured that they maintained the product content fit ‍

Quick Tip: If you find yourself struggling with product content fit, take inspiration from how Displate does it through Gift guides for occasions, How-to-use Setup inspiration, Best fits by birthdays, employee artist collabs, Limited editions

20. Show off a Funny Product Feature

Here’s the scoop: Monica + Andy wasn’t growing fast enough when they first posted on TikTok. Here’s the video that helped them take off: Monica and Andy showing a product in under 10 seconds, in the simplest way possible.

Here’s how they did it:

A trending audio + a short video + a quirky product description + visuals to match.

Ensured that they replied to every comment.

Recorded the product as a customer would see it in-store, which helped keep the video under 10 seconds (and maximized the full watch time)

Quick Tip: Remember to tease ‘what’s in the video’ with your video cover, check how Monica+Andy does it: Monica and Andy's TikTok feed.

21. Pack a Product

Going viral takes a little magic (and a lot of consistency). This is what @houseofwandcraft’s video proves: House of Wandcraft's packing video on TikTok. House of Wandcraft is an Etsy store thriving solely off a mix of TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook.

How does @houseofwandcraft do it?

Stick to product demonstrations through consistent behind-the-scenes videos of packing and manufacturing.

Show off social proof and engage, making users feel they’re being catered to.

Experiment with video length, hashtags, and audio for the best effect.

Pin the most relevant videos for new users at the top: Pinned videos on @houseofwandcraft's TikTok.

Quick Tip: Show how you handle returns and other FAQs through playlists. Note how House of Wandcraft does it: House of Wandcraft's playlists show specific conversion triggers - Playlists are available to creators with over 10k followers. Learn more about TikTok playlists.

22. Show Them The Steps / Offer Tips

In this video, Lovevery offers actionable tips: Lovevery's TikTok content offers advice. What made this Lovevery video perform well?

TikTok’s algorithm loves it when a video gets watched repeatedly.

This video offers advice that makes users think.

The background shows their advice in action (instant proof).

This led the video to be saved (which is yet another factor).

Quick Tip: Use color contrast to drive anchoring (fixating on the first provided information).

23. Reply To Them (With a Video)

TikTok live streams aren’t the only way to engage with your audience; note how Burt’s Bees does it. Burts Bees shows their products in their TikTok through a reply.

Here’s why doing this helps:

Generates solid product videos (which allows you in the long run).

Increases your reach to the mentioned user’s followers.

Quick Tip: Audit your commenter’s social stats (ideally, you should look for active profiles). This will help increase my chances of getting a reply and reach newer audiences.

24. Show Off Your Reviews

TikTok is all about breaking the formality (and showcasing the human side), and JLab shows that Showing off reviews helps attract customers on TikTok Here’s how I can apply this TikTok strategy to your brand:

Before you publish reviews, publish a series of videos that prove your product’s effectiveness (for example, testing noise cancellation in front of a lawn mower).

Ensure every review video highlights the pain points of the reviewer, along with how my product solves it.

Quick Tip: Consider publishing review videos every week, especially after a product launch and before a sale.

25. Do a Giveaway (With a Solid Cause)

Wouldn’t you like to get rid of your ex (from your gym)? Rxbar takes the cue and creates a value proposition no one can resist, they create a contest where a follower can win a year’s worth of RXBars and new gym equipment. While their ex gets a gift card to sign up for a different gym: RX Bar conducts a giveaway on TikTok, what made it go viral?

They excited the urgency of their original giveaway (which didn’t get the reach).

Included trending audio + hashtags + showcased the unboxing (along with a Stanley).

They included a custom landing page for the giveaway (in the video): Giveaway Landing Page from TikTok.

Quick Tip: Remember to include the landing page’s plain URL within the caption (as RxBar has).

26. Optimize with Audio

Most TikTok marketing strategies ask you to use trending audio for your videos simply. How do you find one? Head over to TikTok’s Creative Center to find top trending audios. TikTok Trending audios How do you use this?

Use the filters to find the latest trending songs (keep it within 30 days for better results).

Filters on TikTok trending audios Click on the “See analytics” tab to check top-performing videos, audience demographics, interests, and related songs: TikTok's audio analytics to understand trends.

Quick Tip: Use the breakout tab to find songs that have skyrocketed in popularity. TikTok's breakout audio tabs

27. Optimize your profile well

A well-optimized TikTok profile means a verified badge that sets You apart as a brand Bio that helps users find the most relevant and converting information, like coupon codes:

Minted's optimized

TikTok profile

LinkTree links that lead to FAQs and your brand’s impact, note Boxed Water’s Linktree: Boxed Water's LinkTree showing FAQ

28. Use TikTok advertising Wisely – Remarketing & More

Want to bring down your TikTok ad spend? Consider starting with remarketing and a lookalike audience. A lookalike audience (like Facebook) finds customers on TikTok who match your existing audience: TikTok's lookalike audience Before proceeding with one, you have to ensure you have custom audiences set up, which in turn requires you to have a TikTok Pixel set up with a proper configuration. Proceed once I’ve posted a few videos and have garnered engagement. Custom audiences on TikTok Ads When building my campaign, create two custom audiences from:

Website Traffic

helps you build a custom audience base from visitors, who’ve visited your site (increase the audience lookback window to 30 days with auto-refresh).

Engagement

Choose every kind of viewer who has engaged/viewed your TikTok profile, content, ads, and Live Videos “Customer File”: You can choose this option if you have an email list, you’d like to upload to TikTok.

Quick Tip: TikTok custom audiences need a minimum of 1000 members, if you don’t qualify, consider running ads on behavior-based targeting to broaden your audience: TikTok ad targeting on behavior

29. Brand Your Hashtags

What is the best way to get your own space on TikTok (without paying for a branded hashtag campaign)? Ensure every post that goes out uses your brand name (and ensure every creator does the same too). Branded (organic) hashtags Ensure to feature a call to action on your website, like “tag us by using #brandname on TikTok and get a chance to win x/get featured,” as Clare does: Clare's website featuring UGC from TikTok P.S.: Practicing this helps with your SEO as well.

30. Offer Excellent Support Through Comments

Comments can be used to cement your brand’s authenticity (as well as decrease returns and maximize your CLTV). Here’s how Hydroflask does it:

It doesn’t lose sales from out-of-stock products by acting as back-in-stock notifications.

Customer support through TikTok comments.

They also provide product recommendations in the comments.

Product recommendations in TikTok comments.

Quick Tip: Want users to find your brand? Just go ahead and comment on a trending video, like La Roche Posay does: Answering popular videos on TikTok

31. Use Other Features ( Like Building Effects)

You didn’t know this, but you can build your filter on TikTok with their AR tool, Effect House: TikTok's effect builder for your TikTok Marketing strategy. And the best part is you can use those filters to showcase your products in AR user environments. TikTok themselves push forward new filters based on your target audience (and intended use of filter).

Quick Tip: Use the ‘stitch’ feature to directly address certain parts of videos you’ve been mentioned in (or viral videos).

32. Livestream Once a Week

Start your live-stream plan by launching a live-stream ad during the first week: TikTok's livestream ad for your TikTok Marketing Strategy Plan events like “learn how to pair the right colors for your body” or “learn how we chrome headlights.” Ensure you ask users to stay tuned to you for further lives. Publish a set of TikTok stories to inform my followers that I’m going live

33. Go Micro

The best part of TikTok is its creator marketplace, which you can use to partner with creators and influencers TikTok's creator marketplace With this tool, you can collaborate with creators of any audience size, affinity, or niche. We recommend starting with multiple micro-creators (5k to 30k followers). You can provide exclusive benefits in exchange for free samples (and a video that fits your format).

Quick Tip: TikTok Affiliate is a great option for brands with TikTok shops, whereas TikTok Creator Marketplace is open to all Business accounts (with or without shops).

34. Announce Key Sales

Think you can't do outright promotions in TikTok—check how Casetify does it with their Black Friday sale: Announce key sales like Black Friday on your TikTok. Your goal should be to inform, engage, and provide exclusive benefits on TikTok. Check how @rxbar did it when they crossed

25k followers (with a coupon code): RxBar celebrating milestones on TikTok

35. Optimize Product Details

Once you set up a TikTok shop, the rules for CRO also apply here: Ensure a clear product title, including quantity, and abbreviate measurements (such as oz, cm, etc.). Keep a white background with a minimum size of 800 x 800 pixels for your product photos. Try adding in deals along with stock information. Include a ‘what’s in the box’ photo in product images. Change models for various sizes of products. TikTok Shop's product descriptions.

36. Create a Solid Shop Page

TikTok, in 2024, has evolved into a full-fledged social commerce site (and having a TikTok shop helps). TikTok Shop's page builder Here’s how you can apply this:

TikTok Strategy for your brand: Sign up for the TikTok shop using your business information.

Upload your products and integrate them with my CMS (Shopify, WooCommerce, etc).

Use the shop page builder from TikTok to build your Shop Page.

Ensure a High Product Selection Score (reviews of products + brand reviews).

‍Quick Note: ⚠ TikTok doesn’t offer the Shop feature to accounts with less than 1000 followers.

37. Remain Omnichannel

We’ll say this over and over: a community builds a brand. You should ensure that every social media platform provides followers with a consistent experience. Ensure my website visitors are aware of it. You own an omnichannel approach to your marketing. Displate ensures that their social media accounts are known to all users.

38. Get the Basics of Video Right

While developing this post, we discovered that most brands must stick to a posting schedule. Even if they do stick to one, they go overboard with sales (and suck at storytelling). TikTok is a platform that asks you to participate. Sticking to the Insta routine will not work well. Ensure my users can stay connected and, above all, Go easy on the sales. Make users feel as if they have discovered something new every time they watch.

Note how Bored Cow does it: Bored Cow's TikTok storytelling.

Quick Tip: Add subtitles (through TikTok) within your videos with text overlays. Adding it helps improve my video’s UX (and nudge users).

39. Leverage Your Profile

This is a marketing hack that's severely underrated. With this method, you can add my voice to my brand without actively appearing on my brand’s feed. This is how Farsáli, a DTC beauty brand, has grown through the years with its CEO’s profile: Personal branding push to help your TikTok marketing strategy.

40. Consider Local/Language Segmentation

This marketing strategy goes back to basics: Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning. You build a loyal customer base by creating profiles based on your brand's presence in locales/languages. This provides excellent accessibility, better engagement, and customer loyalty. Check how Casetify does this: Country and language segmentation on TikTok by Casetify.

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