Want to have a greater reach on TikTok? Collaborating with another creator could give you access to a whole new audience you wouldn’t have connected with otherwise. It’s a good idea to work with an established creator on TikTok because they’ve likely developed a loyal audience that trusts them and engages with their content.
When it’s appropriate for your brand, it’s wise to take advantage of newer platforms like TikTok that have increased exponentially in popularity these last couple of years. Keep reading for tips on choosing the right creator to partner with.
It’s important to choose the right person to collab with. That way you have a better chance of increasing your target audience while building a quality relationship with a creator who can help you (and vice versa). It’s tempting to dream of working with mega influencers, but smaller creators can often be a much better fit for your brand.
Here are three tips to consider before reaching out to TikTok creators.
This applies to both demographics and content that does well on TikTok overall — as well as what works for your specific niche. Let’s look at TikTok as a whole first. In contrast to other social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok has more experimental content. It started with dance trends, but TikTok’s now home to businesses, musicians, and others who are establishing a niche online. The content that succeeds on TikTok is organic and authentic. Whatever your niche is, make sure you’re aware of the overarching principles that guide successful content on TikTok overall.
TikTok demographics also come into play when developing ideas for your collab. Most users are part of Generation Z. They’re skeptical of traditional advertising, so be aware of this especially if you’re a brand looking to work with a creator. Tailor content so that it looks as engaging as the rest of TikTok and doesn’t stand out as something to avoid.
Now that we’ve looked at TikTok overall, let’s talk about knowing your specific audience. This is more than facts about your followers’ ages and locations. It’s about knowing what kind of content and creators your audience favors and interacts with. When choosing a person to work with, consider whether they’ll appeal to your audience and whether you have something to offer theirs.
Make sure you know why you want to work with a creator before you reach out. Would their product complement your brand perfectly and give you both a larger audience? Do they have a trusted audience that would likely be interested in your content or products? Whatever goal you establish, there has to be something in it for you and for them or the collab probably won’t turn into a long-term partnership.
For your collab, think about whether you’re trying to promote brand awareness or increase sales. If you’re trying to get your brand or content to more people, consider an influencer with a big audience. However, if you’re trying to increase sales, you might have a better shot at reaching out to a smaller influencer or creator with a more engaged audience. This kind of audience is more likely to invest in you and your content if what you’re posting aligns with their interests and goals.
And finally, choose a partner for your collab carefully. As we mentioned before, an influencer with a big audience may not be the right fit for you. They might reach a lot of people, but it’s unlikely everyone in that group is aligned with your content.
If you have an influencer or creator in mind already, think about how their content ties into your own content or brand. Do their videos complement yours? Are they considered thought leaders or authorities in their niche? Even if someone is considered a “nano influencer” with fewer than 10k followers, they can still be a valuable person to collab with, especially since they often have closer relationships with their followers. Also, consider how active creators are on other platforms. Sometimes it’s beneficial to connect with someone who started on TikTok first rather than someone who’s famous on Instagram and then moved to TikTok.
Take a look at your possible collab partner’s followers, too. Ideally, your target audience should be the majority of your potential partner’s followers. How engaged are the creator’s followers? The more engagement the better. Even if an influencer has high engagement rates for certain posts, a creator with more consistent engagement across multiple posts is typically better to collab with. You can rely on an audience that’s constantly engaged rather than an audience that’s only engaged with a certain portion of content.
If you have the perfect partner in mind, the next step is to brainstorm content you can create together. Here are six ideas for your next video!
If you want to maintain a long-term partnership with another creator, do a series for your collab. Maybe you can tie it in with current events or issues in your niche. For example, if you’re a clothing brand looking to partner with a TikTok creator, the creator could post your newest dresses, tuxes, and pantsuits leading up to and during prom season (which also appeals nicely to TikTok’s younger demographic).
A series is a good way to track audience engagement. If your first post attracts attention and the following posts get comments and likes, your collab is spot-on for your audience. If it’s not, it’s a good time to pay attention to audience feedback. But don’t beat yourself up, and don’t be afraid to try something else.
A live stream is a great way to introduce yourself and/or the person you’re creating with to a different audience. By connecting with your audience in real-time, you’ll build more trust with people who follow you already and virtually introduce yourself to your partner’s followers. There’s no shortcut to showing your own face to build trust. TikTokers can tell whether you’re being genuine about your product and content. Let them see your authenticity by opening up on a live stream or doing a demo of your product with your partner’s support.
live streams have a couple of limitations to be aware of: You need to be over 16, and you need to have 1,000+ followers.
If you’re over 18, you can earn gift points from people who are watching your live stream. These points convert into real funds after the stream, so both you and your partner can monetize your time and efforts (as long as you meet the criteria).
Giveaways incentivize audience engagement while promoting your content and/or brands. They’re particularly useful to tie in with holidays, events, and other special occasions applicable to your niche. For example, if you’re a food TikToker who’s partnered with a kitchenware company, you might post Christmas-themed desserts and other recipes using the company’s kitchenware. Then you could encourage users to post videos of themselves following one of your recipes. The winner of your choice gets some of the kitchenware to use for future recipes.
Giveaways use both your and your partner’s creativity to reach as much of your target audience as possible. They’re good ways to establish your partnership and make it more noticeable in your niche, driving more traffic to both your pages.
If your partner’s more knowledgeable about an aspect of your niche than you are, have them guest post on your account and vice versa. You build a presence on TikTok more organically this way. Rather than relying on traditional advertising methods that Gen Z dislikes, you’re demonstrating your knowledge and how your content benefits your audience. As you do more guest posts with your partner, you’ll build your network with other TikTokers and gain more connections that help you and your partner both become more visible.
Podcasts are one of the most popular options for entertainment and education today. Listeners decide when they want to tune in, making podcasts a convenient and accessible option for on-the-go users.
With your collab partner, you can film a podcast episode and post a preview on TikTok that gets your audience excited. The preview doesn’t have to be the podcast content itself either. TikTok users are drawn to fun, experimental, relatable content. Show your audience a movie-style teaser or a couple of bloopers to get them engaged. If you’re promoting a product, talk about how that product fits into your podcast topics. Fitness influencers could post TikToks of themselves using their co-creator’s new products. Then both creators discuss the importance of physical health and mental well-being in their new podcast episode.
Once you’ve established a solid partnership, promote your new collab on other influencers’ and creators’ channels. Look for people in your niche with audiences who’d enjoy or benefit from your content, and reach out to them to see if they’d be willing to promote you.
Promotion goes for other social media channels too. While you don’t need to overstretch yourself to be on every platform, promoting your content on a few other platforms can make other people aware of the quality content you’re producing.
If you’re ready to collaborate with a creator, brand, or influencer, reach out! You’ve gone through the work of making sure your target audiences match and that there’s something in it for both of you. These things are key to a win-win partnership, where each person’s audience gains something from interacting with you and your partner.
An authentic, collaborative relationship can be one of your biggest assets in growing your audience on TikTok. It’s worth investing the time.
Want to make the most of your TikTok collabs? Beacons is the perfect tool for tracking your audience engagement and sending new followers to your website. Our website builder is mobile-friendly and has all your social links in one place. That way, when your collaborations bring in new audience members, they know where to go to find out more about you and your content. Beacons also has built-in analytics for your website so you can see what content is most popular. Make the most of your TikTok presence by trying Beacons for free today!
