A Marketer’s Guide to TikTok
Let’s get started!
Lights, Camera, TikTok!
Did you know that 74% of our audience use TikTok to be entertained?1
And, 47% of TikTok users have either discovered, or been inspired to find out more as a result of seeing entertainment content on TikTok.2
So, we’ve put together a guide to help entertainment brands harness the discovery power of TikTok, and our hyper-engaged community - featuring launch strategies, creative recommendations, and advice on how to utilise TikTok’s full-funnel solutions in the most effective way.
Own the launch
Launch with impact, combining full funnel solutions with attention-grabbing creative across all stages of the life cycle.
of TikTok users have taken an action after seeing content on TikTok2 of TikTok users have used their For You Page as a source of discovery and inspiration for entertainment content1
Driving awareness early on
Drive awareness and achieve cut through when announcing your upcoming release by pairing Reach & Frequency (R&F) with In-Feed Auction Ads optimising for 6-second focused views.
Planning Tactics
Optimisation:
Top Feed & Standard Feed: Reach (R&F) Focused View: 6-second focused views
Targeting: Broad (Demographic + Interest)
Landing Page: Instant Trailer Page
Creative: Format: Spark Ads
Add-ons: Countdown Sticker, Super Like
& Frequency (Top Feed & Standard Feed)
Building intent with the audience
Use Top Feed to drive buzz, paired with TikTok Pulse to drive further awareness, build frequency and shift intent by leveraging top content adjacency in relevant categories.
Film studios: direct your campaigns to Showtimes instant pages within 7 days of launch to increase movie-going intent
Planning Tactics:
Optimisation:
Pulse: Reach (R&F)
Top Feed: Reach (R&F)
Focused View: 6 Second Video Views
Targeting:
Pulse: Broad (Demographic)
Top Feed: Broad (Demo and Interest)
Focused View: Broad (Interest)
Landing Page:
Custom Trailer Instant Page OR Showtimes Instant Page
Creative:
Format: Spark Ads
Add-ons: Story Selection, Super Like, Countdown Sticker
Planning curve approach:
Maximising impact Planning curve approach:
Own your launch with TopView and leverage Top Feed to drive incremental reach and intent. Launch a Branded Mission to crowdsource creator content, paired with In-Feed Video to drive further awareness & shift favourability as you move towards Sustain.
Film Studios: continue leveraging our Showtimes instant page template to drive movie-going intent (can be paired with TopView, TopFeed, & Focused View).
Planning Tactics:
Optimisation:
Top Feed: Reach (R&F)
Focused View: 6 Second Video Views
Audience:
TopView: Premium reservation - SOV %
Top Feed: Broad (Demo and Interest)
Focused View: Broad (Demo, Interest & Lookalike)
Landing Page:
Showtimes Instant Page
Mission Page
Custom Trailer Page
Creative:
Format: Spark Ads
Add-ons: Super Like, Shake Surprise (TV), Story Selection
Showtimes Instant Page
Intent
Dwell Time
Driving talkability and staying top of mind
Continue to drive engagement and build affinity with your audience by leveraging User Generated Content from your Branded Mission campaign and pair your In-Feed auction ads with a branded effect to amplify downstream engagement.
Continue using Top Feed to reach users in the first In-Feed ad slot of each session and keep your IP top-of-mind
Planning Tactics:
Optimisation:
Top Feed: Reach (R&F)
Focused View: 6 Second Video Views
Targeting:
Top Feed: Broad (Demo and Interest)
Focused View: Broad (Demo, Interest & Lookalike)
Landing Page:
Custom Trailer Page OR Showtimes Instant Page Branded Mission
Mission Page for Branded Effect to engage creators
Creative:
Format: Spark Ads
Add-ons: Gift Code sticker, Display Card
Planning curve approach:
Avg In-feed View Time Engagement Rate
Average watch time In-Feed for Focused View optimisation
Avg lift in engagement rate when using Branded Mission + Focused View
Focused View (+ Branded Mission & Branded Effect)
Grow and retain your audience
to have discovered a new streaming service Showing
1.3x 1.3x 1.0x 1.1x 1.1x
to have searched for more info about a streaming service
to have discovered a new streaming service that led to subscribing
to have kept track of favorite shows /movies on streaming services
to have learned more about a streaming service to have learned more about a streaming service that led to subscribing
Use Hashtag Targeting to tap into specific communities on TikTok. And leverage First Party Data to create lookalikes for prospecting, exclusions for efficiency and existing subscribers for upselling
Use Video Shopping Ads to showcase the range of content on your platform to boost new subscribers and retention. Users are able to click through the rotating tiles at the bottom to find out more about their selected title. All you need to get this set up is a Catalogue, and ideally, the TikTok Pixel.
TikTok creators can help streamers generate influence; they are almost as influential as family/ friends in motivating subscription*
Use TikTok’s Performance Auction Objectives to captialise on the hype and excitement of your new release. Utilise highlycustomisable targeting to reach your audience and input your CPA target to ensure efficiency
Customise your launch
Creative tips to entertain and engage
Famous Faces
Talent (aka famous recognisable faces) featured prominently, can drive 2x View-Through Rate (VTR)
Thinking BTS
Trailers featuring fresh content (35%), and behind the scenes footage (30%) are the top content types TikTok users like to see when it comes to new theatrical releases.
Keep it short & sweet
Creatives that are max 10s – 12s in duration drive higher ER (+20% across category) and higher VTR (+50% against category benchmarks)
Sound drives VTR
Creatives with catchy, attention-grabbing audio increases VTR
9 in 10
TikTok users find entertainment content more creative, more fun and more entertaining.
Entertaining ads deliver powerful benefits for brands, including stronger affinity, purchase intent, and advocacy.
Thank you!
For more tips and data-driven insights to supercharge your advertising strategy, follow us on TikTok:
@tiktokforbusinesseu
For more creative guidance, explore our Creative Centre or sign up to our newsletter. The TikTok world is your oyster.
AppendixProduct Index
‘In Feed Video’ helps to build your brand in the content that TikTokers love. Choose maximum campaign flexibility by running your In-Feed video in through the auction or predict your reach through our Reach & Frequency buying method.
‘Focused View’ is the evolution of the video view optimisation which allows advertisers to optimise for Engagement in the form of both video views and interactions.
‘Showtimes’ is a new instant experience optimised to drive movie-going intent and Showtime LookUps — from TikTok, directly to your ticketing partners.
‘TopView’ is the most premium ad format that showcases your brand as soon as TikTokers open the app with 5-60s autoplay video in our full-screen and sound on ad experience.
‘TikTok Pulse’ is powered by the Pulse Score, your ads show up in the feed next to the top 4% of content topics.
‘Top Feed’ is the first In-Feed Ad slot at every session purchased via Reach & Frequency. Brands can breakthrough as the first ad experience when targeted viewers open TikTok.
‘Branded Mission’ is a new solution where brands can crowdsource high-quality UGC at scale, leveraging the power of our creator community.