How To Get Brand Deals on TikTok To Monetize Your Content

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Carolyn Howell

Last Updated: Jun 18, 2024

TikTok 101
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Do you want to get paid to create content on TikTok? Content creators can get sponsored partnerships with brands to monetize their content on the platform. Here’s everything you need to know about how to get brand deals on TikTok. 

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How To Get Brand Deals on TikTok: What Is Branded Content?

Where do you start if you want to know how to get brand deals on TikTok? To successfully explore paid collaborations with brands, you must understand what branded content is on TikTok. 

What Is Branded Content on TikTok?

Branded content on TikTok is creator-made content promoting a brand’s goods or services for which they receive something of value. “It could be a brand endorsement, partnership, or another kind of promotion for a product or service.” 

When a creator partners with a brand for a paid sponsorship, they must use the Branded Content toggle. It’s a must to label the sponsored post appropriately. According to TikTok:

“You must enable the Branded content toggle when posting Branded content on TikTok. When you enable the toggle, it adds a disclosure (for example, #Ad) to the description of your post. The Branded content toggle is available to all accounts globally.”

To turn on the Branded Content toggle before you share your post:

  1. Tap More options on the Post screen, then tap Branded content
  2. Turn the toggle On

How Many Followers on TikTok To Get Brand Deals

How many followers do you need on TikTok to get brand deals? The number depends on several factors. To join TikTok Creator Marketplace, you need at least 100,000 followers to be eligible. 

You can do your own thing and promote your personal brand as a content creator via the main TikTok platform. TikTok’s Creator Fund is a monetization option for serious creators. Technically, you can get brand deals on TikTok regardless of how many followers you have. But the size of your following may influence your prospects. For example, you may not get as many offers as a nano-influencer compared to if you were a mid-tier influencer. The size of the company and campaign may also depend on how big your following is. 

These are common influencer categories according to follower numbers:

  • Nano-influencers have between 1,000 and 5,000 followers
  • Micro-influencers have 5,000 to 20,000 followers
  • Mid-tier influencers have 20,000 to 100,000 followers
  • Macro-influencers have up to one million followers
  • Mega-influencers have more than one million followers 

These numbers can help you find suitable partnerships when exploring how to get brand deals on TikTok. 

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Where and How To Get Brand Deals on TikTok

TikTok’s top influencers have inspired countless people to try their luck and achieve fame and fortune on the platform. Its billion-strong userbase continues to attract brands which, in turn, opens up more money-making opportunities for TikTok creators. The platform also fully supports collaborations between creators and brands, offering a full suite of tools to help partnerships succeed. 

TikTok creators have plenty of ways to monetize their content on the platform. Exploring how to get brand deals on TikTok via the platform’s partner program is one of them. 

How To Get Brand Deals on TikTok via TikTok Creator Marketplace

Explore opportunities to get brand deals on TikTok via TikTok Creator Marketplace. “TikTok Creator Marketplace (TTCM) is the official platform for brand and creator collaborations on TikTok.” As of December 2022, TikTok reports that over 800,000 qualified creators are on the platform worldwide. 

Check out TTCM If you want to engage in influencer marketing campaigns with brands or other types of sponsored collaborations. How can you get in on the action?

TTCM is where creators can “sell themselves” to brands looking for creator-led campaigns. Collaborations can be either paid or reward-based, depending on the parties’ agreement. 

How To Get Brand Deals on TikTok Creator Marketplace: How To Join TTCM

Who is eligible to join TTCM and explore how to get brand deals on TikTok? You can apply to join the marketplace if you meet the following requirements. You may also receive an invitation from TikTok to join TTCM if you are eligible. 

  1. You must have a Personal (Creator) account.
  2. You have more than 100,000 followers.
  3. You posted at least three videos in the last 28 days.
  4. You have more than 100,000 video likes in the last 28 days
  5. You are at least 18 years old.
  6. You are in one of the 24 countries where TTCM is currently available

TikTok will review your application, perform an audience analysis, and send you notifications about the results. You can reapply after 30 days if you do not pass the initial review. 

If TikTok approves your application, you can immediately start creating your TTCM profile:

  1. Go to your Settings and select Creator Account. 
  2. Tap TikTok Creator Marketplace and start editing your profile page. 
  3. Set a rate for sponsored videos. 
  4. You will receive notifications on TikTok via email and SMS when a brand invites you to collaborate. You’ll find all TTCM notifications under Creator Monetization. 

How To Get Brand Deals on TikTok Creator Marketplace: Getting Around TTCM

What can you expect when you start exploring how to get brand deals on TikTok Creator Marketplace? 

  • Official support from TikTok on brand campaigns
  • Access to online collaboration tools
  • Access to Marketplace Academy for Creators (if you’re a creator in the US or UK)

Brands looking for creators like you will have access to your profile, audience demographics, engagement metrics, etc. They can perform an influencer analysis based on your profile information to see if you’re a good fit for their campaign. 

How To Get Brand Deals on TikTok Creator Marketplace: Don’t Forget the Branded Content Toggle

When landing a campaign by exploring how to get brand deals on TikTok Creator Marketplace, always use the Branded content toggle. 

If you’re on TTCM, you can link your post to your TTCM campaign. Just upload it through the TTCM creator console or the normal TikTok flow. This way, your brand partner can also access the campaign analytics. 

Here’s how to use the Branded content toggle:

  1. Link your branded content post to a TTCM campaign. Click on the Branded content tab and turn the toggle on. Click Link Campaign. Find the TTCM campaign associated with your post. 
  2. Link your branded content post to a TTCM campaign with a TTCM campaign code. Click on the Branded content tab and turn the toggle on. Click Link Campaign. Click Add campaign code. Your brand partner will provide this code. 

Another essential thing to keep in mind when posting branded content through TCM is music licensing. TikTok requires creators and brands to only use music from the Commercial Music Library for Branded content.  

However, a creator or their brand/advertising partner may still use music that’s not available in the Commercial Music Library. But keep in mind that you must obtain the necessary licensing rights to use said music. If this is the case, the creator can only share their Branded content via the normal TikTok post upload flow. You can’t share Branded content through the TikTok Creator Marketplace if you’re using music sourced outside the Commercial Music Library. 

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How To Get Brand Deals on TikTok via an Influencer Marketplace

You don’t need to limit yourself to TikTok when exploring how to get brand deals on TikTok. Aspiring influencers can try their luck on influencer marketing platforms. Here are some sites that are worth checking out. 

  1. Shopify Collabs. You can sign up as a creator and earn from brands you love. Find out if a brand is already on TikTok. Show them what you can for them on the platform. When joining Shopify Collabs, you can discover new brands or browse through Shopify’s personalized recommendations. 
  2. Upfluence. Join Upfluence’s community of influential creators to connect and form lasting partnerships with brands.  
  3. Klear. Partner with Klear to match with leading brands on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. The site also provides a complete set of tools to facilitate smooth and successful collaborations. 
  4. Neoreach. Join Neoreach’s official and exclusive Discord for creators. You can access exclusive brand deals and events when you become part of the Neoreach community of content creators. You can also choose your channels and collaborate and interact with other influencers. 
  5. Influence.co. It claims to be the “first professional network” for influencers and creators. Like LinkedIn, you can create a resume and portfolio to showcase your experience, skills, and content. Influence.co has thousands of live campaigns available to member creators looking to monetize their content. 

Take a look at these other sites and join them to further expand your network and exposure. Especially if you’re still growing your following on TikTok, finding collaboration opportunities outside TikTok is helpful. You may land a brand deal via any of these influencer marketplaces. You can then add this to your portfolio to boost your influencer status on TikTok. 

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Brands That Collaborate With Small Influencers on TikTok 

All successful influencers started small. But they succeeded thanks to brands that collaborate with small influencers on TikTok. Having a small following is no longer a deal-breaker if you’re curious about how to get brand deals on TikTok. Many brands recognize the power of creators with a niche following but more dedicated followerswhen it comes to engagement. And high engagement is more valuable than follower count when measuring a piece of content’s success.

Check out these names if you’re a nano- or micro-influencer looking for a rewarding collaboration. 

  • Daniel Wellington. The Swedish watchmaker began with $15K in 2019 and grew their revenue to $200M — with the help of micro-influencers. The company has also expanded its product line to include other types of jewelry. 
  • Sephora. A well-known beauty brand, Sephora appreciates the strong pull of micro-influencers when it comes to promoting skincare and self-love. 
  • Nike. Who would’ve thought that a global brand like Nike would be working with lesser-known TikTok creators? Check out the Nike Affiliate Program. It’s a great place to start if you want to work with this superstar activewear brand. 
  • Starbucks. The coffee brand’s social media pages are full of content from creators on the lower rungs of the influencer ladder. 
  • Sperry. The shoe brand is still building its following on TikTok. But its history of collaborations with micro-influencers is well-documented on other social platforms. So now’s the perfect time to get their attention on TikTok. 
  • Glossier. The beauty company has an influencer program with more than 500 ambassadors. Start tagging the company in content that features their products, and you may become their next advocate!
  • Gillette. The razor brand remains a bathroom staple. The company has been investing in influencer programs for all influencers to tap into the Gen Z market. 

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How To Get Brand Deals on TikTok With a Dedicated Audience

TikTok offers tons of opportunities for creators to monetize their content. Before exploring how to get brand deals on TikTok, make sure you have a profile that’s more than “good enough.” Learn what you can from successful creators and their brand collaborations. Analyze their popular non-branded content. Find out what makes audiences love their videos. 

Audience engagement is the most significant consideration for brands looking for creators to partner with on TikTok. You won’t pass muster with potential partners if you have tens or hundreds of thousands of followers but low engagement. A highly engaged audience means the creator knows how to make content that resonates with them. The creator knows how to communicate and generate and sustain audience interest effectively. It also means that their followers consider the creator credible and trustworthy.  

Grow your account the right way from the get-go. Build a community of genuinely interested followers by consistently creating content that suits their interests. Know your audience well enough to connect with them on a deeper level through your videos. The more engaged your audience is, the more relevant your videos will become to TikTok’s For You algorithm. And this means TikTok will help more users who may also like your content discover you more easily. 

You can give yourself more control over how to find the right audience for your content. How? Team up with a TikTok growth expert like High Social to take advantage of their advanced, proprietary AI technology. Increase your chances of identifying users whose interests, passions, and behaviors are a match to your TikTok identity. Grow your community with dedicated fans with a subscription to one of High Social’s monthly plans. And you’ll be more than ready to explore how to get brand deals on TikTok.  

Start growing your TikTok today!

TikTok 101