When it comes to social media, one of the fastest-growing and trending platforms is TikTok. TikTok is a big rival to YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram. And this platform is fantastic for you to find brands to work with and make a living. So in this article, we teach you how to get brand deals on TikTok and earn money doing what you love.
As part of the process, we will also detail how you can use Indy to improve your TikTok sponsorship revenues and improve your business. Indy is a great toolkit freelancers can use to take care of most of their admin tasks all in one place. So, let’s get started!
Why Get Sponsored on TikTok
TikTok has become one of the global phenomenons of the 2020s. The app has more than 30 million daily users on the platform, just on their mobile devices. The short videos are engaging with audiences and help to create a gateway into selling emotionally driven stories. Including branded content is just the next step in the process.
And there are numerous ways you can earn money thanks to TikTok videos. For instance, you can get a paid partnership for featuring the brand, creating reviews of products, or having an unboxing video. There are also numerous revenue streams from creating branded content for a set fee, taking commissions from affiliate links, and other options.
Those that are taking a set fee for a video can see each TikTok video earning TikTok influencers between $500 and $900. The platform recommends that TikTok influencers publish between one and four TikTok videos per day, which means potential sponsors could pay you up to $3600 per day or up to $1.3 million a year.
How to Get Brand Deals on TikTok
Getting on the TikTok creator marketplace and earning revenue from posting branded content on TikTok is not easy. There is a set process that you've got to follow to get TikTok brand deals, which we will detail here.
Step 1 - Choose a TikTok video niche
The first thing you've got to do is choose a TikTok content niche. There are numerous niches that you could choose from. TikTok is very popular for dancing, lip-syncing, and comedy. However, that doesn't mean you have to create branded content in these specific areas. You could choose pet videos, career tutorials, branded hashtag challenges, or another niche that is closer to your heart.
Choose something that you're passionate about. You want to be excited to create branded content, not do it because it is the only way that you earn money. Getting sponsored TikTok posts just for money will quickly diminish life goals.
Step 2 - What type of branded content do you want to create?
Now you need to decide on what type of branded content you would like to create during your TikTok sponsorships. You might do reviews, incorporate brands into life lessons, unboxing, or something similar. You need to decide how you want to work with brands and what you're willing to offer.
Be sure to check what TikTok defines branded content as. TikTok states that you must have received some form of payment for any content that features a product/service/brand in the post.
Step 3 - Create a TikTok account
Now you need to create a TikTok account that you can work from. Setting up a TikTok account is not challenging. It takes only a few minutes, and you can have your professional headshot, a short description, and the TikTok profile ready to go.
In addition to the TikTok profile, you might want to create other social media accounts. A large following across the internet will make you more valuable to brands.
Step 4 - Buy the right equipment
Now you need to buy the right equipment. While some people use their phones, these are not always the best options as they don't have the quality you might get on professional cameras. Consider different options.
Step 5 - Create initial TikTok videos
To get sponsored on TikTok, you need to make sure you've got a personal brand that has value. Without engaging content, you can't get followers, and you're not going to be worth much.
Therefore, you need to spend some time creating the initial TikTok videos.
Create videos that match your specific niche. You don't need to create fake branded content at this point, just content that matches the niche and style you're looking for.
As you create organic content, you will find that you will get more followers. You might want to advertise your personal brand on other social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram. Then you can direct audiences there to your TikTok channel, as long as they are TikTok users.
To get more followers, consider working with other creators on TikTok in collaboration videos.
Step 6 - Build a website
You should also consider building a website. A website can showcase what branded content you can create for brands, and vital statistics for your brand such as follower numbers, engagement rates, and success of previous campaigns.
You can also include a business contact email where brands can contact you to learn more about TikTok sponsorship.
Step 7 - Approach brands with sponsorship opportunities
Now it is time to try and get a paid partnership. There are numerous ways you can do this. You could contact local brands in your area and see if they would be willing to sponsor some branded content on TikTok. Or you can connect to the TikTok creator marketplace. The marketplace is a site where brands and TikTok influencers can connect for branded content.
When you are approaching brands, ensure that you have lots of detailed analytics about your brand on TikTok. For instance, you want to include follower count, audience demographics, and other statistics for the engaged audiences you have.
If you're seeking local sponsors, then ensure you're following all local laws about marketing.
Step 8 - Get approached for TikTok sponsorship
At some point, you're going to be approached by brands looking for TikTok sponsorships. They might have found your website or found you through the creator marketplace. In the email or message, they will hopefully give you details about what they want and what they're willing to pay.
Step 9 - Negotiate with the TikTok sponsor
When finding TikTok sponsorships, you will need to negotiate with the brand. You need to determine what kind of branded content they are looking for, when they're looking for it, and for how much. There are always going to be compromises, but don't forget the value of the other social media platforms you use either.
Always keep an up-to-date record of how many followers you have across all social media accounts. Your value isn't just to TikTok; social media influencers will often count each follower on each platform, regardless if some of them are the same person.
Remember that when you're posting branded content for these companies, you are becoming a brand ambassador for them. Brand ambassadors need to be sure that their ethics and values align with the brands, so do your research first.
Once you've agreed to everything with the brand, you can then send a contract.
Step 10 - Create branded content
Now is the time to create branded content. You can create the content, edit it, and submit it to the brand for approval. Or, once created, you can just get it ready for publication.
Step 11 - Publish branded content
Now you can publish the branded content. TikTok creators need to follow certain rules when it comes to posting brand endorsement videos. For one, you need to make sure the video description contains a good message that will engage the audience. You also need to mention that the video is sponsored.
In addition, TikTok sponsorship requirements include the branded content toggle button. You can find the toggle button when you access the post screen. All you need to do is click once on the branded content toggle button, and the content will be marked like other sponsored posts.
You will need to do this every time that you post branded content. Not clicking on the branded content toggle can sometimes diminish the reach of the sponsored posts.
Step 12 - Get paid
When you've met the criteria for the paid partnership, you need to send the brand an invoice and ensure you get paid.
How Indy Can Help with Sponsorship Opportunities
Sponsorships and brand collaborations on TikTok are really exciting! We know this is how many influencers turn their hobby or interests into a full-time, rewarding source of income. We also know they are a lot of work. You may have to send multiple proposals to pitch to brands, write and manage contracts, and then send invoices to brands you are working with. Indy can help you get all three done.
- Indy’s Proposals tool gives you a simple way to create, edit, and manage your pitches to brands. Once you’ve created a proposal, either from scratch or by using one of our ready-made templates, you can save it and reuse it easily.
- Try Indy’s Contracts tool to write, sign, and store your contracts. This easy-to-use tool gives you a contract editor, signature tracker, and secure document storage solution all at the same time.
- After you’ve done the work, get paid faster with Indy’s Invoices tool. You can generate an invoice in just a few minutes (or faster once you have a template set up), send it to your client, and offer multiple payment options to get paid faster.
There’s even more to Indy’s platform to help you. You can create feedback forms to get feedback and step up your game. You can manage all your work through a brilliant Kanban-style project manager. Indy has all the help you need to make your freelance admin work as smooth and easy as possible.
Conclusion
TikTok creators and TikTok sponsors working together is a great way to engage audiences and get them to learn about brands. Brands are actively trying to find influencers like you to work with and the revenue potential is enough to turn a passion into a career.
Long-term partnerships take time to build, but with Indy and a set of processes, you can make a successful career out of being a TikTok influencer. And there will be no limit to what you can achieve.
