BRAND DEALS

Advertising on TikTok is different. Big brands understand this, they've spent big bucks figuring out what works and what doesn't. They take risks.

Smaller brands often feel they can't afford to do that. They have a limited budget, so it HAS to be perfect. They want traditional: Tell people why they need the product.

But advertising on TikTok is different. Companies with smaller budgets who take note of this, in my opinion (assuming their products are also desirable) are more likely to succeed than those who don't.

I've been fortunate enough to land a few brand deals. They are almost all with small companies/start ups. Some brands get it. They tell me to do my thing (as long as I follow some loose guidelines). Others don't. Their scripts have endless revisions. They nitpick at the draft: the captions are too big. Can you say this one line just a ltitle faster? We don’t think the yellow captions will resonate with our target demo. Can you change it to purple?

The Rock used to say, "Know your role and shut your mouth!" I could do that. I could read the script, take their money, say thank you, and move on. But that's not in my nature, especially when I'm dealing with people who have never made a TikTok video (for reference, I've made over 4300 since I joined in 2020).

I only partner with brands that I know, use, and/or trust. I want these brands to succeed. If I think they're doing something wrong, I tell them I disagree with the traditional script. The clueless social media managers tell me they've studied advertising and it's their way or the highway. I can argue until I'm blue in the face. Occasionally, I even film full videos to say this is what we could do that is out of the box and unique. They say no thanks.

Just as a quick side note: Several companies I've partnered with in the past few years are no longer in business.

Consider taking chances with the creators you hire. They know what they're doing.