If you've bought something you've seen on TikTok, you're not alone — half of all TikTok users have shopped from brands they learned about on the app.
With this in mind, savvy businesses will partner with creators or likeminded companies to reach new audiences, increase engagement, and drive sales.
In other words, they leverage the power of TikTok collaborations.
And their power is real. Studies find that TikTok brand collaborations are more memorable and engaging than other content on the app.
Even better? You don't need a large social following for TikTok collabs to work.
Ready to try one of your own? Here are 7 of our favorite recent TikTok brand collaborations inspire your strategy:
#1: Duolingo x Scrub Daddy
Duolingo is a language learning app best-known for its random content — and so is Scrub Daddy, the hilarious happy face-shaped dish scrubber.
In a recent collaboration, the brands paired up to embrace the chaos together.
While they don't seem to have much in common (their products could not be more different), their content style brought them together.
The result? A TikTok that left us speechless.
Whether you loved it or hated it, you were talking about it — and that was the point.
The original video on Scrub Daddy's account has 1.1M views, while the repost on Duolingo's has racked up a cool 3.1M.
TAKEAWAY: Don't be afraid to partner with brands or creators who have the same "vibe" and audience as you on social — even if they're not the most obvious choice.
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#2: Alleyoop x Erica Maria
Makeup company Alleyoop landed one of their most impressive TikTok brand collaborations using a tried-and-tested strategy: creator gifting.
After receiving and trying out several Alleyoop products, makeup artist and TikTok micro-influencer, Erica Marie, created this video showing her love for their bestselling 3-in-1 stackable compact:
The resulting video is a great example of an influencer partnership that doubles as an authentic user testimonial. It’s garnered a collective 3,000+ views to date!
#3: Magic Spoon x Super Coffee
Hosting a giveaway is one of the most effective ways to boost engagement on social media.
People love giveaways — and will comment on your post, tag their friends, and follow you for the chance to win a prize.
And what's better than a single giveaway? A joint one!
Which is what cereal company Magic Spoon recently did with coffee brand Super Coffee.
While the video got around the same number of likes as Magic Spoon’s other TikTok content, the comments were through the roof — a 364% increase from their usual posts!
TAKEAWAY: Never underestimate the power of a giveaway, especially if you partner with a brand that has a similar target audience.
#4: Saint Lucia Tourism x Naomi Leanage
Another giveaway option for brands is to partner with an influencer to reach more people, which is how Saint Lucia Tourism Authority promoted their most recent contest in collaboration with Toronto-based influencer Naomi Leanage.
Since Naomi regularly posts travel content on her TikTok, partnering on this giveaway made perfect sense.
The collab consisted of six vlog-style videos, with one video announcing the actual contest.
The vlogs were a great way to prime her audience for the contest announcement video, which — between her account and the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority’s account — got over 15K likes and 900 comments.
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#5: Our Place x Nguyen Yeats-Brown
One of the best ways to attract customers on TikTok is to show your product in action — and that's exactly what Our Place does.
The colorful, non-stick cookware company regularly partners with creators of all audience sizes — from those with a few thousand followers to those with over 100K — to produce recipe tutorials that double-up as product testimonials.
They recently partnered with UK-based food-lover Nguyen Yeats-Brown and her podcast co-host, Verna Gao:
In the TikTok videos, Nguyen and Verna show us how to make spring rolls and chocolate bao using Our Place products.
Turning their collaborations into cooking tutorials (versus direct product placements) makes the content feel more authentic.
TAKEAWAY: When brainstorming ideas for product-specific collaborations, ask yourself: "How can we show, not tell?"
#6: Supergoop x Abena Kusi
For most people, putting on sunscreen is more of a necessity than a joyous event.
So whenever suncare company Supergoop partners with TikTok creators to make daily SPF application feel fun, it catches our attention.
Supergoop's TikTok collaborations, including this recent partnership with Abena Kusi, are focused on showing customers what their product does and how it makes you feel.
Supergoop's videos look like customer testimonials, which are crucial in convincing people to try new products.
In fact, nearly 90% of online shoppers read at least three reviews before trying a new product, so having accessible customer testimonials is a powerful tactic for success.
#7: Mejuri x Paul Kunwoo Lee
When it comes to TikTok collaborations, jewelry brand Mejuri knows how to get impressive (and ongoing) results.
Their long-term partnerships with micro-influencers like Paul Kunwoo Lee create a continual stream of publicity on social media.
Mejuri uses an affiliate program to incentivize creators to create content about their products — creators get paid a commission fee whenever someone buys a product from them using the influencer's unique website link or discount code.
This enables the brand to partner with more influencers — and diversify their TikTok feed — since there's no upfront cost, and each creator gets paid based on the traffic they drive for the company.
It's a win-win!
TikTok brand collaborations can be a powerful tool in your social media arsenal — regardless of your business size or budget.
Each and every one of the seven strategies used by brands in the examples above can work for companies big and small, including you!
Looking to take your TikTok strategy to the next level? Learn how to get viral reach and engagement with Later’s free 5-day TikTok course — sign up today!
