Welcome back to the latest issue of Funnel Vision, the weekly newsletter that puts performance creative & growth marketing in focus. Brought to you by the crew at Ready Set.

Pop quiz: What is the average global time spent on TikTok per day?

1. 30 minutes

2. 62 minutes

3. 95 minutes

The answer is… 3! 95 minutes per day. This eyebrow-raising figure is higher than any other social media platform, 53% more than the next highest, Instagram.

Rather than pull up your Screen Time to see how you compare (not recommended) why not instead spend the next 5 minutes here learning how to build high-performing TikTok ads?

I like that plan. Let’s go!

Reading time: 5 minutes

Four pillars to running TikTok ads that slay

We’ve seen it time and time again.

Creative that crushes on one platform completely tanks on another.

As brands diversify spend across different ad platforms, understanding the intricacies and subtleties of each is critical to success.

Today, we’re putting TikTok under the spotlight. We’ll peer into the mechanics of a successful ad to help understand how TikTok, well, ticks.

Here are four core pillars of a successful TikTok ad.

1. Tap into trends

The performance of a trend-based ad really comes down to two things:

Getting your ads out there before the trend passes, and;

Contribute to the trend in a meaningful way with an authentic & original take

(Transgressing on the latter would result in, as Gen Z would say, major cringe.)

BUT… getting the timing and the substance right can give your ad a huge tailwind.

💡Tip: Use tools like TikTok’s Creative Center to track trending content, songs, & hashtags.

2. Tell a story

Entertaining content is the bread and butter of TikTok.

The best-performing ads are no different. They often don’t even look or feel like ads.

A major part of that is storytelling.

Wrapping your product or offer inside a narrative that has a beginning, middle, and end takes the audience on a journey and keeps them engaged.

They connect emotionally with the struggles and triumphs of the characters (a.k.a. your users/customers) and the tools they use to find success (a.k.a your product).

Side note: That’s why trends are so successful; they’re ultimately just storytelling frameworks.

3. Focus on people

User-generated content (UGC) is always a safe bet for performance creative.

On TikTok, however, UGC ads reign supreme.

There’s an inherent trust and authenticity to UGC content. These aspects are a critical part of the TikTok audience's expectations—and they can sniff out a fake from a mile away.

💡 Interesting: We’ve found across multiple clients that ads with opening shots showing people’s faces—and, funnily enough, their hands—perform better than ads that don’t.

4. Nail the basics

It may seem simple, but getting the basics right really is half the battle.

Using TikTok’s signature features, like greenscreen and voice overs, give your ads immediate familiarity and make them feel native to the platform.

Footage with a DIY aesthetic aligns with the scrappy nature of TikTok and often outperforms polished content. Shoot in vertical, and stick to structures that are proven to sell—a hook that reels in viewers, memorable selling points, and a compelling call to action.

Let’s take a look at one high-performing ad that checks all of these boxes.

This ad from fintech company Brigit is one of our best performing TikTok ads.

Why it works

🔥 This ad didn’t just tap into a trend, it started one. The more you iterate, the more you increase your odds of landing a hit.

📖 It tells a story in less than 30 seconds. There’s humor, relationship dynamics, conflict & resolution—all the ingredients of a compelling (if brief) narrative.

👫The amazing talent in this ad makes this scenario feel authentic. The exchange perfectly tees up the subtle introduction to the product and its core value prop.

📱It’s super low-tech. Shot on a smartphone and edited with basic text overlays, it feels completely native to the platform.

Want to explore TikTok ads for your brand?

The Ready Set team are certified TikTok ad experts. If you want to connect with us to chat TikTok strategy, get in touch via this form and we’ll tee it up.

AD TRENDS TO WATCH

Why the #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt trend (still) slaps

I know what you’re thinking. This trend is old news!

Our response? You’re absolutely right.

The #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt hashtag went viral in early 2020. Realizing its phenomenal potential to drive sales, advertisers quickly hopped on the trend; partnering with creators and influencers to spin up their own version.

Fast forward to 2024, here’s the kicker: it still works.

And it should be a mainstay in your TikTok advertising strategy. Just check out the view count on a handful of these examples within the last few months:

There are countless more examples of this format catching gargantuan numbers of eyeballs. Overall the #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt hashtag has over 60B views.

Why it works

🧠 Tapping into psychological principles like social proof and FOMO drives both engagement and impulse buying.

🙋The UGC-style content creates a sense of trust and authenticity through peer recommendation

⚡ #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt ads are short, engaging, and highly structured; the perfect recipe for virality.

Takeaway: Don’t sleep on this trend. While it may be a few years old—practically fossilized as far as social media timelines are concerned—it’s proven again and again to be a winning format.

Catch you next time!

We don’t have favorites, but if you’re still reading you’re definitely my favorite 🫶

How are you liking Funnel Vision so far? I sincerely hope it’s a few minutes well-spent each Friday and you go on with your day feeling more confident to tackle this crazy thing we call performance marketing.

Have recos for topics you’d like to see covered? Feedback for the team (nice or constructive, preferably nice)? A general comment/question? Just hit reply, I read ‘em all.

Peace.

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