When it comes to working with content creators, it’s often assumed that a larger follower count translates into better results. Companies tend to invest a significant amount of their marketing budget into producing UGC videos with creators who have millions of followers, thinking this will provide better results for their paid campaigns. However, that’s not a very safe bet to make. While having a larger presence on social media can be beneficial for organic collaborations, it almost never guarantees better success when using the videos for paid advertising purposes. In a recent study we examined paid TikTok campaigns across a variety of industries and concluded that:
- 60% of campaigns analyzed saw better success with creators with fewer TikTok followers
- 60% of campaigns analyzed saw better success with creators with less than 54,000 TikTok followers
- 33.33% higher average CTR with creators with less than 75,000 TikTok followers
Let’s get into exactly what these statistics mean.
60% of campaigns analyzed saw better success with creators with fewer TikTok followers
We analyzed real TikTok campaigns from Q1 2023 to Q2 2024 as an official TikTok Partner. These campaigns spanned various industries and countries, including the US, France, Canada, the UK, and Korea.
The data showed that in 60% of campaigns, creators with fewer followers delivered better results. But what does this mean, and how did we come to this conclusion?
For most TikTok campaigns, we work with two or more creators. When comparing their performance, we found that 60% of the time, the creator with fewer followers produced the top-performing video, receiving the highest ad spend.
This tells us there’s no direct link between the number of followers a creator has and the success of their paid video ads.
60% of campaigns analyzed saw better success with creators with less than 54,000 TikTok followers
After seeing that 60% of campaigns performed better with creators who had fewer followers, we dug deeper to find an average.
We analyzed a wide range of campaigns, featuring creators with anywhere from 152 to 2.5 million followers. The results showed that creators with less than 54,000 followers had better results in 60% of the campaigns.
Does this mean you should only work with creators under 54,000 followers? Not necessarily. But it does show that you shouldn’t limit yourself to hiring creators with over 100,000 followers for example, as follower count alone doesn’t guarantee success.
33.33% higher average CTR with creators with less than 75,000 TikTok followers
Click-through rate (CTR) is a key metric in measuring campaign success. When we divided our campaigns into two groups—creators with fewer than 75,000 followers and those with more—creators with fewer than 75,000 followers had a 33.33% higher average CTR.
This held true even after considering factors like ad spend, location, and the number of videos tested per campaign.
In conclusion…
From the data we gathered, it’s clear that follower count alone doesn’t determine campaign success. Instead, brands should focus on creators who represent their target audience, create high-quality content, and know how to grab attention.
By prioritizing these qualities over follower count, you’re much more likely to get the results you’re after.
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