For TikTok success, it’s all about the partnerships

Social media is a crucial channel for brands to reach audiences—but traditional marketing and advertising messages are falling increasingly flat.

For Alejandra Lee, a media strategist and social media expert with The Richards Group, the advice often boils down to a simple directive: Don’t make ads; make TikToks. Lee emphasizes that the algorithms of platforms like TikTok have become so intelligent, they know if your video content doesn’t follow the right format.

Alejandra Lee

“Probably their algorithm deprioritizes [a video] whenever it doesn’t feel like a proper piece of content,” she says. “If it just feels like a video ad, that is less likely to bring value to the experience from a user standpoint.” For TikTok—and other social media platforms—their business model is to compete for users’ attention and keep people coming back for more.

If your ad isn’t helping retain those users—the algorithm won’t be boosting its visibility. That’s why influencer marketing has seen a sustained rise.

“We will be seeing a lot of niche and micro influencers making more an impact because they do have more of that true engagement,” Lee predicts. Brands are increasingly looking to create something relatable, and users want to connect with “a person like me.”