What is TikTok Pulse? A How-To for Marketers and Creators
In May 2022, TikTok announced “TikTok Pulse, a new contextual advertising solution that lets advertisers place their brand next to the top content in the For You Feed” along with their first-ever revenue sharing opportunity for creators.
This is how TikTok Pulse works for marketers:
TikTok Pulse offers 12 categories where brands can run ads next to contextually relevant content. Not all categories have been announced but they include:
Beauty & Personal Care
Fashion
Gaming
Cooking & Baking
Automotive
Using a proprietary filter, TikTok selects brand safe and verified videos that are amongst the top 4% of all videos on the platform within the 12 Pulse categories. Brand ads are shown AFTER the top performing video. They also provide campaign measurement tools like “viewability verification” and “third-party brand suitability.”
According to a TikTok MarSci in Context Study conducted by Material in 2022, this placement also supercharges ad performance for brands. Ads saw:
8% higher brand favorability
10% more likely to be remembered
22% higher purchase intent with Gen-Z
The program is not available to all advertisers and creators, but has officially rolled out to select partners as of October 2022. In a DigiDay video report, Stacey Stewart, the Chief Marketplace Officer at UM Worldwide, who has tested with select advertisers on Pulse said, “There were brand lifts from an awareness perspective that we saw as part of the alpha [test]. They were kind of all over the map, though. It varied by product, by the ad, by the vertical. They were inconsistent, but there were lifts on everything. All of our clients.”
While this is not conclusive, this is a great indication that Pulse can be a great top-of-funnel (awareness) strategy for brands. Simply put, this is an interesting look at digital marketing beyond cookies. It’s contextual advertising with video post-roll after top-performing content.
What does this mean for Creators and Influencers?
TikTok Pulse is TikTok’s first revenue-sharing opportunity for creators to get paid for ads that appear after their top performing, brand safe, and verified content. TikTok Pulse is not available to all creators, and it's not clear when this will open up. According to TikTok, in order to qualify for TikTok Pulse, you must:
Have at least 100,000 followers
Be based in the United States
Be 18 years or older
Have five videos or more posted in the last 30 days
Join the TikTok Creator Marketplace
According to TechCrunch, there is a 50/50 revenue split between TikTok and creators on videos selected for Pulse. Although, this split has not been reported in official releases we found.
There are 12 TikTok Pulse categories. Not all verticals have been announced but these include:
Beauty & Personal Care
Fashion
Gaming
Cooking & Baking
Automotive
Sports (suggested by “unforgettable playoff moments” language in this press release)
You must also agree to accept the creator Terms and Conditions. After joining, if any of your videos are used “you will receive a payment notification during the first half of the following month.” Payment details will be included in your notification and the money will be added to the Creator Marketplace Pay section of the dashboard.
For creators on TikTok, this is a great opportunity to earn money from your content. It’s refreshing to see a step in TikTok Truly joining the creator economy creating a rising tide for brands and creators that is reflective of the impact creators on that platform have.
Our suggestion to creators who meet the qualifications above, but have not yet been accepted to the program, would be to experiment with creating brand safe content within the categories that align with your brand.
Stay tuned to our blog for more on how to maximize your TikTok presence and book a consultation with Jade Media if you need guidance on how to start your TikTok journey.