George: Hello—good morning, evening, or afternoon wherever you are. Today we have Anna on the podcast. This is different from our usual Amazon PPC/DSP chats—we’re going off-topic into TikTok, Meta ads, and creatives in general. Anna has a background in TikTok ads. Anna, tell us about your experience with paid social.
Anna: I’ve always had a creative background and wanted to approach paid social from that angle. I love that you see results from creativity instantly—and there’s real monetary impact. I got into paid social in my first job as a junior graphic designer, creating ad assets, and it grew from there.
George: Anna joined our team in February—about two months ago—and I’ve already learned a ton from her about creative types and structure. Before your career started, where did the creative spark come from?
Anna: Like many creatives, it started in childhood. I loved stop-motion—Wallace & Gromit had me filming animations in my bedroom, music videos with friends, all of it. At school we had to film an advert. They showed classic Cadbury ads—like Phil Collins in the gorilla suit on drums. It made me realize pure creativity can make you watch an ad you’d normally skip. I tried my own version—with guinea pigs!—and my teacher loved it. From then, I dreamed of making ads and content.
George: Let’s talk TikTok. Many clients have moved from Amazon to TikTok Shop and seen products go viral. TikTok ads are a different beast though. When did you start with TikTok ads, and what did you think?
Anna: Early in my agency days. I came in as a creator—filming and editing first—before diving into the paid side. Creatively, I loved the platform: short-form video that performs best when it looks homemade—great for scrappy iteration. Video leaves a stronger impression than static images. And unlike older platforms, you don’t need a big organic base to go viral—TikTok can push a new account’s video to millions. On the paid side, TikTok Ads Manager feels like a simpler, less daunting Meta.
George: So someone with zero followers can go viral?
Anna: Yes. I’ve seen friends post three videos and the third gets 2.5 million likes. TikTok’s algorithm can amplify anyone.
George: I used to think TikTok was just dances—until our clients sold out there. My first TikTok purchase was 76 rolls of toilet paper for £20! Let’s compare Meta. What are the biggest differences you see between TikTok ads and Meta ads?
Anna: Meta is more mature—sophisticated targeting and analytics. Creatively you get videos, stills, carousels, GIFs. Objectives go beyond purchases—lead gen, installs, post engagement, traffic. Demographically, Meta skews older (often 40+) and can support longer videos. TikTok skews younger and rewards immediate hooks. I’ve found TikTok creatives often port well to Meta, but not always the other way round. Meta’s ads manager is still ahead, but TikTok is catching up fast. Also, Meta lets you retarget your existing organic audience more robustly; TikTok gives you more chance to win without one.
George: How should a company decide which platform to use?
Anna:
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Choose TikTok if your audience skews Gen Z/Millennial, you’re launching something new (little organic base), want broader global reach quickly, or plan to lean into influencer-driven content.
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Choose Meta if you have a sizeable organic audience you can retarget, need a broader age range, want non-purchase goals (traffic, leads, engagement), or require advanced remarketing options.
George: People often say “we want to promote on TikTok” without specifics. What’s the difference between TikTok Ads and using influencers with TikTok Shop?
Anna:
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TikTok Ads: You (or hired creators) make the content. You control scripts, targeting, budgets, testing, and messaging. It’s predictable and switchable.
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TikTok Shop: Influencers host and sell natively. Pros: feels organic, TikTok favors Shop content, and TikTok often subsidizes steep discounts. Cons: less control over messaging, a buggier ecosystem, and occasional scams/confusion. It depends on your risk tolerance and need for control.
George: How important are creatives to campaign success?
Anna: Hugely—around 80% of performance, especially on TikTok. You’re competing against an endless scroll of top-tier videos, so your first three seconds (the hook) matter a lot. Make ads look native to the feed—polished, “ad-y” videos usually underperform vs. authentic, lo-fi content.
George: You taught me how much hooks change outcomes. What creative “types” work well?
Anna: Loads. A few high performers:
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Unboxing/ASMR (great packaging helps)
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Day-in-the-life vlog (blends into organic feed)
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Brand story/behind-the-scenes (founder journey, values)
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Green screen explainers (talking head with visual overlays)
There are dozens of repeatable templates—pick ones that match product and audience.
George: For brands selling on Amazon or their own site, what first steps should they take to promote on TikTok?
Anna: Embrace lo-fi authenticity. Money can kill creativity—overproduced ads often lose. Prioritize:
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A strong hook tailored to the problem/desire.
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Real use, real people, clear outcomes.
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Story > polish.
Be flexible—TikTok rewards experimentation over rigid brand rules.
George: I’ve also noticed TikTok needs time to learn and lots of creative volume. How many ads should people test?
Anna: Watch for ad fatigue. If an ad isn’t getting traction in ~3 days, rotate it out. If it’s a winner, it might last up to two weeks. Plan for continuous creative output and quick iteration.
George: What do you include in a creative brief to set creators up for success?
Anna: Our briefs include:
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Do/Don’t checklist: Clean backgrounds, no background noise, avoid monotone delivery, etc.
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Script structure: Hook → Body (benefits, proof, objections) → CTA.
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Multiple hook options (3–9 to test).
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Shot list paired with the voiceover; bold key words for emphasis.
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Examples: Reference URLs for tone/pace, screenshots of frames, brand visuals.
Clarity and visuals are everything.
George: Biggest, common mistakes you see?
Anna:
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“Spend more = win.” Budget helps, but poor creative/targeting wastes money.
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“Social is only for Gen Z.” Not true—Meta especially reaches older demos.
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Ignoring organic. On Meta, nurturing organic improves paid (retargeting, social proof). On TikTok, organic is less required but still helpful.
George: Future of TikTok ads?
Anna: Assuming it isn’t banned, TikTok Ads will likely reach Meta-level sophistication and could become the leading paid social platform as Facebook growth flattens.
George: And Meta’s future?
Anna: Users are still growing, but slower. I think Facebook evolves more into forums/events/birthdays than traditional social feed usage.
George: Any other predictions?
Anna: Snapchat is most at risk. TikTok has absorbed many of its strengths—I could see Snapchat drifting toward “the new MySpace” unless they pivot.
George: Anything we missed?
Anna: Seasonality matters. Expect summer lulls and other dips. Don’t blame every fluctuation on creative—timing can be a factor.
George: Last one: if a winning creative fatigues, would you reuse it? When?
Anna: Don’t just repost; deconstruct it. Reuse the audio with new visuals, keep key messaging but change VO and shots, or splice the best moments into new edits. Let those variants learn while you brief a new batch based on what worked. You’ll often recapture performance.
George: Brilliant—thank you, Anna. I’ve learned loads since you joined, and today was packed with takeaways. If you’ve got questions, visit clearadsagency.com and send us a message—note it’s for Anna and we’ll pass it on. All the best—goodbye!
Anna: Thank you very much!
