This way, TikTok, recently, added an entirely new means of facilitating connection creation and brands, by offering a 'Open Applications' process, which allows brands to post the details of an upcoming campaign and wait for interested creators to apply through the app itself.
Which isn't entirely new - TikTok's been testing it out since February. But now, it's being made available to more users, with all brands able to access the option within TikTok's Creator Marketplace, providing a means for businesses to spark interest among creators to help them build their campaigns.

According to TikTok:

Each creator application contains a brief pitch or concept for the brand campaign, some examples of relevant TikTok videos that they have created, contact information, and their proposed fee. By giving creators the ability to propose their campaign ideas directly to you, Open Applications streamlines finding creators who have unique stories and connections to your brand - qualities that are hard to find when just doing a creator search.

So it’s like an audition process for TikTok creators, which will ideally give brands more options on who they work with, while also providing more brand collaboration opportunities for users.

Once creators have made their pitches, you’ll be able to view their submissions in the app.
To have you find the most relevant creators more quickly, the Open Applications include preference filters and screening questions in the application process for brief creation. You might narrow down your list of applicant creators by audience demographics, follower count, location, brand affinity, relevant experience, and more. If you have a few specific creators in mind, you can invite them to apply too.

As mentioned, TikTok has been working on the new process for some time, with preferred creators being part of the program since April. However, in this respect, it's rolling it out more widely, making it more accessible to all businesses.

It's simple and logical in terms of making the most out of the creator discovery process, which should result in better campaign output. Besides that, brands can also solicit specific creators to apply for their pitch, which would further enable them to target creators for potential collaboration.

It could be a really good way to build more stand-out, platform-aligned promotions, which might even help get your products noticed within the app.

Preparatory work for brands to use the new process involves first checking the credentials of the TikTok Creator Marketplace account and then setting up an 'Open Applications' campaign.

Could be worth factoring into holiday campaign planning.