TikTok has shared some new tips on how brands can make stand out video in the app, and boost their appeal to TikTok's highly engaged audience.

And with TikTok boasting over a billion active users, it's worth considering for this shopping season. It could well be banned in the U.S. next year, but right now, TikTok is one of the top platforms for reaching younger audiences in particular, and as such, these tips could be highly valuable for your holiday marketing plan.
According to TikTok:

73% of TikTok users report feeling more connected to brands they interact with on TikTok than on other platforms. The creative element of your content is the single most important factor in driving conversions - 67% of users say TikTok inspires them to shop, even when they weren't planning to.
Okay, so those are pretty generic video tips, but they are still worth noting for people getting into TikTok creation.

An early hook is very important in grabbing the viewer's attention, especially if they are scrolling through their feed, which then pivots into the use-case example/s, and then into the value that your product will provide. Then comes the call-to-action, which pushes direct response, hopefully straight from your ad.

These are important notes, though they’re also easier said than done. So while this is interesting as an overview, it’s not highly actionable in a practical sense.

For this, I would recommend heading to TikTok’s “Top Ads” listing to check out examples of ads that work, and how to put these tips into action.
TikTok’s also shared some tips on how to incorporate generative AI tools into your ad creation process.

This year, TikTok has introduced a set of AI tools in its ad suite, among them the Symphony creative studio that features different AI creation elements.

Those elements, though, as with all AI tools, should be handled with caution and not leaned upon too much to construct your campaigns.

TikTok's AI tips include the following:

Use AI as a complement, not a crutch – Don't rely on using AI to replace human creativity.
High-quality input - The marketer should make sure the inputs are high quality and compliant to avoid loss of authenticity and misalignment of the brand with AI-generated video content.
Review and refine – All AI outputs must be reviewed before use
Always take a critical eye – Just like in the above point, AI tools have errors and it is the responsibility of the brands to ensure that they check all content
In short, TikTok is saying that while AI tools can be a great help in your creative process, they should not replace your own creative nous and input. They can, but the results are less likely to resonate because, although visuals are key, human connection is also important, and machine models lack that human element.
These are some good recommendations, which can really go to shape your personal strategy for TikTok going forward as we head toward year's end. While those are a bit on the general side, you might also supplement these with a selection of TikTok's supplemental research tools, which are Top Ads, Top Trends, and more that helps further contextualize every.