TikTok influencers have the power to affect users’ purchasing decisions. If a TikToker introduces your product to their thousands of followers, your potential customer base can grow in an instant. A single positive TikTok featuring your product can be a powerful piece of social proof. According to CivicScience, 56% of Gen Z adults (ages 18 to 29) say they’ve bought a product or service because an influencer recommended it on social media.
Getting your products to the influencers in your niche isn’t just luck. While TikTokers could post about your brand organically, you can also tap into these trendsetters’ and tastemakers’ followings by building your own influencer marketing program.
Read on for more on this marketing strategy, plus tips on how to work with influencers so you, too, can make money on TikTok.
What is TikTok influencer marketing?
TikTok influencer marketing is a strategy where brands collaborate with popular TikTok contentcreators to promote their products or services. Influencers create content that highlights the brand or popular products, leveraging their large follower base to increase visibility and drive engagement.
TikTok’s algorithm favors viral and trending content, helping influencers quickly reach a wide, youthful audience. One of the great benefits of TikTok marketing is that the algorithm is excellent at connecting content with the right niche audiences. So, while viral content with broad appeal performs well, so can particularly engaging videos for niche audiences.
How TikTok influencer marketing works
To get started, use an influencer marketing platform to pinpoint influencers whose audience demographics align with your target market. Then, reach out and negotiate content specifics. For example, include the number of expected posts, a proposed content schedule, your brand’s tone, and proposed payment terms (which can include free product samples).
When setting pricing for your influencer program, it’s common to set a wide range of pricing tiers that depend on the influencer’s follower count. According to Jaclyn VanSloten, the founder of Femra Consulting, “If people are interested in TikTok influencers, nano influencers might be $100 to $500 [per post], micro would be $500 to $2,000, macro would be $2,000 to $20,000, and then a celebrity would be $20,000 plus.”
Influencers might collaborate with you on the content before posting, typically on their TikTok account. It’s also common to agree to post collaborations on your brand account. You might even partner with an influencer to do an account “takeover” in which they post to your own account for a set period of time, and promote the event to their followers. This tactic can help grow your account’s following and engagement rate.
Which brings us to analytics. An influencer marketing program is only as successful as how you measure that success. For each influencer post or campaign, measure its performance against your success metrics. For example, if your brand is an ecommerce business, you might want to go beyond performance metrics like followers or engagement rate. Instead, measure how an influencer campaign impacts your sales, especially if you’re selling directly through TikTok.
Tips for collaborating with TikTok influencers
- Define your success metrics
- Collaborate, rather than dictate
- Embrace micro-influencers
- Be ready to meet demand
- Continue experimenting
TikTok is like a global stage. Here are tips to get you started with influencer marketing on the social media platform:
Define your success metrics
Outline your influencer marketing goals early on. This helps you remain focused and on-brand as TikTok trends cycle in and out.
As Giovanna Alfieri, VP of marketing for feminine wellness brand The Honey Pot, explains on the Shopify Masters podcast, virality isn’t everything.
“The trend-driven content mentality is because we know that’s what drives visibility,” she says.
But she adds that there are other ways to track success, such as more page views, sales, repeat customers, and social media followers.
You can track video success metrics through the built-in TikTok Analytics tool. Many ecommerce platforms, like Shopify, additionally have apps that allow you to connect your online store to your TikTok Shop to track in-app sales. As a business on TikTok, you unlock several tools that allow you to boost sales.
Collaborate, rather than dictate
A deal with an influencer is a partnership, not a list of instructions. Whether they’re creating a promotional video or doing an unboxing as a TikTok affiliate, the influencer needs freedom to present your product in a way that appeals to their audience. They also likely know the best time to post to reach their audience.
On Shopify Masters, Artem Kuzmichev and Richard Mabley, two of the cofounders of furniture brand Transformer Table, discuss going back and forth with an influencer several times to figure out the right direction. They were hesitant about the final video but decided to trust the influencer as the content expert for her audience.
When the influencer posted the video, the results spoke for themselves: It garnered more than 130 million views and became the most-watched product video on Instagram.
Embrace micro-influencers
While you may feel tempted to reach out to someone with a massive following, there can be plenty of benefits to going with a more niche content creator, known as a micro-influencer. Micro-influencers have between 10,000 and 100,000 followers.
With influencer marketing, follower count sometimes matters less than the strength of the influencer’s relationship with their audience. In fact, influencers with even smaller followings can see the most traction. According to Statista, influencers with follower counts ranging from 1,000 to 10,000 exhibit the highest engagement rates on the platform.
To get the benefits of reaching out to small, engaged audiences, find TikTok influencers who speak to your target audience and who see high engagement and interest on their posts. Giovanna looks for micro-influencers who are a good fit for the brand. It’s about “finding people who can reflect our values,” she says. For example, if eco-friendliness is paramount to your brand, you might choose a micro- or nano-influencer who’s engaged in efforts to reduce waste.
Be ready to meet demand
Influencer marketing can go viral, which is a great thing if you’re prepared. If your brand isn’t ready to meet a sudden spike in demand, you may find yourself unable to keep up with orders or website traffic. Make sure your team and infrastructure can adapt and scale before you strike a deal with a world-famous influencer.
Continue experimenting
Not every video is going to strike gold. “It’s really tough to understand how the Al algorithm works,” Artem explains. Even with one of the highest-viewed product videos on Instagram, Artem and Richard aren’t exactly sure why it performed so well. You may not always understand what will resonate with viewers, but you can learn from each video so you can keep refining your content.
Top 11 influencers on TikTok in 2026
- Khaby Lame
- Charli D’Amelio
- MrBeast
- Addison Rae
- Zach King
- Spencer X
- Loren Gray
- Michael Le
- Dixie D’Amelio
- Bella Poarch
- Noah Beck
Here are some of the current top influencers on TikTok. TikTok stars like these can be difficult to secure because the more followers they have, the more money they charge for brand collaborations and sponsored content. Still, you can study these top TikTokers’ videos for ideas about how influencer partnerships can work:
1. Khaby Lame (@khaby.lame)
The most-followed user on TikTok as of December 2025, Khaby Lame, rose to fame for his comedic reaction videos addressing overly complicated “life hack” content. Despite not speaking in his videos, he’s collaborated with brands including Netflix and Kellogg’s—using his expressiveness and relatable content to relay their message.
This video is essentially a comedy sketch featuring Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes. It’s a great example of a brand working with the creator to feature the product in a way that fits in naturally with the rest of the creator’s content.
2. Charli D’Amelio (@charlidamelio)
Gen Z icon Charli D’Amelio grew her account through dance videos and beauty content. The first TikTok user to hit 100 million followers and the second-most-followed person on TikTok as of December 2025, she’s collaborated with major brands like CeraVe, Kate Spade, Prada, Dunkin’, and Morphe.
In this video, Charli D’Amelio is in a diner modeling Prada clothes and bags. It has a retro aesthetic but quick cuts that mimic the fast-paced, dynamic quality of popular TikTok videos.
3. MrBeast (@mrbeast)
Jimmy Donaldson, known online as MrBeast, has become famous for his high-budget challenge videos, large-scale stunts, and giveaways that often involve life-changing sums of money. He runs multiple YouTube channels, merch lines, and charities that extend his brand across entertainment, consumer packaged goods (CPG), and social impact. He has collaborated with brands like Lowe’s, Amazon Prime, and T-Mobile. He runs the merch store ShopMrBeast and snack brandFeastables on Shopify.
In this video, MrBeast promotes his new competition show on Amazon Prime with a sneak preview of the first episode. It’s a classic example of a brand collaboration promotional video.
4. Addison Rae (@addisonre)
Known for her dance routines, beauty-related videos, acting, and singing career, Addison Rae has more than 88 million followers on TikTok. She has collaborated with many brands, including Nerds, Armani, and Laneige.
In this video, Addison Rae talks about being on tour while applying Armani Beauty products. It’s a casual tutorial that features the brand without overtly selling it.
5. Zach King (@zachking)
Zach King is famous for his magical video edits, which blend illusion, sleight of hand, and reality in a digital magic act. His creative approach has attracted brand collaborations with Hostess, Netflix, and Shopify.
In this TikTok collaboration with Shopify, Zach King does one of his signature digital illusions, jumping in and out of a laptop screen, to spread awareness about Shopify’s ecommerce capabilities.
6. Spencer X (@spencerx)
Spencer Polanco Knight, who posts under the name Spencer X, is a beatboxer and musical artist who posts audio-driven content. His branded content ranges from Call of Duty to Minute Maid and State Farm.
In this video for State Farm Insurance, Spencer X beatboxes the company’s signature jingle.
7. Loren Gray (@lorengray)
Fashion influencer Loren Gray Beech gained fame for her lip-sync videos and fashion-related content. She’s collaborated with many companies, including Pretty Little Thing, Tilly’s, Fashion Nova, and Revlon.
In this video collaboration with Fashion Nova, Loren Gray models casual night out outfits styled using pieces from the brand.
8. Michael Le (@justmaiko)
American dancer Michael Le, who posts under the name JustMaiko, posts dance videos. He’s collaborated with brands like fast food restaurant Popeyes and the band Enhyphen.
In this video for SweeTarts, Michael Le does signature dances for the different flavors of SweeTarts Ropes. In this TikTok, he crafts content that’ll be familiar to his audience while still promoting the new products.
9. Dixie D’Amelio (@dixiedamelio)
Dixie D’Amelio, the older sister of TikTok influencer Charli D’Amelio, shares lifestyle content and highlights from her music career. Her collaborations include soda brand MyMuse and this video featuring both Be Happy Snacks and Costco.
Sometimes, a short, simple video of an influencer repping your products is all you need, as is the case in this collaboration Dixie D’Amelio did with Be Happy Snacks.
10. Bella Poarch (@bellapoarch)
With one of the most-followed accounts on TikTok, Bella Poarch gained traction for her quirky, viral lip syncs and music videos, as well as her unique style. She’s collaborated with brands like Gucci, Vans, and video game company EA.
In this video, Bella Poarch shows off her outfit styled by Gucci before heading out for a big event. Set in a hotel room, it’s an intimate look behind the scenes.
11. Noah Beck (@noahbeck)
Noah Beck gained prominence as an athlete, dancer, and lifestyle influencer. He’s collaborated with many fashion, fitness, and lifestyle brands, including W Hotels and Boss. He also runs the clothing brand Sown Again, with the help of Shopify.
This video follows Noah Beck as he gets ready in Boss clothing and heads out to a brand event.
TikTok influencers FAQ
Who is the most popular TikTok influencer?
What is an example of a TikTok influencer campaign?
American social media personality Charli D’Amelio has posted several videos in partnership with CeraVe to advertise its products. Here’s an example of a sponsored post she made for the campaign.
How does TikTok influencer marketing work?
Start by negotiating with TikTok influencers whose audiences match your target market. Provide ideas and brand guidelines, but when it comes to creating content, give the influencer some creative freedom—they know their audience best. After the influencer posts the content, analyze the post’s performance.
