Research Methodology
The data presented in this report was collected from all sponsored TikToks posted during 2021. All of the TikTok influencer data that is contained in this report was captured by the NeoReach Social Intelligence API, and videos. Videos were required to comply with proper FTC disclosure regulations. Specifically, we analyzed all sponsored TikTok videos posted within the 2021 calendar year. We then refined this data to include only the TikTok posts of creators located in the United States and Canada.
It is important to note that this report does not encompass all sponsored content on TikTok in 2021. It only includes the brands and companies that activated campaigns with sponsored content achieving at least 10,000 views on TikTok. Nevertheless, the report showcases the top brands, industries, and creators for influencer marketing on TikTok for the entirety of 2021.
Top Metrics
In 2021, the qualifying sponsored videos on TikTok reached over 10.3B users on the platform. These videos amassed a combined total of 1.3B views, with the average views per video being almost 508k. In addition to the high reach and view count that influencer marketing on TikTok has proven to achieve, it also produces high engagement. This can be seen through the 61.4M total engagements in 2021, which include diggs, comments, and shares.
We will be taking a closer look at these metrics, analyzing the top industries, brands, creators, and campaigns that contributed to such a successful year for influencer marketing on TikTok.
TikTok Influencer Marketing Landscape:
- Top 5 Industries Marketing on TikTok
- Top Home & Garden Video
- Top Fashion Video
- Top Tech Video
- Top Food & Drink Video
- Top Beauty Video
- Campaign Objectives
- Top Performing Campaign Objectives
- Calls to Action
- Top Performing Calls to Action
- Content Types
- Top Performing Content Types
- Brand Showcase
- Top TikTok Creators
- Industry Winner
- Top Branded TikToks
- Video Length
Top 5 Industries Marketing on TikTok
Top Home & Garden Video
The top TikTok video in the Home & Garden Industry was by @celinaspookyboo, a creator with a reach of over 22M. Her video amassed 140M views. The video also produced high engagement, resulting in 758K diggs and 4.5K shares.
The video was sponsored by Walmart, which was one of the top-spending brands on TikTok influencer marketing in 2021.
Source: @celinaspookyboo
Top Fashion Video
The top TikTok video in the Fashion Industry was by @emma.marie26, who has a reach of 3M. Her video accumulated 31.8M views. Engagements were high, as the video drove 818K diggs and 876 shares.
The video was sponsored by Pacsun, a leading brand in both the fashion and TikTok influencer marketing industries.
Source: @emma.marie26
Top Tech Video
The top TikTok video in the Tech Industry was by creator @zachking, who has an astounding reach of 66.4M. His video reached over 46M views, producing 657K diggs and 3.4K shares.
The video was sponsored by Amazon, a brand that has made quite an impact on TikTok influencer marketing in the past year.
Source: @zachking
Top Food & Drink Video
The top TikTok video in the Food & Drink Industry was by @moontellthat, Their reach is 11.4M and the video amassed 14.1M views. The video produced strong engagements, driving 320K diggs and 1.2K shares.
The video was sponsored by Pizza Hut, another top brand in the TikTok influencer marketing industry, both in the food & drink industry and overall.
Source: @moontellthat
Top Beauty Video
The top TikTok video in the Beauty Industry was by beauty influencer @mikaylanogueira, who has a reach of 11.5M. Her video accumulated an impressive 140M views and resulted in 300K diggs and 3.4K shares. The video was sponsored by skincare brand Good Molecules.
Source: @mikaylanogueira
Campaign Objectives
There are four main campaign objectives of influencer marketing campaigns. The overwhelming majority, nearly 90%, of sponsored videos on TikTok had the campaign objective of Branding and Awareness. This makes sense, due to the enormous reach that TikTok campaigns generate. Around 7% of videos corresponded with a Limited Time Offer. The remaining 3% fall into the categories of Download or Install and Contest/Giveaway.
Top Performing Campaign Objectives
Branding & Awareness was the most common campaign objective in 2021. The top performing video in this category was @celinaspookyboo’s video, which was sponsored by Walmart.
Source: @celinaspookyboo
The top performing video in the Contest & Giveaways category was by @jessicawangofficial. The video, sponsored by Express, amassed 141M views, with 325K diggs.
Source: @jessicawangofficial
The top video in the Download or Install category was by @kazsasawyer456. It was sponsored by Current, a banking technology brand. The video gathered 35M views and 73K diggs.
Source: @kazsawyer
Limited Time Offer was the second most common campaign objective on TikTok in 2021. The top performing video was by @mikaylanogueira and was sponsored by Good Molecules.
Source: @mikaylanogueira
Calls to Action
There are three main calls to action (CTA) used in influencer marketing campaigns: (1) Brand Tagged in Caption, (2) Link in Bio, and (3) Promo Code. Almost 3% of sponsored videos on TikTok had no strong call to action. But, the remaining videos all fell into the category of one of the three main ones. The most popular call to action is tagging the sponsoring brand in the caption of the video, with over 90% of videos using this CTA.
Top Performing Calls to Action
The most common call to action used in sponsored posts on TikTok is tagging the brand in the caption, directing users directly to the brand. Yet again, we see @celinaspookyboo’s sponsored post in partnership with Walmart on the list. It was the top-performing video in this category.
Source: @celinaspookyboo
The top performing video out of all videos using the Link in Bio call to action was by @jessicawangofficial. This sponsored video was in partnership with Express. As seen earlier, the campaign objective was Contest/Giveaway. The video directed users directly to the link in the creator’s bio that led to that contest.
Source: @jessicawangofficial
A few sponsored videos on TikTok had no strong call to action. The top performing video that fell into this category was by @amazonprimevideo. The video amassed 35M views and drove 74K diggs.
Source: @primevideo
The second most common call to action on Tiktok was the use of a promo code. The top performing video in this category was by @gopro. The video gathered 2.3M views, resulting in 135K diggs.
Content Types
Sponsored videos on TikTok fall into one of three content types: (1) Dedicated, (2) Integrated, (3) Description Only. Almost 92% of all sponsored videos on the platform are Dedicated videos, which means that the entire video is dedicated to a brand sponsorship. The second most common is the Integrated content type. Integrated videos are those that address a brand sponsorship but are not fully dedicated to it. Finally, videos in which the brand sponsorship is only mentioned in the description are the least common, making up less than 2% of the total.
Top Performing Content Types
The most common content type, comprising over 91% of all sponsored videos on TikTok in 2021, is the Dedicated content type. Again, we see @celinaspookyboo’s Walmart sponsorship take the crown in this category as the top performing video.
Source: @celinaspookyboo
The top performing video in the Description Only content category was by @charlixcx. The video was sponsored by Amazon and amassed 4.1M views and 109K diggs.
Source: @charlixcx
The top performing video corresponding with the Integrated content type was by @cetaphilpartner. The video received 11.4M views and resulted in 27K diggs.
Source: @cetaphilusa
Brand Showcase
Top TikTok Creators
These five creators made the biggest impact on the influencer marketing industry through their sponsored posts on TikTok in 2021. Throughout the year, they amassed a total of 323.6M views and had a combined reach of 151.4M. The list shows the range of the top creators on TikTok, featuring influencers, brands, and celebrities.
Industry Winner
Let’s take a closer look at the top five industries. When viewing their metrics side by side, we can see that although the home & garden industry amassed the most views with a total of 237M, the fashion industry reached the most users through their campaigns with a reach of 2B. But, if we were to choose an industry winner, it would be the home & garden industry, as they produced the most views and engagements compared to the other four industries.
Top Branded TikToks
It’s not surprising that this video is the top branded TikTok of 2021. In addition to having impressive metrics, the video was also the top video in the Home & Garden industry, the Branding & Awareness category, the Brand Tagged in Caption CTA category, and the Dedicated content category.
Source: @celinaspookyboo
This video, which we saw was the top Tech video of 2021 was also one of the top branded TikToks of the year. The video, sponsored by Amazon, achieved impressive metrics and reached a large number of users.
Source: @zachking
This video was sponsored by Bang Energy. The creator, @joelbergs, has a reach of 10.1M. The video amassed 5.3M views. The engagement rate was also high, with the video driving 904K diggs and 4K shares.
Source: @joelbergs
Another top branded TikTok of 2021 was by creator @brookeashleyhall, who has a reach of 8.6M. The video was sponsored by McDonalds, resulting in 11.5M views, 286K diggs, and 536 shares.
Source: @brookeashleyhall
We saw this video, by creator @emma.marie26, earlier as the top fashion video of 2021. The video is also one of the top branded TikToks of the year. It was sponsored by Pacsun and had some very impressive metrics.
Source: @emma.marie26
This video, sponsored by Pizza Hut, was another one of the top branded TikToks of the year. We saw this one earlier as well, as it was the top video in the Food & Drink industry. The video’s reach, views, and engagements were very high.
Source: @moontellthat
This video was sponsored by Crocs. The creator, @callmegrand, has a reach of 13.1M. The video amassed 15.7M views, resulting in 225K diggs and 993 shares.
Source: @callmegrand
Another top branded video of 2021 was by creator @melissametrano, who has a reach of 6.9M. The video was sponsored by ScotchBrite and gathered 9.5M views. It drove 145K diggs and 275 shares.
Source: @melissametrano
This video, sponsored by Lincoln, amassed 8.8M views on TikTok. The creator, @christaallen, has a reach of 1.8M. Additionally, engagements for the video included 3K diggs and 386 shares.
Source: @christaallen
VS Pink sponsored this top branded TikTok of 2021. Creator @fefioliveira has a reach of 5.8M, with the video gathering 10.3M views. The video also drove 282K diggs and 2K shares.
Source: @fefioliveira
Video Length
Looking at the top five brands of 2021 compared to one another, we can see how they vary depending on video length.
Considering the overall sum of video length per brand, it ranges from 178 seconds to 2,368 seconds. The total sum of video length for Pacsun was the lowest, while it was the highest for Bang Energy.
Interestingly, Bang Energy has the lowest average video length compared to the other four brands. Their average was 21 seconds, while Walmart had the highest average length of 43 seconds.
Editor’s Note
TikTok has been integral to the development of the creator economy over the past few years. The app launched in the United States in 2016. In 2018, it was the most downloaded app in the world. Over the next three years, the platform continued to grow, rising to the ranks of powerhouses like Instagram and YouTube with over a billion active users. Additionally, an increasing number of creators and brands have taken to the platform, solidifying TikTok’s role in the ever-growing creator economy.
Due to the platform’s personalized algorithm feature, it is the ideal platform for creators to grow. This is because, on TikTok, anyone can go viral. When brands activate campaigns on the platform, they are not only reaching their followers, they are also reaching the “For You” pages of users around the world. This is what makes TikTok such a strong influencer marketing tool, which is evident through the data presented in this report. And as the platform continues to rise, we will see an increasing number of creators and brands alike harness the power of TikTok.
