When people say “influencer marketing”, most of us picture the classic stack: sponsored posts, Reels, Stories, TikTok Videos, Shorts, and the occasional livestream. Creators produce content; brands pay; the platform’s feed algorithm amplifies. That’s still the backbone – but two quieter mechanics are proving to be game-changers:
- TikTok One – not another ad format, but a purpose-built creator/brand workflow inside TikTok that packages discovery, briefs, approvals, and reporting into one place;
- Instagram chatbots – automated DM/comment that capture and convert influencer audiences without forcing users to leave Instagram or to copy/paste links from a bio.
You can really compare it to Instagram Reels or Stories, because they solve the practical friction points of modern Influencer Marketing: coordination, tracking, and conversion.
Deep dive: TikTok One – what is it and how brands should think about it
TikTok One is a native creative collaboration platform inside TikTok that connects brands, agencies, creators, and production partners. It centralizes creative briefs, creator selection, approvals, payout logistics, and reporting – allowing campaigns to be designed and executed entirely inside TikTok’s ecosystem.
Why does it matter?
First of all, TikTok offers a native workflow, where end-to-end campaign operations happen entirely inside the platform (brief → creator → draft approvals → promotion), reducing handoffs and time-to-market. Within this system, the creator marketplace meets creative input, meaning brands receive creator ideas and raw UGC that are naturally optimised for the platform. All of this is supported by a high level of operational clarity, as contracts, payments, and reporting are standardised, making it easier to scale repeated influencer programs.
Key capabilities & constraints
- You don’t manually pick creators – you publish a brief, and creators apply to you. You choose from applicants, review drafts, and amplify creator posts.
- There are caps within a single campaign (e.g., maximum creators per campaign unless increased).
- Access and mechanics vary by region and account type.
In practice, TikTok One tends to be most helpful for advertisers who want to scale UGC while keeping the workflow native.
In a recent Zorka.Agency gaming campaign, the brand aimed to significantly accelerate wishlist growth during a pre-release playtest phase. The mechanics of the playtest created a natural storytelling hook – players could earn battle pass points during the test, and those points would transfer into the release version of the game. During the playtest, point accumulation was boosted, creating an incentive for players to join early.
The team proposed testing TikTok One as a standalone Influencer Marketing solution. A campaign brief was uploaded to the platform, after which creators began submitting their applications — TikTok One only allows selecting from incoming bids, which makes the process similar to a tender. From the available pool, the team selected 10 creators (the platform cap per campaign), and nine eventually went live.
All stages of the workflow were managed directly inside TikTok One:
- publishing the brief,
- reviewing incoming applications,
- approving drafts,
- releasing posts,
- and then boosting creator content through Spark Ads.
Since TikTok One is free for advertisers, creators were paid directly by TikTok. Most applicants were emerging creators with an average of 5k–15k views per video, with a few reaching ~30k — far from nano, but still early-stage.
Despite that, the campaign delivered solid performance:
- 107.9k impressions
- 5k clicks
- $3.6 CPM
It’s important to highlight that the client entered the campaign with no particular expectations for influencer marketing, because their User Acquisition channels were already performing well. Nevertheless, TikTok One proved valuable as a scalable, low-friction way to test new creators, validate UGC performance, and expand reach with native content formats.
Deep dive: Instagram chatbots – how they work and why they convert
An Instagram chatbot is an automated message system that interacts with users inside Instagram Direct and comments, helping creators and brands capture, qualify, and convert audience attention without manual work. Instead of sending every DM or answering every comment by hand, the chatbot responds instantly based on triggers – for example, when a user comments a code word under a Reel (“write gift to get the link”). The bot immediately sends a pre-set message in the DM with links, promo codes, files, or next steps.
Reels are growing rapidly as a content format, but Reels don’t allow embedded, trackable CTA links inside the video. The usual workaround – putting a link in the creator bio – creates friction (users must open profile and click the link) and reduces conversion. And this is the problem Instagram Chatbots solve: they convert influencer engagement to direct, instant flows inside DMs, closing that gap.
This matters commercially because it enables frictionless conversion: users get what they were promised straight in DM with no profile navigation required. It also unlocks scalable personalisation, allowing brands to run quizzes, giveaways, or multi-step funnels inside DM and keep users engaged. Finally, robust tracking becomes possible, as a chatbot lets you attribute influencer-driven events (clicks, activations), making influencer spend verifiable.
How TikTok One and Instagram Chatbot can serve you
| Category | TikTok One | Instagram Chatbot |
| Core Function | A native TikTok platform for managing influencer marketing campaigns end-to-end: creator sourcing, briefing, approvals, and reporting. | An automated messaging system inside Instagram Direct that delivers links, content, and guided flows triggered by comments or DMs. |
| Best For | - Brands running multi-creator activations
- Launch campaigns (games, apps, entertainment) - Agencies managing multiple creators - Teams needing built-in approvals & operational control |
- Influencers driving traffic through Reels
- Brands selling digital products, subscriptions, events, courses - Creators who need to automate DMs - Performance marketers optimizing conversion |
| Target User Type | Marketing strategists, User Acquisition teams, Influencer Marketing managers, creative production teams, advertisers | Social sellers, performance marketers, influencers, CRM/retention managers, content creators |
| Unique Selling Points | - Entire Influencer Marketing workflow happens inside TikTok
- Fast, scalable creator onboarding - UGC is naturally platform-aligned - Streamlines operational overhead |
- Solves the “no link in Reels” problem
- Zero friction for users: link delivered in seconds - Measurable conversion path - Works even with very large volumes of traffic |
| Pros | + Simplifies large-scale Influencer Marketing campaigns
+ High-quality native UGC + Provable performance metrics + Integrated creator-to-ads pipeline (Spark Ads) + Great for launches & hype cycles |
+ Dramatically improves Reels conversion rates
+ Fully automates repetitive DM work + High CTR from comment triggers + Multi-step funnels increase engagement + Strong tracking & attribution |
| Cons | − Limited creator pool (only applicants)
− Campaign creator caps unless increased − Less flexible outside TikTok ecosystem − Performance varies with creator quality |
− Needs proper setup (if funnel too long → dropoffs)
− Subject to Meta messaging rules − Can feel robotic if poorly written − Requires creator to connect through ManyChat/API |
| Cost Structure | The platform itself is free; payments to creators run through TikTok’s system; Spark Ads cost extra | ManyChat subscription + ad spend (optional) + creator fees depending on collaboration |
| Output Type | Reach, UGC content, native influencer campaigns, measurable impressions/clicks | Conversions, leads, link clicks, automated DM interactions |
| Role in Marketing Funnel | Top/Mid funnel — awareness & UGC generation | Mid/Bottom funnel — conversion, activation, retention |
| Works Best Together When… | TikTok One builds the hype → Instagram Chatbot captures and converts the warmed-up audience in DMs | Same synergy: awareness on TikTok → conversion on IG |
Wrapping up
Influencer Marketing has come a long way. What used to be mostly creative and top-of-funnel is now becoming a structured, performance-driven growth channel. Platforms are finally closing the gaps that used to slow campaigns: fragmented workflows, weak tracking, and the challenge of turning engagement into measurable results.
TikTok One shows how far this evolution has gone on the creative and operational side. By keeping the entire workflow native — from briefs and creator sourcing to draft reviews, publishing, and Spark Ads — it removes the coordination headache and makes the process repeatable. Brands can consistently source creators, test UGC ideas, scale what works, and measure results with clarity. For launches, gaming activations, or UGC-heavy funnels, TikTok becomes a reliable growth engine rather than an unpredictable marketplace.
Instagram chatbots address conversion. Reels drive attention, but without clickable actions, engagement often fizzles. Automated DMs step in to turn interest into clicks, leads, and purchases — without leaving the platform — and provide the tracking influencer marketing has long lacked. Every interaction is measurable, enabling budgets to be justified, campaigns to be optimized, and results to be scaled.
Individually, these tools demonstrate how influencer marketing is evolving: creative, scalable, and accountable. The industry is moving from guesswork to reproducible systems, from vibey sponsorships to structured growth programs.
