TikTok has grown to share a wide range of content types, from educational content to product tutorials and life hacks.
Thus, it’s the perfect place to promote your print-on-demand store, especially if you’re targeting a younger demographic.
In this post, we give you our best tips on how to promote your print-on-demand products so you can increase your sales and take advantage of this growing platform.
1. Get to Know the Platform
The first step to nailing your TikTok promotion strategy is understanding the platform inside and out. It’s different from most platforms since it solely focuses on short clips of up to 15 seconds meant to hook viewers.
Videos can be anything from tutorials to TikTok dances to comedic skits. They can be edited in the app, and you can throw in music and visual effects.
People can even respond to another person’s videos by duplicating them and adding another alongside it. As a POD store, you can bust myths about any topics related to your niche.
2. Use TikTok Ad Manager to Reach Your Target Audience
TikTok advertising is a fast way to bring more eyeballs to your product, which can result in sales. This is where you pay to show your promoted content to a specific target audience.
There are three levels of TikTok ads to know:
- TikTok Ad: A single ad
- TikTok Ad Group: A collection of ads
- TikTok Campaign: A collection of ad groups
Let’s say you sell custom POD clothing. You might have a TikTok ad for a single custom graphic t-shirt, one of many t-shirt marketing videos in an ad group that falls under a campaign about summer t-shirts for sale.
As an e-commerce retailer, it’s important to know the type of TikTok ads as well so you can choose the best option. This includes:
- Video ads: They look like regular TikTok videos, except any interaction leads to a landing page.
- Spark ads: These are regular organic content promoted from your TikTok account.
- Image ads: Still images that include a brand name and ad text.
- Playable ads: These are simple mini-games and can help boost engagement.
- Shopping ads: You can promote shoppable videos that appear on a specified audience’s For You page.
- Carousel ads: Advertisers can post up to ten images in one ad.
3. Set Up a TikTok Shop
New updates include ‘TikTok Shop,’ a shopping feature directly integrated within the platform. It allows sellers and creators to display and sell products within the app.
All you have to do is meet the following requirements and apply through their TikTok Shop Creator application:
- Have over 1,000 followers
- Be at least 18 years old
- Have over 50 views in the last 28 days
- Have posted a video in the past 28 days
Make sure to optimize your POD product catalog specifically for TikTok. List all products under the shopping tab in your account. Your product photos should stay consistent with the rest of your TikTok aesthetic.
Also, optimize your product listings to include a clear description, sizes, and shipping and returns.
4. Collaborate with Influencers
Younger audiences don’t respond as favorably to brands who market to them traditionally. That’s why TikTok marketing is so effective. Instead of creating blatant advertising, the platform focuses on native ads that deliver educational or entertainment value.
The best way to build trust and gain attention is by collaborating with influencers in your niche. Influencers have built up a loyal fanbase, and leveraging their following can help boost brand awareness and drive sales.
How to choose? Make sure each influencer you collaborate with posts relevant content to your brand and has already captured a following that matches your target audience.
When collaborating, it’s best to give influencers the room to do their own thing. They know what resonates best with their audience.
5. Tap Into Trends
Trends are a huge appeal to the TikTok platform. When you notice new trends on your feed, jump on the bandwagon. That could be popular challenges, music, or effects of dance moves.
This could be a great way to drive a following to your store and promote your products.
You’ll want to figure out what types of products and content are popular, why they’re popular, and what others are saying on TikTok. This helps you better understand what your customers want so you can deliver content to capture their attention.
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6. Leverage TikTok Live
Going live on TikTok offers the same benefits as going live on any other social media platform – it’s your chance to engage with your audience in real time.
When you’re on TikTok live, viewers can ask questions and connect with you in the moment.
Make sure you give a reason for people to attend, such as giving viewers who stay until the end a special discount code or hosting a giveaway.
The topic of the live stream depends on your product. For example, you could:
- Product demonstration
- Product promotion at an event
- Interview with influencers
- Q&A sessions
- Showing the manufacturing process
7. Post Quality Content Regularly
One of the best tips for promoting your print-on-demand products on TikTok? Post consistently. Like any social media channel, TikTok rewards you for posting highly engaging content often.
If you can keep users engaged with your profile by saving, commenting, sharing, or reacting to your posts, they will further push your content to new people.
For a POD store, we recommend creating “How to” video tutorials. This is an easy way to deliver value to viewers without being overly promotional. Also, positioning yourself as a true expert in your space keeps your brand and products top-of-mind for viewers.
For example, if you sold custom hats, you could offer fashion inspiration by showing how to style the hat with different outfits.
If you sold custom stickers, you could create content about cool use cases, like how to add them to product packaging or use them to personalize your home.
Essentially, you want to brand yourself as the ‘custom sticker‘ guy or gal on TikTok.
8. Add Hashtags and Product Links
Posting engaging content won’t mean much if nobody sees it. You also need to ensure it lands in front of the right people.
Adding hashtags to your post description gives your content a better chance of being seen, driving brand awareness, boosting discoverability, and extending your reach.
While this may sound counterintuitive, you don’t want to target popular hashtags since they’re highly competitive. Instead, you want to target niche keywords with less competition.
For example, if you sold leggings, you may target niche hashtags like “core workout” or “yoga poses.”
TikTok also has a feature called “product links,” where you can tag products in your posts. When someone clicks on a tagged product’s video, it directs them to the merchant’s online store for checkout.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do I Advertise Print-on-Demand on TIKTOK?
You can advertise your print-on-demand products on TikTok by creating short videos showcasing how to use them and how they benefit users. Also, you can encourage user-generated content to highlight your happy customer experiences and show off behind-the-scenes footage to build anticipation.
Final Thoughts
If you want to grow your print-on-demand business, TikTok is the go-to social media channel to be on right now – with over a billion users and growing.
But the key to success is posting and advertising quality content. Ask yourself, how can I add value to this niche and tie that to my product? If you can do this, you’ll be well on your way to a successful business.
That said, promotion is only half the battle. That’s where The/Studio comes in.
We offer a wide range of product types and customizations so you can build products to fit your needs and customer preferences. Everything from custom patches and stickers to t-shirts and hats, we’ve got you covered.
Try The/Studio today to turn your product ideas to life!
