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In the ever-evolving world of social media, TikTok has been known to throw a curveball or two. Their latest pitch is the TikTok Creative Challenge. This new feature invites creators to whip up video ads for brand challenges with the potential to earn rewards (aka payment) based on the video’s performance.

The Creative Challenge is currently in testing with select brands.

How It Works

With this approach, brands create a challenge brief that invites video submissions from creators. Once launched, you’ll receive “up to 30 ad creatives within 10 days created specifically for the TikTok audience developed by creators who truly understand the community.”

Note: Creators must first submit an audition video to be granted access to the program.

The in-app feature sounds easy enough to use on the creator side:

1. Creators view a list of brand challenges to which they can submit videos the brand can then use in its ads.

2. Each challenge comes with a brief that outlines the reward pool, rules, and requirements. The creators are given full creative freedom to produce high-quality, well-edited, and original content that aligns with the brand's challenge.

3. After a creator joins a challenge, they have 7 days to complete it. (Failing to complete a joined challenge can result in losing creator certification on the platform.)

4. Once the video is submitted and approved, it runs as an ad on the TikTok "For You" feed, and creators can track their submission's performance and monthly earnings. There are also opportunities to earn bonuses for newcomers, breakthroughs, and “creative masters.”

@tiktoknewsroom

⭐️TikTok Creative Challenge⭐️ A new way for creators to collaborate with brands with full creative freedom! We're excited to continue recognizing and rewarding creators for their creativity through this new in-app feature.

♬ original sound - TikTok Newsroom

Once enrolled in the Creative Challenge, creators gain access to a dedicated Creator Community group and a Mentor Program, providing an opportunity to connect with other creators and share insights.

Rules for participation include:

• Creators must be at least 18 years old and have a US-based account.

• Account needs a minimum of 50,000 followers.

• The submitted content should adhere to TikTok's Community Guidelines and be of high quality. (If you copy someone else’s idea, you can be kicked out of the program.)

To get started, head to https://ads.tiktok.com/creativechallenge.

Why it Matters

The TikTok Creative Challenge is an interesting development for social media marketers. It has the potential to benefit both brands and creators since it allows brands to benefit from the creativity of the crowd while also providing results-based compensation and incentives to creators. For brands, this not only results in authentic, high-performance content but also reduces financial risk as the fee brands pay is dependent on ad performance.

However, it's worth noting that this feature is still in its testing phase. While it could potentially redefine brand-creator collaborations and usher in a new era of social media marketing, it's also possible that creators will not find the situation to be as beneficial to them and reject the scheme. Time will tell!