Project Detail
An Australian eBook publishing brand wanted to test TikTok as a lead generation channel after strong Meta performance began to plateau. The platform was entirely new to them and there was no existing account or creative library. The goal was to validate TikTok as a secondary acquisition channel and achieve CPL parity with Meta within 90 days.
Client
Australian eBook
Publisher
Year
2025
Services
TikTok Ads Strategy,
UGC Creative Direction,
Lead Generation Funnel
From discovery to deployment, every phase of the project focused on delivering a seamless user experience.
Process:
- Platform Research — Analysed top-performing eBook and information product ads in the TikTok Creative Centre to understand format, hook style and duration benchmarks.
- Creative Brief Development — Developed a creative brief for lo-fi, native-style video ads with three distinct hook types: problem-agitation, curiosity and social proof.
- Account Setup — Built the TikTok Ads account from scratch including pixel installation, event tracking and campaign structure.
- Creative Testing Phase — Launched six videos across two ad groups simultaneously, with daily spend capped at $30 per ad group during the testing window.
- Scaling Winners — After 14 days, three creatives had demonstrated sub-$8 CPL. Budgets were consolidated to these three and scaled progressively.
- Retargeting Layer — Added a video view retargeting campaign at day 21 targeting users who had watched more than 75% of the top-performing video.
Key Features Implemented:
- Native lo-fi creative format aligned to TikTok organic content patterns
- Six creative variations tested simultaneously across three hook types
- TikTok pixel and event tracking built from scratch
- Progressive scaling framework based on 14-day CPL data
- Video view retargeting layer added at day 21
Client Quote:
“We were sceptical about TikTok for our audience but the CPL came in lower than Meta within 60 days. The creative approach made ads feel completely native to the platform.”
Client
Final Thoughts
TikTok as a paid acquisition channel is still significantly underpriced relative to Meta for many niches. The brands winning on TikTok are not the ones spending more — they are the ones whose creative looks like it belongs on the platform. An ad that feels like an ad on TikTok gets skipped immediately. An ad that feels like organic content gets watched, engaged with and clicked. For any brand that has maximised Meta efficiency and wants to open a second acquisition channel, TikTok deserves serious testing budget right now before CPMs increase as more advertisers compete.
Leave a Reply