Hey everyone!
Excited to share a new case study straight from our R&D team — and it’s our first official TikTok Ads campaign! We’ve always been a bit hesitant about diving into TikTok, mainly because of the unique demands when it comes to creatives. The platform thrives on short-form, eye-catching content, and frankly, that was new territory for us.
But we finally took the plunge. The result? A 57% ROI in just 4 days with a fairly minimal budget. If you’re sitting on the fence about TikTok Ads, this could give you the nudge you need.
For the first test, we started with a very basic campaign. No advanced funnels. No aggressive automation. Just a simple, lean setup to gauge TikTok’s potential.
Initially, we tried interest-based targeting, but the CPMs were too high for our liking. So we pivoted and opted for broad targeting:
This tweak immediately brought down our costs and gave us better control over the learning phase.
Let’s talk about creatives — the heart of TikTok Ads.
Since we didn’t have influencers or UGC material, we used stock footage of women taking selfies in front of mirrors. We added native TikTok-style overlays and music to make the videos blend in with organic content.
Surprisingly, we found that videos featuring women aged 35+ significantly outperformed those with younger models. Authenticity was a key factor here — the “realer” the person looked (i.e., less makeup, more natural presence), the higher the CTR. Users clearly preferred content that felt relatable rather than overly polished or artificial.
This alone made us rethink how we approach visual storytelling on TikTok.
Now here’s where we got a little experimental. Drawing inspiration from other verticals, we created a pre-land page centered around horoscopes. Users were asked to choose their zodiac sign before proceeding.
After selecting their sign, they were taken to a short quiz designed to simulate matchmaking based on personality traits. The whole flow felt engaging, lighthearted, and different — which worked well in this niche.
This approach helped warm up the traffic before they hit the main offer page, resulting in a noticeable drop in bounce rate and increased user interaction.
We used a fresh ad account with no history, so there was a short warm-up phase. Even so, the results were stable throughout the short testing period.
TikTok surprised us — in a good way. The learning curve isn’t as steep as we expected, and we found that even basic video ads can compete when they’re culturally and demographically relevant. If you’ve been holding back because of the creative requirements, don’t. Just start small, test fast, and be open to unusual ideas like horoscopes or quizzes.
We’ll definitely continue scaling TikTok and testing new angles. More case studies are on the way soon!
Got questions? Want to bounce ideas around? Let’s talk!
Excited to share a new case study straight from our R&D team — and it’s our first official TikTok Ads campaign! We’ve always been a bit hesitant about diving into TikTok, mainly because of the unique demands when it comes to creatives. The platform thrives on short-form, eye-catching content, and frankly, that was new territory for us.
But we finally took the plunge. The result? A 57% ROI in just 4 days with a fairly minimal budget. If you’re sitting on the fence about TikTok Ads, this could give you the nudge you need.
Campaign Overview:
- Traffic Source: TikTok
- Target Audience: Males aged 35+
- Geo: United States
- Ad Duration: 4 days
- Result: 57% Return on Investment
Campaign Setup:
For the first test, we started with a very basic campaign. No advanced funnels. No aggressive automation. Just a simple, lean setup to gauge TikTok’s potential.
Initially, we tried interest-based targeting, but the CPMs were too high for our liking. So we pivoted and opted for broad targeting:
- Country: USA
- Gender: Male
- Age: 35+
- Optimization Goal: “Lower cost” bidding option
This tweak immediately brought down our costs and gave us better control over the learning phase.
Creative Strategy:
Let’s talk about creatives — the heart of TikTok Ads.
Since we didn’t have influencers or UGC material, we used stock footage of women taking selfies in front of mirrors. We added native TikTok-style overlays and music to make the videos blend in with organic content.
Surprisingly, we found that videos featuring women aged 35+ significantly outperformed those with younger models. Authenticity was a key factor here — the “realer” the person looked (i.e., less makeup, more natural presence), the higher the CTR. Users clearly preferred content that felt relatable rather than overly polished or artificial.
This alone made us rethink how we approach visual storytelling on TikTok.
Pre-Landing Page Strategy:
Now here’s where we got a little experimental. Drawing inspiration from other verticals, we created a pre-land page centered around horoscopes. Users were asked to choose their zodiac sign before proceeding.
After selecting their sign, they were taken to a short quiz designed to simulate matchmaking based on personality traits. The whole flow felt engaging, lighthearted, and different — which worked well in this niche.
This approach helped warm up the traffic before they hit the main offer page, resulting in a noticeable drop in bounce rate and increased user interaction.
Results:
- Average Cost Per Registration: Around $10
- Initial Registrations: $8–$9 (before scaling)
- Click-Through Rate (CTR): Peaked at 4%
- Total Budget for the Test: $1500
We used a fresh ad account with no history, so there was a short warm-up phase. Even so, the results were stable throughout the short testing period.
Key Takeaways:
- Broad Targeting Worked Better: Narrow interest-based targeting inflated our CPMs without improving conversions.
- Simple Videos, Big Impact: You don’t need complex production. Even basic stock clips with solid editing can win.
- Authenticity Sells: Creatives that featured older, natural-looking models generated the best engagement.
- Pre-Land Innovation Pays Off: The horoscope funnel added an unexpected but valuable layer of interaction that boosted conversion rates.
- Minimal Budget, Maximum Learning: Even with $1500, we extracted clear insights and profitability.
Final Thoughts:
TikTok surprised us — in a good way. The learning curve isn’t as steep as we expected, and we found that even basic video ads can compete when they’re culturally and demographically relevant. If you’ve been holding back because of the creative requirements, don’t. Just start small, test fast, and be open to unusual ideas like horoscopes or quizzes.
We’ll definitely continue scaling TikTok and testing new angles. More case studies are on the way soon!
Got questions? Want to bounce ideas around? Let’s talk!