Hey fellow affiliates!
We’re excited to share a real-world case study from our internal media buying team that tested TikTok Ads traffic for one of our in-house dating products in South Africa. Spoiler alert: the campaign crushed expectations and delivered a 50% return on investment.
If you’ve been considering TikTok as a paid traffic source, especially in Tier-2 GEOs, this breakdown might give you the motivation you need to get started — or optimize what you’ve already got running.
Yes, that’s $3.7k in pure profit from just one campaign in a single month!
The campaign was structured around promoting a localized dating platform specifically tailored for the South African audience aged 25+. The key was to position the product not as a generic global solution, but something built by and for South Africans.
Our media buyers focused heavily on aligning the ad creative and messaging with culturally relevant themes and behavior-based targeting. Here's a breakdown of what worked:
The winning creatives were simple, short videos featuring dancing women — yes, sounds basic, but sometimes mainstream just works. The important part was making the content feel native to TikTok rather than overly polished or “ad-like.”
The most effective creative theme was:
"Try this new South African Dating Site – Match by Common Interests!"
We tested multiple headlines and discovered that the South African identity and "match by interests" messaging resonated the most with our target group.
If you're not testing TikTok traffic in regions like South Africa, you’re leaving serious money on the table. The CPMs are lower, the competition is still moderate, and the audience is engaged. With the right creative and offer alignment, it’s possible to achieve strong profitability — even on cold traffic.
Whether you're new to TikTok Ads or already scaling, consider tapping into localized offers and experimenting with fresh, native-looking creatives.
Feel free to drop your thoughts or questions — always happy to discuss strategies with fellow affiliates!
We’re excited to share a real-world case study from our internal media buying team that tested TikTok Ads traffic for one of our in-house dating products in South Africa. Spoiler alert: the campaign crushed expectations and delivered a 50% return on investment.
If you’ve been considering TikTok as a paid traffic source, especially in Tier-2 GEOs, this breakdown might give you the motivation you need to get started — or optimize what you’ve already got running.
Offer Details:
- Product: Skizzl ZA (Dating Offer)
- Country: South Africa (ZA)
- Campaign Type: DOI (Double Opt-In)
- Timeframe: 1st - 30th June
- Traffic Source: TikTok Ads
Campaign Performance:
- Total Ad Spend: $7,398.64
- Revenue Generated: $11,097.96
- Net Profit: $3,700
- ROI: 50%
Yes, that’s $3.7k in pure profit from just one campaign in a single month!
Strategy Overview:
The campaign was structured around promoting a localized dating platform specifically tailored for the South African audience aged 25+. The key was to position the product not as a generic global solution, but something built by and for South Africans.
Our media buyers focused heavily on aligning the ad creative and messaging with culturally relevant themes and behavior-based targeting. Here's a breakdown of what worked:
Targeting:
- Location: South Africa
- Age Group: 25+
- Custom Audiences: We tested various combinations of interests, behaviors, and creators to identify the sweet spots.
- Optimization Focus: The campaign was scaled using lookalike audiences and TikTok’s smart optimization tools for conversions.
Creatives That Worked:
The winning creatives were simple, short videos featuring dancing women — yes, sounds basic, but sometimes mainstream just works. The important part was making the content feel native to TikTok rather than overly polished or “ad-like.”
The most effective creative theme was:
"Try this new South African Dating Site – Match by Common Interests!"
We tested multiple headlines and discovered that the South African identity and "match by interests" messaging resonated the most with our target group.
Key Lessons:
- Localize Everything: From creatives to copy to landing pages. Users engage more when they feel it’s relevant to their culture and needs.
- Simplify Your Funnel: Keep the opt-in process smooth. We ensured the landing page loaded quickly and focused entirely on one CTA: register now.
- Keep Ads Platform-Compliant: Use clean, compliant creatives and landers that match TikTok’s content policies. This helped us maintain account stability.
- Preventive Bumps Help: Before launching, we negotiated a bump in CPA from the default to $1.20. This added buffer was key to maintaining profitability.
- Creatives Win or Lose the Game: We rotated creatives weekly to avoid fatigue. Even simple changes like adjusting text or background music made a measurable difference.
Final Thoughts:
If you're not testing TikTok traffic in regions like South Africa, you’re leaving serious money on the table. The CPMs are lower, the competition is still moderate, and the audience is engaged. With the right creative and offer alignment, it’s possible to achieve strong profitability — even on cold traffic.
Whether you're new to TikTok Ads or already scaling, consider tapping into localized offers and experimenting with fresh, native-looking creatives.
Feel free to drop your thoughts or questions — always happy to discuss strategies with fellow affiliates!