With over 1 billion active users, TikTok has quickly become one of the most powerful marketing platforms for brands and influencers alike. But navigating the world of brand partnerships on TikTok can seem daunting, especially for those just starting out.
Luckily, a number of creators on TikTok are dedicated to educating and empowering others on how to effectively collaborate with brands and unlock greater success. From influencer marketing experts to brand managers to TikTok-famous influencers themselves, these top 10 educational accounts provide a wealth of knowledge on the strategies and best practices behind killer brand partnerships.
1. @plusbranding
The team from The Plus Branding Company use their account to share nuggets of wisdom on pitching brands, negotiating deals, contracts 101, and content creation best practices. It’s a crash course on the business side of influencer marketing.
2. @scottweckly
Straight from the brand’s perspective, Scott Weekly, the Director of Digital Marketing at Mountain Dew, provides an inside look at what brands value in partnerships through interviews, advice videos and more. A must-follow for understanding the corporate side of collaborations.
3. @coopergardner
Mega influencer Cooper Gardner pulls back the curtain on his brand partnerships, revealing the strategies that helped him build a multi-million dollar career and relationships with top companies like Netflix and Amazon. He shares tips on identifying your brand fit, activating audiences, and more.
4. @maddie.whitepr
For those looking to leverage brand partnerships to further non-profit causes, social impact strategist Maddie White shares tactical advice. Her videos educate on how to execute values-driven collaborations that drive both awareness and action.
5. @themogulmom
Serial entrepreneur Stacy Feather offers a master class on identifying partnership monetization opportunities across content creation, affiliate marketing, sponsored content, and more. She equips followers to generate revenue while building their personal brand.
6. @jeresawhite
Entrepreneur Jeresa imparts wisdom on product launch collaborations. She covers everything from reaching out to brands, seeding products with influencers, and boosting distribution through the ideal packaging and launch experiences.
7. @clemskim
Former TikTok brand partnerships manager Clementine Kim lends her expertise on attracting brand deals as an influencer. Her insights on strengthening pitches, boosting engagement, repurposing old content and more are pure gold.
8. @samipatel
Networking guru Sami Patel teaches an entire crash course on how to expand your network and connections to unlock brand deals and partnerships. Her unique tactics like “the compliment pitch” can help you stand out.
9. @leonaadam
Rising nano-influencer Leona Adam is still in the trenches, sharing her journey and lessons learned along the way about building an online presence that companies want to pay for. She keeps it real about the influencer hustle!
10. @teamcreatorbite
At Creator Bite, former FBN host Sonia Gil and entertainment lawyer Alejandro Brito dive into the key legal aspects of brand deals that creators often overlook – from negotiating rates to licensing transparency compliance. #Notyourlawyer but still super helpful!
How These Accounts Can Level Up Your Brand Partnership Game
Following this curated list of educational TikTok accounts focused on brand partnerships can dramatically elevate your abilities as an influencer, marketer or content creator in several meaningful ways:
Learn How to Confidently Pitch and Win Brand Deals
From accounts like @plusbranding and @clemskim, you’ll gain expert insights on strengthening pitches, identifying your unique value proposition, negotiating better rates and sealing more deals with brands. It gives you a competitive edge!
Understand Key Strategies From Both Sides
By learning from perspectives spanning influencers (@coopergardner, @leonaaadam) and brand marketers (@scottweckly), you’ll gain a more balanced, nuanced understanding of what makes successful partnerships—rather than just a one-sided approach.
Expand Your Monetization Mindset
Channels like @themogulmom and @jeresawhite open your eyes to all of the untapped revenue streams related to brand partnerships beyond one-off sponsorships—like affiliate marketing, product launches, and recurring licensing deals.
Harness the Power of Networking and Connection-Building
“It’s not what you know but who you know” rings true in landing brand deals. Accounts led by networkers like @samipatel share unique tactics and scripts for forming connections that open partnership doors.
Stay Current on Industry Trends, News and Best Practices
Following a mix of thought leaders keeps you in-the-know on emerging trends, platform changes, and best practices related to brand partnerships on TikTok and social media writ large. Being ahead of the curve matters!
Access Mentorship from the Experts
Rather than expensive online courses, these TikTok accounts give you direct access to mentors at the forefront of nailing brand partnerships. You can learn from subject matter experts willing to share their knowledge in bite-sized chunks.
5 Additional Benefits of These Educational TikTok Accounts
Beyond just mastering the skills of brand partnerships and influencer marketing, following these educational accounts provides additional benefits:
1. Content Production Inspiration and Knowledge
Several of these thought leaders like @teamcreatorbite and @plusbranding share video production tips, content strategy advice and editing guidance that enhances your overall creative abilities.
2. Insights into Future Industry Opportunities
Want to stay ahead of the game? Accounts run by experts and insiders like @maddie.whitepr and @scottweckly provide glimpses into little-known brand collaboration opportunities like nonprofit and social impact partnerships.
3. Legal and Compliance Best Practices
With guidance from accounts like @teamcreatorbite and @plusbranding, creators can avoid partnership legal landmines by learning best practices around transparency, rights negotiation, compliance, and more.
4. Motivation and Career Inspiration
Influencer accounts like @coopergardner showcase what’s possible when brand partnerships are done right. The behind-the-scenes look at their success stories can be incredibly motivating for aspiring creators.
5. Community Support and Encouragement
Engaged audiences within the comments sections provide an added layer of learning—from sharing additional tips to commiserating on partnership struggles. It’s a built-in supportive community driven to help each other level up.
3 Steps to Identifying the Right Accounts to Follow
With countless influencer marketing and brand partnership accounts, how do you identify the most valuable ones to learn from? Follow this 3-step process:
1. Establish Your Brand Partnership Goals
First, outline your specific goals around brand partnerships, such as:
- Landing your first brand deal as an influencer
- Monetizing your influence through partnerships
- Collaborating with brands on specific projects
- Boosting your marketing skills for company brand partnerships
- Growing your creator network and connections
This will shape the types of accounts most aligned with your learning needs.
2. Gauge Expertise and Legitimacy Signals
Once you’ve identified potentially relevant accounts, vet their legitimacy and authority through cues like:
- Years of active experience as an influencer, marketer, brand manager
- Credentials like community/industry recognition or awards
- Company or agency affiliation lending insider knowledge
- Large, engaged following pointing toward trusted experience
- Third-party media coverage or press highlighting their expertise
These signals indicate creators worth learning from.
3. Test Out a Few Accounts For 2 Weeks
Even the most promising accounts on paper may not click for you in practice. Commit to test-following 3-5 accounts for at least 2 weeks. Assess whether you genuinely find their content helpful, engaging and progressively expanding your abilities around brand partnerships. Keep only those meeting that high bar.
5 Tips for Getting Maximum Value from These Accounts
Want to take full advantage of all the brand partnership knowledge these TikTok educators have to offer? Implement these 5 tips for an optimized learning experience:
1. Take Notes and Bookmark Videos
Always keep a running document or note app open to quickly jot down key advice, templates, scripts, tactics and best practices shared across these accounts. Bookmark videos you’ll want to revisit repeatedly.
2. Participate With Questions and Comments
Don’t just passively watch. Lean into these accounts by asking follow-up questions, seek feedback, share your own experiences and engage with the broader community in comments. Interactive learning amplifies retention.
3. Turn Advice Into Immediate Action Steps
Directly apply what you learn to your own influencer journey or brand partnership strategies. Look for bite-sized tips you can immediately implement, whether tweaking pitches, shifting partnership asks, or adjusting content plans.
4. Follow Accounts From Different Niches
While most accounts will cover universal partnership principles, others will offer hyper-specific advice tailored to industries like consumer products, nonprofits, SaaS, etc. Following varied perspectives creates a well-rounded education.
5. Stay Patient and Let Skills Compound
Success with brand partnerships won’t come overnight after following these accounts. But actively investing time into implementing their advice over a period of months or years allows their educational value to compound into undeniable results!
Top 5 Must-Follow Accounts for Brand Partnership Beginners
Feel lost on where to even start with brand partnerships? Make sure these 5 introductory accounts are among the first you follow for a solid foundation:
@plusbranding – Covers key fundamentals like pitching, negotiating deals, contracts and proposal best practices for first-time influencers seeking paid partnerships.
@coopergardner – As a mega influencer, Cooper readily shares tips on establishing your brand identity, value proposition and initial outreach strategies that landed his early deals.
@scottweckly – Straight from the brand side, Scott Weekly breaks down what factors marketers consider when evaluating influencer partners so you can better position yourself.
@themogulmom – For ambitious creators viewing brand partnerships as a monetization avenue for their personal brand, Stacy shares ways to identify and activate revenue streams.
@samipatel – Before all else, Sami emphasizes the crucial skill of networking and human connection—her content equips you with tactics to build meaningful relationships leading to opportunities.
These leading voices provide a comprehensive, well-rounded curriculum that sets you up for brand partnership success from all angles right out of the gate. One follow at a time, you’ll transform into an educated influencer marketing pro!