Sublime Conversions

Head of Conversions @ Sublime Conversions

US Army

Infantry Soldier

Investor | $2.3M+ sold | I fund and manage DFY sales campaigns for high ticket offers. Building & investing in a portfolio of service-based brands.

There are 3 ways to grow your business:

1. Bring in more customers (get more people to buy).
2. Increase order size (get people to spend more when they buy). 
3. Improve customer lifetime value (get people to buy more often or buy more things). 

I help businesses do all three without using ads, webinars, sales letters or anything like that. Plus, you don't pay a dime until we've FOUND the money and put it in your account.

It doesn't get much better than that ;)

Nick Browne

Ashley Wright

Want to scale your brand to $100k+/mo with TikTok Shop?👋

Are you struggling to see the results you want on TikTok Shop?

Over the past two years, I've generated over $80,000,000 on TikTok for some of your favorite brands.

A few of our current and past clients include:
- Loop Earplugs
- Divi
- Petlab
- Mylee
- SNOW
- Stars + Honey
- Surreal
- Style Edit
- Thread Beauty
- Little words project

This success isn't just luck it's about understanding the platform, pushing boundaries, and being unafraid to test what works.

Brands used to doubt TikTok's ROI potential, but that's never been the case. With TikTok Shop, the ROI is clearer than ever.

If you're ready to create a whole new revenue channel with TikTok, here's how I can help:

1. Follow me on LinkedIn for daily TikTok Shop insights (scroll up and hit the bell to get notified).

2. Watch my FREE TikTok Shop Playbook (DM me "Playbook").

3. Want my agency to manage your TikTok Shop? (DM me "Support" and I'll share the details).

Glad you dropped by. 
To your success!

Mentor

1:1 video mentoring sessions with the world’s most in-demand startup mentors.

Tomorrow is my birthday.

I write one of these every year because it forces me to slow down and take an honest look at the last 12 months. 

Not the highlight reel, the real lessons.

This year felt less about chasing growth and more about refining it.

Earlier in my career, progress meant doing more. 

More clients, more calls, more output. 

Now it is about building something that runs with clarity and ownership. 

Systems over chaos. 
Operators over passengers. 
Direction over noise.

A few reflections from the past year:

1) Leadership changes when the business grows.

You stop measuring impact by how much you personally do, and start measuring it by what the team can execute without you in the middle. 
That shift is uncomfortable, but necessary.

2) Not all growth is worth it.

There were plenty of opportunities that looked exciting on paper. 

The biggest wins came from focus. Saying no protected momentum more than saying yes ever could.

3) Authority is earned through execution, not noise.

The industry has become louder. More operators, more agencies, more opinions. 
What cuts through is results. 
Case studies, outcomes, and staying focused on delivering real value rather than chasing attention.

4) Family changes perspective in ways you cannot fully predict.

As Bodie gets older, it hits differently. Ambition feels more grounded. 
Time feels more valuable. The way you define success shifts when you realise you are not just building for yourself anymore.

Personally, this year has been about tightening everything. 
Cleaner structure inside the business. Clearer thinking. 
Being far more intentional with where time and energy go.

Looking ahead, the focus is simple:

- Build something that scales cleanly.
- Create leverage through people and systems.
- Stay close to what actually drives outcomes.

Grateful for the team, the clients, the partners, and everyone who has been part of the journey.

Another year in. 
Still building.

Let’s go.

Helping 8+ Figure Brands Win on TikTok Shop | CEO of Social Tale | Speaker | Social Commerce Growth Expert | DM for growth, audits, or collabs

Most brands ask if they're ready for TikTok Shop.

To be honest, not everyone should be on TikTok Shop right now, and that's okay.

I built this decision tree to help you figure out if you're actually ready or if you're about to waste 6 months and $50K:

Your team ran a TikTok Shop test for 2 months, didn't see results, and shut it down.

Now you're saying TikTok Shop doesn't work.

The thing is, you didn't actually test TikTok Shop. You tested with outdated methods and called it a channel test.

TikTok Shop doesn't work in 2 months because the algorithm needs time to learn what actually converts for your product.

Creators need to post multiple times to figure out which hooks land. Your audience needs to see the product 3-4 times before they trust it enough to buy.

The brands doing $100k+ on TikTok Shop didn't get there in a couple of months.

They spent time building the infrastructure, testing content angles, and finding which creators actually move product.

Then they scaled what worked.

You can't judge a new channel the same way you judge a Meta ad campaign. Different platform, different timeline, different mechanics entirely.

Think about it this way:

Would you launch a new retail store, see zero customers in week 1, and immediately shut it down before you even finished setting up the shelves?

That's basically what your TikTok Shop test was.

Most brands kill TikTok Shop before momentum even has a chance to compound. Then six months later, they're watching competitors scale.

The reason why the TikTok shop isn't working for you is that you didn't give it enough time to actually work.

Meta Ad spy tools show you WHO is running ads.

GoMarble shows you WHY they work.

One gives you a list of ads. 

The other gives you strategic patterns + creative analysis.

Every ad spy tool shows you competitors.

None of them explains why an ad actually performs.

GoMarble doesn't just list competitor ads.

It watches them. Dissects hooks, copy, formats, angles. Finds patterns of what's actually converting right now.

Search 150M+ ads by funnel stage, hook type, and offer structure.

Not just brand names.

Then it connects to your ad account.

Compares competitor patterns against your top and bottom performers.

Shows you what's missing, overused, or mis-positioned.

Turns that into ready-to-shoot briefs.

We're using it for TikTok Shop creative research.

But it works across platforms.

Also, GoMarble built a Competitor Intel report. 

Enter your website, and GoMarble instantly shows competitors’ ads, their best hooks, winning angles, and a gap analysis against your own ads. 

Repost + comment “GoMarble” and I’ll DM you the link.

P.S. Repost for priority access.

100% of brands track TikTok Shop metrics.

90% track the wrong ones.

Everything we track to get our clients to 7-figure months on TikTok Shop:

(this is everything I have visibility into - meaning it's worth my time to track. You'll notice many seemingly "common" ones are left off this list)

I actually don't believe brands should concern themselves with metrics that most TikTok Shop sellers traditionally obsess over.

For example, I don't care about video views or engagement rates until they become paying customers.

If you set up the business "right", the person responsible for X amount of new GMV/month will undoubtedly sweat those metrics.

They're incentivized to improve those metrics as best they can. I can't add much there. You want someone sweating it - but you don't want it to be you.

In terms of what I DO care about:

1/ Total GMV ($ value)
2/ New customer GMV vs returning customer GMV
3/ Average order value ($ value)
4/ Units per transaction
5/ Conversion rate (%)
6/ Top 10 performing creators by GMV
7/ Top 10 performing products by GMV
8/ Creator activation rate
9/ Content-to-conversion ratio
10/ GMV per video posted
11/ CPA through paid creator partnerships
12/ Organic vs paid creator GMV split
13/ Sample ROI (cost of samples vs GMV generated)
14/ Video posting velocity (videos posted per week)
15/ Time to first sale from content posted
16/ Creator retention rate
17/ Commission payout vs GMV (%)
18/ Product return rate (%)
19/ Shop visit to purchase rate (%)
20/ Average days from sample sent to first creator post
21/ GMV vs goal (monthly, $ value)
22/ GMV forecast based on current creator pipeline

Am I missing anything?

TikTok Shop just pulled a full U turn.

After weeks of noise, back and forth, and “potential updates” to Seller Shipping, this landed in inboxes:

“At this time, Seller Shipping remains unchanged, and previously shared deadlines are not going into effect.”

Translation, the dramatic shift is not happening, for now.

The last few weeks have been messy.

There was a strong push toward tightening control over shipping, clearly a move toward a more Amazon style model where the platform owns more of the infrastructure and margin.

From a platform economics perspective, I get it.

Own fulfillment, own experience, own more revenue.

But timing matters.

If your goal is onboarding serious $10m+ sellers, introducing a sudden operational roadblock with short turnaround deadlines creates friction at exactly the wrong moment.

We had multiple conversations with TikTok.

We supported brands through contingency planning.

We looked at operational impact, margin compression, warehouse shifts, customer experience risk.

And rightly so, several brands were hesitant to opt in under pressure.

High revenue operators do not like instability in core logistics.

This reversal is the right move.

Not because platform owned shipping will never happen.

But because forcing structural change before the ecosystem is fully ready slows momentum.

TikTok Shop is still early.

It needs enterprise brands.

Enterprise brands need predictability.

Platform growth is not just about monetisation.

It is about trust.

For now, Seller Shipping remains unchanged.

And that gives brands breathing room to scale without unnecessary friction.

The bigger takeaway is that TikTok is still iterating in real time. If you are building on the platform, expect volatility.

Build systems that can absorb it.

That is the game.

TikTok Shop + AI for brands = cheat code.

Over the past six months I have gone deep into this.

Courses.
Software.
Testing workflows.
A lot of AI credits.

And honestly, I feel like we are finally at a place where this is ready to roll out properly.

Brands keep telling me they cannot hire fast enough to keep up with content.

You do not need a bigger team. You need a different system.

Here is the blueprint we are rolling out:

Multiple marketing pages, not just one brand account.
Affiliate style pages testing angles at speed.
AI generated variations, different avatars, hooks, and languages like Spanish.
High volume testing inside TikTok Shop to find real conversion signals.

Then when something works?

Move it to Meta and scale it.

TikTok becomes the performance lab.
Meta becomes the amplifier.

And for the people who say AI is fake or not real.

Many brands already pay UGC creators who do not care about the product, follow a script, and move on to the next brand.

Execution speed is what matters.

Move with the times or get left behind.

PS, The videos below are AI generated. Could you tell?

"Is TikTok Shop actually profitable?"

Every brand asks this around week 6.

And most kill it at day 45.

Right when it's about to work.

They see the GMV.

They see the commissions.

And they panic and say it's not profitable.

What they are missing is that launch ROI and scale ROI are two different games.

In the first 60 to 90 days, you're not extracting profit.

You're building infrastructure:

- Higher commissions to attract creators.
- Heavy content investment to test what converts.
- Tighter margins to build momentum.

This phase isn't supposed to be efficient.

It's supposed to prove the model works.

Most brands expect immediate profitability and pull the plug before the system matures.

They're chasing vanity GMV instead of watching contribution margin.

Those who see success treat TikTok Shop like a flywheel.

They focus on contribution margin, not vanity GMV.

They track what actually matters, such as profit per order after commissions, returns, and fulfillment.

They double down on repeat creators who already know their product.

These creators drive better conversion rates, which means lower effective commission costs and better MER.

They identify hero SKUs that drive volume without killing margin.

One or two products that hit the algorithm sweet spot can carry your entire catalog's profitability.

They increase content velocity until the algorithm picks up momentum.

More content from proven creators means the platform rewards you with cheaper traffic and better MER.

By month 4, MER improves. By month 6, it scales.

TikTok Shop is profitable when you stop chasing paper metrics and start building for the long game.

The question isn't "Will this work?"

It's "Are you willing to build it right?"

Tarte did $45 million in GMV on TikTok Shop in 6 months and sold 1.6 million products.

Everyone thinks it's because they're a big brand.

So, I looked at where the revenue actually came from.

88% was affiliates and 11% was the Shop tab.

Less than 1% came from their brand account.

Many brands think TikTok Shop success comes from posting great content on their brand account.

Tarte's posting maybe once a week.

Meanwhile, they activated 6,600 creators in a single month who published 23,000 videos.

That's 800 videos per day hitting the platform.

They're not waiting for one video to go viral.

They built a system where content just keeps flowing.

And the algorithm rewards that.

I pulled up one of their top creators.

Kaley Solitro has over 50K followers.

She's generated over $1 million in sales for Tarte.

Not because she has a massive audience.

Because she posts consistently and knows how to make content that converts on TikTok.

Their best-selling product is the CC Corrector.

$11.7 million from one SKU.

It works on TikTok because it's simple to show.

Clear before and after.

You see the result in 15 seconds.

That's what a TikTok-native product looks like.

Most brands are still trying to figure out what to post on their brand account.

Tarte just recruits hundreds of creators, gives them samples, and lets them do what they do best.

Then they amplify the ones that are already working.

TikTok Shop Brand Safety Governance Checklist for 2026.

The exact framework we use to help brands scale to 7 figures per month without destroying their retail relationships or brand equity:

Most brands think TikTok Shop success looks like a straight line up, but it doesn't.

You'll have weeks where one creator drives $50K.

Then weeks where nothing converts.

A product that crushed it in October might flop in January.

A creator who posted 10 duds suddenly hits on post 11.

This is normal.

The brands doing 7 figures aren't the ones that never have down weeks.

They're the ones who keep testing through the valleys until they hit the next peak.

Success and failure on TikTok Shop exist on a continuum. You're always somewhere in between.

---

♻️ Repost, bookmark, and share with your network if you found this helpful.

To all e-commerce brands here doing TikTok shop.

You can get the same product to convert 2-3x better by running multiple creator angles simultaneously, and letting the algorithm tell you what works.

Here's how to do it (and why most brands miss this):

- take your top 3-5 products
- recruit 5-10 creators per product
- split them into 3 different messaging angles
- each angle is a different hook and use case

Example for a sleep supplement:

- angle 1 targets the problem (can't fall asleep at night)
- angle 2 targets demographics (busy moms who need rest)
- angle 3 targets use cases (natural sleep without grogginess)

You're basically testing which message the algorithm rewards with sales.

Brief each group of creators with their specific angle.

Give them the same product, different talking points.

Use custom UTM parameters or creator codes so you can track performance separately.

For these to actually perform, treat every angle like a separate campaign.

Separate sample batches, separate discord channels, and separate commission structures if needed.

Then, track GMV per angle over 30 days, and double down on the one that drives highest revenue per video.

Before you ask, this does NOT waste samples.

We've been running this strategy for 2+ years across dozens of brands, and the data always tells you what converts.

TikTok Shop doesn't care if it's the same product.

They care whether the content resonates with different audience segments.

As long as each angle serves a specific pain point or demographic.

---

♻️ Repost, bookmark, and share with your network if you found this helpful.

You don't need a massive budget to scale on TikTok Shop.

I've watched brands burn $100K+ in 90 days with nothing to show for it.

Meanwhile, smaller brands with tighter budgets are doing $50K months.

The difference isn't money.

It's focus.

Here's what profitable brands are doing:

---

1) Pick 1-2 hero SKUs, not your entire catalogue

Most brands launch with 20+ products.

The algorithm doesn't know what to push.

Creators don't know what to promote.

Customers get confused.

Narrow it down.

One or two products that demonstrate well on video.

Give the algorithm a clear signal.

Give creators a clear story to tell.

---

2) Pay creators with retainers, not just samples

Sending samples and hoping the creators' post is expensive guessing.

We pay $30-150 per video retainer plus commission.

That guarantees posts.

Guarantees volume.

Guarantees the algorithm gets fed consistently.

Samples work for discovery.

Retainers work for scale.

---

3) Hit 250+ pieces of content per month minimum

The algorithm needs volume to learn what converts.

20 videos per month isn't enough signal.

250+ gives the platform enough data to optimise.

That's roughly 8-10 posts per day across your creator network.

Sounds like a lot, but it's just 25 creators posting once a week.

---

The algorithm rewards consistency over budget.

Most brands think that more money solves the problem.

It doesn't.

More focus and the right strategy do.

Premium brands fear TikTok Shop.

"Won't this turn us into a discount brand?"

I get it. The platform feels risky.

But poor execution damages positioning.

Not the platform itself.

The brands losing their premium positioning are letting creators run wild with messaging, competing on price instead of value, and treating TikTok Shop like a liquidation channel.

The brands winning are doing something different.

1) They bundle intelligently to increase AOV

Instead of slashing prices, they create exclusive bundles that justify higher order values.

Limited edition sets. Product + accessory combos. Starter kits.

2) They use value adds instead of discounts

Early access to new launches.

Gift with purchase.
VIP creator events.
Not 30% off everything.

3) They anchor around hero SKUs and storytelling

Creators don't sell on price.

They sell the transformation, the outcome, the experience.

Premium positioning comes from how the product is framed, not what it costs.

4) They control the commission strategy

Commission happens behind the scenes.

Public-facing pricing stays premium.

No race to the bottom on discounts that train customers to wait for sales.

5) They use TikTok Shop as a discovery engine

Acquire new customers at full price through creators.

Then monetize repeat purchases through DTC retention flows.

TikTok brings the customer in. Your brand keeps them.

TikTok Shop doesn't cheapen premium brands.

Weak operators do.

AI-generated UGC is outperforming real creators for some of our clients.

Here's the breakdown of when to use it and when not to.

Most brands think they need to choose between real creators or AI content.

These days, you need both.

When AI UGC works:

1) Testing new messaging angles fast. Instead of waiting 2 weeks for a creator to post, we test 10 different hooks in 48 hours with AI-generated content.

2) Scaling content that already converts. If a creator's video drives $15K in sales, we use AI to create 5 variations of that same framework with different angles and scripts.

3) Filling content gaps. You need 30 pieces of content posted before a sale. AI helps you hit volume without burning through your entire creator budget upfront.

When AI UGC doesn't work:

1) Complex product demos. If your product needs a detailed walkthrough or before/after that takes time, real creators win every time.

2) Building long-term trust. The creators posting 10+ times for your brand can't be replaced by AI. Their audience knows them and trusts them.

3) Trend-jacking. AI can't jump on trending sounds or formats fast enough. Real creators living on the platform will always move faster.

For our clients, we use this split:

70% real creator content (building relationships, ongoing partnerships, trend content)

30% AI-generated UGC (testing hooks, scaling winners, filling volume gaps)

AI doesn't replace your creator strategy. It amplifies it.

Are you using AI to scale or trying to replace humans entirely?

Brands check their TikTok Shop dashboard every day.

But they're looking at the wrong numbers

Most brands manage TikTok Shop on GMV.

Check the dashboard. See last month's revenue. Decide if it's working.

But revenue shows you what happened 30-60 days ago.

The creators posting today drive sales in 4-6 weeks.

So when you only track monthly revenue, you're reacting to old data.

We don't manage TikTok Shop on GMV.

We manage it on leading indicators.

1) Creator Activation Rate

How many creators actually posted after getting samples. If it's below 70%, your brief is broken, or you're targeting the wrong people.

2) Content Volume

How many pieces of content hit the platform each week. We need 100+ per month minimum, or the algorithm doesn't have enough signal.

3) Repeat Creator Density

Which creators keep posting multiple times. One creator posting 10 times beats 10 creators posting once.

I watched a client hit $120K months.

Then they cut samples by 60% to "save budget."

Two months later, GMV dropped to $45K.

It wasn't seasonality.

It wasn't algorithm changes.

It was a broken content pipeline caused by cutting samples.

The work you do today shows up in revenue 30-60 days later.

Most brands celebrate a big month, then forget to keep sending samples.

Revenue drops 8 weeks later, and they panic.

TikTok Shop rewards consistency, not monthly sprints.

If you're managing TikTok Shop on last month's GMV, you're operating on a 60-day delay.

A 9-figure CEO messaged us before we spotted it.

A creator had posted a video implying the brand was "shutting down."

The video was getting traction.

Not a good look when the CEO sees it before you do.

What happened is that the creator used an aggressive hook to drive hold rate. "Is [Brand] shutting down?" "Why are they discounting so heavily?"

It worked. People watched. The algorithm pushed it.

But when you're working with enterprise brands and board-level scrutiny, you can't let performance run unchecked.

We're now having the same conversation with every brand:

What's your risk appetite?

Will you sacrifice short-term GMV to protect positioning? Or are you comfortable leaning into aggressive hooks for faster scale?

You can't optimize for both.

So we've built a clear creator brief with boundaries on what hooks are off-limits.

Automatic scanning before we put paid spend behind content.

Escalation protocols when risky content gets traction.

Because once you amplify a video with ad spend, you're not just distributing content. You're amplifying risk.

The difference between agencies that scale brands and agencies that get burned is simple.

You either build governance around growth, or growth exposes your weaknesses.

Scale without control isn't a strategy. It's a gamble.

And serious brands don't gamble with reputation.

An 8-figure brand asked me why they aren't getting TikTok Shop sales. They're sending samples to 50+ creators a month. Getting maybe 5 posts back. So why isn't it working?

I get the frustration. You see other brands crushing it.

But spray and pray with samples actually works, you're just executing it wrong.

Think of it this way.

If you're only getting a 10% post rate, you're sending samples to anyone with a follower count. No brief. No guidance. No clear angle. Just "here's a sample, hope you post." You should be hitting 85%+ post rates with the right system.

Those relationships are your creator partners who get clear briefs, understand what angles convert, know exactly what to post, and actually follow through consistently (not just take samples and ghost).

This is called creator-led commerce.

It's backed by the algorithm and it is the foundation of your entire TikTok Shop strategy.

It's the only way to scale on TikTok Shop in 2025 and beyond. It's better than hoping content goes viral, better than running ads alone, better than sending samples to randoms with zero structure.

Are you building a structured creator network or just hoping samples turn into sales?

TikTok Shop is on 'easy mode' for brands right now.

So here's a quick 2026 copy-paste content brief:

First, you don't need complicated 10-page brand guidelines.

You need a 3-section brief that takes creators 2 minutes to read and actually helps them convert.

TikTok Shop is rewarding content that converts right now.

The beauty brands are going viral with before/after transformation content. The wellness brands are going viral with problem-solution demos.

Their secret isn't long creative briefs. It's clarity.

Here's a quick run-down of the content brief structure.

1. The Hook (first 3 seconds that stop the scroll)
2. The Story (why this product matters to their audience)
3. The Offer (what to say and where to send people)

Most brands send creators:

- 8-page brand guidelines
- Approved messaging frameworks
- Required hashtags and disclaimers

Then wonder why creators don't post.

For example:

Hook: "If you're struggling with [problem], this changed everything" 
Story: Show the problem → Show the product solving it → Show the result 
Offer: "Use my code [NAME] for 15% off"

To structure your briefs use these 2 frameworks:

The Hook-Benefit-Demo (grab attention, explain outcome, show proof)

The Problem-Agitate-Solve (call out pain point, make it hurt, present solution)

Make sure every frame delivers value per second. Use real results and specific product benefits.

This strategy has driven $80M+ for our clients.

TikTok Shop isn't saturated, but complicated creative briefs are. Focus on giving creators freedom within a clear framework, not 10-page brand guidelines they'll never read.

---

Repost if you want more TikTok Shop strategies. 

Follow me, Ashley Wright, for practical insights on TikTok Shop and eCom growth.

You're paying creators $500+ per video.

Meanwhile, your best testimonials are sitting unused.

You probably have hundreds of customer reviews sitting in your Shopify backend.

Real testimonials from real people who bought your product like:

"This serum cleared my skin in 2 weeks."
"Best purchase I made all year."
"My toddler destroyed this dress and it still looks new."

But they're just text buried on your product page.

Nobody sees them.

Here's what you can start doing:

AI takes those exact words and turns them into video content for your brand account to post on TikTok Shop.

You're not making anything up or creating fake reviews.

You're taking what Sarah actually said about your product and putting it in a format that performs on TikTok Shop.

Because text reviews don't sell on TikTok.

Video testimonials do.

Your affiliates drive traffic and create authentic content from their accounts.

Your brand account posts AI testimonial videos that add social proof and conversion power.

Most brands waste all their content budget on creator videos and forget their brand account needs to post consistently too.

AI testimonial videos solve that without hiring a content team.

Are you using AI testimonials on your brand account or leaving it empty while affiliates do all the work?

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The Battle

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