Helping brands get rankings and revenue from Google, LLMs, AI Overviews | CEO of Contact.so | Mentions.so | Kleo.so

I help tech companies turn attention into predictable revenue.I am the CEO and co-founder of: • Contact (Most innovative SEO + AEO Agency in the World) • Kleo (AI tool that helps you create content optimized to go viral, build an audience, and get you customers)• Mentions (Helps you track your visibility and rank in ChatGPT and other LLMs)Across these businesses, we’ve built and scaled multiple bootstrapped, profitable companies, while also helping dozens of teams grow through SEO, LinkedIn, and AI-driven distribution.Most teams have the same problem: they invest in content, rankings, or social, but none of it compounds into a reliable acquisition engineMy work focuses on building distribution systems that actually scale:• Programmatic SEO and AEO that compounds• Organic content and distribution designed to convert, not just get likes• Content that helps you rank and get recommended by ChatGPT and other LLMsI work with tech teams and founders who want predictable growth without hiring massive teams or chasing tactics that stop working in six months.Here on LinkedIn, I share what we’re learning while building and scaling these companies, so other founders can avoid the mistakes that slow growth and waste years.My goal is simple: be the most transparent founder in the world, share everything, and hide nothing (so you can steal all our tactics to grow your own business) If you’re building a real business and care about predictable demand, following me will be useful.☎️GETTING IN TOUCH IS EASY:📞 Schedule a 30-minute free brainstorm and jam session with me here: https://calendly.com/trykleo/30min (Zero pressure, and if you need to reschedule, go right ahead.)

Rob Hoffman

SEO?
“Just add some keywords”
”Get green lights on Yoast”
”Let’s write a blog and rank #1?”
”Can’t we just buy some backlinks?”

But SEO in 2026 is a totally different beast.

Here’s what it actually involves:

- Total Addressable Search Market
- Google Search Console
- “Don’t change URLs”
- Quick win keywords
- Customer research
- Programmatic SEO
- Entity optimization
- LLM optimization
- Keyword Insights
- Topical authority
- Site architecture
- Schema markup
- Core Web Vitals
- Monthly reports
- Log file analysis
- Google updates
- Brand mentions
- Screaming Frog
- Technical audit
- Content decay
- Internal linking
- XML Sitemaps
- Topic clusters
- “llms.txt file?”
- Search intent
- Link building
- “It depends”
- Crawlability
- Canonicals
- Robots.txt
- Digital PR
- Mentions
- Semrush
- E-E-A-T

Just adding keywords or getting green lights on Yoast doesn't get SEO results.

True SEO and holistic marketing does.

PS. Want to see what SEO in 2026 looks like?

Join our first ever LIVE session later today. RSVP here (it’s free): https://lnkd.in/eiF7S-yM

Daily tactics to grow revenue with organic content and AEO / SEO. | My businesses: Contact.so | Mentions.so | Kleo.so (all bootstrapped, all profitable, all growing)

"I don't know how to do SEO in 2026"

Start from level 1 in The New SEO Game:

SEO isn't just Google rankings anymore.

It's now "Search Everywhere Optimization".

Reframe your “New SEO” project as a game, and you'll become addicted to levelling up.

Level 1: Traditional SEO

- Fix technical problems killing your rankings
- Research keywords and target quick wins
- Optimize on-page elements (titles, content)
- Earn quality backlinks through outreach and PR

Level 2: AI Search Optimization

- Format content so AI can parse it easily
- Build pages that AI platforms want to cite
- Structure information for machine consumption
- Test how your brand appears in AI search results

Level 3: Paid Search Visibility

- Run Google Ads for high-intent keywords
- Target competitor terms with YouTube Search Ads
- Capture Bing traffic through Microsoft Ads
- Measure paid performance across every platform

Level 4: LLM Answer SEO

- Produce authoritative content LLMs trust
- Build a knowledge base for AI training data
- Position your brand as the definitive source
- Monitor brand mentions in LLMs with Mentions

Level 5: Brand Authority SEO

- Get unlinked brand mentions across the web
- Feature in industry roundups and expert lists
- Build brand recognition without traditional backlinks
- Track brand mention volume and sentiment

Level 6: Community SEO

- Provide value in relevant Reddit threads
- Share expertise on Quora in your space
- Engage in Slack communities and Discord servers
- Build reputation in industry forums and groups

Level 7: Parasite SEO

- Repurpose content on Medium and LinkedIn Pulse
- Publish beehiiv newsletters to rank in Google
- Guest post on high-authority platforms/websites
- Leverage existing domain authority for quick rankings

Level 8: Platform-Specific SEO

- Optimize for Amazon search if selling products
- Focus on YouTube SEO for video content
- Master TikTok's algorithm for short-form content
- Optimize App Store listings for apps/extensions

Level 9: Topic Domination

- Own conversations across ALL channels
- Create content ecosystems to reinforce each platform
- Become the go-to expert mentioned everywhere
- Monitor and maintain authority across all channels

Completed all levels?

SEO is constantly evolving in 2026.

Stay ahead or get left behind.

PS. Need help levelling up?

Join our first ever SaaS SEO in 2026 LIVE session tomorrow, March 4th. 
RSVP here (it’s free): https://lnkd.in/eiF7S-yM

We analysed 1,000s of AI answers to find out how LinkedIn content can improve your AI visibility.

Semrush found that LinkedIn is the 2nd most cited website in AI answers (behind Reddit).

But their only other insight?

"LinkedIn: A steady rise across all AI platforms"

So we went much deeper with Mentions and analysed 4.8M AI answers and 13.4M citations.

Here are 7 key insights we found:

1. Almost half (42.5%) of all AI prompts we’re tracking cite LinkedIn at least once. Huge reach for a single platform.

2. AI citations of LinkedIn grew by 72% in just 6 months. AI tools are finding and using LinkedIn content more every month.

3. 85% of LinkedIn citations come from Google’s AI products (AI Mode and Overviews). Using LinkedIn for AI visibility is mostly playing a Google game.

4. LinkedIn Pulse articles get 8x more citations than regular LinkedIn posts. Long articles work way better than short posts for AI visibility.

5. LinkedIn Pulse articles are doing two things at once: They help content rank on Google and then get picked up by AI answers.

6. Company pages get cited more often than any other LinkedIn page type. If your company page ranks well, it is cited more consistently by AI.

7. AI loves LinkedIn most when people ask about people, companies, experience, and practical advice.

Here are the types of prompts where AI is most likely to pull from LinkedIn (from highest to lowest):

- Hiring and HR questions (69.17%)
- Real examples and case studies (65.12%)
- “Who is this person or company?” (58.89%)
- Learning and training topics (57.04%)
- Software and tools (56.10%)
- “Why” questions (54.76%)
- “How” questions (49.72%)
- “Best” or “top” lists (48.92%)
- Recommendations (48.59%)
- Reviews and opinions (48.21%)
- Comparisons (47.35%)
- “What” or “which” questions (45.14%)
- Everything else (33.34%)

We’re currently building an AI visibility strategy for beehiiv using these exact insights.

Worth sharing the process in real-time?

Our SEO Agency is trending on X News right now... last time this happened the CEO of Google himself weighed in.

If you haven't seen it yet, Jake Ward published a controversial article yesterday.

It breaks down his AI-powered SEO experiment that will likely redefine how founders think about organic content and SEO in 2026.

So far, the results are insane:

- +466% SEO traffic growth in 60 days
- 13,000+ pages published in just 3 hours
- 50% of those pages aren't even indexed yet

People think SEO is slow. But this proves it could be the fastest growth channel for startups in 2026.

The two biggest takeaways for founders looking to invest in this growth channel:

1. Content today is built like software, not written.
2. People want to interact with content, not read it.

I've talked to dozens of founders over the past weeks, and one thing is clear…

Most know this is a growth channel they can't miss out on, but have no idea where to start.

If that sounds like you, or you’re wondering whether this would work for your site, DM me or book a call (link in comments).

I called my shot last year, then spent 183 days making it happen:

Launched 2 businesses in 4 cities and hit $75k MRR.

I lived out of a suitcase, built in public, experienced setbacks, took massive risks…

But here’s what calling my shot has made painfully clear:

1. Define the shot before you take it

I asked myself: What would the best 6 months of my life look like?

I wrote down the answer. Then showed it to my co-founder, Jake:

"We’ll spend 6 months moving from city to city, meeting interesting people. Launch two businesses and grow them fast. Build in public, and get invited on all the podcasts we've been fans of for years."

And it all came true.

You can't call your shot if you don't have total clarity on what it is. Write it down. Make it specific. Then do it.

2. Go to where the interesting people are

Whatever shot you're calling, you will need people.

I spent 6 months moving from city to city, connecting with unique and talented people.

The people I met ended up becoming my co-founders, clients, and team members.

Moving cities is your competitive advantage because so few people are willing to do it.

3. Be the first to drink the Kool-Aid

People want to join a mission and get excited about something. So don't be afraid to sell it.

You may never arrive at the original destination, but here's a secret: nobody cares.

Most people just want an excuse to go on an epic adventure.

Dream big, define your vision, then build a team around it.

4. The biggest mistake is moving so slow you don’t make any

Our first CTO quit. And we didn't let it slow us down.

In less than 24 hours we:

Met with a new candidate
Made a handshake deal for equity and comp
Flew him across the world to sleep on our couch

If you make mistakes, good. That means you're moving fast enough.

You can't steer a stationary ship.

5. Be loud and unapologetic

I’ve documented everything we built on platforms like LinkedIn and X.

People told me not to share our numbers and growth strategies publicly. But I did it anyway.

I used Kleo to turn my ideas and stories into posts (like this one) that got attention.

That attention turned into:

- 2 dream podcast appearances
- Incredible talent asking to work with us
- lead flow for all three of our businesses

The most powerful lesson in all this (for business and life)?

When you call your shot…Call it loud.

Life is short. So tell the world exactly what you want, then go get it.

Helping founders make predictable revenue from organic content and rankings on LinkedIn, Google, and LLMs | CEO of Contact.so | Mentions.so | Kleo.so

I run 3 businesses. $400K MRR (total). All growing fast.

Is there some "secret sauce?"

Kind of:

It's called a constraints analysis.

This is the highest leverage skill any Founder can develop.

Before I show you how I do it, remember:

Like any other skill, you build this one through repetition.

Repeat this system every month.

Keep honing your craft.

Hope this helps someone level up their business in 2026.

Watch the full video here: https://lnkd.in/eSjVPsgj

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.

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.

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

Khairul Aming just did RM2.3 million in sales in a single day on TikTok Shop.

That's ~$589K USD from one 12-hour livestream.

He sold 51,700 products and got. 5.42 million views.

TikTok Shop LIVE has already proven in Asia.

In Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, creators are doing 6-7 figures in single sessions.

Most brands in the US and UK are stuck posting 3x/week, hoping something hits.

They haven't even tested LIVE yet.

Meanwhile, the playbook already exists.

Here's what Khairul did that you can copy:

He ran a 12-hour livestream set up like a virtual Ramadan bazaar with different product stations.

He rotated through curated products from 14 local brands. He answered questions in real time. He created urgency with cash giveaways and limited-time offers.

And people bought.

This is what TikTok Shop rewards in 2026.

Not polished brand content.
Not hoping a video goes viral.
Not waiting for the algorithm to pick you.

Real-time engagement.

The infrastructure exists in the US and UK now. The audience is ready. The conversion mechanics work.

But most brands think LIVE is "too much work" or "not professional enough."

So they're leaving 6-7 figure revenue opportunities on the table.

Are you testing LIVE for your brand?

TikTok Shop Setup Checklist for 2026.

The exact steps we use to launch brands from $0 to first sales on TikTok Shop:

If you need help implementing this: https://lnkd.in/gV5_Ab9Z

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.

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.

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.

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:

We're watching 3 things break inside TikTok Shop accounts right now.

Not gradually. In the last 60 days.

1. Sample quality collapsed

One of our brands before working with us was sending 400+ samples a month. 

Creators were posting, but the content was lazy. Generic unboxings. No hook. No angle. Just "look what I got" videos that generated views and zero sales.

The obvious move is to cut samples and shift budget to retainers with clear briefs.

The strategic move is harder, figuring out which creators actually drive GMV versus which ones just post for the sake of posting, restructuring your entire pipeline without killing momentum during the transition, and doing it while your competitors are still flooding those same creators with free product.

We rebuilt this for 3 accounts last month. Each one needed a completely different approach.

2. Commission-only is getting ignored

Top creators are sitting on 30-40 brand offers at any given time. Commission-only doesn't get you to the front of the queue anymore.

But the answer isn't just "pay creators more." We've seen brands throw retainers at the wrong creators and burn through budget faster than they did with samples.

The question isn't whether to pay. It's which creators justify investment, what deal structure actually locks in consistency, and how you avoid overpaying for content that doesn't convert.

That's a judgment call that looks different for every category and price point.

3. The algorithm changed what it rewards

Brands that built their entire strategy around waiting for one creator to go viral are getting outpaced by brands building systematic content velocity.

But "just post more" isn't a strategy either. We've seen brands push volume with low-quality content and tank their shop score. The balancing act between volume, quality, and algorithmic signal is genuinely hard to get right.

The brands scaling right now aren't the ones who spotted these shifts first.

They're the ones who had the infrastructure to adapt without losing momentum.

That's the part most people underestimate.

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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.

"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?"

TikTok just released its 2026 trend report:

"People will come to TikTok for unfiltered stories and BTS moments, with most resonant brands showing real process and people over curated perfection."

This is why polished product videos aren't working anymore.

The brands winning on TikTok Shop in 2026 won't have the best brand guidelines.

They'll be the ones showing:

- Messy unboxings, not staged ones.
- Real customers in real situations, not actors.
- Behind-the-scenes of fulfillment and shipping.
- Actual product usage, not perfect lighting setups.

This is why creator-led commerce works.

Creators aren't polished and show the process.

Your 10-page brand guideline asking creators to match your aesthetic is the opposite of what audiences want.

TikTok Shop rewards what people watch.

And people want unfiltered, not curated.

Are you still optimizing for brand perfection or giving audiences the real stories they're craving?

Most brands think their TikTok Shop strategy isn't working.

Usually it is working, but it's leaking.

We audited a brand last month doing $50K/month in GMV. Looked healthy on the dashboard.

Under the surface, they were hemorrhaging budget in 3 places they hadn't even thought to check.

Creators who took samples weeks ago and never posted, as they had a logistics issue, but nobody was tracking it, so samples kept going out. 

Commission structures were set at launch and never adjusted, even though category benchmarks had shifted. 

Content is generating views, but converting at a fraction of what it should. None of these showed up in their weekly GMV report. Every one of them was compounding.

The fix wasn't one thing. 

It was different for each leak. 

Some needed operational changes, some needed creator relationship restructuring, and some needed a complete rethink of which SKUs they were pushing.

The uncomfortable truth is that most brands don't know where their budget is actually going on TikTok Shop. They see top-line GMV and assume the machine is running efficiently.

It rarely is.

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.

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.

People think TikTok Shop is for cheap impulse buys.

In January, products over £100 generated 41% of revenue on TikTok Shop UK.

That's 15 times higher than the global average.

TikTok Shop isn't a discount channel anymore. It's a legitimate commerce platform where people buy home appliances, premium clothing, and high-utility items.

People are hitting "buy" on £100-200 products while scrolling their feed because creator trust and brand legitimacy have matured.

Most brands are still treating TikTok Shop like a clearance channel.

Running aggressive discounts. Racing to the bottom on price. Positioning themselves as cheap alternatives.

Meanwhile, premium brands in the UK are proving that you don't need to discount heavily to win.

You need trust. You need the right creators. You need to position value, not price.

This happened in January. A month when shoppers are traditionally bargain hunting.

And high-ticket items still dominated.

If you're afraid TikTok Shop will damage your premium positioning, the data disagrees.

The platform has matured. The audience is ready to spend. The infrastructure supports it.

Are you still treating TikTok Shop like a discount channel or building it as a premium commerce platform?

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?

Creator marketing is powerful.

Scaling it manually is impossible.

You can't manage 1,000 creators through Google Sheets and inbox chaos.

You can't manually track shipments, negotiate contracts, and process global payments one by one.

Most platforms try to help, but they only solve pieces of this.

One does discovery.
Another handles outreach.
Another does reporting.

You still need massive manual effort to connect everything.

That's the problem AMT solves.

AI-powered creator marketing that handles the entire workflow so your team stops doing operations and starts doing strategy.

It runs sourcing, vetting, outreach, negotiations, contracts, payments, and performance tracking.

All-in-one platform across Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.

Every program type, such as gifting, affiliate, sponsored, and UGC.

Brands like Noshinku, Stars + Honey, and Wild Nutrition are already scaling with it.

Do you want to see AMT in action?

Comment "CREATORS" and I'll send you the link to get 10 fully vetted creators, completely for free.

"Do we need full catalog pushes or focused launches?"

I get asked this a lot.

Hero SKU focus wins on TikTok Shop, while the full catalog pushes dilute traction and wastes budget.

High-velocity content consistently outperforms polished brand campaigns because the algorithm rewards speed and volume over production value.

Brands that scale quickly drive over 70% of their revenue from a tight group of creators and a small set of SKUs instead of spreading effort across their entire product line.

LIVE shopping, affiliate content, and paid amplification need to work together as one integrated system rather than separate channels competing for budget

Most brands launch with too many products and wonder why nothing gains momentum.

Focus creates traction faster than variety ever will.

Don't be the brand that gets caught sending terrible creator briefs.

Instead, steal 1 of these 8 frameworks:

This is where you should start on TikTok Shop:

Mastering the structure of converting content.

These are the 8 content frameworks I use to brief creators across every brand we scale on TikTok Shop:

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1) A-I-D-A
Attention: Stop the scroll in the first 2 seconds.
Interest: Build curiosity around the problem.
Desire: Make them want the outcome.
Action: Tell them exactly where to buy.

2) H-B-D
Hook: Open with a bold, relatable claim.
Benefit: Show what it does for them.
Demo: Prove it works on camera.

3) P-A-S
Problem: Name the pain they already feel.
Agitate: Make it feel real and urgent.
Solution: Position the product as the fix.

4) B-A-B
Before: Show where they are right now.
After: Show the transformation.
Bridge: The product is what gets them there.

5) S-P-I-N
Situation: Set the scene they recognise.
Problem: Introduce the friction.
Implication: Show the cost of doing nothing.
Need: Bring in the product naturally.

6) T-S-T
Tease: Open with a bold result or claim.
Show: Demonstrate it visually.
Tell: Explain exactly why it worked.

7) R-S-R
Relate: Start with something they've felt.
Surprise: Flip the expectation.
Result: Land on the outcome with proof.

8) S-S-S
Star: Lead with a person or product as the hero.
Story: Walk through the struggle or journey.
Solution: Show how the product resolves it.

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Send these frameworks to your creators and watch your GMV per view change.

Which framework does your best-performing content already use?

Let me know in the comments.

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Repost to help your network build better TikTok Shop content.

Follow me, Ashley Wright, for daily TikTok Shop strategies that actually drive revenue.

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