Tight TikTok Shop budget this October? Don't cut the samples. Cut the ads. I've
By Paul Harvey · October 3, 2026 · Curated by George's Blog
Tight TikTok Shop budget this October?
Don't cut the samples.
Cut the ads.
I've had 36 calls in the last two weeks. Nearly every brand asked the same thing: where does the money go before Black Friday?
October is for samples. Not ads.
Creator content takes about four weeks to come back. Ship a sample today and the video lands late October. Ship it mid November and it lands after the party's over.
Ads in October? You're paying to push videos you haven't found yet. Most of your winners don't exist yet.....
So if money's tight:
- Send as many samples as you can afford. Go wide.
- Keep ad spend steady. Don't push it.
- Watch what comes back. Every video is a test of what sells.
On average, 100 samples gets you 4 or 5 sales. That's normal. In October you're not buying sales. You're buying the answer.
Samples in October. Ads in November.
What's your split this month? Samples or ads?
#TikTokShop #BlackFriday #Ecommerce #AmazonSellers