Your TikTok agency isn't failing you. Your creator vetting is. Here's what I see
By Adam Weiler · October 9, 2026 · Curated by George's Blog
Your TikTok agency isn't failing you. Your creator vetting is.
Here's what I see happen constantly with brands on TikTok Shop:
They hire an agency. The agency has a big creator network. Hundreds of people. A Discord. Internal incentives. Looks legit on paper.
So the brand sends product. Sends equipment. Sends commission offers. Invests real money.
And then the videos come in... and they're bad.
Not bad like "needs a better hook." Bad like the creator had never made a good video before this one either.
The agency wasn't picky. They just needed bodies posting content. And the brand paid the price.
I've seen brands spend $30K+ between equipment, samples, creator fees, and ad spend — and walk away with a $37 CPA on a product that converts at $9 on Amazon.
That gap doesn't come from the platform. It comes from who's holding the camera.
So before you send a single unit to a creator, check these 3 things:
1️⃣ What does their content look like BEFORE your product? Are they already good at storytelling, or are they just available?
2️⃣ Does their audience actually engage, or just scroll past? Comments and saves beat follower count every time.
3️⃣ Do they understand your category? A fitness creator who already talks about protein and macros will outperform a general lifestyle creator with 10x the following.
Follower count is a vanity metric. Content quality before you showed up is the signal.
The brands that win on TikTok Shop aren't spending more. They're being more ruthless about who they work with from day one.
What's been your experience vetting creators — are you checking their existing content before you reach out, or mostly going on follower numbers?