A mystery confounded social media in August 2023 when the probiotics brand, Seed, posted a short video of Gwyneth Paltrow to its TikTok account. 

‍

“So… this is a twenty-four strain probiotic. Not the kind you find in yogurt and stuff like that,” she began, before being interrupted by a loud, long whooshing sound. “Moses is steaming some milk," she calmly explained and then finished. “It’s so good for bloating and regularity.”

‍

Social media users debated it for days. 

‍

“Why didn’t she just redo it?”

‍

“Zero effort.”

‍

“Chaotic.”

‍

“Brilliant.”

‍

“I mean it did go viral.”

‍

In the end, it turns out, it wasn’t an ad. Seed’s director of communications, Kathryn Ryan, told Business Insider that Paltrow was not paid when she first posted the video on her Instagram Stories. “When Gwyneth posted her video, we saw the making of the perfect 'anti-ad,’” said Ryan. Seed then posted Paltrow’s video to their TikTok (although we don’t know what money was then exchanged, if any). "We're enjoying how much everyone is enjoying the video," said Ryan.

‍

Now let’s compare the viral Paltrow “anti-ad” to a TikTok from a much larger brand than Seed. Without naming names, their video featured a different but also famous celebrity; but their video was a cut-down of an ad originally shot for television — it had poor engagement and missed the mark. 

‍

What can we learn from the two ads? On TikTok — where 71% of users say they prefer posts that aren’t “too polished” — messy beats perfect. 

‍

Here are 10 tips to help your brand make content that looks and feels native to TikTok and Instagram:

‍

  • Be entertaining. Be informative. Just don’t overtly sell, unless you have something to share that you truly believe will interest your audience.

‍

  • If you say a word wrong, don’t start over. If an object falls in the background, good. Embrace occasional mistakes because they’re real and relatable. 

‍

  • Jump into the action right away. Don’t pause. Don’t delay. The clock is ticking when it comes to capturing attention. 

‍

  • Almost every article you read on creating content for TikTok tells you to embrace trends and use TikTok sounds and music. But you’re not everyone. You’re a brand. Leverage original or approved sounds and audio only.

  

  • Talk show hosts and “Saturday Night Live” performers are masterful at using cue cards. The rest of us, not so much. Don’t use scripts or cards.

 

  • Paid influencers should be relevant to your brand and your audience. If you can’t think of a “why” behind why you're working with them…. don’t.

‍

  • Your video is part one. Keeping the conversation going by replying to comments is part two. 

‍

  • Finally, don’t be afraid to use the occasional background noise in your videos, even Moses steaming his milk.

‍