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Food and beverage advertising for small businesses

Discover advertising strategies to boost engagement and drive sales for your F&B business.

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Starting your first advertising strategy in the food industry can feel overwhelming. Between managing daily operations and trying to understand digital marketing, many food small business owners wonder where to begin. The good news? TikTok has emerged as a highly effective platform for food advertising, with 72% of TikTok user saying they try new products or brands more often since joining TikTok, and over half saying that they tried a snack for the first time after viewing creator or recommendation videos on TikTok.¹


This guide walks you through everything you need to know about advertising your food business on TikTok, from basic concepts to advanced strategies that actually drive customers through your doors.

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What exactly is food advertising?

Food advertising goes far beyond simply showing pictures of your products. It's a way of creating an emotional connection with potential customers by telling your brand's story, showcasing your unique value, and building trust in your offerings. On TikTok specifically, food advertising leverages the platform's visual and social nature to create authentic connections with your target audience.


Modern food advertising has shifted dramatically from traditional methods. Instead of relying solely on polished commercials, today's successful food brands use authentic, behind-the-scenes content that makes viewers feel like they're part of the experience. TikTok users love this type of genuine and authentic, making it an ideal platform for small food businesses.


The platform's unique format allows you to showcase your products in action. Whether you're demonstrating cooking techniques, revealing ingredient sourcing, or sharing customer reactions, TikTok's short-form video format captures attention in ways that static images simply can't match.


What makes TikTok particularly powerful for food advertising is its community-driven approach. The TikTok community doesn't just watch content passively - they participate in trends, share their own experiences, and create their own videos around products they love. This organic engagement translates directly into word-of-mouth marketing that traditional advertising struggles to achieve.


For small businesses, this levels the playing field significantly. You can compete with larger brands by focusing on authenticity, local connections, and unique stories that resonate with your community.


Developing a content strategy

Creating an effective food advertising strategy on TikTok requires understanding both your business goals and your audience's behavior on the platform. Unlike traditional advertising channels, TikTok success comes from consistency, authenticity, and strategic timing.


Start by defining your primary objective. Are you trying to increase foot traffic to your restaurant? Drive online orders? Build brand awareness for your food product? Each goal requires a different approach. For instance, if you're a local bakery wanting to increase weekend sales, your strategy might focus on Thursday and Friday content showcasing fresh weekend specials, while a meal delivery service might emphasize convenience and variety throughout the week.


Your content calendar should balance promotional posts with value-driven content. The 80/20 rule works well here: 80% of your content should provide value, entertainment, or education, while 20% can be directly promotional. This might include recipe tutorials, ingredient spotlights, behind-the-scenes kitchen footage, customer testimonials, and trend participation. Check out food and beverage small business case studies to see how other brands are approaching content.


TikTok's For You page prioritizes videos that keep people engaged, so focus on creating videos that encourage comments, shares, and completion rates. Start your videos with a hook in the first three seconds, use trending sounds strategically, and always include a clear call-to-action.


Budget allocation on TikTok differs from other platforms. You can achieve significant organic reach without paid advertising, but combining organic content with targeted ads amplifies your results.


One successful approach involves creating themed content series. For example, "Meatless Monday" recipes, "Wednesday Waste Reduction Tips," or "Friday Featured Ingredients" give your audience something to anticipate while making your content creation more systematic.


Ad solutions for food brands

Digital advertising on TikTok offers food brands several powerful options to reach their ideal customers. The platform's advertising tools are designed to be accessible for small businesses while providing the targeting precision that larger brands demand.


Spark Ads allow you to promote existing organic content that's already performing well, including from TikTok creators. This technique works exceptionally well for food businesses because you can identify which recipes, behind-the-scenes moments, or customer reactions resonate most with your audience, then amplify their reach through paid promotion.


Targeting capabilities on TikTok are sophisticated yet user-friendly. You can target based on demographics, interests, behaviors, and even custom audiences created from your existing customer data.


Location targeting becomes particularly important for restaurants and local food businesses. TikTok's geographic targeting enables you to reach potential customers in your neighborhood, enabling you to reach potential customers within your delivery radius or driving distance. Combined with demographic targeting, you can focus your budget on users most likely to become customers.


The platform's event tracking system helps you understand which ads drive actual business results. By installing the TikTok Pixel and Events API, you can track conversions, optimize for specific actions, and calculate your return on ad spend accurately.


Video creation for TikTok ads requires a different approach than traditional advertising. Successful food ads on the platform feel authentic and native to the user experience. They often start with a relatable problem ("What should I cook for dinner?") and provide a solution featuring your product or service. The most effective ads incorporate trending sounds, popular effects, and current TikTok formats while showcasing your food in an appetizing way.


Creative concepts in food advertising

Creative concepts on TikTok thrive on authenticity, storytelling, and trend participation. The most successful food brands on the platform understand that creativity doesn't require expensive equipment or professional video production - it requires understanding what resonates with TikTok's community.


Recipe content remains one of the most popular formats, but the approach matters significantly. Instead of traditional step-by-step tutorials, TikTok users prefer quick, visually appealing recipe demonstrations with clear ingredient lists and timing. The "recipe reveal" format, where ingredients are shown first followed by the finished product, consistently performs well because it creates anticipation and encourages viewers to watch until the end.


Behind-the-scenes content offers food businesses incredible opportunities to build trust and connection. Viewers love seeing how their food is made, where ingredients come from, and the people behind their favorite brands. A small bakery might show the early morning preparation process, while a restaurant could highlight the chef's creative process for developing new dishes.


Trend participation amplifies your reach exponentially when done thoughtfully. Food businesses can adapt popular TikTok trends to showcase their products creatively. For example, the, "Tell me you're [blank] without telling me you're [blank]" trend could become, "Tell me you're a pizza lover without telling me you're a pizza lover" featuring your restaurant's most enthusiastic customers.


Storytelling transforms ordinary food content into compelling narratives. Share the story behind your signature dish, explain why you started your food business, or highlight customer transformations. These personal connections create emotional bonds that translate into customer loyalty and word-of-mouth marketing.


Educational content positions your brand as an authority while providing genuine value to your audience. This might include cooking tips, ingredient explanations, nutrition information, or food safety practices. Educational content tends to have longer shelf life than trend-based posts, continuing to attract viewers months after publication.


Seasonal and timely content keeps your brand relevant throughout the year. Plan content around holidays, local events, seasonal ingredients, and cultural moments that matter to your audience. A farm-to-table restaurant might create content around harvest seasons, while a dessert shop could develop holiday-specific treat tutorials.


User-generated content campaigns encourage your customers to create content featuring your brand. This approach works particularly well for food businesses because people love sharing their dining experiences. Encourage check-ins, or run contests that motivate customers to share their experiences with your food.


The key to successful creative concepts lies in consistency with your brand voice while adapting to TikTok's dynamic culture. Brands that succeed long-term find ways to participate authentically in platform trends while maintaining their unique personality and values.


TikTok's guide for CPG brands provides additional creative inspiration specifically tailored to food businesses looking to maximize their impact on the platform.


Collaborate with creators to improve your food marketing

Creator collaborations represent one of the most effective strategies for expanding your reach on TikTok. Unlike traditional influencer marketing, TikTok creator partnerships work best when they feel authentic and aligned with both the creator's audience and your brand values.


Identifying the right creators starts with understanding your target audience's viewing habits. Look for creators whose followers match your ideal customer demographics and whose content style aligns with your brand personality. Micro-influencers with 10,000 to 100,000 followers often provide better engagement rates and more affordable partnerships for small food businesses than mega-influencers with millions of followers.


When evaluating potential creator partners, examine their engagement rates, comment quality, and audience authenticity. A creator with 50,000 engaged followers who regularly interact with food content will likely deliver better results than someone with 200,000 passive followers. TikTok's Creator Marketplace provides tools to identify creators in your niche and analyze their audience demographics.


Collaboration formats vary widely depending on your goals and budget. Product seeding involves sending your products to creators in exchange for honest reviews or featuring in their content. This low-cost approach works well for packaged food products or meal delivery services. Sponsored posts involve paying creators to create specific content featuring your brand, while long-term brand ambassador programs create ongoing partnerships that build deeper relationships with creator audiences.


Content co-creation often produces the most authentic results. Instead of simply asking creators to promote your product, involve them in developing content concepts that showcase your food naturally within their typical content style. A lifestyle creator might incorporate your healthy snacks into their morning routine, while a cooking creator could develop unique recipes using your ingredients.


TikTok's analysis of successful communities on the platform reveals that food-related communities like #foodtok, #mukbang, and #storytime offer numerous collaboration opportunities for food businesses willing to engage authentically.


Local creator partnerships offer particular value for restaurants and food service businesses. Partner with local food bloggers, lifestyle influencers, or even other complementary businesses to cross-promote and reach new audiences within your geographic area. These partnerships often feel more genuine to viewers and can drive immediate foot traffic to your location.


Performance tracking for creator collaborations requires clear goal-setting upfront. Establish specific metrics like reach, engagement, website traffic, or sales conversions that you'll use to measure success. TikTok's analytics tools, combined with unique promo codes or tracked links, help you understand which partnerships deliver the best return on investment.


Building long-term relationships with creators often proves more valuable than one-off collaborations. Creators who genuinely enjoy your products become authentic advocates for your brand, creating ongoing content that feels natural rather than forced. These relationships also provide valuable feedback about your products and insights into your target audience's preferences.


Legal and compliance considerations become important as creator partnerships grow. Ensure all sponsored content includes proper disclosures, follows FTC guidelines, and complies with TikTok's branded content policies. Clear contracts outlining expectations, deliverables, and usage rights protect both parties and ensure successful partnerships.


The investment in creator collaborations typically ranges from product costs for seeding campaigns to several thousand dollars for established influencer partnerships. However, successful collaborations often generate content that continues driving results long after the initial partnership period, making them cost-effective marketing investments.

Sources: 1. TikTok Marketing Science Global Snacking Survey via Suzy, February 2023. Base: TikTok Weekly Users 18+ who purchased snack products in the P3M

Frequently asked questions

What are some of the most effective online advertising methods for food and beverage companies trying to reach other businesses (like restaurants or retailers)?

For food and beverage marketing, TikTok can play a supporting role through behind-the-scenes content that demonstrates your production capabilities, quality standards, and company culture. Create content showing your facility, certifications, and testimonials from existing business clients. Email marketing to targeted lists of restaurant owners, food service directors, and retail buyers remains highly effective when combined with valuable content like industry trends, seasonal menu suggestions, or cost-saving tips.

How can a food or beverage business use social media to connect with other businesses and potential partners online?

What kind of online content (like blog posts or videos) should a food company create to attract new business customers?

How can a food or beverage supplier use their website to generate leads and inquiries from other businesses?

What are some key things to keep in mind when advertising food and beverage products online to other businesses, especially regarding regulations or industry standards?

How can a food or beverage company use email marketing effectively to nurture relationships with potential business clients?

What are some ways a food or beverage business can use online platforms to showcase their products to potential wholesale buyers?

How can a food or beverage company track the success of their online marketing efforts and see what's actually working to bring in new business?

Are there specific online advertising platforms or strategies that work particularly well for reaching businesses in the food service industry?

For a food or beverage business new to online marketing, what are the first few things they should focus on to get started?

This document is the property of TikTok Inc. and is intended solely for informational purposes. The recipient shall not distribute, exhibit or otherwise use this document for any other purpose. TikTok undertakes no obligation or responsibility to update any of the information contained in this document. Past performance does not guarantee or predict future performance. Please note that you are solely responsible for adherence to all applicable laws, rules, regulations, and policies, when creating branded content on TikTok including, without limitation, the FTC's endorsement guidelines and all applicable TikTok platform policies including, without limitation, TikTok's branded content policy: https://support.tiktok.com/en/business-and-creator/creator-and-business-accounts/branded-content-policy