Email Marketing and TikTok: A Powerful Duo for Digital Engagement

Email marketing and TikTok are seemingly extremely different marketing channels that cannot be combined. Nothing could be further from the truth. Your activities on TikTok and in email marketing can work wonderfully together. They can complement each other, generating more and more followers and customers, and increasing their engagement with your brand. 

Still finding it hard to believe? In this article, we will show you how you can easily cross-channel promote your content, and how to create entire marketing sequences using email marketing and TikTok. 

Why combine email marketing and TikTok?

As we’ve already said, email marketing and TikTok may seem like an unlikely pair, but together, they create a complementary strategy. TikTok’s bite-sized, visually captivating content excels at grabbing attention and sparking curiosity. 

Email marketing, on the other hand, provides a direct channel to nurture leads and drive meaningful action. By integrating these platforms, brands can maximize their reach and provide a seamless experience across channels. 

Also, bear in mind how powerful both marketing channels are. Email marketing continues to deliver an impressive $42 return for every $1 spent. At the same time, TikTok boasts over a billion monthly active users, primarily digital-native consumers aged 18-34.

Understanding the audience overlap

The magic happens at the intersection of these platforms. Today's digital consumers don't think in channel-specific silos. They expect seamless, engaging content that moves fluidly across their digital experiences. 

60% of TikTok users are Gen Z and millennials, but they also use email as the preferred communication channel for professional and personal communications. It means that a 25-year-old professional might scroll through TikTok during a coffee break and then dive into their email inbox – expecting equally compelling content on both platforms. 

Cross-channel promotion strategies

Now, we move on to how to use both of these marketing channels to benefit from each other. Let’s see how you can grow your email list and promote your newsletters with TikTok. Also, let us tell you how to promote your TikTok account in your newsletters.

Growing your list with TikTok

There are numerous ways you can use TikTok to grow your email list, and here are the main ones:

• Add a newsletter subscription form to the link in bio on your TikTok account. When using Elastic Email, you can create a web form, or an entire landing page to attract new leads, which comes along with a copyable link that you can share on your social media.

• Create duets with other TikTokers who can help promote your newsletter. Brands often collaborate with influencers to expand their reach in promoting their products, even digital ones. Or, you can even encourage regular TikTok users to stitch your videos and become self-proclaimed ambassadors of your brand.
• Take topics from your newsletter and tease people with a short video sneak peek. To see more or maybe even get an additional lead magnet, they need to subscribe to your list. Not only will you attract more leads, but you will have a double assurance that your content is interesting. Not only based on the email campaign results. 

Promote your TikTok account in newsletters

Now it’s time to discuss what you can do when writing your newsletters that will help you gain more followers on TikTok.

• Add social media buttons to your email footer. Your subscribers may want to see your social media channels and interact with your content, so make it easier to access it at the end of your emails.
• Incorporate some of your TikToks into your newsletters. You can easily include them by adding a video cover image and a link to this TikTok video. Once your subscribers click, they will be redirected to the original content. You can even consider creating a TikTok highlight section in your newsletter if it’s a crucial channel for your brand.
• Use TikTok trends as inspiration for email layout and content. It can be lyrics, a quote, or a general aesthetic that is trending right now on TikTok. Make sure you have good reflexes and you send your campaign while the trend is still ongoing. Regular TikTok users will recognize it and might want to check out your profile.

Other activities to consider

Here are some other marketing activities you may want to undertake to both promote your newsletters, but also increase your reach on TikTok.

• Host lives on TikTok - hosting live sessions is a great idea to directly connect with your audience and spread the knowledge. If they are already your subscribers, you can promote and remind them in your emails about the event. You can organize a Q&A session with your followers and answer questions popping up in the chat section. If some of them relate to the content of your newsletters, you can encourage new people to sign up for your list to stay up to date.
• Use viral audios - using songs that are trending right now on TikTok is a great technique to increase your reach because people often search for videos by sound. You can join the trends and adjust your content to it, and make the whole video based on what’s viral right now. Or, you can simply put the audio in the background and add your content on top of it, but it will still appear in the search by sound.
• Address pain points - create content touching on the pain points your followers often encounter. If your newsletters or other lead magnets present solutions to these issues, you can use it as an opportunity to encourage them to sign up for your list.
• Run TikTok ads - expand your reach by running ad campaigns on TikTok. They will attract new followers but only help you build your email list. You can promote your free or paid newsletters, or giveaways like guides, webinars, whitelists, etc., in exchange for a subscription to your list.

Success in Action - examples of how to combine email marketing and TikTok

Apart from the ideas on how you can cross-channel promote your email marketing and TikTok, we prepared some examples of step-by-step practical implementation strategies.

#1 Story:

1. Brand X creates a TikTok workout/dance/cooking challenge.
2. They share extended tutorials in an email newsletter.
3. They offer exclusive discounts to email subscribers.
4. Brand X creates a follow-up TikTok video showcasing subscriber results.

Potential results: email list growth, higher engagement rates, boost in brand awareness

#2 Story:

1. Brand Y (Software Startup) produces TikTok with quick productivity tips for their app.
2. They create in-depth emails with guides, tutorials, and case studies.
3. They offer a referral program linking TikTok and email interactions.
4. Brand Y showcases TikTok stories of successful app users.

Potential results: increased app downloads, higher user retention, community building

#3 Story:

1. Brand Z (Travel Company) creates a TikTok series documenting unique travel experiences.
2. They send newsletters with complementary travel guides.
3. They offer exclusive trip-planning resources.
4. Brand Z creates a challenge “Show us your travel dream” with an email signup requirement.
5. They share best travelers’ videos on TikTok.

Potential results: increased audience engagement, more comprehensive customer journey, enhanced brand loyalty

Email marketing and TikTok - final thought

Marketing is no longer about choosing between channels. It's about creating a compelling narrative that follows consumers wherever they go, speaking their language, and providing value at every touchpoint. 

The marriage of email marketing and TikTok represents more than a trend – it's a fundamental shift in how we approach digital marketing. By creating seamless, engaging experiences that move fluidly across platforms, brands can build deeper, more meaningful connections with their audience.

Start small, experiment, break traditional marketing rules, and measure the results. Adjust your next steps based on the outcomes. And remember, the most successful strategies are born from continuous experimentation and the willingness to break established patterns. 

Ula Chwesiuk

Ula is a content creator at Elastic Email. She is passionate about marketing, creative writing and language learning. Outside of work, Ula likes to travel, try new recipes and go to concerts.