If paid social is a core growth channel for your brand, these questions should sound familiar:

“Are we investing enough in TikTok?”

“Is Meta the most reliable growth channel?”

“How should we split our budget?”

The truth? There’s no universal formula. But there is a right way to think about your platform mix if you’re aiming for profitable, sustainable DTC growth.

We’ve seen what performs well across real campaigns. That insight shapes how we help brands make better budget decisions across Meta and TikTok.

TikTok is for discovery. Meta is for structure and scale.

TikTok sits higher in the funnel. It's where people discover products, follow trends, and get pulled into short-form content that feels more like entertainment than advertising.

It’s also:

• Fast, made to blend into the feed, and built around how people actually use the platform, not polished like a traditional campaign

• Ideal for younger audiences (Gen Z + younger millennials)

• Excellent for product discovery, especially when content feels organic

• Built for social commerce via TikTok Shop

But it’s not (yet) your go-to for high-efficiency conversion at scale.

Expect lower direct ROAS from TikTok. But it often boosts overall performance through meaningful incremental impact, driving search, social proof, retargeting, and assisted conversions across your mix.

By contrast, Meta (Facebook + Instagram) still leads when it comes to:

• Wide demographic reach, including 30+

• Mature, scalable ad infrastructure

• Better audience segmentation tools

• Stronger attribution and partner integrations (Shopify, Klaviyo, GA4)

It’s structured. It’s proven. It still delivers, particularly for brands focused on consistent acquisition and conversion-led creative.

Use them together…with purpose

The most effective brands don’t choose between TikTok and Meta. They use both - deliberately and strategically.

Here’s what the breakdown typically looks like:

When each platform’s used for what it does best, they work together, not against each other.

Meta doesn’t just build reach. It also powers structured retargeting flows. It serves the right creative to the right person at the right stage of the funnel.

TikTok creates moments and momentum. Used together, TikTok drives discovery, Meta drives conversions.

Creative must match the platform

This is where we see performance start to slip: brands use the same creative across both platforms.

Here’s what we’ve seen work best in practice:

TikTok needs:

• Raw, authentic short-form video

• Native visuals, fast hooks, trending audio

• UGC-style storytelling that feels natural

• Integration with TikTok Shop for native commerce

Meta thrives on:

• Structured creative flows

• Longer-form explainers and founder-led content

• Carousels, static and dynamic product ads

• Ad formats built for retargeting, including Reels, Stories, and standard feed placements.

Tailored creative outperforms every time. Repurposed assets tend to fall flat.

So where should your budget go?

Here’s our recommended starting point for brands looking to grow through paid social:

Start with 70% Meta / 30% TikTok

• Meta gives you reach, structure, and efficiency

• TikTok drives discovery and helps brands stay part of the conversation.

Then refine the split based on what’s working.

If your TikTok creative starts to perform, and you see uplift across branded search or Meta retargeting, shift to 60/40. Possibly 50/50 for TikTok-native brands (wellness, beauty, food & beverage, etc.).

Without the right creative, TikTok won’t deliver. Invest in building that creative muscle every day.

POV: Build your mix around customer behavior, not platform hype

TikTok is where they find you. Meta is where they buy.

Both matter. But they matter in sequence.

Treating them as interchangeable channels will limit your performance. The result? Confused performance data, and budget that doesn’t deliver.

Use each platform for what it’s best at. It reduces the cost of acquiring new customers, increases how much they spend over time, and helps you grow sustainably.

Let’s make your media mix work harder. And build a strategy that reflects how your customers actually buy, not just how platforms sell.