TikTok Influencer Agency: Storytelling Beats Direct Response Here

Korina Sanchez, a nine-year veteran of the affiliate and influencer space with brand experience at Chomps and Home Chef, breaks down exactly what content to book on TikTok and why most brands approach it wrong. Her core argument is that TikTok is fundamentally different from Instagram because viewers feel like they are with the creator, not watching them, which means direct response creative consistently underperforms. Instead, Korina says brands with TikTok budget should lean into storytelling and hooks, not quick conversion plays.

She points to product reviews, new launches, and new arrivals as the highest-value content types on the platform, partly because TikTok has shifted toward longer-form content that supports in-depth storytelling. Any TikTok influencer agency or brand team building a platform strategy should note her specific warning: if your goal is immediate direct response, TikTok is the wrong lever to pull.

Watch to find out how she frames the storytelling hook framework and when she says TikTok spend actually makes sense.