last summer, forbes published its inaugural list of the highest-paid tiktok stars: your videos must have 100,000 video views in the last 30 days. tik-tok-creator-fund unxpectd's tiktok account had its first viral hit in december 2020, and in just a few months, the size of its following skyrocketed. since graduating, the team has relocated to los angeles, where they still dye and embroider their own products⁠-when they're not creating fresh tiktok content. what works about unxpectd's tiktok account is that it's rarely used to directly promote its products. instead, unxpectd invites followers to get to know the brand's founders on a more personal level, bringing them along for its brand-building journey. but the best part? tiktok's ad manager seamlessly integrates with shopify. that means you can create tiktok ads, select a target audience, and rack your ad's performance⁠-all from your shopify store. the tricky part of using social media to sell products is not overdoing the amount of promotional material. your fans understand that you need funding to keep creating the content they love, but no one wants to follow an account that just feels like it's advertising constantly. illustration by eugenia mello faux saint laurent bag