A few years ago, saying TikTok might matter for SaaS sounded like a stretch.
It mostly was.
Now it's a bit different.
Not because it's suddenly a strong B2B channel. It isn't. But because the gap between cost and attention on platforms like LinkedIn has widened enough that you start looking elsewhere.
That's where TikTok comes in.
Not as a replacement. More as a place to test.
It's not something we're pushing (yet)
For most of our clients, this isn't a priority.
There are still too many practical constraints.
- video takes time and budget
- most B2B content isn't naturally engaging in that format
- attribution is unclear
- internal buy-in is usually low
And the reality is, a lot of B2B content just doesn't belong on TikTok.
A whitepaper isn't competing with someone making something completely irrelevant but oddly watchable. It just doesn't land the same way.
So it's not something we're actively rolling out across accounts.
But it's also not something we're writing off.
LinkedIn is still the core, but it caps out
LinkedIn is still the workhorse for B2B SaaS.
If you want to get close to the right people, it's the best platform available.
But it's not without limits.
You hit a point where:
- you've reached most of the audience
- frequency starts creeping up
- CPMs keep rising
- and incremental gains get harder
That's usually when the conversation changes.
Not "what replaces LinkedIn?"
More "what sits alongside it?"
We've already seen this play out on Meta
This isn't really new.
We've seen similar patterns on Meta.
For some SaaS clients, Meta has actually driven stronger pipeline than LinkedIn.
For others, it hasn't replaced LinkedIn, but it's been the only way to scale once LinkedIn topped out.
That's been the role:
- cheaper reach
- broader coverage
- earlier touchpoints
It doesn't behave like LinkedIn.
But it doesn't need to.
B2B buyers don't only exist on LinkedIn
Most B2B buyers aren't only on "B2B platforms".
They're on Meta. They're on TikTok. They're on YouTube.
Just not in work mode.
LinkedIn is where people are closer to evaluating.
Other platforms are where you show up earlier, before that process starts.
That activity rarely shows up cleanly in attribution.
But it still influences what happens later.
TikTok fits into that same gap
TikTok is basically the next version of that.
- cheaper attention
- less precise targeting
- more reliance on creative
- more impact upstream
There are now enough examples to say it can work.
Not consistently. Not cleanly. But enough to justify testing.
Creative is the constraint, not the platform
The bigger issue is content.
Most B2B SaaS creative isn't built for TikTok.
It's too polished. Too controlled. Too product-heavy.
The stuff that works tends to:
- call out the audience quickly
- frame a problem early
- feel native to the platform
That's not how most SaaS teams are set up to produce content.
Which is why this stalls internally more than anything else.
Creator-led content probably makes more sense
A lot of the better results come from creator-style content.
Not because influencers are magic.
But because they understand how to hold attention on the platform.
Most brands don't.
So instead of forcing traditional B2B ads into TikTok, it's often easier to work with formats that already fit how people consume content there.
It's still early, and still imperfect
Even with all of that, there are gaps.
- no real B2B targeting
- variable lead quality
- reliance on creative over structure
- unclear attribution
You can make it work.
But it's not straightforward.
Where it actually fits
Right now, TikTok sits as an upstream channel.
Not closing demand.
Creating it.
If you expect it to behave like LinkedIn or Google, it will look weak.
If you use it to:
- build awareness
- test messaging
- reach people earlier
- support other channels
It starts to make more sense.
Audience matters
This is where it becomes more relevant.
If you're targeting younger buyers, earlier in their careers, TikTok starts to become more viable.
If your audience is entirely senior, enterprise, and late-stage, it's less obvious.
So it's not universal.
Our view
For now, we're not pushing TikTok heavily for B2B SaaS.
There are still too many constraints.
But it's a useful place to test once LinkedIn starts to get expensive or capped.
We'll likely revisit it properly later this year.
Not because it's proven.
Because it's getting harder to ignore.
