“Food brand founder filming TikTok video in a kitchen showing behind-the-scenes product prep – representing TikTok marketing for food and drink brands in 2025.”

TikTok has officially become the go-to discovery platform for food & drink brands. From artisan producers to household names, everyone wants a slice of the TikTok pie. But here’s the truth, while many brands are posting for views, only a handful are actually driving sales.

We’ve seen both sides. Brands who jump on every trending sound, and brands who treat TikTok like a true performance channel. The difference? One is chasing virality, the other is building a system that converts curiosity into customers.

So, if you’re a founder, looking to scale your D2C channel without sacrificing profitability, or balancing social media with everything else on your plate, this is for you. Here’s what’s actually working for food brands on TikTok in 2025.

From dance trends to data

TikTok isn’t the wild west it once was. In 2025, it’s maturing fast – evolving from a playground of trends into a serious sales driver. The brands winning now aren’t the ones with the flashiest videos, but the ones who understand why their content works.

Audiences want transparency and storytelling. They’re craving real founders, real kitchens, and real stories. A polished 4K advert might look great, but it won’t build trust. What stops the scroll is authenticity – showing the messy middle, the behind-the-scenes prep, the taste tests, and founder moments that make your brand human.

When we supported one of our clients through a TikTok strategy revamp, shifting from high-production ads to authentic “founder stories,” engagement tripled and conversion rates rose. Real… sells!

From viral views to loyal customers

There’s no shortage of brands hitting millions of views, but the question we always ask is – did it drive any sales?

The truth is, TikTok’s power lies in its ability to blend discovery with action. With the rise of TikTok Shop, that connection between content and conversion has never been stronger. Food brands who once relied solely on Shopify or Amazon are now generating thousands in additional revenue directly through TikTok – not from random one-off hits, but through consistent storytelling and data-driven testing.

TikTok isn’t just a brand awareness tool anymore. It’s a complete marketing funnel, from first impression to checkout.

The rise of creators (and how to collaborate smarter)

If you’ve been burned by influencer partnerships in the past, you’re not alone. 2025 is the year that micro-creators take centre stage. These are the everyday food lovers with 1K–10K followers – small audiences, but big trust.

The smartest food brands are no longer paying huge sums for one-off influencer posts. Instead, they’re building relationships with creators who genuinely love their products, then repurposing that content into paid ads, email campaigns, and even website landing pages.

It’s what we call multi-channel storytelling, and we explored it further in our piece on how to grow D2C sales without hiring a big team. The key is not to rely on a single post, but to build an ecosystem around it.

Why education is your new conversion tool

Food brands who teach, win. Simple as that.

The biggest engagement spikes we’re seeing on TikTok right now come from educational content. Think: “Three ways to use our chili oil,” “How to build the perfect cheeseboard,” or “Behind the scenes: how we pack 500 gift boxes in a day.”

For one client, this shift alone boosted watch time by 68% and increased website click-through rates overnight. When you use your platform to educate, not just entertain, your audience sees your brand as the expert – not just another product in their feed.

If you want to see this principle in action, take a look at how we helped Popcorn Kitchen transform educational storytelling into a 289% revenue increase in our Popcorn Kitchen Case Study.

Measuring what matters

Just like we talk about in Is your marketing actually driving sales?, TikTok success isn’t about chasing likes or views – it’s about tracking results.

Every brand should be measuring:

  • Video views to website clicks
  • TikTok Shop revenue
  • Conversion rate per product type
  • Audience retention and comment sentiment

Because once you understand what’s driving your metrics, you can double down on what works and cut what doesn’t. It’s exactly how we helped The Cornish Cheese Co hit a 10x ROAS – through constant testing, tracking, and optimisation.

And if you want to see how we turn engaged followers into paying customers, download our FREE Email Playbook – the exact strategy that helped one food & drink brand generate £56.7K in email revenue in a year, all from content that started on TikTok.

The opportunity ahead

TikTok isn’t a “nice to have” channel anymore – it’s part of the digital ecosystem that fuels growth. But the brands seeing real traction aren’t the ones jumping on every sound; they’re the ones building systems that connect awareness with conversion.

That’s the shift we’re seeing across food & drink – founders are realising that TikTok doesn’t sit on its own. It feeds your email list, drives paid performance, and shapes how your customers discover and buy from you. When you treat it as part of your full marketing mix, not a bolt-on, that’s when it starts driving real revenue.

Ready to make TikTok work for you?

We help food & drink brands build digital strategies that actually drive sales from TikTok to email, and everything in between. If you’re ready to turn your TikTok views into revenue, get in touch to see how we can help you scale sustainably. Or tune into the Fuelling Foodies Podcast for honest conversations with founders who are growing, adapting, and thriving in today’s digital world.

Because in 2025, TikTok isn’t just for trends – it’s where food brands grow.

Posted in Social Media and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,