Crowdtap · Consumer insights panel · Performance creative & paid media · 2026
How Crowdtap turned TikTok into a panel recruitment engine
Most brands conclude a channel does not work. Usually the creative did not fit the channel.
30%
decrease in TikTok CPA
while volume grew 15%
The results, up top — every number is in the strip below
30%
decrease in TikTok CPA
native creative, not resized
10%
decrease in blended CPA
across the whole account
15%
increase in volume
while costs fell
Always-on
UGC production
continuous creative supply
Rebuilt channel
not abandoned
the creative was the problem
01 — The challenge
A TikTok channel being written off before it had native creative.
Crowdtap recruits panelists for consumer research. Its TikTok recruitment was being read as a channel problem.
The alternative explanation — that the creative was built for a different platform — is less comfortable and more common.
“TikTok looked like a dead end for us. It turned out we were running Facebook ads there and blaming the app.”
So the channel was rebuilt around native performance creative and structured properly.
02 — Our approach
Native creative, structured testing, always-on UGC production.
Creative was rebuilt for TikTok specifically rather than adapted from other placements, and the account was restructured so results could be read rather than guessed at.
TikTok CPA fell 30%, blended CPA across the account fell 10%, and volume rose 15% — the channel became an acquisition source rather than a write-off.
More on this work: Performance Creative.
03 — What we did
What the campaign actually consisted of.
The working parts behind the Crowdtap numbers above.
Native TikTok creative
Built for the platform, not resized
Creative was produced in-platform style rather than adapted from Meta assets.
Account restructure
Results readable, not guessed
Structure was rebuilt so channel performance could be isolated.
Always-on UGC
Continuous supply
UGC production ran continuously so the channel never starved of new work.
CPA down, volume up
Both directions at once
TikTok CPA fell 30% and blended CPA 10% while volume grew 15%.
04 — The results
TikTok CPA down 30% and blended CPA down 10% with volume up 15%
The stack we ran it on
Meta Ads Manager
Paid social
TikTok Ads Manager
Paid social
Creator sourcing
Casting
Spark Ads & whitelisting
Amplification
Frame.io
Creative review
Canva
Creative
GA4
Analytics
Looker Studio
Dashboards
National Consumer Panel — UGC-driven acquisition & paid media
CPI −30% · CPA −20%
National Debt Relief — UGC, performance creative & influencer strategy
CVR +25% · CAC −30%
New Balance — Casting, post-production & influencer marketing
7 athletes · 750k audience
"Their transparency, attention to detail, and collaborative approach made them feel like an extension of our own team."
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