TikTok splits agency partners into two certification tiers

TikTok is dividing approved agency partners into Agency Partner and Premier Agency Partner badges, giving brands a clearer signal of platform expertise when choosing TikTok ad support.

What happened

TikTok announced an update to its partner program that will split partners into two different categories to highlight platform expertise. Each approved partner will receive either an Agency Partner badge or a Premier Agency Partner badge, with each designation intended to represent the organization’s depth of experience and demonstrated understanding of TikTok ads.

TikTok describes the Agency Partner badge as “an established mark of platform excellence, awarded to qualified agencies that demonstrate exceptional performance, operational capability, and certified team expertise.” The Premier Agency Partner badge is “an exclusive honor” that will only be awarded to a select group of top-performing partners worldwide. TikTok said Premier status is “the highest level of recognition within the agency program,” celebrating partners with proven business results, deep platform expertise, and “an unwavering commitment to TikTok-first marketing.”

The updated badge system is designed to provide more insight into TikTok marketing advisors and help marketers choose which agency to go with for assistance. TikTok said both certifications offer a level of assurance that an agency has met its partnership requirements. The Agency Partner program launched in 2020 and now provides access to more than 600 approved partners across creative, marketing technology and measurement.

Key facts

• TikTok is splitting approved agency partners into Agency Partner and Premier Agency Partner badges.
• The Agency Partner badge represents qualified agencies with exceptional performance, operational capability, and certified team expertise.
• Premier Agency Partner is described as “an exclusive honor” for a select group of top-performing partners worldwide and the highest level of recognition within the program.
• Both badges signal that an agency has met TikTok’s partnership requirements, allowing brands to work with vetted, high-performing platform specialists.
• The program launched in 2020 and provides access to more than 600 approved partners across creative, marketing technology and measurement.

Our analysis

The introduction of two badge categories likely addresses a practical problem for brands: with more than 600 approved partners, a single agency label no longer communicates much about relative capability. By separating baseline qualification from top-tier recognition, TikTok is making its partner ecosystem easier to scan, especially for marketers who do not have time to evaluate dozens of agencies on their own.

The Premier badge is positioned as a shortlist for large-scale or specialized activations. TikTok’s language about “TikTok-first marketing” suggests the platform is rewarding agencies that prioritize TikTok as a primary channel, not just an add-on. That may influence how agencies allocate training, creative resources, and campaign strategy across platforms.

For smaller teams and creator-led businesses, the Agency Partner badge is still meaningful: it provides a baseline assurance that an agency has met TikTok’s partnership requirements. The change likely reduces some due diligence burden, but it does not remove the need to check whether an agency has experience in a specific vertical or ad objective.

What it means for operators

• Ask any potential TikTok ads agency to confirm which badge it holds, and verify the designation in TikTok’s partner directory before signing a contract.
• For large-scale or specialized campaigns, start with Premier Agency Partner agencies, but request case studies relevant to your category and campaign objective.
• If you run an agency or creator studio, compare your team certifications and client results against the stated Agency Partner criteria to identify gaps before applying or renewing.
• For creator brands and community-led projects with smaller budgets, a badged Agency Partner is likely sufficient for initial performance campaigns; use the badge as a filtering signal, not a substitute for reviewing proposals.