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TikTok Social Media Content & Brand Strategy

Learn content strategy from TikTok’s Head of Agency. Design viral-ready posts, build brand voice and visuals, and pitch a full campaign - all while building a standout portfolio.

6 weeks

Live Sessions Start

January 5, 2026

Start Onboarding Today

Step into the role of a junior brand strategist in this Brand and Content Strategy Externship, a four-week program designed in collaboration with Sapphire Studios and TikTok’s Head of Agency. Externs will learn to shape a brand’s personality across Instagram — crafting a unique brand voice, designing social content systems, analyzing virality patterns, and pitching final campaign concepts to real clients.

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What makes this externship truly special? One of your mentors is Tara Pettus, Head of Agency at TikTok and former strategic leader at Apple and Meta. Tara’s deep experience leading revenue and partnerships for the world’s biggest platforms brings a level of insight and industry access rarely available to early-career talent. This is your chance to build agency-level creative systems and present your work to one of the most accomplished leaders in tech and media.

Project Output

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Deliver a client-ready pitch deck that showcases your Instagram designs, campaign strategy, and brand voice systems:

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1) Discover How Brands Build Trust Online: Map personas, define archetypes, and design mood boards to visualize All Basics Uniform’s voice.

2) Shape the Brand’s Instagram Personality: Create a visual identity system with Canva templates, grids, highlight packs, and caption frameworks.

3) Figure Out What Makes Content Go Viral: Compare Instagram and TikTok algorithms, track analytics, and reflect on growth insights.

4) Plan a Creative Social Media Campaign: Design a cross-platform campaign plan with content calendars, KPIs, and iteration strategies for Instagram and TikTok.

5) Pitch Your Brand Playbook: Synthesize all work into a client-ready deck and present your Brand Voice & Content Playbook with Instagram + TikTok assets.

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Get Started with Onboarding Today Before Live Sessions Begin

Create a Brand Voice & Content Strategy in this 4-week Externship

Start Project Today

This Externship has passed

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What past Externs have to say

Erik Schalk

Beats by Dre Extern

"Extern played a crucial role in bridging the gap between my formal business education & real-world application. The opportunity to present actionable recommendations to the Head of Customer Insights at Beats by Dre was invaluable, propelling my leadership journey and paving the way for my current role at Rolls-Royce.”

Now a Project Lead
at Rolls-Royce

Tori Nguyen

AT&T Extern

“I credit the Externship as the sole reason I was hired to intern at AT&T. I had never heard of the AT&T internship program and would never have applied to it if I hadn’t gone through the Externship. It allowed me to develop my skills, showcase my work and ultimately stand out so I was awarded the opportunity to interview the CEO of AT&T!”

Became an intern
at AT&T

Richard Wilson

Meta Extern

"The Externship is a great way to introduce students to what it is like to work on a project. I became a lot more data-focused and analytical in my approach. As an industrial engineering major, people questioned how the externship was related to my studies. My journey has shown me that you don’t have to be limited by your major."

Now a Technical
Program Manager at Meta

Maisa Mirza

HP Tech Ventures Externship

“During my venture capital externship, I learned how to use industry-standard metrics and tools like SQL and Tableau to determine startup success potential.This opportunity helped me stand out as a candidate and opened new doors for me - including offers from EY and Accenture."

Now an Analyst
at Accenture

Garrett Boyce

HP Tech Ventures Externship

“If I hadn’t done a VC externship during term time, I know I’d be spending hours watching YouTube videos just to understand which careers I might enjoy! I don’t think I fully understood the value of an externship till I actually did one and now I want to argue that externships should be a part of the college experience for every student.”

Now an Analyst at Boston Consulting Group

Diego Juarez

Crafted Capital Externship

“My Externship really changed my career trajectory. As students, we often chase after Fortune 500 work experiences, but the intimate experience of getting to work with a startup can actually really help you learn a lot and level up what you can bring to the table. My cohort even had the opportunity to speak with the founder of Crafted Capital and learn from his firsthand experience.”

Now a CLDP Analyst at
JP Morgan Chase & Co

Skills You'll Gain

Defined and documented a brand voice using persona mapping, archetypes, and tone-of-voice sliders.

Designed Instagram content systems with Canva templates, caption frameworks, grids, and highlight packs.

Scripted and edited TikTok sample videos using trend adoption, hooks, and storytelling structures.

Applied brand voice consistently across Instagram and TikTok to ensure cross-platform identity.

Analyzed algorithm mechanics and performance data from TikTok Creative Center and Instagram Insights.

Built a professional Brand Voice & Content Playbook and pitched it to a brand panel in client-ready format.

Your Schedule

6 weeks

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About TikTok

TikTok's mission is to inspire creativity and bring joy. The platform strives to create new jobs, drive revenue for businesses of all sizes, and contribute to the growth of economies around the world.

The Home Depot is not accepting or considering any applications for this Externship through other channels.

Meet Your Host

Tara Pettus

Head of Agency, TikTok

Tara Pettus is a seasoned sales and partnerships executive overseeing over $2B in revenue for growth-stage companies across the tech and venture capital sectors. She has held key leadership roles at Apple, Meta, and TikTok, where she consistently built high-impact partnerships and scaled strategic sales programs. At Apple, Tara served as Head of Partnerships, cultivating relationships with major clients and accelerating growth. At Meta, she led the LA Disruptors and Venture Capital teams and partnered with Alvin Bowles to launch Meta’s externship program, creating pathways for diverse students in tech. She currently serves as Head of Agency at TikTok, developing innovative go-to-market initiatives for agency partners.

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Personally, she serves as an advisor to growth stage companies and is very active in the community through AAPI organizations (Goldhouse, orphanages and schools in Asia, and more) to promote diversity in the community, and fun fact, she was the fencing student double for Lindsey Lohan in Disney’s “The Parent Trap”.

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