MediaLabs vs Social Tale: which TikTok Shop agency fits your brand?
Both are TikTok Shop specialist agencies and official TikTok partners. They differ in where they operate, how big their creator programs are and how they work. Here is the side-by-side, with a source for every figure.
Published by MediaLabs, one of the two agencies compared. Social Tale figures are from its own pages as of October 8, 2026.
Quick answer: choose MediaLabs if you are a US consumer brand that wants one team to run Seller Center, a large creator program (3,000+ vetted creators on a managed roster), affiliate and GMV Max ads, with the US as your main market. Choose Social Tale if you need the UK and EU covered alongside the US, or want a retained creator roster run from London and New York (Social Tale reports 700+ retained and 2,000+ activated creators).
MediaLabs and Social Tale compared.
| MediaLabs | Social Tale | |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | TikTok Shop only | TikTok Shop only (socialtale.co) |
| Based in | Miami, Florida; founded 2023 | London and New York (Social Tale blog); founded by Ashley Wright (Social Tale) |
| Markets | US first, with its own UK and German entities | US, UK and EU (Social Tale) |
| TikTok partner status | TikTok Shop Partner (TSP), Creator Agency Partner (CAP) and TikTok Shop Affiliate Partner (TAP) | TikTok Shop Partner (TSP) and TikTok Shop Affiliate Partner (TAP) in the US, UK and EU (Social Tale) |
| GMV (self-reported) | $500M+ across 150+ brands (press facts) | $120M+ across 50+ brands (Social Tale) |
| Creators | 3,000+ vetted creators on a managed roster | 2,000+ creators activated (Social Tale); 700+ retained creators (Social Tale blog) |
| Named results | Dr.Dent: $3.1M GMV in month 3; Audien Hearing: 36.1x ROAS | Divi: $4.7M GMV; Loop Earplugs: $60K to $450K a month (Social Tale) |
| Services | Seller Center management, creator program, affiliate, UGC production, GMV Max and Spark Ads, TikTok LIVE | TikTok Shop management, TikTok Ads (Product and Spark Ads), GMV Max, shoppable content, affiliate, LIVE, training and consulting, revenue recovery (socialtale.co) |
| Free tools and research | TikTok Shop forecaster, TikTok Shop benchmarks, creator commerce acquisitions tracker | Shop Scorecard and forecast, fee and margin calculators; founder YouTube channel and newsletter (Social Tale) |
| Published pricing | Not published; scoped per brand (what drives the cost) | Prices not published; retainer plus a GMV-linked performance fee (Social Tale blog) |
Figures are each agency’s own published numbers, as checked on October 8, 2026. Neither agency’s GMV total is independently audited.
When each agency is the better fit.
MediaLabs is the better fit for…
- US-first consumer brands that want creator volume to test many products and hooks at once.
- Brands that want one team for shop operations, creators, affiliate and ads, with one point of contact and reporting three times a week.
- DTC and CPG brands in beauty, supplements, wellness, oral care, home and pet.
Social Tale is the better fit for…
- Brands launching in the UK and EU as well as the US, with one agency across all three.
- Brands that want a retained creator roster (Social Tale reports 700+ retained and 2,000+ activated creators).
- Teams that want to learn from a founder who publishes TikTok Shop content on a YouTube channel and a newsletter.
Four questions to ask any TikTok Shop agency.
- Which markets will we sell in this year? One market or several changes which agency fits.
- How many creators posted for your clients last month? Active creators matter more than the size of a roster.
- Can you show named results in our category? Ask for the brand, the timeframe and the numbers.
- How is the fee structured? Retainer, a share of GMV, or both, and what is passed through at cost.
Common questions.
Disclosure: MediaLabs publishes this comparison. We have described Social Tale from its own public pages, linked above, as of October 8, 2026. If anything here is out of date, email hello@medialabs-co.com and we will correct it. See also our 2026 TikTok Shop agency ranking.
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