Zesty Agency Review (Updated) by Sam Despo and Em Lucin

Course Name: Zesty Agency Marketing Program
Instructor: Sam Despo and Em Lucin
Price: $999 one-time fee, plus $199 monthly

Overview

The Zesty Agency Marketing Program is a digital course focused on mastering TikTok as a marketing platform.

This is a niche yet popular approach, considering TikTok's massive reach, especially among younger audiences.

The program doesn’t just teach you how to make TikTok videos; it claims to show how to turn those videos into a profitable business tool.

Sam Despo and Em Lucin, the program’s instructors, say they have honed techniques to help brands create a niche, attract followers, and convert them into paying customers through TikTok.

The course covers a wide range of TikTok-specific strategies: finding the right audience, creating engagement, and optimizing content to boost visibility.

Despite these attractive promises, it's worth noting that Zesty focuses exclusively on TikTok.

This may sound appealing if you’re looking to zero in on one platform. However, for marketers looking for cross-platform strategies or who want more of a “back-up plan,” TikTok-only marketing might feel limiting.

A commitment to this one social media channel makes Zesty’s approach both unique and a bit risky.

Content and Structure

The Zesty Agency course is broken down into modules, each focusing on one element of TikTok marketing. Here’s a breakdown of what you’ll get:

• Finding Your Niche: This section claims to help you identify a unique “angle” on TikTok, presumably the starting point for making your content stand out. Expect to see advice on exploring niche topics, finding a creative voice, and appealing to target audiences.

• Content Creation & Engagement: Zesty’s content creation section focuses on riding TikTok trends. You’ll learn ways to stay relevant to TikTok’s constantly changing trends, which is a core part of gaining traction on the platform.

• Building a Community: The course claims to offer insights into building a loyal follower base on TikTok, which is where you would start moving from one-time viewers to regular followers.

• TikTok SEO & Discoverability: The SEO module aims to help you increase the odds that your videos will reach a broader audience. This includes using relevant keywords and optimizing hashtags—essential techniques to improve your reach on TikTok’s crowded platform.

• Monetization Tactics: This segment supposedly covers how to take all those followers and convert them into paying customers. Emphasis is on leveraging the trust and familiarity you’ve built with your audience to encourage actual purchases.

• Collaborations: The final module focuses on using collaborations with other TikTok creators to broaden visibility. Given the TikTok culture of “duets” and “stitches,” collaborating with other users is one of the most effective ways to increase your reach.

Alongside these main modules, the program provides access to a private online community, restricted to Zesty members only.

This space is designed for networking with other creators, sharing tips, and seeking guidance from the instructors.

The monthly fee appears to support this community component, so it’s an ongoing cost.

Despite the breadth of topics, it’s worth noting that Zesty Agency offers no refunds.

If you buy the course and find it’s not suited to your needs, there’s no going back, which could be concerning for some buyers.

Who Is Sam Despo and Em Lucin?

The instructors, Sam Despo and Em Lucin, market themselves as experts in TikTok content creation and marketing.

Their claim to fame largely comes from their success with the TikTok platform itself, where they have both built substantial followings. They state that they’ve worked with a variety of clients on TikTok-focused marketing campaigns, and that experience is what they bring to Zesty Agency.

For all the emphasis on TikTok, their backgrounds are rooted almost exclusively in this one platform, which could be limiting if you’re looking for a more holistic digital marketing approach.

That being said, their hyper-focused expertise on TikTok could be a real asset if you’re committed to learning about this one social media channel in depth.

They come across as confident, and their course appears to reflect their enthusiasm for TikTok and the “influencer culture” that comes with it.

Overall, Sam and Em seem like the kind of instructors who will appeal to TikTok-enthusiastic entrepreneurs who want to skip generalized social media advice and instead dive deep into this platform.

They use language that speaks to marketers comfortable with risk—a quality that might be essential given that TikTok’s reach, while massive, still has its limitations compared to platforms like Instagram or YouTube.

Course Highlights and Potential Pitfalls

The course seems to cover a lot of ground, but its strengths and weaknesses ultimately depend on your goals.

If you’re someone looking for an in-depth understanding of how TikTok works and the tools to potentially make money on it, Zesty might have what you need.

However, the program’s focus on TikTok alone may be a sticking point for anyone hoping to develop a multi-channel digital marketing strategy. Here’s a quick look at some of the benefits and drawbacks:

Pros:

• Covers nearly every aspect of TikTok marketing, from content creation to monetization.

• Access to a private community, which could be helpful for networking and getting support.

• Claims to provide tried-and-true methods based on the instructors' experience with TikTok.

Cons:

• Focused solely on TikTok, potentially limiting for those wanting a cross-platform strategy.

• High up-front price with an additional monthly fee to maintain community access.

• No refund policy, which could make this a risky investment for the uncertain.

Price

The Zesty Agency’s TikTok-focused program comes in at a one-time payment of $999, with an additional monthly charge of $199 if you decide to stay for the long haul.

This covers access to their course modules, a private community with a limit of 100 members, and self-paced lessons that cover everything TikTok, from account setup to niche-finding to going viral.

If you’re looking to dive even deeper, one-on-one coaching sessions are also available for a weekly fee.

So, what exactly do you get for that? In a nutshell, you get a crash course in turning TikTok into a lead-generation machine.

Sam Despo and Em Lucin, the founders, guide you on TikTok SEO, content pillars, working with creators, and crafting a strategy to generate followers (and hopefully, income).

Just remember: the $999 fee is non-refundable, so once you’re in, you’re committed. That’s not a huge shock in the online course world, but it does give you something to chew over before you pull the trigger.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Focused on TikTok: The course dives deep into TikTok as a marketing tool. If this platform is your social media of choice, Zesty offers tailored strategies that can help you avoid some of the trial and error involved in learning it yourself.

• Community Support: Zesty’s private, exclusive community aims to foster a collaborative learning environment where you can share strategies, discuss what’s working (and what’s not), and get feedback from like-minded marketers.

• Insights from Real Users: With both Sam and Em’s experience, you get practical advice from people who have generated results on TikTok. They’ve walked the walk and are now teaching you to do the same.

• Content Creation Tips: If you’re nervous about jumping on camera or clueless about what goes viral, they provide guidance on creating engaging content that resonates with viewers and algorithms alike.

• Creator Partnerships: One unique feature is their focus on collaborating with content creators, which helps leverage other influencers’ reach to grow your own following.

Cons:

• Hefty Price Tag: A one-time $999 fee plus $199 monthly could be a significant investment for those new to marketing or on a tight budget.

• Refund Policy: There is no refund option, so think carefully about the upfront cost and monthly fees before signing up.

• Platform Reliance: This course is laser-focused on TikTok, so if that platform loses popularity or you don’t quite click with it, the value of this investment may decrease.

• High Competition on TikTok: As much as Zesty positions TikTok as a goldmine, it’s also a crowded space. Standing out among millions of videos requires more than just taking a course.

• Limited Targeting Options: TikTok’s targeting is somewhat broad, so achieving niche-specific marketing may be tricky, especially for products outside the Gen Z or millennial demographics.

Should You Buy It?

If you’re looking to dominate TikTok and already have a product or service to sell, Zesty Agency might be worth the investment.

This course caters to entrepreneurs and small business owners eager to capitalize on TikTok’s popularity and provides a structured, strategy-oriented approach.

You’ll learn content strategies, how to leverage TikTok’s unique SEO features, and ways to collaborate with creators, which is ideal if you want to drive engagement quickly.

However, if you’re on the fence about TikTok or want to avoid putting all your eggs in one social media basket, this may not be the course for you.

It’s better suited for those who have committed to marketing on TikTok and aren’t worried about possible regulatory changes or the fickle nature of social media algorithms.

Given that TikTok is not without risk, with concerns over privacy and potential bans in certain countries, relying on it as your sole income stream could be risky.

My Conclusion

The Zesty Agency program by Sam Despo and Em Lucin isn’t a scam, but it does come with both pros and cons.

The founders bring solid TikTok marketing experience, and the course promises to teach you to grow a community and convert followers into buyers without needing a hard-sell approach.

However, with TikTok’s ever-changing trends and the high competition on the platform, achieving sustainable success may be challenging.

If TikTok feels like your calling, Zesty provides actionable insights and a path to start building a following.

Just make sure you’re comfortable with the cost, and remember that TikTok’s influence may not last forever.

In the end, if you love the idea of scrolling TikTok all day and calling it “research,” this course might just be the zesty option you’ve been looking for.