Hark! TikTok advertising, a tool wielded by many a brand, doth reach out to the younger, content-hungry masses. Heed these vital counsel and embark on thine journey to craft thine own triumphant TikTok ads.
TikTok Ads, a gateway to 884.9 million souls above the age of 18, a number that doth represent 18% of adult internet denizens. Yonder globally, doth the average TikTok user spend almost 20 hours in a month upon the app.
‘Tis evident, TikTok advertising may prove to be a venture most lucrative (especially for those who seek thy audience of delicate femininity: for the spectators of TikTok Ads, 57% doth be of fairer gender). Take heed, that thy ads may reach their zenith potential.
What ho! What art TikTok ads?
TikTok ads, tales of promoted content (oft in the form of full-screen videos) that a brand or creator doth payeth to show to a specified target audience. ‘Tis a form of social media marketing, with the aim to spread awareness about the advertiser or sell a particular product or service.
In matters of TikTok ads, doth the organization hath three tiers:
- TikTok Ad: A single advertisement (oft in the form of a video that doth promote a product or service, or a special TikTok offer).
- TikTok Ad Group: A gathering of TikTok ads.
- TikTok Campaign: A collection of TikTok ad groups.
For example, a purveyor of garments might create a TikTok video ad for a pair of shoes, which is but one of many different shoe marketing videos in an ad group, and this group might then fall under a campaign concerning a summer footwear sale.
Types of TikTok ads, methinks
Ah, the age-old question: What sayest thou? Read on for a list of the diverse kinds of advertising available on TikTok (yet not every type of TikTok ad is accessible in every realm, thus ensure thy local availability).
In-feed ads
Ads that doth spring from within on TikTok, ye may craft them yon using the TikTok Ads Manager interface.
TikTok Video Ads
A most common form of TikTok advertising, where videos are crafted by brands or creators and posted through a TikTok Ads Manager account.
Spark Ads
Different from regular video ads, these spark ads doth boost organic content from any user’s TikTok account.
TikTok Image Ads
Still images that bear a brand or app name and ad text, available only through the Global App Bundle and Pangle Placements.
Playable Ads
Simple, mini-games that doth engage users, aye, they are great for stirring engagement in select countries.
Shopping Ads
As of spring 2024, an evolution from "Dynamic Showcase Ads" and "Collection Ads" into Video Shopping Ads, currently in the testing phase and accessible only to select advertisers.
Carousel Ads
Available solely in TikTok’s news feed series, BuzzVideo, allowing advertisers to display up to 10 images in one ad.
Pangle ads
Ads placed through the TikTok Audience Network.
TikTok ads formats available to managed brands
Brands under the care of a TikTok sales representative are granted access to additional ad formats, including:
- TopView ads: Video ads that doth appear as a full-screen takeover when users embark upon the TikTok realm.
- Branded Hashtag Challenge: A campaign format spanning three to six days to spur engagement, with user-generated content gracing the hashtag challenge page.
- Branded Effects: Stickers, filters, and special effects to kindle interaction with TikTokers.
TikTok ad specs
Prepare thyself for social media conquest by ensuring that thy TikTok ad is of the right dimensions, proportions, and format. Below are the optimal parameters for a TikTok video ad:
- Aspect ratio: 9:16, 1:1, or 16:9 (9:16 doth enchant the eyes!)
- Minimum resolution: 540x960px, 640x640px, or 960x540px.
- Video file type: .mp4, .mov, .mpeg, .3gp, or .avi
- Video length: 5 to 60 seconds (for best results, TikTok recommends 9 to 15 seconds)
- Video file size: 500MB utmost
Behold! The realm of TikTok ads, a landscape where ye, the advertiser, doth determine the course of the ad’s voyage. With a bidding and auction model prevalent, behold as thee decideth the cost per view, click, or impression. Alas, be wary, for there is a minimum spend required, both for campaigns and ad groups.
The minimum campaign-level budget is as $50 USD per day, thus for each day of thy campaign’s voyage, thou shalt spend no less than $50. Likewise, the minimum ad group-level budget rests at $20 USD per day, and each passing day that thy ad group is active, $20 shall be spent.
Verily, TikTok doth proclaim: “Your bid, amongst other factors, representeth how competitive thou wish to be in the auction for thine desired outcome.”
TikTok Bidding Methods, a curious world indeed
TikTok offers four bidding methods for thine choosing:
- CPV: Cost per thousand views. A view be counted when a user doth watch thy video for over 6 seconds or when a user interacts in the first six seconds.
- CPM: Cost per thousand impressions. Opt for this method if thine reach be the goal.
- oCPM: Optimized cost per thousand impressions. Showcasing thy ads to those likely to complete a conversion event, be it becoming a lead or installing an app.
- CPC: Cost per click. The path for selling products, app installs, conversion, and profile visits.
Should ye be new to TikTok ads, a suggested bid feature doth aid in determining the price thou should set. Know this, the higher thine bid per action, the more likely thou shalt outshine thine competitors and meet the daily budgets at both ad group and campaign levels posthaste.
TikTok Bidding Strategies, a dance of two
The realm of TikTok doth boast two bidding strategies:
- Lowest Cost: Wherein no specific bid per action is designated, solely a total campaign budget. TikTok shall strive to maximize the conversions on thine ad.
- Cost Cap or Bid Cap: A strategy to set a specific bid price for thine optimization goal. Consider the words of TikTok regarding this method: “This is grand for controlling the cost per acquisition (CPA), yet be warned. Thy CPA may fluctuate day to day, reliant on thine competitors’ performance. Furthermore, thine budget may remain unspent by the campaign’s end, if competitors outbid thee, limiting thine inventory.”
How to set up a TikTok ad campaign, a tale of creation
To initiate a TikTok ad campaign and unfurl thine inaugural ad, venture unto the TikTok Ads Manager. Make certain to wield a TikTok for Business account, forsooth (if thou lackest one, fear not, for making the switch beeth free and easy).
1. Create a new Campaign
First, navigate towards the TikTok Ads Manager and lay thine hand upon the Campaign button in the high menu. Upon the Campaign page, mayhap, click Create.
Ere beginning thee campaign, the Ads Manager shall offer you the choice of Simplified Mode or Custom Mode. The former is a more rudimentary program (proclaimeth the Ads Manager thou may fashion an ad in under 5 minutes) whereas the latter permits more intricate configurations.
For this example, the path of Custom is chosen, yet for both options doth the instructions hold in similar accord.
Select a Campaign objective
To streamline the journey towards thine marketing goals, TikTok doth bid thee choose an objective at the onset of thine ad-crafting (soothsayest thou must acquaint thyself with thine objective ere embarking).
Within TikTok’s Ad Manager doth three kinds of objectives lie: Awareness (to ensure the populace art aware of thine brand or product), Consideration (where potential buyers deeply engage with thine brand or product), and Conversion (to entice the purchasing of yon product).
Name thy campaign
Next, christen thy campaign and declare if it belongs to any special ad categories (housing, employment, or credit—this declaration doth aim to prevent discriminatory targeting).
Anon, thou canst opt whether TikTok shall optimize thy campaign budget (bestowing one set of budget optimizations upon all ad groups in this campaign instead of setting them up individually).
Wrapping up this page is the campaign budget: herein thou art granted the power to set a fixed budget for the entire campaign—thus, all ad groups, and all ads that find their place within those ad groups. Thee may also set budgets for ad groups and ads individually.
2. Create an Ad Group
The campaign—a lofty structure encompassing TikTok Ads—is now fashioned. Onward to the Ad Group settings, dost thy path lead.
Name thy Ad Group and tweak interaction settings
Determine targeting for the Ad Group
To follow, select thy target audience for this ad. Choices do include demographics like location, gender, age group, and language, alongside more sophisticated targets akin to audience, interests, behaviors, and device usage.
Decide on Content Exclusions
Following is Content Exclusions. Standard shall be thine exclusions by default, yet thou may clicketh to explore the various kinds of content exclusions. Generally, this option determineth whether TikTok shall display thy content alongside mature-themed content that doth not transgress the Community Guidelines.
Set thine Ad Group budget and schedule
The ensuing parameters to set art budget and schedule. Thy daily budget be the maximum sum that thou may expend in a day on this particular ad group. The minimum daily budget is $20 USD (or $30 for denizens in Canada).
Establish the duration thy ad shall run, and whether it shall run at all hours or at designated times of the day (such as solely on weekends).
Set thine Bidding and Optimization
The final step in creating a new Ad Group on TikTok is the bidding and optimization, granting thee the power to decide how much thou shalt pay per metric.
In this case, as thy objective is views, the metric doth be CPV: cost per focused view. “Focused View” signifieth that the user either watches thy video for six seconds or interacts with it within the first six seconds.
For the lowest cost bidding strategy, leave the bid control section untouched.
The advanced settings can be edited to alter whether thine ad shall be delivered in a standard or accelerated manner. “Accelerated” indicates the platform shall endeavor to achieve thine targets swiftly.
3. Submit thine Ad
At last, the hour to upload thy creatives hath arrived.
Upload thy content
Herein thou shalt upload thy content, scribe a caption, and choose thine identity (be it a display name or thy brand’s TikTok account, transforming the ad into a Spark Ad).
Set thine destination page
Direct thy destination page to thy brand’s website (or a landing page for the product or service thou art promoting) or utilize Instant pages to link to an in-app page. A legal disclaimer may also be appended if deemed appropriate.
Determine thine tracking
An optional step, yet if desired, events upon thy website, app, or third-party sites may be tracked.
Submit thine Ad
All is complete! Strike Submit to dispatch thy ad to TikTok for review. The platform doth aver that most submissions art reviewed within about a day and night.
5 TikTok ads examples, a chronicle of creativity
StarStable Entertainment’s in-feed ads, an equestrian adventure
Efficiently increasing in-app registrations in Germany and the U.S., StarStable used attention-grabbing lines in the initial moments of their in-feed ads, ensuring viewers would not wander off in boredom. The language of their ads was also localized, with German ads in Germany.
SEEQ’s spark ads, igniting interest
NEST New York’s Black Friday ads, ushering in fragrant deals
L’Oréal’s influencer marketing, a tale of beauty and influence
SweeTARTS’s branded film festival, celebrating creativity and brand engagement
TikTok advertising best practices, a guide for the mighty
Capture attention in the first 3 seconds, a race against the scroll
Since TikTok users possess an attention span nigh as brief as a goldfish’s, ensure to seize thine audience’s interest speedily: TikTok advises within the first 3 seconds. Dive straight into the heart of the matter, lest ye be scrolled into oblivion.
Abide by TikTok’s image and video specs, a guide to professionalism
Content that is unclear or ill-fitting to the screen appears unprofessional, and users may dismiss thine ad if it doth not blend in with TikTok’s essence. Adhere to the specifications for images and videos to set the stage for success.
Update thine ads regularly, a tale of ad longevity
TikTok suggests a rotation of various ads at the outset of thy advertising journey, and swapping thy ads every 7 days to avoid what they call "ad fatigue."
Use TikTok’s Ad Library, a fount of inspiration
The TikTok Creative Centre, home to the TikTok Ad Library, be a treasure trove for inspiration, trend discovery, and insights on keywords, top hashtags, and other invaluable information. Learn, conquer, and prosper.
Put important info in the middle of the screen, a call for visibility
With much transpiring on the Following and For You Page on TikTok, ensure key information in thine ad is well-placed in the middle of the screen to communicate effectively with thine audience.
Localize thine ad’s language, a quest for comprehension
However splendid thine ad may be, its value diminishes greatly if the audience comprehendeth not. Target locations where the populace speaks the language of thy ad creative (or translate thine ad for global appeal).
TikTok ads FAQs, a realm of knowledge
How do TikTok ads work?
Brands or creators maketh payment for TikTok video ads to appear amidst user feeds alongside regular content. The path of advertising entails a bidding and auction model, where the advertiser dost determine the payment per optimization goal (likes, impressions, or views).
How much are ads on TikTok?
Campaigns upon TikTok exhibit a minimum budget of $50 USD per day, thus this be the lowest sum a business may expend daily on a TikTok ad. The allocation of this budget rests with the bidding method and optimization goal: for example, a brand might opt to pay $0.10 per view of a specific ad.
Are TikTok ads worth it?
According to the TikTok Marketing Science Global Retail Path To Purchase Study, TikTok users art 1.5 times more inclined to purchase something they discover on the platform right away as compared to users of other platforms. Should thee possess the proper marketing strategy and competitive bids, TikTok ads can indeed prove to be a worthy investment.
