How to Create TikTok Ads: A Step-By-Step Guide (2024)

As a social media phenomenon that blew up during the pandemic, TikTok now has more than 1 billion active users worldwide. Since 2016, the video-sharing platform has taken social media by storm and rapidly expanded into over 150 markets.

As TikTok gains momentum to a wider range of demographics outside the Gen Z circles, the platform is also beginning to build its own advertising platform for brands. However, despite its unprecedented growth, TikTok advertising remains a mystery for some brands.

This TikTok ads guide will help brands learn how to advertise on the platform and the steps for getting started in creating one. We also have several best practices to get brands inspired on their first TikTok ad!

Are TikTok ads worth it?

The short answer: YES.

Advertising on TikTok is a great opportunity for brands.

TikTok has been the first non-Meta app to reach 3 billion downloads since July 2021, with an average of 50 million active users in the US, it’s safe to assume why it’s gaining a lot of traction lately.

Since its active users already outrank Twitter and Snapchat, it makes sense to dive into the platform now when it’s less saturated with brands compared to other social media options.

Advertising on TikTok offers unique opportunities that when used effectively and creatively, will help your brand reach and connect with a global community.

Why brands should advertise on TikTok?

REASON 1: Worldwide reach

TikTok is one of the world’s most downloaded apps for the past three years with daily active users in over 150 countries.

REASON 2: Effective engagement

TikTok’s lighthearted and imaginative video sharing format inspires a lot of widespread and viral user participation that generates a high level of engagement on the platform.

REASON 3: Creative ad formats

TikTok has a variety of ad formats that made it easy for brands to capture and transform images and videos into engaging ads. They also have marketing partners like Shakr that easily empowers brands to scale and deploy their creative video ads.

REASON 4: Precise targeting

Brands can easily connect and reach their potential consumers by targeting their audience by gender, location, age, interest, and other unique variables.

REASON 5: Transparent tracking

Brands can easily monitor their ad’s performance with detailed data and customized reports. As TikTok’s marketing partner, Shakr also helps brands analyze the ad’s creative performance and create various iterations of ads with high levels of engagements.

Getting Started: Steps to Create a TikTok Ads Manager Account

How to Create TikTok Ads: A Step-By-Step Guide (1)

Brands can get started on TikTok Ads manager by creating an account and passing the account review. Here’s how to get started:

STEP 1: Create a log-in

Go to the signup page of TikTok Ads Manager and fill in the required fields (email, address or phone number, and password). Click “Send Code” to receive the verification code and then agree to the terms and conditions. “Sign Up” afterward to create the login.

STEP 2: Open an account

Fill in the fields pertaining to the basic information about the brand, including the country and region, time zone, and preferred currency for billing. The name of the business is also needed, which should be the same as (or related to) the brand’s legal name. Before proceeding, double-check if the information is accurate, then click “Register” to open a TikTok Ads Manager account.

STEP 3: Enter the brand’s business information

If logging in for the first time, there will be a pop-up form that redirects to the business and billing information. Fill in the required fields about the company, including the street address, state/province, and postal code where the business is registered. Fill in the URL of the company’s website with the format: https://shakr.com/. Passing the account review requires the brand to have a working website, containing all the brand’s products and services.

STEP 4: Select payment method

Choose between automatic and manual payment method (if available in your location). Keep in mind that after setting up the payment method, brands can no longer change it.

STEP 5: Submit account information

Check all the required information if it’s accurate then click submit at the bottom of the page. TikTok will review the information and you’ll receive a confirmation within 24 hours if the account has been approved.

If the account has been rejected, here are the 4 common reasons why accounts were not approved:

· The business name submitted did not match the business name on the website or official documents.

· The company website was entered in the wrong format. It should be: https://shakr.com/

· The company website does not clearly promote a product or has no valid information on the landing page.

· Promotion of the products or services is prohibited in the market (e.g. cigarettes, flamethrowers, walrus tusks, etc.) Check out TikTok’s Advertising Guidelines to see if the brand’s products and services are in line with the policies.

Steps to Creating Your First TikTok Ad

How to Create TikTok Ads: A Step-By-Step Guide (2)

STEP 1: Set your objectives.

Once the brand’s account has been approved, log into TikTok Ads Manager and click the Campaign button where TikTok breaks seven ad objectives into three categories which are: Awareness, Consideration, and Conversions.

· Awareness drives as much visibility and reach to the brand and narrows down the targeting.

· Consideration helps brands grow their followers for higher engagement rates through website traffic, app installs, or video views.

· Conversions drive specific actions to the brand’s website like a purchase or subscription.

STEP 2: Create ad groups and select placements.

Brands can now choose to run ads on multiple properties, including apps that are part of the TikTok network like BuzzVideo and Pangle. For beginners, it’s easier to start with auto-placement while advanced users can choose fully manual and select placements where they prefer to run the ads.

Just like other social media platforms, users can upload various creative ads and build ad variations for testing the best possible combinations.

· Audiences

This ad group defines the target audience based on demographics, location, device, behavior, and interests.

· Customer Lists

With customer lists, it’s recommended to create lookalike audiences for campaigns, while leveraging website traffic and engagement to set custom audiences. Brands need to set up the TikTok pixel on their website for this to be up and running.

STEP 3: Choose the right type of ad.

Just like any other type of digital ads, brands need to put a significant amount of time and effort to craft creative ads that will garner a lot of attention from their target audience. Here are various ad options from TikTok.

· In-feed Ads

Ads that show within the user’s “For You” page, making them natively integrate with the user’s feed so it’s more organic and less intrusive compared to other formats.

· Brand Takeover Ads

Suited for brands with a lot of budget (minimum of $50k) that are looking to make an impression. The ad will show up as soon as the user opens the app and visits a category with a short full-screen video for three to five seconds. TikTok only allows one Brand Takeover Ad per day for maximum impact.

· TopView Ads

Just like the Brand Takeover Ad, TopView Ads appear at the top of the user feed and it’s also the first video that the user sees when they open the app. It can be up to 60 seconds lone and it’s said to boost brand awareness and trigger interactions.

· Hashtag Challenge

Branded hashtag challenges encourage users to create content that’s aligned with the brand’s products, services, and values. It’s shown at the top of the discovery page and will lead to a landing page that showcases a collection of videos from the hashtag challenge.

· Branded Effects

TikTok’s Branded Effects allow brands to create their own stickers, lenses, and general effects that users can share and engage using TikTok’s AR. It can last up to 10 days.

· Spark Ads

Spark Ads use existing TikTok posts that can be converted into ads. Brands can use their own posts, or posts made by creators, and all views, comments, shares, likes, and follows will be attributed to the organic post.

· Search Ads (Beta)

TikTok recently started to test its search ads for selected partners where video ads with a “sponsored” label will be displayed in the user’s search results.

STEP 4: Design your ad.

TikTok ads contain images and videos in horizontal, vertical, and square formats. To make it easier for brands who are only starting out on TikTok ads, they can tap into TikTok’s official marketing partners like Shakr to create bespoke creative ads and dynamic video campaigns for their product catalog on TikTok.

Creative Best Practices from Shakr

How to Create TikTok Ads: A Step-By-Step Guide (3)

YesStyle: Dynamic Showcase Ads

With the help of Shakr, YesStyle used both self-recorded TikTok assets and the Shakr Creative Lab team’s native model recordings to create high-quality TikTok templates for their product catalog. Each SKU in their catalog was plugged into one of the four TikTok templates at random to offset ad fatigue, and then the Shakr video technology rendered tens of thousands of assets, one for each product.

Key Results:

· 178% ROAS (Return on Ad Spend)

· -70% CPM (Cost Per Mile)

· -12% CPC (Cost Per Click)

The high-quality creatives drove a whopping 178% increase in ROAS compared to their static DPA campaigns on Facebook, proving that programmatic DPA creatives at scale can drive tremendous results by mimicking the native and organic look and feel on the TikTok platform.

FilGood: Dynamic Geo Ads

Major Korean beer brand, FilGOOD utilizes Shakr’s Dynamic Geo Ads for their brand awareness campaign on Facebook and Instagram. FilGOOD successfully increased its audience’s purchase intent by 31%. Localizing their video ad assets for 50 of the largest areas in Seoul and Incheon. By uploading their TV asset to Shakr and layered on localization messaging that indicated what area their viewer was.

Key Results:

· 31% increase in purchase intent

· +2.2pts increase in overall purchase intent

· +3.95pts increased purchase intent in the target audience

LG Electronics: Dynamic Weather Ads

As a global brand, LG wanted to effectively and efficiently run dynamic campaigns in the Philippines region promoting relevant products depending on the location’s air quality and temperature.

The Shakr Dynamic AQI and Weather Ads, is a combination of the Shakr Dynamic Solution with an AQI and weather open source data. This is an effective campaign solution for brands that promote product/solutions globally.

Key Results:

· 138% increase in CTR (Click Through Rate)

· 150% increase in Video Average Watch Time

· 70% increase in Audience Reach

Shakr is here to help you get started on your first TikTok Ad!

Shakr can take your brand’s video ads on a massive scale. It doesn’t matter whether you have your own internal creatives capabilities or you just need help crafting a video ads campaign for a specific social media platform.

Shakr can help your brand from the ground up by simply following these easy steps:

1. Schedule a discovery call to understand your goals, objectives, and creative strategy.

2. Shakr provides an end-to-end scaled creative campaign proposal for your brand.

3. Shakr’s Creative Lab Team will produce your bespoke video templates optimized for scale on social media, or we help you onboard your own templates.

4. The TikTok Campaign is set up through Shakr’s ads integration.

5. The campaign goes live, and Shakr helps you to analyze creative performance and iterations.

References:

Cardona, L. (2022). How to Advertise on TikTok: Step by Step Guide. Retrieved 13 May 2022, from https://www.cyberclick.net/numericalblogen/how-to-advertise-on-tiktok-step-by-step-guide

TikTok Ads For Beginners: A Complete Guide & Steps To Success. (2022). Retrieved 13 May 2022, from https://www.searchenginejournal.com/tiktok-ads-beginners-guide/444604/#closeTikTok Ads Manager 101: Getting started. (2022). Retrieved 13 May 2022, from https://www.tiktok.com/business/en/blog/how-to-get-started-with-tiktok-ads-manager-your-step-by-step-guide

How to Create TikTok Ads: A Step-By-Step Guide (2024)

FAQs

How to Create TikTok Ads: A Step-By-Step Guide? ›

Once you have a TikTok Shop, you can set up Shop Ads in Seller Center. First, go to your Seller Center and go to the Ads section on the left. In the Ads section, if you can already see the Create Campaign button or the Create Ads button, this means you can immediately proceed to create ads.

How do I run TikTok ads step by step? ›

How to set up ads on TikTok
  1. Step 1: Create your TikTok ad account. The first step is simple: create a TikTok Ads Manager account. ...
  2. Step 2: Create and install the TikTok Pixel. ...
  3. Step 3: Create a new campaign. ...
  4. Step 4: Create an ad group. ...
  5. Step 5: Create a new ad. ...
  6. Step 6: Measure your ad performance.
5 days ago

How do I create an ad on TikTok shop? ›

Once you have a TikTok Shop, you can set up Shop Ads in Seller Center. First, go to your Seller Center and go to the Ads section on the left. In the Ads section, if you can already see the Create Campaign button or the Create Ads button, this means you can immediately proceed to create ads.

How do I start a TikTok ad agency? ›

Go to business.tiktok.com and select create now. Select "I'm an agency" and complete the registration details. Select Autopay for easy payments and billings. Continue and follow the Help Center section of "how do you complete set up" to finishing onboarding.

What is the structure of TikTok ads? ›

TikTok Ads Manager structures ads into three parts: campaigns, ad groups, and ads. When you create an ad campaign, you will need to set up the advertising objective, campaign name, and budget.

Are TikTok ads worth it? ›

TikTok ads can be worth it if you have a well-defined target audience, are willing to invest in creative content, and closely monitor and optimise your campaigns. However, success on TikTok requires a deep understanding of the platform and its users, so it's essential to approach it strategically.

How much do TikTok ads cost? ›

Short answer: TikTok Ads cost as much as you want them to. The platform uses an auction and bidding model, meaning you decide how much you pay per view, click, or impression. However, there is a minimum spend — $50 USD/day per ad campaign and $20 USD/day per ad group.

How do I get approved for TikTok Shop? ›

Requirements
  1. Your store needs to be located in the United States, and have a verifiable address in your Locations settings.
  2. You need to have an online store, and a TikTok for Business account.
  3. You need to display a return policy page on your online store. ...
  4. Your products need to meet TikTok's product guidelines.

Do you need a business license to run ads on TikTok? ›

In some cases, to create an ad account or Agency Business Center, you may need to submit some qualifying documents such as a business license. Additionally, to deliver ads in some countries in certain industries, you will also need to submit specific industry documents.

Can anyone run TikTok ads? ›

Get a TikTok For Business account

To start an ad campaign, you need to create a TikTok For Business account and connect your Ecwid catalog. TikTok For Business is a centralized platform that has different tools to create ads and manage your catalog, including Business Center, Ad Account, Store Manager.

How profitable is TikTok ads? ›

3. Average Return on Advertisem*nt Spend (ROAS) The average ROAS on TikTok is usually around $1.20 to $3 per $1 spent, with ROAS increasing as more ads and formats are used. Facebook ads aren't as lucrative as other platforms, bringing only an average of $2 ROAS (often under $1 for B2C e-commerce ads).

How do I make a free TikTok ad? ›

Upload a video to Kapwing.com or start with a blank canvas to make your own TikTok ad. Use Kapwing's TikTok safe zone template for an easy start or manually resize your video to fit TikTok's format. Explore the TikTok ad editor and automatically generate subtitles or remove the background of your video in seconds.

How do I start an ad on TikTok? ›

To create an ad:
  1. Go to an existing campaign or ad group.
  2. Turn on/off the Smart Creative Ads toggle.
  3. Enter an ad name. ...
  4. Turn on/off the Identity toggle.
  5. Select your ad format - Single video, Carousel, or Collection Ads. ...
  6. Add your media. ...
  7. Choose a thumbnail for your video.

How do you get paid for TikTok ads? ›

03. Get paid by TikTok
  1. Be at least 18 years-old.
  2. Be a TikTok Pro user.
  3. Be based in the US, UK, Germany, Spain, France or Italy.
  4. Have a minimum of 10,000 followers on TikTok.
  5. Have a minimum of 100,000 unique video views in the 30 days before applying.
  6. Comply with the TikTok community guidelines and terms of service.

How do I start marketing on TikTok? ›

10 tips for building your TikTok marketing strategy
  1. Create and brand your TikTok account. ...
  2. Define your TikTok audience. ...
  3. Create quality TikTok videos. ...
  4. Use ads in your TikTok marketing strategy. ...
  5. Tap into TikTok influencer marketing. ...
  6. Monitor TikTok analytics to track performance. ...
  7. Jump on popular TikTok trends.

How much does it cost to put an ad on TikTok? ›

TikTok advertising prices start at $0.50 CPM and $0.02 cost per click. A minimum budget of $500 is required to spend on a campaign, with a minimum daily budget of $50 at the campaign level and a minimum of $20 per day at the ad group level.

How do I know if TikTok ads are running? ›

How to check the status of your ad or ad group
  1. Log in to your TikTok Ads Manager account.
  2. Click Campaign in the top menu.
  3. Click the Ad group or Ad tab.
  4. Go to the Status column and find your ad or ad group to view the status of your ads. Learn more about ad statuses and definitions.

References

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