Boost your sales with TikTok Ads

TikTok adverts can help you reach a varied audience looking for entertaining content. Find out here how to launch your very first TikTok Ads campaign!

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Understanding TikTok Ads and how they work

TikTok, the social network that’s taken the world by storm

Everyone’s heard of TikTok. Launched in 2017, the app as we know it is the ‘international’ version of Douyin, a social network developed by ByteDance available only in China. The platform allows users to watch and create short videos in vertical format. TikTok soared past Instagram in terms of users in 2021, accumulating a total of 1.7 billion across the globe. Its popularity can be put down to the ability to start viral trends thanks to its content display algorithm, making it now a vital marketing tool for businesses.

So, what are TikTok Ads?

TikTok Ads are adverts displayed on the social network TikTok, similar to Facebook Ads and Instagram Ads. Accessible through its commercial platform TikTok for Business, it allows advertisers to capitalise on the commercial opportunities it presents. TikTok’s simplicity, along with its wide range of ad formats, its targeting options, and the figures it shares with advertisers to help optimise campaigns are sure to garner views and engagement, whilst also promoting your products and services. These campaigns are largely customisable, allowing users to add creative elements, captions, and calls to action whilst offering optimised targeting and ad placements.

What ad formats are available on TikTok?

Advertisers can choose between a range of formats on TikTok Ads, catering to different needs, objectives, and budgets. (For this section, we’re only going to talk about formats that are available in France.)

In-Feed adverts

As the name indicates, In-Feed ads are displayed in the user's main u0022For Youu0022 feed. These ads are in vertical native form, in full screen, can last a maximum of 60 seconds, and make use of interactive features (such as clickable links and call-to-action buttons). The user can comment and share this type of content.

Top View adverts

These full-screen videos, limited to 60 seconds, are displayed as soon as the user opens the TikTok app. This format is both highly visible and eye-catching, making it one of the more tempting content types in terms of user engagement (and conversions). There is also a shorter version of this format called Brand Takeover ads, which can take a number of different forms: short videos (3 to 5 seconds long), static images, and GIFs.

Hashtag Challenge

Like any social network, hashtags are an essential tool for content referencing. These ads use hashtags (associated with your brand or your business domain) to encourage users to create fresh content associated with certain keywords in the form of a 'challenge'. This is a great way of producing viral content and gaining visibility for your brand.

Branded Effects

The first step is to choose the name of the ad group, and then configure its target audience. You can then set the target CPM bid.

Spark Ads

This format allows you to transform organic posts into adverts to increase their visibility. This function doesn't just apply to posts made by the brand in question, but to content posted by any user – with their prior permission – and is a great way to harness other users' creativity. Additionally, these posts are not deleted once the campaign is over and will remain accessible on your profile.

Keep in mind

Some TikTok’s ad formats are available only in certain countries (such as Playable Ads, interactive videos, and Pangle Ads shared on partner sites) or are subject to limited use (like Carousel Ads or Shopping Ads which require a TikTok shop to be associated with your Ads Manager account).

TikTok in numbers
1.7 billion active users on TikTok (20 million in France alone)
4.7 billion app downloads worldwide
100 billion videos watched each month on TikTok

Why advertise on TikTok?

Effective use of TikTok Ads helps to increase visibility (of both the brand/business and its products/services) as well as notoriety. Discover the huge advantages you can gain from advertising on this social network.

A hugely popular social network

In just five years, TikTok has reached a billion users. The platform is one of the most downloaded mobile apps worldwide and boasts millions of daily users, hungry for all types of content. TikTok therefore represents an immensely vast pool in which advertisers can target (and reach) the audiences they want.

An increasingly diverse audience

Is TikTok exclusively for a young audience? The prevailing notion is that TikTok is essentially an app for teenagers, but 68% of users are in fact between 18 and 34 years of age (Statista). These figures show that TikTok is attracting an increasingly older – and varied – audience. It should also be noted that women are very present on the platform, making up 57% of users (Social Pilot).

An app with significant engagement

TikTok Ads encourage engagement, with an average rate of 5.95% (Social Pilot), far ahead of Facebook (3.39%) and Instagram (3.48%). This percentage can reach 18% for certain micro-influencers. This is down to the way in which people use TikTok with the average user opening the app 19 times a day, adding up to around 20 hours per month (Hootsuite).

Ads in video format

TikTok is THE social network for short videos. For advertisers, TikTok Ads campaigns offer the chance to use video marketing and reach an audience who are fans of this format, which has higher rates of both engagement and conversion than its competitors. According to HubSpot, 4 out of 5 users purchase web apps after having watched a video created by a brand.

Easy-to-create ads

One of the big advantages of TikTok Ads lies in the ease with which they can be created. Anyone can make viral videos with a smartphone, and much of the content on the app is both simple and natural (in contrast with YouTube which usually requires in-depth technical know-how). A video can be created and posted in just a few short minutes.

Authentic and spontaneous communication

On TikTok, communication is based on authenticity and spontaneity. Brands have to create content that resembles that made by regular users: raw, even rudimentary, that values humanity and emotion. Communication needs to be more open and relaxed than on other platforms, opening the door to greater creativity.

Highlight

A wide range of marketing objectives

When creating TikTok Ads campaigns, you can choose from a number of objectives across three themes. 1) Awareness, to attract a maximum number of users. 2) Consideration to garner interaction: watching videos, visiting your site, generating leads, and increasing follower numbers. 3) Conversion: optimising conversions on your site, or encouraging app downloads.

The opportunity to start trends

TikTok is the ideal social network for starting trends. Two of their ad formats were even created with this in mind; Hashtag Challenges and Branded Effects. In practice though, any well-thought-out advert has the potential to reach a large number of users and kick off a new trend – it all starts with a good idea!

A platform made for influencers

TikTok Ads are particularly well adapted to collaborations with influencers, who thrive on this hugely popular network. Used effectively, influencer marketing can help to boost your visibility and generate more engagement (+83% according to TikTok). Even micro-influencers achieve an average engagement of 17.96%! (Pixlee)

How much does a TikTok Ads campaign cost?

Like other digital advertising platforms, TikTok utilises a bidding model for its campaigns, wherein advertisers set a budget for each view, click, or impression.

The minimum budget

There is, however, a minimum budget to keep in mind: 50 euros per day for each campaign, and 20 euros per day for each ad group – and that’s just for the ‘simple’ formats. For the more specific formats, such as Branded Effects, Top Views, and Brand Takeover, prices can reach six-figure sums. The advertising budget ends up being higher on TikTok than with other social media sites but is an excellent investment considering the high engagement and conversion rates.

TikTok usage
19 times how often, per day, the average user opens the TikTok app
95 minutes the average time spent on the app each day
3-4 the average number of posts by brands every week

The keys to creating your first TikTok campaign

Everything you need to know before launching your first campaign

TikTok Ads sets itself apart from the rest thanks to its user-friendly interface. If you’re already familiar with creating ads on Facebook, Instagram or Google, you’re already a step ahead. There are, however, still a few specifics that you need to be aware of. TikTok Ads are organised based on three levels. The first, is the advert itself, usually in video format. The second is the ad group. The final level is the campaign, which brings together several different ad groups. For example, a shoe retailer creates a video ad for its new pair of trainers, part of an ad group made up of several models of trainers, which are, in turn, incorporated into an overall campaign dedicated to sports shoes.

8 steps to launching a TikTok Ads campaign

Take a look at our step-by-step process towards creating your first TikTok Ads campaign.

  • Create a TikTok for Business account

    First things first: you'll need to create a professional account on TikTok for Business (if you haven't already) by entering the necessary information about your business. Remember, the process becomes much simpler if you use an e-commerce dedicated CMS like Shopify. Once you've done that, log in to the Ads Manager platform.

    First things first: you'll need to create a professional account on TikTok for Business (if you haven't already) by entering the necessary information about your business. Remember, the process becomes much simpler if you use an e-commerce dedicated CMS like Shopify. Once you've done that, log in to the Ads Manager platform.

  • Create your first TikTok Ads campaign

    In TikTok Ads Manager, click on the 'Campaign' button in the main menu, and then 'Create' in the management table that'll appear. For your first campaign, you have two options to choose from: simplified mode (a fast, basic program), and custom mode (which offers more complex configurations). For this example, we'll use custom mode, but the instructions are largely the same for both.

    In TikTok Ads Manager, click on the 'Campaign' button in the main menu, and then 'Create' in the management table that'll appear. For your first campaign, you have two options to choose from: simplified mode (a fast, basic program), and custom mode (which offers more complex configurations). For this example, we'll use custom mode, but the instructions are largely the same for both.

  • Set your first campaign objectives

    During this preliminary step, you'll need to define the objectives of your TikTok Ads campaign, among one of the three categories offered: awareness, consideration, or conversion. Depending on the objective you've selected, the next settings will be more or less the same: the TikTok pixel and follow-up links are obligatory in order to bring traffic to your site.

    During this preliminary step, you'll need to define the objectives of your TikTok Ads campaign, among one of the three categories offered: awareness, consideration, or conversion. Depending on the objective you've selected, the next settings will be more or less the same: the TikTok pixel and follow-up links are obligatory in order to bring traffic to your site.

  • Create an ad group on TikTok

    Give a name to your ad group, then define your target audience. In simplified mode, the targeting options are limited (to help speed up the process). Custom mode allows you to be more specific and choose your target audience based on geography, gender, age range, language, household income, areas of interest, devices used, and behaviour. The TikTok pixel can help to refine your targeting by selecting a similar audience or through retargeting.

    Give a name to your ad group, then define your target audience. In simplified mode, the targeting options are limited (to help speed up the process). Custom mode allows you to be more specific and choose your target audience based on geography, gender, age range, language, household income, areas of interest, devices used, and behaviour. The TikTok pixel can help to refine your targeting by selecting a similar audience or through retargeting.

  • Choose where to display your ads

    Next, you need to decide where you'd like your TikTok Ads to be displayed. In automatic mode, the algorithm will do the work for you, optimising where your ads are shown, including on apps and connected sites. In custom mode, it's up to you to decide where your ads appear.

    Next, you need to decide where you'd like your TikTok Ads to be displayed. In automatic mode, the algorithm will do the work for you, optimising where your ads are shown, including on apps and connected sites. In custom mode, it's up to you to decide where your ads appear.

  • Set your campaign budget

    Now it's time to allocate a budget to your campaign. You have two options: fix an overall budget for the entire campaign, allowing the platform to optimise how and where your ads appear in order to reach your objectives as soon as possible. The second option is to fix a daily budget, setting a daily number that cannot be surpassed and leaving it to yourself to set the duration and rhythm of your campaign. With this second option, your ads will stop being displayed once your daily budget has been reached.

    Now it's time to allocate a budget to your campaign. You have two options: fix an overall budget for the entire campaign, allowing the platform to optimise how and where your ads appear in order to reach your objectives as soon as possible. The second option is to fix a daily budget, setting a daily number that cannot be surpassed and leaving it to yourself to set the duration and rhythm of your campaign. With this second option, your ads will stop being displayed once your daily budget has been reached.

  • Optimising your budget for auctions

    TikTok offers four different auction modes (see more below). To optimise your budget, you can choose between two distinct strategies. In the first, the standard strategy, you can fix an average bid (this amount will always be below the overall or daily budget). There is no bid limit for the optimised strategy, which aims to maximise conversions, but it still won't surpass the defined budget.

    TikTok offers four different auction modes (see more below). To optimise your budget, you can choose between two distinct strategies. In the first, the standard strategy, you can fix an average bid (this amount will always be below the overall or daily budget). There is no bid limit for the optimised strategy, which aims to maximise conversions, but it still won't surpass the defined budget.

  • Create your advert on TikTok

    All that's left is to create the ad itself by uploading the visual elements (up to 10 images and 5 short videos) and writing some text to go with it (the caption and call-to-action). Choose the landing page you want to direct your audience to or choose the u0022instant pageu0022 feature offered by the app, and integrate follow-up URLs or the TikTok pixel. All you need to do then is submit your campaign and await validation.

    All that's left is to create the ad itself by uploading the visual elements (up to 10 images and 5 short videos) and writing some text to go with it (the caption and call-to-action). Choose the landing page you want to direct your audience to or choose the u0022instant pageu0022 feature offered by the app, and integrate follow-up URLs or the TikTok pixel. All you need to do then is submit your campaign and await validation.

The different auction modes available on TikTok Ads

The TikTok Ads platform offers four different auction modes for ad campaigns. Cost per click (CPC) displays your ads to users likely to click on them, and you’ll pay for every click. Cost per thousand impressions (CPM) optimises the display of your ads to gain the most views possible, and you’ll pay for every 1000 impressions. With optimised cost per thousand impressions, the system targets users likely to initiate a conversion event, transform them into prospects, or install the app. Finally, with cost per thousand views (CPV), you’ll pay each time your ad is actually seen by users, i.e. when your video has been watched for a minimum of 6 seconds or an interaction was made within the first 6 seconds.

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