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TikTok isn’t just an entertainment platform; it’s also a fertile ground for advertising activities, thanks to its massive user base and powerful virality. To fully leverage this potential, businesses need to clearly understand the types of ads on TikTok that are currently popular. The article below from Adsupport will help you discover the most effective advertising formats on TikTok.
If you’re wondering how to start bidding and buying ads on TikTok, here are two common and effective methods to help you do just that – suitable for both beginners and professional advertisers.
With TikTok Promote, you can easily launch a campaign in just a few simple steps. When you access a video you want to promote, tap the three-dot icon (…) below the “Save” button, then select “Promote.” This feature helps you choose objectives such as: increasing video views, gaining more followers, increasing profile views, driving sales by embedding links with a call-to-action button, or attracting potential customers such as receiving messages or calls. This advertising format is very convenient due to its quick operation, making it suitable for beginners. However, its biggest limitation is the lack of advanced features for optimizing effectiveness, which professional advertisers often desire.
If you want to manage your campaigns more deeply and control the entire advertising process, TikTok Ads Manager is the essential tool. This is a professional advertising platform where you can create multiple ad groups, set detailed objectives (such as conversions, web traffic, app installs), control your budget and bidding, and utilize powerful performance analysis tools. TikTok Ads Manager allows you to target specific audiences based on factors like geographical location, age, gender, user behavior, and device. The strength of this method lies in its flexible ad optimization capabilities, helping you increase conversion performance. However, it also requires more skills and time to get familiar with.
Before launching an advertising campaign on TikTok, it’s crucial to understand the two main distribution mechanisms the platform uses. This understanding will help you choose the most suitable strategy for your budget and business goals.
This is a popular format for small and medium-sized businesses or beginners who want to run their ads. TikTok allows you to bid for ad placement, similar to Facebook Ads or Google Ads. The system evaluates your ad based on various factors, such as bid price, video quality, landing page conversion rate, and more, to decide whether your ad will be shown. Whoever optimizes better wins the “display auction.”
Unlike auction-based ads, Reservation Ads work like “reserving” prime advertising spots on TikTok. This includes exclusive formats such as TopView, Brand Takeover, and Hashtag Challenge. This format is typically used by large brands to create a strong market presence and generate significant impact. However, to run these types of ads, you need to contact TikTok directly or work through their official partner agencies.
TopView Ads are full-screen video ads that appear immediately when a user opens the TikTok app. With a maximum length of 60 seconds, this format is ideal for making a strong impression from the very first second, helping brands increase awareness and drive significant traffic to their websites, landing pages, or TikTok channels. Additionally, TopView ads can be combined with user retargeting and remarketing campaigns to boost conversion rates.
The Branded Hashtag Challenge encourages users to participate in a challenge linked to a brand-specific hashtag, creating a powerful viral wave. User-generated videos spread organically, boosting engagement and cementing the brand in customers’ minds.
To launch this format, businesses need to collaborate directly with TikTok or an official agency, as it’s not a format you can run independently through TikTok Ads Manager.
Brand Takeover Ads are ultra-short ads (3–6 seconds) that appear immediately when a user opens the app – similar to TopView but with a shorter duration and the ability to use still images, GIFs, or short videos.
This is an excellent choice for brands aiming to maximize awareness in a short period, especially suitable for product launches, major promotions, or limited-time events.
In-feed Ads are the most common and accessible ad format on TikTok. They appear naturally as users scroll through videos on their “For You Page,” with a maximum length of 60 seconds. This ad type can be created and managed independently via TikTok Ads Manager, offering great flexibility for various objectives:
Branded Effect is a creative ad format where TikTok designs exclusive effects (stickers, filters, animations, etc.) based on your brand’s imagery and message. Users can select and use these effects when recording videos, allowing your brand to naturally and engagingly integrate into their daily lives. This format is often paired with Hashtag campaigns.
TikTok is one of the most promising platforms for advertising and digital marketing, especially for online sellers or small businesses looking to reach a young audience. However, not everyone finds immediate success. Here are some extremely important tips if you’re new to running ads on TikTok.
TikTok is a platform built around short-form video content. While it has expanded to include features like live streaming and photo slideshows, video remains the core pillar of every advertising strategy. So, if you don’t have basic video shooting and editing skills—even with simple apps like CapCut – the honest advice is to invest in learning or hire a professional content production team.
A clear difference between TikTok and platforms like Facebook or YouTube is that the lifecycle of advertising content on TikTok is very short. Content needs to be constantly refreshed to keep up with trends and maintain engagement. If you don’t have your own content production team, or if your main business doesn’t revolve around video creation, running ads from the start will only lead to budget waste without yielding results.
If you’re a new online seller looking to try your hand on TikTok, TikTok Shop combined with TikTok Shop Ads is the safest and most accessible route to success. While profits might not be as high as selling on Facebook or Google, TikTok is currently prioritizing sellers on its platform. You won’t need to worry too much about pixel setup, website integration, or complex conversion tracking flows. TikTok has optimized every step, from creating your shop to tracking order performance, making it easy for you to run ads and accurately measure sales results. What’s more, TikTok Shop ads effectively integrate with the organic videos you post on your channel, creating a continuous cycle of customer engagement. The integration of sales and entertainment content creates a clear competitive advantage that other platforms find hard to match.
Understanding the five main ad formats on TikTok is the first step toward building an effective campaign. Depending on your objectives, budget, and campaign size, you can choose the appropriate format. TikTok is not just a place to “go viral” with entertaining content, but also fertile ground for businesses to reach customers creatively and effectively.
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Frequently Asked Questions
If your goal is to quickly increase brand awareness, Reservation Ads like TopView Ads or Brand Takeover are ideal choices. These formats ensure your ad appears in prime positions—right when users open the app—helping your brand make a strong impression on a large number of users in a short amount of time. However, be mindful of your budget, as these are premium formats with a higher investment cost compared to regular ad types.
TikTok VSA Ads (Video Shopping Ads) are an integrated advertising format that combines short videos with direct shopping capabilities on the TikTok platform. With VSA, businesses can showcase products within their video ads, complete with an immediate “buy now” button, making it easy for users to discover and purchase without leaving the app. This is an ideal ad format for brands looking to optimize conversions and create a strong link between entertainment content and commerce.
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