What Types of Ads Can You Use to Market on TikTok?

TikTok is a highly conducive space for fastest-growing consumer segment. Additionally, it has a massive global audience spanning over 150 countries. For these reasons, you're likely to generate significant returns on your ad spend.

Another reason why businesses find success on TikTok is because of the various ad formats on the platform. You can access them by creating a TikTok advertiser account. Each one has a unique set of features that can help your brand engage a wider audience. Here's everything you need to know about the different TikTok ad formats to help you take full advantage of them.

In-Feed Ads

In-feed ads are the standard format on TikTok and are the easiest to create. They're the most popular choice among brands and can suit all types of marketing campaigns. TikTok displays them with other videos on the "For you" page, allowing them to blend in well with the rest of a user's feed.

The maximum duration for an in-feed ad is 60 seconds long, but the optimal length is 15 seconds. Like regular content, in-feed ads play automatically, and users can comment, like, and share them. You can even include a call-to-action button that will lead users to a landing page.

While in-feed ads look like organic content and don't feel forced, they have to compete for viewers' attention. Users might scroll past them because there are thousands of other videos to watch.

TopView Ads

TikTok's TopView ads are one of the most attention-grabbing formats on the platform. They're shown at the top of the "For you" page and play automatically with sound once a user opens the app. TopView ads are prime real estate on TikTok, taking over the entire screen for as long as 60 seconds. Unlike in-feed ads, they're immersive and don't have to share the spotlight with other videos.

The downside of TopView ads is that they don't feel organic. They're like commercials with the potential to disrupt a viewer's watching experience on the app. But they're great for building brand awareness because they generate high numbers of impressions, page views, and engagements. Brands can also include a call-to-action feature within a TopView ad to drive traffic and sales.

Brand Takeover Ads

Like TopView ads, TikTok's Brand Takeover ads are auto-play and full-screen. They pop up immediately after a user opens the app and will play for three to five seconds without the option to skip. Brands can choose to display a video or image within that time frame.

Snappy yet impactful, Brand Takeover ads can create a lot of buzz and are ideal for product launches and hashtag challenges. They also don't have any competition because a TikTok user only sees one Brand Takeover ad daily. Because of this unique feature, they're on the pricier side.

Aside from being expensive, another downside of Brand Takeover ads is that users can't like or comment on them. But the high number of impressions makes up for the lack of engagement.

Branded Effects

Branded effects are filters, stickers, and special effects that brands can use as promotional material on TikTok. Because they're usually flashy and trendy, they're effective with the platform's young audience.

Branded effects don't feel like ads because users can create unique content with them and organically boost engagement. While these effects can work as a campaign on their own, they're usually paired with a hashtag challenge or used with other TikTok ad formats for maximum exposure.

However, digital effects require special skills, so you need to have talented and knowledgeable people on your team. Another downside is that you may need the help of an influencer to get things off the ground.

Branded Hashtag Challenges

Branded hashtag challenges are another form of advertising that relies on user-generated content. TikTok showcases them in three different spots within the app: within the feed, on the Discover page as a featured banner, and on the hashtag landing page where the UGC videos are. It's a format that many TikTok users are familiar with and enjoy consuming, so they have the potential to go viral, boost brand awareness, and drive engagement.

While Branded Hashtag Challenges feel organic and fit seamlessly into the app's aesthetic, they rely heavily on user interest. It would be beneficial to have an established hashtag or experience in creating successful hashtag challenges.

Spark Ads

If you don't want to create an ad from scratch, Spark ads allow brands to promote existing content on TikTok. It can be yours or user-generated content, given that you have their permission. Spark ads are ideal for posts that have gone viral or if you want to partner with an established creator.

Like in-feed ads, they blend in with other videos and don't feel forced. You can also include a call-to-action button that will lead to a landing page or back to the TikTok account that uploaded the original content.

All likes, comments, shares, and follows that a Spark ad generates will be attributed to the original post. In addition, Spark ads come with extra analytics that make it easy for brands to determine the success of a campaign.

How to Create an Ad on TikTok

Once you've decided on an ad format, you can move on to the process of creating one. Here's how to make an ad on TikTok:

• 1. Make a name for your ad so you can distinguish it from the others in your ad group.
• 2. Choose an ad format.
• 3. Add media from your computer or your previous ads. You can also create a video directly on the platform.
• 4. Select an eye-catching thumbnail. It can be one of the pre-selected images from your video, or you can upload your own.
• 5. Include a text that will tell your audience more about what you're promoting.
• 6. Select a call to action.
• 7. Preview your ad.
• 8. Add a tracking URL to monitor your ad's performance.

The Bottom Line

There are plenty of brand success stories on TikTok because of its enormous audience base, high engagement level, and numerous ad formats for content creators.

TikTok gives brands a chance to step outside the box, get creative, and build a connection with a younger audience--all while staying within their budget. If you want your TikTok ads to be successful, you have to make them original, engaging, and true to your brand.