10 best practices to follow for TikTok Ads
Let’s review some important tactics that make it much easier to achieve conversions from TikTok ad efforts.
1. Get enough data & time
TikTok ads are about feeding the algorithm with the proper amount of data. Initially, it’s like nursing a small child, teaching it how to navigate the ‘big world’ (the world of achieving proper ROAS from the platform). These learning milestones are represented by conversions on your website (or app).
Begin by prioritizing lower funnel conversions and gradually progress to upper funnel conversion events. This approach, known as the ‘nurturing account strategy,’ can lead to a significantly lower final CPA (up to 70% lower, according to TikTok) for your campaigns. Here’s how you can implement it:
- Step 1: Start by feeding the algorithm data on low conversion events, such as ‘viewcontent.’ Allow your ad groups to exit the learning phase by accumulating 50–100 events within a few days.
- Step 2: Progressively shift the conversion event to higher levels (e.g., from ‘viewcontent’ to ‘addtocart,’ then from ‘addtocart’ to ‘initiate checkout’) until you reach the ultimate goal, such as the ‘purchase’ event. Again, gather 50–100 conversions within a short period (3-7 days) to move out of the learning phase and advance to the next event level, ultimately targeting events like ‘complete payment.’
This nurturing strategy can serve as a highly effective approach to launching any activity on TikTok ads.
2. Have a proper amount of ad sets and ads on your TikTok ad account
It’s like with a dish. If you add too much salt, you won’t eat it. The same goes if you add too little.
Therefore, avoid having too many or too few ad groups and campaigns in an ad account. Remember that having too many ad groups can make them compete against each other. Usually, having 2 to 5 ad groups should be enough to run a successful ad account. In general, a simple account structure and pushing your ads out of the learning phase are the keys to success.
When it comes to the number of ads, it is worth not having too many creatives, especially at the beginning. 3 to 5 ads per ad set can be the sweet spot. Replace creatives that suffer from ad fatigue with refreshed ones.
At the same time, don’t run just one ad. It’s definitely not enough, and I highly recommend having at least three totally different ads so you can learn which direction to go with your creatives as a next step. With just one ad, your chances of failure increase.
3. Use spark ads
Spark ads might be a game changer for your ad account, especially if you seek to increase not only your CTR but also your ROAS. Spark ads are based on promoting organic posts instead of creating dark posts (regular In-feed ads) that are visible only in ads. There are several advantages to consider:
- Likes, comments, and shares will not disappear once you switch off the ad. They will stay permanently on your promoted organic post.
- You can promote posts from your own brand profile or…
- Promote content from creators/influencers! This unlocks a huge opportunity to make ads more reliable. Once people see that the TikTok comes not from a company but from a real person, they are more likely to click on it.
- You can add a link to the ad so it works as a regular ad, driving traffic to the website and delivering conversions.
Note: With Spark ads, people can enter the profile page of the profile promoting the content by clicking on the profile photo, which is not available in regular ads.
source: ads.tiktok.com
4. Refresh your TikTok creatives to avoid ad fatigue
Something that you can encounter on TikTok is performance dropping on your ad sometime after launching it. To counter that issue, prepare a creative strategy and content creation workflow so you can get a fresh delivery of creatives for your ad account.
5. Test & learn
Experiment with different elements of video to improve your creatives over time. Test things like:
- Angles (Testimonial, Before & After, 3 Reasons Why, Q&A, podcast-like, etc.)
- Hooks (the first 2-3 seconds of your video)
- Copy and headlines
- Call to actions
- Video duration (usually from 8 to 30 seconds)
- Different creators
There are thousands of combinations, and some will work great while others won’t. This is why you need volume to really know what is working and what is not so you can improve account performance over time.
Always start your video concept with the hook and build the whole creative based on that. It’s like how Mr. Beast starts making videos by figuring out the title first. It just makes sense, and from that hook, it depends on whether someone will stay with your ad or not.
example part of creative strategy for TikTok ad account
6. Create strong hooks
It’s part of the previous point, but making strong hooks deserves its own separate subsection in this article. People constantly and unconsciously judge in milliseconds whether they will stay with the video they see or not. If it is boring and not catchy, they will just scroll through it, and you will lose their attention. This will result in high CPM and CPC but low CTR and ROAS. So, it is definitely worth putting strong hooks in the first 1–3 seconds of the video.
example of hook comparison using Motion app (motionapp.com)
7. Target broad
In a world of automation and advanced algorithms, it is no surprise that narrow targeting will only limit the algorithm’s ability to find customers for your ad. So, target broadly and use your creatives for actual targeting! If your ad is oriented towards men aged 25-30 who live in the suburbs, it will reach them.
8. Use interactive add-ons
Interactive add-ons are also fun! Use them to make your ad more engaging. You can choose from different types of add-ons:
- Display Card
- Voting Sticker
- Gift Code Sticker
- Countdown Sticker (great for limited flash sales!)
There are also some premium, more complex add-ons like Gesture, Superlike, and Pop-out Showcase. Check which will be the best for your ads!
source: ads.tiktok.com
9. Understand the impact of TikTok on your business
Understanding the impact of TikTok ads on your business is not easy. It’s no secret that clicking or seeing the ad doesn’t always result directly in a purchase. Neither TikTok nor GA4 will show you the clear data. It’s more like a game of identifying correlations and analyzing data beyond the platform itself. Here are some tips that will help you identify TikTok’s real impact on your business:
- Post-purchase surveys on your website: Implement surveys to ask your customers where they came from or where they first heard about your product/service. This direct feedback is invaluable for understanding your audience.
example post-purchase survey; source: convertflow.com
- Compare different attributions with Attribution Analytics by TikTok: You can access this by going to your TikTok ad account and then clicking Analytics → Attribution Analytics. Here, you can explore different attribution models, including both post-click and post-view, as the latter might have a bigger impact than you think.
- Use platforms like Triple Whale or Northbeam: These platforms help you understand the advanced paths customers follow before making a purchase.
- Calculate the MER (Marketing Efficiency Ratio): Calculate this for your business and look for correlations between TikTok spend and actions and your daily and overall MER.
- Check the TikTok spend impact on Google/Bing search volume: You might be surprised by how TikTok and search platforms are correlated, which is the result of people searching for a product after seeing an ad instead of clicking the ad directly.
10. Utilize shopping ads
Shopping ads are a great solution to support conversion rates on your ads, especially in countries where TikTok Shop is not yet available.
TikTok Video Shopping ads support the classic video ad format with additional add-ons and more, which increase the chance of purchase. Once you connect your product feed with your TikTok ad account, you can unlock some great features:
- Dynamic product landing pages — These open once potential customers click the ad. TikTok will create an on-platform landing page filled dynamically with products from your feed so your audience can easily scroll through your products before deciding which to buy.
- Product add-ons — That will appear in your video ad. You can create product or category-focused videos supported by interactive product add-ons from your catalog.
- Catalog videos — These can be created without your input, based on products from your product feed, using a chosen catalog video template.
- Retargeting through dynamic carousels – They show products that someone has already viewed or added to their cart.
These options are definitely worth testing as you discover the best way to reach your marketing goals with TikTok ads!
source: datafeedwatch.com
Summary
Now you know the best practices for achieving success on the TikTok platform! Remember, the recipe for achieving your KPIs includes maintaining a proper account structure, creating amazing and refreshed ads with a focus on strong hooks, and utilizing tools like product feeds, interactive add-ons, and Spark Ads. That’s quite a lot, isn’t it?
What’s your approach to achieving success on this platform? If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me on Linkedin or check our TikTok Ads landing page to see what we can do for you in this field.
