TikTok advertising: a complete guide to the available ad formats

With over a billion active users worldwide, TikTok has become a go-to platform for businesses that want to reach a young, dynamic audience, particularly Generation Z and Millennials. But it isn’t just a social network: TikTok is also a powerful advertising platform offering a wide range of ad formats for businesses of every size.

In this guide we’ll explore TikTok’s main ad formats in detail, looking at how they work, which goals they can help you reach and what their advantages are. If you want to harness TikTok to increase your brand’s visibility or generate sales, this guide will give you all the information you need.

Why TikTok is a unique opportunity for businesses

Before looking at the various ad formats available on TikTok, it helps to understand why TikTok is such a unique opportunity for businesses.

1. A young, highly engaged audience: TikTok is widely used by people aged 16 to 34, making it ideal for brands that want to reach a young audience. TikTok users also spend an average of 52 minutes a day on the platform, constantly interacting with new, creative content.
2. Virality and creativity: The very nature of TikTok encourages original, creative content that can quickly go viral. Businesses that know how to use the platform’s language and trends have a huge opportunity to reach millions of people organically.
3. Authentic interaction: TikTok users look for authentic, relatable experiences. Brands that take a more informal approach and try to engage the audience with content that feels genuine and unintrusive tend to be more successful.

The main ad formats on TikTok

TikTok offers a wide range of ad formats suited to different marketing goals, from branding to driving direct sales. Each format is designed to engage the audience in its own way and encourage interaction. Let’s look at the main formats available.

1. In-Feed Ads

In-Feed Ads are video ads that appear in users’ “For You” feed, the main feed where users discover new content personalised to their interests and behaviour. In-Feed Ads look like organic posts but are marked as sponsored and can include calls to action such as “Download now” or “Shop now”.

Key features:

• Length: Up to 60 seconds, although shorter videos (15-30 seconds) tend to perform better.
• Placement: In the “For You” feed, among organic videos.
• Interaction: Users can like, comment on, share and interact with the ad as they would with a normal TikTok video.
• CTA: Ads can include links to landing pages, apps or online shops.

When to use them: In-Feed Ads are perfect for campaigns that want to drive immediate action, such as downloading an app or buying a product. Thanks to their immersive nature, they can generate strong engagement.

2. TopView Ads

TopView Ads are full-screen video ads that appear as soon as a user opens the TikTok app. As the first thing a user sees, TopView Ads guarantee high visibility and immediate impact. They’re ideal for campaigns that want to grab attention straight away.

Key features:

• Length: Up to 60 seconds of full-screen video.
• Placement: First position when the TikTok app opens.
• Interaction: Users can like, comment on and share the video.
• CTA: Can include clickable links to external landing pages or app stores.

When to use them: This format is particularly effective for branding and awareness campaigns, as it offers maximum visibility and visual impact. It’s ideal for launching new products or promoting major events.

3. Branded Hashtag Challenge

One of TikTok’s unique features is the chance for businesses to launch a Branded Hashtag Challenge, a viral challenge that invites users to create content using a brand-specific hashtag. Sponsored hashtag challenges are a great way to encourage user participation and generate user-generated content (UGC) that amplifies the brand’s visibility.

Key features:

• User engagement: Users are encouraged to create videos using the campaign hashtag.
• Virality: Thanks to the viral nature of challenges, this format can generate millions of views and interactions.
• Dedicated page: Every Hashtag Challenge has a dedicated page with the brand’s logo, a description of the challenge and the best videos created by users.

When to use them: This format is ideal for brands that want to encourage active engagement and user creativity. It’s particularly effective for launching new products or brand awareness campaigns aimed at building a sense of community around the brand.

4. Branded Effects

Branded Effects let businesses create custom filters, stickers and special effects that users can apply in their videos. This format offers an interactive, immersive experience in which users can bring elements of the brand into their own content.

Key features:

• Customisation: Effects can be fully customised to the brand’s identity.
• Engagement: Users interact with the brand in a fun, creative way by using the effects in their own videos.
• Duration: Effects remain available for a limited period, usually 10 days, during which TikTok users can use them.

When to use them: Branded Effects are ideal for businesses that want to encourage creative interaction with their brand and build an emotional bond with the audience. They’re particularly effective when combined with a Hashtag Challenge.

5. Spark Ads

Spark Ads are a relatively new format that lets businesses promote existing organic content, from their own account or from other users, turning it into ads. This format lets you use videos that are already popular to reach a wider audience, without having to create new content from scratch.

Key features:

• Promoting organic content: Businesses can “spark” organic videos, taking them to a wider audience through paid promotion.
• Natural interaction: Users can interact with the video as they would with any other organic content, including commenting, liking and sharing.
• Greater authenticity: By using content that already exists and was created by other users or by the brand itself, Spark Ads keep an authentic, credible tone.

When to use them: This format is particularly useful for amplifying content that has already been successful or shows strong engagement. It’s ideal for building trust and credibility through content that feels less like advertising.

6. Collection Ads

Collection Ads are an ad format that combines video and product catalogues, letting users discover and buy products directly from TikTok. Users can tap the video ad and open a personalised product gallery without ever leaving the app, improving the shopping experience.

Key features:

• Video + catalogue: Tapping the video ad takes users to an interactive product gallery.
• Immersive shopping experience: TikTok’s interface allows a smooth transition between entertainment and shopping.
• Personalisation: Product galleries can be personalised based on user behaviour, increasing the chances of conversion.

When to use them: Collection Ads are ideal for e-commerce businesses that want to use TikTok as a social commerce platform. This format is particularly effective for promoting product collections and encouraging direct sales.

7. Dynamic Showcase Ads (DSA)

Dynamic Showcase Ads use machine learning to automatically create personalised ads based on users’ browsing behaviour. This format is similar to dynamic ads on other platforms and lets you show relevant products to users who have already shown interest.

Key features:

• Automatic personalisation: The products shown in the ads are based on users’ browsing and purchase behaviour.
• Dynamic targeting: Ads are shown to audience segments that have shown interest in similar products.

When to use them: This format is perfect for e-commerce businesses that want to maximise conversions through highly personalised ad campaigns. DSAs help retarget users who have already interacted with the brand’s website or catalogue.

TikTok offers an impressive range of ad formats that let businesses reach a highly engaged audience with creative, viral content. The right format will depend on your brand’s goals, the kind of message you want to convey and the way you want to engage your audience.

If you’d like to explore advertising on TikTok or need help building an effective advertising strategy, get in touch. We’re here to help you make the most of TikTok Ads and reach new milestones for your business.