The Best TikTok Ads: How to Create and Optimize Them for Success

By Cepy 7/30/2023 Post a Comment

TikTok is one of the most popular social media platforms in the world, with over 1 billion monthly active users. It is also a powerful marketing tool, as it allows brands to reach and engage with a large and diverse audience of potential customers. TikTok ads are short, creative, and entertaining videos that showcase products, services, or brand stories in an authentic and engaging way.

But how do you create and optimize the best TikTok ads for your business? What are the different types of TikTok ads and how do they work? How do you measure and improve the performance of your TikTok ads campaigns? In this article, we will answer these questions and more, and provide you with some tips and examples of the best TikTok ads that you can use as inspiration for your own.

Types of TikTok Ads

TikTok offers several types of ads for advertisers to choose from, depending on their goals, budget, and target audience. Here are the main types of TikTok ads and how they work:

TopView Ads

TopView ads are full-screen video ads that appear when users open the TikTok app. They can last up to 60 seconds and have sound. They are ideal for creating brand awareness and driving traffic to your website or app. TopView ads have a high reach and impact, as they capture users' attention right away.

In-Feed Ads

In-Feed ads are video ads that appear in between user-generated content on the TikTok For You page. They can last up to 60 seconds and have sound. They are similar to Instagram Stories ads or Snapchat ads. They are suitable for generating leads, conversions, or app installs. In-Feed ads have a high engagement rate, as users can like, comment, share, or follow the advertiser.

Branded Hashtag Challenge Ads

Branded Hashtag Challenge ads are interactive ads that invite users to participate in a themed challenge created by the advertiser. They appear on the TikTok Discover page and have a dedicated landing page with the challenge details, rules, and featured videos. They can last up to six days and have sound. They are perfect for boosting brand awareness, user-generated content, and social buzz. Branded Hashtag Challenge ads have a high viral potential, as users can create and share their own videos using the branded hashtag.

Branded Effects Ads

Branded Effects ads are immersive ads that allow users to apply branded stickers, filters, or lenses to their own videos. They appear in the TikTok camera and can be accessed by users for up to 10 days. They are great for enhancing brand recall, affinity, and loyalty. Branded Effects ads have a high retention rate, as users can reuse them multiple times in their own videos.

How to Create the Best TikTok Ads

Creating the best TikTok ads requires some creativity, strategy, and experimentation. Here are some steps to follow to create effective and engaging TikTok ads:

Define Your Goal and Audience

The first step is to define your goal and audience for your TikTok ads campaign. What do you want to achieve with your ads? Who do you want to reach and influence? Having a clear goal and audience will help you choose the right type of ad, format, message, and call-to-action for your campaign.

Create a TikTok Business Account

The next step is to create a TikTok business account if you don't have one already. A TikTok business account will allow you to access the TikTok Ads Manager, where you can create, manage, and optimize your TikTok ads campaigns. To create a TikTok business account, you need to sign up on the TikTok for Business website and fill in some basic information about your business.

Choose Your Ad Format and Budget

The third step is to choose your ad format and budget for your campaign. Depending on your goal and audience, you can choose from the different types of TikTok ads mentioned above. You can also choose between two bidding options: cost per mille (CPM), which means you pay for every 1,000 impressions of your ad; or cost per click (CPC), which means you pay for every click on your ad. You can also set a daily or total budget limit for your campaign.

Create Your Ad Creative

The fourth step is to create your ad creative. This is the most important part of your campaign, as it will determine how your audience will perceive and react to your ad. To create the best TikTok ads, you need to follow some best practices, such as:

Use vertical videos that fit the full screen of the user's device.
Use high-quality images and sound that capture the user's attention.
Use catchy and relevant music, sound effects, or voice-overs that match your brand and message.
Use text overlays, stickers, filters, or effects that enhance your message and brand identity.
Use a clear and compelling call-to-action that tells the user what to do next.
Keep your videos short and sweet, ideally between 9 and 15 seconds.
Be authentic, original, and entertaining. Don't be too salesy or boring.

Launch and Monitor Your Campaign

The final step is to launch and monitor your campaign. You can launch your campaign by submitting your ad creative for review and approval by TikTok. Once your ad is approved, it will start running on the platform. You can monitor your campaign performance by using the TikTok Ads Manager dashboard, where you can see various metrics, such as impressions, clicks, conversions, cost, and return on ad spend (ROAS). You can also use the TikTok Pixel, a code snippet that you can install on your website or app, to track the actions of users who interact with your ad.

TikTok Ads Breakdown

To give you a better idea of how TikTok ads work and what they look like, here is a table breakdown of some of the best TikTok ads from different brands and industries:

Brand	Type of Ad	Goal	Creative	Result
Gymshark	Branded Hashtag Challenge	Brand Awareness	A video featuring fitness influencers inviting users to join the #gymshark66 challenge, which encourages them to share their fitness journey for 66 days.	Over 2 billion views of the hashtag, over 136,000 user-generated videos, over 28% increase in followers.
Nike	TopView	Traffic	A video featuring soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo promoting the Nike app and its features.	Over 100 million impressions, over 5 million clicks, over 4% click-through rate (CTR).
Chipotle	In-Feed	Conversions	A video featuring a user ordering a burrito bowl from Chipotle using a voice-over and showing the ingredients and the final product.	Over 7 million impressions, over 1 million views, over 100,000 clicks, over 4% CTR.
Calm	In-Feed	App installs	A video featuring soothing sounds and visuals from the Calm app and inviting users to download it for free.	Over 40 million impressions, over 2 million views, over 500,000 clicks, over 10% CTR.
Samsung	Branded Effects	Brand Recall	A branded sticker featuring the Samsung logo and the slogan "Do What You Can't" that users can apply to their own videos.	Over 600 million impressions, over 50 million views, over 10% share rate.

FAQs About the Best TikTok Ads

How much do TikTok ads cost?

The cost of TikTok ads depends on several factors, such as the type of ad, the bidding option, the target audience, and the competition. According to TikTok's official website, the minimum budget for a TikTok ads campaign is $500 total and $50 per day. However, this may vary depending on the region and the demand. According to some reports, the average CPM for TikTok ads ranges from $3 to $9 in the US and from $1 to $4 in other countries.

How do I get started with TikTok ads?

To get started with TikTok ads, you need to create a TikTok business account on the TikTok for Business website. Once you have an account, you can access the TikTok Ads Manager dashboard, where you can create, manage, and optimize your TikTok ads campaigns. You can also use theTikTok Ads Help Center, where you can find more information and resources about TikTok ads.

What are the best practices for TikTok ads?

Some of the best practices for TikTok ads are:

Define your goal and audience clearly and choose the right type of ad for your campaign.
Create vertical videos that fit the full screen of the user's device and use high-quality images and sound.
Use catchy and relevant music, sound effects, or voice-overs that match your brand and message.
Use text overlays, stickers, filters, or effects that enhance your message and brand identity.
Use a clear and compelling call-to-action that tells the user what to do next.
Keep your videos short and sweet, ideally between 9 and 15 seconds.
Be authentic, original, and entertaining. Don't be too salesy or boring.
Test and optimize your ads based on the performance metrics and feedback from your audience.

What are some examples of the best TikTok ads?

Some examples of the best TikTok ads are:

Gymshark's #gymshark66 challenge, which encouraged users to share their fitness journey for 66 days and generated over 2 billion views of the hashtag.
Nike's TopView ad featuring Cristiano Ronaldo, which promoted the Nike app and its features and drove over 5 million clicks to the app store.
Chipotle's In-Feed ad featuring a user ordering a burrito bowl, which showcased the product and the ordering process and generated over 100,000 clicks to the website.
Calm's In-Feed ad featuring soothing sounds and visuals from the app, which invited users to download it for free and achieved over 10% CTR.
Samsung's branded sticker featuring the logo and the slogan "Do What You Can't", which allowed users to apply it to their own videos and increased brand recall and loyalty.

Conclusion

TikTok is a powerful marketing platform that can help you reach and engage with a large and diverse audience of potential customers. TikTok ads are short, creative, and entertaining videos that showcase your products, services, or brand stories in an authentic and engaging way. To create the best TikTok ads, you need to follow some steps and best practices, such as defining your goal and audience, choosing your ad format and budget, creating your ad creative, launching and monitoring your campaign, and testing and optimizing your ads. You can also use some examples of the best TikTok ads as inspiration for your own. By following these tips, you can create effective and engaging TikTok ads that will help you achieve your marketing goals.

If you enjoyed this article, you might also like to read our other articles on TikTok marketing, such as TikTok Ads for Small Business, TikTok Ads for Shopify, or TikTok Ads for Real Estate. Check them out now!

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