What are TikTok’s main ad formats?

hotsiagoodman
December 1, 2024

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What are TikTok’s main ad formats?

TikTok offers a variety of ad formats that allow brands to reach and engage with users in creative and impactful ways. Here are the main ad formats available on TikTok:

1. In-Feed Ads

  • Description: In-Feed Ads appear natively in a user’s For You Page (FYP) feed, making them blend seamlessly with organic content. These ads autoplay as users scroll, and they are the most common ad format.
  • Features:
    • Full-screen video: Users can swipe past these ads if they’re not interested.
    • Call-to-Action (CTA): Includes options like “Shop Now,” “Learn More,” “Download,” or “Sign Up,” leading to external websites or app stores.
    • Skippable: Users can skip the ad after a few seconds (usually 5 seconds).
    • Duration: 9 to 60 seconds.
  • Use Cases: Brand awareness, app installs, product promotion, website traffic.

2. TopView Ads

  • Description: TopView Ads are similar to In-Feed Ads, but they are more prominent. They appear as the first thing users see when they open the TikTok app, offering an immersive, full-screen experience.
  • Features:
    • Full-screen format: The ad plays automatically with sound, grabbing users’ attention right away.
    • Longer duration: These ads can be up to 60 seconds long.
    • Non-skippable: TopView Ads are shown as the first piece of content after opening the app.
  • Use Cases: High-impact brand awareness, product launches, event promotion.

3. Branded Hashtag Challenges

  • Description: Brands can create branded challenges by encouraging users to create and share their own videos using a specific hashtag. This format is highly engaging and promotes user-generated content (UGC).
  • Features:
    • Hashtag-driven: Users participate by posting videos using the branded hashtag.
    • Encourages interaction: Brands create a fun or creative challenge, driving mass engagement and brand interaction.
    • Brand page and discovery: The challenge will have a dedicated landing page for users to see top videos and information about the brand.
  • Use Cases: Viral marketing, user engagement, brand awareness, and fostering community participation.

4. Branded Effects

  • Description: This format lets brands create custom AR (augmented reality) effects or filters that users can use in their own videos. These effects can include interactive elements like animations, graphics, and 3D models.
  • Features:
    • Custom filters or stickers: Brands can create AR filters that are themed around their products, campaigns, or brand identity.
    • User-generated content: Users create content using the branded effects, increasing engagement and viral potential.
    • Long-lasting impact: Branded effects can remain on the platform, encouraging future use.
  • Use Cases: Engagement through creative expression, product promotion, raising awareness in a fun and interactive way.

5. Branded Mission

  • Description: This is an interactive ad format that encourages users to participate in a task or challenge while promoting a specific message or product. Brands can integrate missions within their campaigns to create interactive experiences for the user.
  • Features:
    • Action-based: Users are tasked with completing an action, like watching a video, sharing content, or engaging with a brand’s content.
    • Integrated with challenges: These can often be part of a branded hashtag challenge or other campaigns.
    • Incentives: Users may be incentivized with rewards, discounts, or recognition for completing the mission.
  • Use Cases: Customer engagement, campaign activation, boosting interaction and participation.

6. Spark Ads

  • Description: Spark Ads allow brands to boost their organic content or influencer content to reach a wider audience. Essentially, brands can “spark” viral content from their own TikTok account or from creator content that they partner with, promoting it to a larger audience.
  • Features:
    • Boost organic content: Brands can use their own organic posts or creator posts to run ads, maintaining a more authentic feel.
    • Seamless integration: These ads appear just like regular TikTok videos, keeping the user experience intact.
    • CTA buttons: Can include interactive call-to-action buttons like “Shop Now” or “Learn More.”
  • Use Cases: Influencer marketing, promoting organic posts, product discovery.

7. Collection Ads

  • Description: Collection Ads are a format designed for e-commerce, allowing users to browse a collection of products directly within the ad. These ads combine video content with a product catalog.
  • Features:
    • Interactive product gallery: Users can click through a series of product images or videos, leading to a product page.
    • Seamless shopping experience: Users can buy products directly through the ad.
    • Full-screen format: The ad includes a video component to attract attention and showcase products.
  • Use Cases: Product sales, online shopping, e-commerce promotions.

8. Dynamic Showcase Ads

  • Description: Dynamic Showcase Ads (DSAs) are personalized video ads that automatically show different products based on user preferences, behavior, and location. These ads allow brands to deliver tailored content to individual users.
  • Features:
    • Personalization: Each user sees a unique ad based on their interests and browsing history.
    • Catalog-based: Brands upload a product catalog, and the platform dynamically generates videos to showcase the relevant products.
    • Higher engagement: Personalized content has higher engagement rates because it’s more relevant to the viewer.
  • Use Cases: Personalized product recommendations, retargeting, e-commerce.

9. TikTok Shopping

  • Description: This is an integrated feature that allows brands to add an online shopping experience directly within the TikTok app. TikTok Shopping can be used in combination with other ad formats to promote products and encourage direct purchases.
  • Features:
    • Seamless purchase experience: Users can shop directly within TikTok via product links or shoppable tags in videos.
    • Integration with brands’ online stores: TikTok partners with e-commerce platforms like Shopify, allowing brands to sync their product catalogs for a smoother shopping experience.
    • In-video product links: Brands can tag products in their videos, enabling easy clicks to purchase.
  • Use Cases: Direct product sales, e-commerce, live shopping.

10. Live Shopping Ads

  • Description: Live Shopping Ads allow brands to sell products during live streams. Brands can promote their products during live broadcasts and allow viewers to purchase directly from the live stream.
  • Features:
    • Real-time interaction: Brands can engage with their audience in real-time and demonstrate products live.
    • Shoppable features: Products showcased in the stream can be tagged with purchase options for users to buy instantly.
  • Use Cases: Product launches, live events, influencer partnerships.

Summary of Key TikTok Ad Formats:

  1. In-Feed Ads: Native, skippable video ads in the For You Page.
  2. TopView Ads: Full-screen, high-impact ads shown when users open the app.
  3. Branded Hashtag Challenges: Engaging challenges with user-generated content and hashtags.
  4. Branded Effects: Custom AR filters that users can interact with in their videos.
  5. Branded Mission: Interactive tasks or challenges to drive user engagement.
  6. Spark Ads: Boosting organic or influencer content for increased reach.
  7. Collection Ads: E-commerce-focused ads with a product catalog and CTA buttons.
  8. Dynamic Showcase Ads: Personalized video ads based on user data.
  9. TikTok Shopping: Integrated shopping experience within the app.
  10. Live Shopping Ads: Shoppable live streams where users can purchase products in real-time.

These ad formats provide brands with a variety of ways to engage with TikTok’s audience, whether through highly engaging challenges, personalized shopping experiences, or immersive video ads. By selecting the right ad formats, brands can achieve their marketing objectives and build stronger connections with users.

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