TikTok is not a "nice-to-have" channel anymore.
If you’re a DTC brand, an agency, or a performance marketer, it’s where you go when Meta CPMs get spicy and you still need volume.
But TikTok is also unforgiving. The ads that look like ads die fast. The ads that look like TikToks live.
This guide covers how to start advertising on TikTok - the account setup, the ad formats, the targeting, the creative, and the measurement. And yes, we’ll talk about the part nobody wants to admit: you need a lot of creative, and you need it fast.
Why TikTok ads work (when they work)
TikTok isn’t a billboard. It’s a feed.
People open the app to be entertained, not to be “marketed to.” So the winning ads borrow the platform’s native language: quick hooks, human faces, and clear payoffs.
Here’s the contrarian bit: TikTok performance is often more creative-driven than targeting-driven.
If your creative stinks, no amount of interest targeting will save you.
How TikTok advertising actually works
TikTok ads run through TikTok Ads Manager.
You create campaigns (goal), ad groups (audience, placements, budget), and ads (creative).
Basic flow:
- Pick an objective (what you want TikTok to optimize for)
- Define the audience and placements
- Set budget and bid strategy
- Upload creatives (multiple, please)
- Measure and iterate (fast)
Step 1: Create your TikTok Ads account
You need an Ads Manager account, a payment method, and a verified business setup.
Keep it boring and clean:
- Use a brand email and a shared password manager
- Match your business details to your legal entity
- Set up billing correctly from day one so scaling doesn’t get blocked later
Step 2: Install the TikTok Pixel (and actually test it)
If you’re running conversion ads without the pixel, you’re basically driving with your eyes closed.
Do this before you spend real money:
- Install the TikTok Pixel via your site (or through a partner integration)
- Confirm events fire correctly (ViewContent, AddToCart, InitiateCheckout, Purchase)
- Validate attribution settings so you’re not “optimizing” on broken data
The fastest way to lose faith in TikTok is to measure it wrong.
Step 3: Choose the right campaign objective
TikTok will optimize toward what you tell it.
Common objectives:
- Traffic: fine for early testing, usually weak for purchase intent
- Conversions: the default for ecommerce once pixel is stable
- App installs: obvious, but only works when creative does the selling
- Video views / Reach: useful for top-of-funnel and creative learning
Founder-y advice: if you’re selling a product, optimize for conversions sooner than you feel comfortable. TikTok learns faster when you give it a real goal.
Step 4: Understand TikTok ad formats (and when to use each)
TikTok gives you multiple ways to show up. Most brands only need a couple to start.
In-Feed Ads
These are the workhorse.
They show up in the For You feed and can look like organic posts - if you make them that way.
Best for:
- Direct response
- Creative testing
- Scaling winners
Spark Ads
Spark Ads let you boost organic posts (yours or a creator’s, with permission).
Best for:
- Social proof
- Comments as conversion assets
- Making ads feel less like ads
TopView / Brand Takeover (premium placements)
These are the “big splash” formats.
They can be great for awareness, launches, and big moments. They’re also expensive and easy to waste if your creative doesn’t land.
Best for:
- Major product drops
- Seasonal campaigns
- Brands with strong creative and strong budgets
Branded Effects / Hashtag Challenges
Fun. Risky.
These can work when the idea is genuinely entertaining and the brand already has momentum. If you’re forcing it, the internet will let you know.
Best for:
- Brands with community gravity
- Campaigns built around participation
Step 5: Targeting on TikTok (don’t overthink it)
TikTok targeting exists, but the algorithm is the star.
You can target:
- Interests and behaviors
- Demographics
- Custom audiences (site visitors, purchasers)
- Lookalikes
Practical setup that works for many ecommerce brands:
- Start broad with conversions
- Layer in retargeting once you have traffic
- Use lookalikes once you have enough purchase volume
If you’re coming from Meta, you’ll feel underdressed. That’s normal.
Step 6: Budgeting and bidding (how not to sabotage learning)
TikTok needs room to learn.
If you constantly reset budgets, swap audiences, and rewrite everything daily, you’re not “optimizing.” You’re interrupting.
Simple rules:
- Give tests enough spend to get signal
- Change one variable at a time
- Scale winners by increasing budget gradually
Step 7: Creative - the real algorithm
Most TikTok ad accounts don’t have a targeting problem.
They have a creative throughput problem.
What winning TikTok ads usually look like
- A hook in the first 1-2 seconds
- A human face (often)
- A clear “why” and “what’s in it for me”
- Fast pacing, captions, and native editing
- Proof: demo, before/after, UGC-style testimonial
The UGC reality nobody budgets for
Traditional UGC often costs ~$200/video when you hire creators.
That’s fine when you need 5 videos. It’s painful when you need 50.
This is where AI UGC earns its keep.
With EzUGC, you can generate UGC-style video ads for ~$5/video with consistent quality, fast iterations, and AI avatars that look real and speak 32+ languages.
That changes the math:
- Test more hooks
- Localize faster
- Refresh creatives weekly (instead of quarterly)
A simple TikTok creative testing system
Build a repeatable machine, not a one-off “viral” prayer.
Test in batches:
- 10 hooks (problem, curiosity, contrarian take, “I tried X”)
- 3 angles (price, convenience, results)
- 2 offers (discount vs bundle)
- 2 CTAs (shop now vs learn more)
That’s 120 combinations. You don’t need to ship all of them. But you need the capacity to explore.
EzUGC is built for that kind of volume.
Step 8: Landing pages and conversion (TikTok can’t fix your site)
TikTok can send traffic. It can’t make your product make sense.
TikTok users move fast. Your page needs to do the same.
Checklist:
- Page loads fast on mobile
- Above-the-fold explains the product in 3 seconds
- Social proof is visible
- Offer is clear and not buried
- Checkout friction is low
If your ad is a punchline, your landing page can’t be a novel.
Step 9: Measurement, attribution, and what to watch
TikTok attribution can look different than what your last-click tools show.
What to track:
- CPA / CAC by campaign and creative
- CTR and thumbstop rate (first 2 seconds matter)
- CVR on landing page
- MER (if you’re scaling)
And then do the thing most teams avoid: tag and catalog your creatives.
When you know which hook, avatar, angle, and offer drove results, you can build a system - not a spreadsheet of regrets.
Common TikTok ads mistakes (so you can skip the tuition)
- Making ads that look like polished brand commercials
- Testing too few creatives, too slowly
- Over-targeting instead of improving the first 2 seconds
- Measuring with broken pixel events
- Scaling spend before creative proves it can hold
A practical TikTok ads launch plan (7 days)
Here’s a simple plan you can run without a 20-person team.
Day 1-2: Setup
- Create Ads Manager
- Install and verify pixel
- Build basic events and custom audiences
Day 3: Creative batch #1
- Produce 15-30 ads
- Focus on hook variety, not “perfect” editing
- If you need volume fast, generate variants with EzUGC at ~$5/video instead of paying ~$200/video per creator
Day 4-5: Launch tests
- Run broad conversion campaigns
- Split by creative themes (not micro-audiences)
Day 6: Cut losers
- Kill obvious underperformers
- Keep anything with promising early signals
Day 7: Double down
- Make 10 more variations of the top 2-3 winners
- Refresh hooks and intros first
Where EzUGC fits (the unsexy bottleneck)
TikTok is a creative treadmill.
The brands that win aren’t necessarily the most clever. They’re the most consistent.
EzUGC is for teams that want to:
- Ship UGC-style ads in minutes, not days
- Keep creative consistent across dozens of variants
- Localize into 32+ languages without rebuilding from scratch
- Stop paying ~$200/video when they need volume
If you want to build a TikTok creative engine instead of begging for “one more edit,” start here.