TikTok Spark Ads: What Are They, And How Can You Use Them?

Organic content can be extremely successful on TikTok, whether it’s videos from your own profile or uploads from your audience. The authentic feel of organic videos can lead to insane levels of engagement, which is great for boosting reach and visibility. 

If only there was a format that harnessed the power of organic content for paid advertising, eh?

(You know where this is going.) 

Introducing TikTok Spark ads – a smart format that enables brands to actively promote organic content across the TikTok platform. With Spark campaigns, you can utilise the genuine engagement of organic posts alongside the mass reach of TikTok ads, resulting in a pretty powerful combination. 

But how do TikTok Spark ads actually work? And how can you make the most of these campaigns to drive exceptional results for your brand? 

Let’s take an in-depth look at TikTok Spark ads, and cover everything you need to know about this unique format. 

What are TikTok Spark ads?

TikTok Spark ads allow you to create and promote paid ads using original organic videos. 

These could be posts from your own business profile, or from other users on the TikTok platform. Spark ads are also known as a TikTok native ad format since you’re leveraging existing organic content to create new paid assets. 

Spark ads are served in the For You Page (FYP) in the same way as in-feed placements, which means that users can engage with your Spark assets like a basic TikTok post. 

(Source: tiktok.com) 

This is very important to understand, because this organic engagement is what separates Spark ads from other TikTok ad formats. Any engagement with your TikTok Spark ad will be attributed back to the original organic post, rather than the paid ad placement itself. 

(So if you’ve recently uploaded a particularly popular organic video, you can utilise Spark ads to keep up the momentum, expand audience reach, and boost engagement.) 

Plus, rather than a swipe or tap leading TikTok users to an external landing page, Spark ads will redirect your audience to your own profile. This is a great way to drive profile visits and expose your audience to other organic videos on your page. However, if you do want users to visit a separate landing page, they can still click a CTA button or caption to do so. 

How do TikTok Spark ads work? 

There are two different ways to leverage organic TikTok posts using Spark ads:

1. Promoting videos from your own TikTok account 

2. Promoting videos from TikTok creators (with permission)

While Spark ads will include a small ‘Sponsored Content’ label to identify them as 

adverts, they’ll still feel native and authentic due to the nature of organic videos. 

You’ll also be able to include the usual elements of a TikTok post in your Spark ads, including a CTA button, account name, caption, and audio track. More importantly, users will be able to like, comment on, and share your Spark placements like any other TikTok video. 

Spark ads feel inherently more like normal videos than sponsored posts, which is why they can drive sky-high engagements and video views. This ad format is designed to mirror authentic TikToks on the FYP, so your target audience is likely to feel more comfortable interacting with them. 

(Source: tiktok.com) 

What’s the difference between TikTok Spark ads and regular in feed ads? 

While both TikTok Spark ads and standard in-feed ads appear within the For You Page, there are some key differences to note between these formats. 

For one thing, regular in-feed video ads are linked to an external landing page rather than a TikTok profile page. 

Non Spark ads generally include a clear call to action that directs users to a website or product page beyond TikTok. As a result, these in-feed ads can be highly effective at boosting web traffic and increasing conversions for advertisers. 

(Source: tiktok.com)

TikTok Spark ads, on the other hand, are linked to a TikTok profile rather than a website landing page. While this may not be as useful for generating direct product sales, it can help marketers to attract new followers, drive engagement, and promote different organic videos.

How to create TikTok Spark ads 

Keen to launch your own TikTok Spark ads? 

Let’s run through how you can successfully create a Spark campaign within the TikTok For Business platform. 

Step 1 – Identify the video you’d like to promote 

The first thing you’ll need to do is establish the piece of organic content you’d like to promote with a Spark campaign. 

There are three different ways to do this: 

1. Reach out to a TikTok user. If you’d like to amplify an organic video from a TikTok user, they’ll need to generate a video code that will allow you to access/promote the content. 

2. Find a TikTok content creator. If you partner directly with a creator through the TikTok Creator Marketplace, you’ll be able to launch organic posts without the need for a code. 

3. Select one of your own videos. This is the easiest of the three options – if you have a video you’d like to promote from your own profile, you can do so quickly and easily. 

If a user wants to switch on ad authorisation for your Spark ads, they’ll just need to click ‘Me’ to visit their profile page and tap the three dots in the top right corner. From here, they’ll need to open the ‘Settings & Privacy’ menu, select ‘Creator Tools’ and turn on the ‘Ad Settings’ toggle.

Step 2 – Transform your organic content into Spark ads 

To get the ball rolling, import your chosen TikTok videos into the TikTok Ads Manager. 

From here, create a new TikTok ads campaign and set up your ad group. On the ad level of the campaign, choose ‘Spark Ads’ as your preferred format. 

Once you’ve selected the Spark ads format, click ‘Select posts from library’ under the ‘Upload creatives’ menu. Click the approved post that you’d like to run in your Spark campaign, and add a CTA button to your asset if you’d like to do so. 

Hit ‘Submit’ to finish creating your Spark ads. Congratulations – you’ve successfully transformed that organic content into a high-performing TikTok paid ads campaign! 

What are the benefits of using TikTok Spark ads? 

TikTok Spark ads can be a powerful tool for social media advertisers. 

This format offers a wide range of unique benefits to digital marketers, allowing them to grow brand awareness, boost follower numbers, and skyrocket engagement. Let’s take a look at some of the primary benefits that TikTok Spark campaigns offer. 

They make paid advertising feel more authentic 

Organic content can be hugely effective at driving audience engagement because it feels more natural and trustworthy. Whether you’re looking to build brand awareness or showcase product benefits, Spark ads enable you to deliver compelling messages in an authentic way. 

They can help you to grow your brand presence 

Spark ads will drive your target audience directly to your TikTok profile, which is ideal if you’re looking to build an engaged digital community. Once TikTok users land on your page, they can easily follow your account, explore your videos, or visit your website. 

They open up valuable creator/influencer partnerships 

Leveraging TikTok content creators or influencers is a surefire way to generate high-quality content for your Spark ads. By partnering with experienced creators, you can instantly access new audiences and unlock highly engaging creative assets to fuel your campaigns. 

What are the ad specs for TikTok Spark ads?

Whenever you’re building new creative assets for social media marketing, it’s vital that you pay close attention to the detailed ad specifications. 

Last-minute production edits can be massively inconvenient, stressful, and most importantly, expensive – avoid these headaches by sticking to the ad specs! 

Below are the ad specs you’ll need to follow for a TikTok Spark ad:

Ad Creative

• Organic videos sourced from any TikTok account

Ad Specs/Caption

• There are no restrictions on Video Ratio/Video Resolution/File Type/Video Duration/Bitrate/File Size for Spark ads 
• Ad captions can be left blank if desired – but if you’re looking to share a specific CTA or external link, this is a good place to include it 
• TikTok account tags, emojis, and hashtags are permitted in Spark ad captions 
• The ad Display Name and Text will reflect the organic post being promoted, and cannot be edited during the ad creation process

For more information on TikTok ad specs, just visit this page and click the relevant ad format. 

(Source: tiktok.com) 

How much do TikTok Spark ads cost? 

Now that we’ve covered the fundamentals of TikTok Spark ads, let’s examine how much a Spark campaign might cost you. 

A TikTok ad campaign will usually charge a CPM of around £8 based on average costs from across multiple industries. You’ll also need to spend a minimum of approximately £400 on a campaign, but the majority of advertisers will be looking to spend significantly more. 

However, it’s very important to remember that TikTok advertising costs will fluctuate wildly between different advertisers. 

A wide range of factors will impact your TikTok campaign costs, including:

• Industry
• Competitor activity
• Ad types
• Bidding strategy
• Seasonality 
• Ad quality 

By keeping these factors in mind, and remaining diligent with cost tracking and optimisations, you’ll be in a much better position to control your TikTok budget. 

TikTok Spark ads & TikTok influencers 

While increasing the reach of your own videos can be a smart way to utilise Spark ads, the real power of this format comes through TikTok influencer partnerships. 

Influencers can be an incredibly powerful asset for your business, enabling you to supercharge your Spark campaigns with high-quality native content. 

Data suggests that utilising influencers in TikTok marketing can deliver a +93% higher engagement rate. On top of this, 62% of TikTok users claim that creator content is the best way for brands to connect with their audience. 

Partnering with influencers enables you to communicate with ready-made audiences, leverage the credibility of different creators, and tap into unique creative styles. Influencers can produce compelling and persuasive creative assets that can deliver exceptional levels of engagement when promoted through Spark ads, helping you to crush your social targets.

The key is to find TikTok influencers with the right audience access, scale, and price point to suit your marketing objectives. 

Examples of highly successful TikTok Spark ads 

Hunting for inspiration for your next TikTok Spark ads campaign? 

Look no further – below are two examples of advertisers that took full advantage of the Spark format to drive outstanding returns. 

SEEQ

Protein powder startup SEEQ leveraged Spark ads to drive brand awareness, increase website traffic, and generate conversions. 

(Source: tiktok.com)

The brand utilised Spark ads to target high-value audiences with their own organic content, including product demos and behind-the-scenes videos. These videos helped to drive quality traffic to SEEQ’s account, where users could then explore more product-focused content and visit the SEEQ website.

The campaign was a huge success, enabling SEEQ to secure a 3.6x ROAS and achieve a 46.4% reduction in CPC. 

Goodcall

B2B software brand Goodcall launched Spark ads to drive high volumes of quality sign-ups for their service.

Goodcall set up a conversion-focused campaign that was fuelled by UGC from the TikTok Creator Marketplace. The brand partnered with multiple creators that delivered snappy, punchy creative assets highlighting the benefits of the Goodcall service – these videos were then transformed into Spark ads, and targeted to prospects at scale. 

(Source: tiktok.com) 

Spark ads proved to be extremely effective for Goodcall, delivering a 96% decrease in CAC alongside more than 6,000 new sign-ups. 

Expert tips for running successful TikTok Spark ads 

We want to make sure that you’re delivering mind-blowing ad performance with your TikTok marketing budget – so here are three expert tips for running wildly effective Spark ads. 

Capitalise on popular organic content 

If one of your organic videos is resonating strongly with your audience and driving sky-high levels of engagement, use Spark ads to capitalise on the opportunity! Expand the reach of your content, and leverage popular assets to attract new customers. 

Be strategic with TikTok creators/influencers 

TikTok creators/influencers can be hugely beneficial for your business – but make sure you’re cherry-picking the right talent. If you’re going to partner with creators for a Spark campaign, ensure that they’re connecting with relevant users and able to produce authentic content. 

Make sure your TikTok profile is worth visiting 

Spark ads will be driving traffic directly to your TikTok account, so it’s crucial that your profile makes a strong first impression. Keep your profile active and engaging with regular uploads, comments, and replies to give yourself the best chance of securing new followers. 

TikTok Spark ads are a fantastic way to harness the power of organic content for your paid advertising campaigns.

With a smart combination of organic videos, creator partnerships, and data-driven targeting, you can utilise Spark ads to skyrocket your followers and convert hot prospects at scale.

As a specialist TikTok ads agency we can help you with your campaigns just get in touch for a free consultation.

Related

• The Quickfire Guide To Using TikTok Ads Manager