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Advertising on TikTok: What You Need to Know

Category
Marketing Strategy, Paid Media
Date
June 18, 2020
Author
Adrian Padron
Social

With over 800 million active users in 2020, TikTok has quickly become Gen Z’s most-popular social sharing platform. In 2018, TikTok surpassed Instagram and Snapchat as the #1 free app in the Apple Store. TikTok’s attraction is based on an endless stream of entertaining, short-form videos, containing stimulating effects and music, and often features lip syncing, dancing, or funny pets. As an advertising platform, it can be a goldmine for businesses.

Mason Interactive is privileged to be one of the few agencies with access to TikTok Ads beta release. This means our clients can immediately launch their campaigns on TikTok (otherwise the self-serve ad platform is available only by request), and have the support of a trusted partner on a platform that can otherwise be challenging to advertise on.

TikTok in a nutshell

TikTok is most popular amongst young adults and teens, thanks to its creative and fun approach to social sharing. 66% of TikTok users are under the age of 30, making it an ideal platform for any business marketing to a younger audience. Even if your product is for older audiences, it may be a good idea to monitor the demographics: because TikTok is still a fairly new app, the audience will evolve over time, just as Facebook and Instagram have evolved.

With only 2,000 individual advertisers, TikTok opens up an uncluttered audience for any size business. While big brands, including Netflix, Apple and Walgreens, have already discovered TikTok’s potential, there’s an equal opportunity for smaller brands to get noticed.

Advertising on TikTok

As an advertising platform TikTok is very similar to Facebook and Google, and the same rules apply. Who do you target? What do you want to achieve? How do you measure success? What is your budget? Once you have the answers, the next step is to choose the right advertisement format.

In-feed native video ads

Gain exposure with 15-second video ads that appear when scrolling through videos on the platform, much like in Instagram.

Brand takeover

Go big and maximize your reach with full-screen ads that are displayed when the user opens TikTok. These exclusive ads are limited to one advertiser per day on each category.

Hashtag challenge

Engage your audience with a sponsored hashtag challenge that appears as a branded banner on the discovery page and drives users to create their own content using your hashtag.

Custom Influencer Content

Partner with influencers to catch the attention of TikTok users in your market. As a TikTok agency partner, Mason Interactive has access to TikTok Creator Marketplace, currently on beta, in which advertisers can search through available influencers across a range of categories.

Depending on your chosen advertisement format, you don’t need to break the bank to start advertising. TikTok has a minimum of $500 advertising budget at the campaign level and a minimum of $50 at the ad group level.

How to create thumb-stopping content?

The success of your TikTok campaign comes down to your content.

Focus on authenticity

TikTok users don’t expect to see flash camerawork or polished productions. What truly catches their attention is authentic and original content with interesting visual effects and music.

Stay on top of the trends

Familiarize yourself with what is trending on TikTok, and what type of content users are currently creating. From most popular tracks to trending hashtags and challenges, make sure your content is aligned with the trends.

Create Tik-Tok only content

TikTok is a one-of-a-kind platform, and videos that work on other platforms may be too commercial for TikTok users. In other words, create fun, interactive videos purposefully for TikTok, that encourage engagement.



To recap, TikTok is an ideal advertising platform for any business that wants to reach Gen Z. However, this platform, yet fun and authentic, requires a full understanding of its users and best practices in order to drive successful campaigns.

Want to get started with TikTok Ads? Access to TikTok Ads platform is currently available by request only and the qualification process can take upto one month. Once you have submitted your information through TikTok’s website, a representative will contact you to let you know if your business qualifies.

If you want to get started sooner, contact us today. As a TikTok agency partner we have instant access to the advertising platform and insights on the best TikTok advertising tactics.