TikTok Ad Creative Best Practices

TikTok has grown like wildfire over the last few years, particularly among Gen Z, which currently represents over 40% of the platform’s users.

When you consider that ‘90% of all TikTok users access the app on a daily basis’, the importance of making the most of your ads becomes evident.

Failure to follow ad practices when creating your TikTok adverts will likely result in your brand struggling to stand out amongst the noise, particularly due to the fact that the platform is already heavily saturated.

That said, it’s also important to note that every business is different, so it’s good to keep adapting your ad creative to not only keep up with current trends, but also to ensure your ads are targeting the right audiences. 

If you’re curious to learn about the best practices for TikTok ad creative, you’re in the right place. 

TikTok ad creative best practices include, but are not limited to:

1. Prioritising storytelling 
2. Shooting high quality video ads 
3. Including audio and captions 
4. Being flexible and open to adapting 

1. Prioritising Storytelling

One of the most important practices to follow when creating TikTok ads is to prioritise storytelling. 

TikTok in-feed ads generally last up to 60 seconds, but considering how saturated the app is, it’s best to keep them short and grab your audience’s attention within the first 10 seconds.  

Creating a story in the short time that you have not only helps to engage your audience but also helps them to relate to your ad.

This is emphasised by research carried out by Headstream, which found ‘if people really love a brand story, more than half (55%) are more likely to buy the product in the future, 44% will share the story and 15% will buy the product immediately’, highlighting the power storytelling has.

The fact remains that storytelling evokes emotion that statistics and figures can’t as easily replicate and are therefore more persuasive as a tool to use within your ad creative. 

In turn, this can support brand engagement and help to boost conversions.

2. Shooting High Quality Video Ads 

While it might sound simple, shooting high quality video ads is an essential practice to follow when creating your TikTok ads.

It’s important to strike the right balance between something that is high quality but isn’t over-produced, as you want your ads to feel like an extension of your brand.

The trick is to ensure that your ads are so in line with the type of content that you normally produce that they don’t feel like ads.  

At Aura Ads, we are well-versed in creating scroll-stopping ads on platforms such as TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram. 

With up to 70% of campaign performance rooted in ad creative, we believe in the power of a creative-led growth strategy for all of your digital channels.

If you’re interested in bettering your TikTok ad creative, get in touch with a member of our team today to see how we can help.

3. Including Audio & Captions

Another essential practice to follow when creating your TikTok ads is to include audio and captions. 

Considering that ‘TikTok is a “sound on” app’, it’s important to include audio to maintain engagement, which can include background music to dialogue.

Additionally, it’s good to include captions as they not only cater to wider audiences but also help to show people that you recognise different needs as well as individuals that consume content differently.

When it comes to both the audio and the captions, it’s best to make sure that you’re keeping them relevant to your video. 

By including audio and captions, you will ensure that your ads are not only informative but also as inclusive as possible for your audience. 

4. Being Flexible & Open To Adapting 

Lastly, a good practice to follow when creating your TikTok ads is to be flexible and open to adapting. 

As we’ve seen with TikTok trends that come and go almost overnight, your ads also need to move with the times. 

While it’s largely trial and error until you determine what works for your business, you also need to be open to adapting to ensure your audience is continuously engaging with your ads. 

As such, it’s good practice to measure your ad performance and be open to adapting your low-performing ads every few weeks or so.

Testing a range of changes, from mixing up your ad creators to trialling different types and styles of videos will help you to gauge what works for your target audience and what they’re responding well to. 

After all, you want to work with the app not against it to make the most out of your ad creative and advertising efforts.

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We hope that this article has provided you with a better understanding of the best TikTok ad practices to follow when creating your future TikTok ads.

We are Aura Ads, an ecommerce ad service designed for D2C eCommerce brands. We help clients sell more online and grow at scale with our bespoke video and static creative delivered on a monthly basis. Find out more about our services on our website or, for more tips and tricks from our experts, head over to our blog page.

Written by Jemima Thomas for Aura Ads.

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