Six Types of TikTok Ads

Branded Hashtag Ads

If you’re seeking user engagement, branded hashtags are for you. This type of advertisement is best used in the form of a challenge. Think of the ice bucket challenge or #playwithpringles. These challenges invite users to use your product in fun, creative ways.



To make the most of a branded hashtag ad, you’ll need an established following. If you only have a handful of followers, this form of advertisement will likely fall flat. However, if you have a dedicated following, branded hashtag ads will take on a life of their own. When you encourage your followers to make videos with your product, they essentially advertise for you!



In-Feed Ads

For those unfamiliar with TikTok jargon, in-feed ads (also called native ads) appear in the user’s feed. They look like regularly scheduled, user-generated content. They are a form of paid advertising in disguise.



The key to a successful in-feed ad is soft-sale advertising. Don’t cram your product down the viewer's throat. Instead, model your advertisement on viewer-created content. Make it look organic. Examples of successful in-feed ads include: demonstrations, unboxing videos, and the “TikTok made me buy it” trend.



You want to make your product irresistible—well-crafted in-feed ads trigger impulse buying. In-feed ads work by convincing viewers to click the embedded link. This then sends them to your website where they can make their purchase.



Please note, while this style of advertisement is excellent for selling your product, do not use it exclusively. It transports the viewer to your website instead of your page. It’s therefore possible to make the sale without gaining the viewer. To avoid this, use multiple types of advertisements geared for different purposes.



Spark Ads

Spark ads—while similar to their in-line counterparts—serve their own distinct purpose. The first difference is that spark ads promote your existing content, whereas in-feed ads feature new, unique content. If you’ve already produced a few videos, a spark ad campaign is low effort and high reward.



The other difference between spark and in-line ads is that spark ads direct the viewers to your TikTok page instead of your website. As a rule of thumb, in-line ads generate sales, but spark ads build your following. Use both to grow your brand.



Top View Ads

Tiktok top ads are impossible to miss—they appear the moment a viewer opens TikTok. These ads take up the entire screen and autoplay with sound. Because they are unskippable, you literally have a captive audience.



This forces the viewer to notice your product. However, there are some drawbacks. Top view ads interrupt the viewer’s experience. These ads are like traditional commercials scheduled in the breaks between TV shows. To counteract this, you must make your ads as entertaining as possible. Otherwise, it’ll be just a boring commercial that annoys the viewer (this certainly won't lead to sales).



Top view ads aren’t for everyone. Unless you’re able to craft entertaining, high quality videos, top view ads won’t generate sales. Thankfully, anyone can make high quality advertisements using CapCut Editor.



If you want to excel on TikTok, you’ll need a powerful video editor. This is the secret behind the high quality ads you see across TikTok. With a reliable editing tool (like CapCut), you can edit your video to perfection, then add music, stickers, text, and more. With these tools, you can create top quality advertisements and thrive using top view ads.



Brand Takeover Ads

Similar to top view, brand takeover ads are full screen advertisements that appear when users open TikTok. However, please note a few key differences:

They’re short. Five seconds max. You also have the option of using pictures instead of video, but video ads might perform better

They can direct users to a hashtag or landing page. This means that brand takeover ads can be paired with branded hashtags for greater reach.

Viewers only see one brand takeover ad a day. This means you’ll have less competition, but it also makes brand takeover ads pricier than other ad formats.

Brand takeover ads aren’t for everyone due to their price. To make the most of this form of ad campaign, you’ll also need a nice landing page and branded hashtag. Above all, brand takeover ads aren’t a casual form of advertisement—they must be part of a plan.



Branded Stickers and Effects

Branded stickers and effects borrow from the success of Snapchat and Instagram. You can create your own stickers and filters to promote your product or business. If you create a flashy enough sticker, your viewers will love it! Like branded hashtags, branded stickers encourage user-generated content that promotes your brand.



Finally, designing a branded sticker isn’t as expensive as you might imagine. Most gif artists will design one for less than $100 USD.