In recent years, TikTok has become one of the most popular social media platforms in the world. Dances, DIY projects, next-generation technology, you name it. According to a Google Executive, Gen Z uses TikTok as a search engine, and nearly 40% of the demographic prefers searching on TikTok and Instagram versus Google. Millennials and Gen Z have swarmed to the platform, so much so that ⅓ of the US population now has a TikTok account.
Through short-form video, content creators use the platform to shout about anything from their newest product line, to a day in their life. If you’re looking to sell your products online, TikTok offers a massive audience, just waiting to discover the next best thing.
Though, with such a huge following, advertising on TikTok can be incredibly competitive. Your videos need to be engaging, creative, and unique – the perfect storm for captivating your audience from the offset, and keep them from scrolling on. But don’t worry, TikTok is all about growth! It’s the perfect market for smaller brands to break through and get their voice heard.
The question now isn’t really if you should be advertising on TikTok, but how you can leverage this platform to showcase your business. We’ll walk you through everything you need to know to make your products truly shine. So, let’s jump into it!
At a glance: TikTok ad specs
- Aspect ratios: 9:16, 1:1, or 16:9
- Video resolution: 540 x 960 pixels, 640 x6 40 pixels, or 960 x 540 pixels
- Image resolution: 720 x 1280 pixels
- Video file type: .mp4, .mov, .mpeg, .3gp, or .avi
- Image file type: .png, .jpeg, or .jpg
- Video file size: less than 500 MB
How TikTok ads work
The TikTok Ads Manager offers a range of advertising options, including the Global App Bundle and Pangle Image Ads.
The Global App Bundle is an integrated traffic solution that places ads on ByteDance’s emerging apps, such as CapCut and Fizzo. It gives advertisers access to additional audiences beyond TikTok while ensuring ads are only shown on high-quality apps and in premium ad slots.
Pangle Image Ads, on the other hand, is a mobile advertising platform that enables advertisers to effectively reach broad audiences by running ads in placements on third-party apps. Global App Bundle, which includes CapCut and Fizzo, integrates Pangle Ad Network and is actually powered by Pangle algorithms.
So, while there may be guidelines and specs for your TikTok ads, it’s important to keep in mind they may render slightly differently depending on the platform.
While In-Feed Ads are the simplest way to advertise on TikTok, you can advertise your business in many different formats! To get started with advertising on TikTok, you need to begin by signing up for a TikTok Ads Manager account. Here you can access your account dashboard, create campaigns that fit each creative ad format, and be able to target specific audiences.
When developing your ads, TikTok recommends placing key creative elements in the middle of the screen to prevent them from being covered by the description or logo and to avoid being slightly cropped on the sides in order to fit different display sizes. Use localized creative. Languages other than the local official language where the ad will be shown shouldn’t be shown too often.
Image specs for TikTok ads
TikTok In-Feed Ads
- Ad composition: Video creative + ad display image + brand or app name (logo) + ad description + CTA button
- Aspect ratio: 9:16, 1:1, or 16:9
- Video resolution: minimum of 540 x 960 pixels; 640 x 640 pixels; or 960 x 540 pixels
- File type: .mp4, .mov, .mpeg, .3gp, or .avi
- Length: 5–60 seconds; TikTok recommends 9–15 seconds
- Bitrate: ≥516 kbps
- File size: less than 500 MB
- Profile image: 1:1 ratio; JPG or PNG less than 50 KB
- App name: 4–40 Latin alphabet letters and 2–20 Asian characters; no emojis
- Brand name: 2–20 Latin alphabet letters and 1–10 Asian characters; no emojis
- Ad description: 1–100 Latin alphabet letters and 1–50 Asian characters; no emojis
The most common type of TikTok ad is the In-Feed Ad. These show up on your audience’s homepage, on the for you page, or feed, of your audience. You can create video or image In-Feed Ads for TikTok. You can even include a call-to-action (CTA) button, for users to click on and navigate to your website.
In-feed ads come in different shapes and sizes, but for video and image ads, you’ll need to follow the TikTok specs as below:
1. Video/image
To hit the sweet spot for your TikTok video ad, make sure you’re keeping the video length between 5 seconds and 60 seconds—though the best performing videos are around 9 seconds to 15 seconds. The recommended TikTok video dimensions are 1080 x 1920 pixels.
Remember, there’s a high volume of content on TikTok that you want to prioritize as quickly as possible to catch your audience’s attention. We recommend showcasing your product as much as possible, and highlighting its best features all in one go. Think of it like a modern-day elevator pitch. Make sure your TikTok video size is less than 500 MB.
2. Display image
Display images act as a thumbnail for your video or image ads. Keep in mind the display image must be less than 50kb, with an aspect ratio of 1:1.
TikTok also accepts multiple file types. You can upload your image as a .png, .jpeg, or .jpg. Also make sure you’re keeping the file size within 100 MB.
3. Brand name
Social media is a powerful awareness tool. It puts hundreds of thousands of users at the fingertips of new businesses. TikTok is the best place to grow your business and start building that awareness for your brand.
All that said, make sure your brand or app name is appropriately displayed on your ad! You’ll have 2–20 characters to use—no emojis allowed. 😢
4. Ad description
While the visual part of the ad might be the most important, you also need to take care when creating your ad description. Keep your ad description within 100 characters. And while they can be fun to use, it’s important to note that TikTok doesn’t support emojis in ad descriptions.
Global App Bundle
- Ad composition: Image creative, brand or app name(logo), skip ad button and [Landing page URL]+CTA button（if [half-screen]）
- File type: JPG or PNG
- Resolution: 720 x 1280
- File size: less than 100 MB
- App name: 4–40 Latin alphabet letters and 2–20 Asian characters; no emojis
- Brand name: 2–20 Latin alphabet letters and 1–10 Asian characters; no emojis
- Ad description: 1–100 half-width characters and 1–50 full-width characters; no emojis
Spark Ads
If you’re looking for a little boost, but don’t have new assets to promote, Spark Ads are the best way to go! They’re a quick and easy way to re-promote previous content, and all the engagement metrics transfer to the original post.
The specs for TikTok Spark Ads are:
- Any aspect ratio, resolution, file type, bitrate, and file size.
- Maximum length of 10 minutes.
- Ad captions can be left blank.
- Account tagging, Emoji, and hashtags are allowed
- The ad Display Name and Text will be the same as the organic post and can’t be edited during the ad creation process.
- An organic video needs to be un-authorized as a Spark Ad before it can be deleted from the organic account.
If the organic post has been banned, it will be rejected in Ads Manager as well. You’ll need to reach out to the post owner who will have to contact the TikTok Support team about the original rejected post.
Pangle Ads
You can toggle this option to be “on,” if you want your ads to be displayed to TikTok’s network of advertising partners.
- Ad composition: Image creative + brand or app name (logo) + ad description + CTA button
- File type: JPG or PNG
- Resolution: 1200 x 628 pixels; 640 x 640 pixels; or 720 x 1280 pixels
- File size: less than 100 MB
TikTok video ad specs
Before you even film content for your TikTok video ads, it’s important to check what video format will work best. While TikTok takes many forms of media, the best video format for TikTok is either .mp4 or .mov.
- TikTok’s maximum file upload size is 1080p.
- If you try to upload a 4k file, it will automatically be converted to 1080p.
As a best practice, be sure to upload files in the recommended sizes, to avoid any distortion or blurry visuals. Avoid TikTok editing the quality of your videos to fit their specs, and be pre-emptive when creating content, to ensure that your media fits their guidelines beforehand.
Global App Bundle
- Ad composition: Video creative,brand or app name(logo), skip ad button and [Landing page URL] +CTA button(if [half-screen])
- Aspect ratio: 9:16
- Video resolution: 720 x 1280 pixels
- File type: .mp4, .mov, .mpeg, or .avi
- Length: 30 seconds
- Bitrate: ≥516 kbps
- File size: less than 500 MB
- Profile image: 1:1 ratio; JPG or PNG less than 50 KB
- App name: 4–40 Latin alphabet letters and 2–20 Asian characters; no emojis
- Brand name: 2–20 Latin alphabet letters and 1–10 Asian characters; no emojis
- Ad description: 1–100 Latin alphabet letters and 1–50 Asian characters; no emojis
Pangle Video Ads
- Ad composition: Video creative (or thumbnail image) + brand or app name (logo) + ad description + CTA button
- Aspect ratio: 9:16, 1:1, or 16:9
- Video resolution: any; 720 x 1280 pixels, 640 x 640 pixels, or 1280 x 720 pixels recommended
- File type: .mp4, .mov, .mpeg, or .avi
- Length: 5–60 seconds
- Bitrate: ≥516 kbps
- File size: less than 500 MB
- Profile image: 1:1 ratio; JPG or PNG less than 50 KB
- App name: 4–40 Latin alphabet letters and 2–20 Asian characters; no emojis
- Brand name: 2–20 Latin alphabet letters and 1–10 Asian characters; no emojis
- Ad description: 1–100 Latin alphabet letters and 1–50 Asian characters; no emojis
Topview Ads
TikTok’s Topview Ads auto-play at the top of the user’s feed, and include similar features to other In-Feed Ads. It’s worth noting that this can be disruptive to the organic experience and feel of your audience.
If you’re using Spark Ads functionality for Topview Ads, you don’t need to worry about caption limits or video duration. The video format is typically .mp4 or .mov.
If you’re not using Spark Ads or you’re using Spark Ads Push, the specs are as follows:
- Dimensions: at least 540 x 960 pixels
- Aspect ratio: 9:16
- File format: .mp4, .mov, .mpeg, or .3gp
- Video duration: 5–60 seconds, though TikTok recommends 9–15 seconds
- File size: less than 500 MB
- Bitrate: at least 2,500kbps
TikTok Commerce specs
TikTok Commerce is a tool that allows brands to promote and sell products directly to TikTok users within the app and includes TikTok Shop and TikTok Showcase. This leads to less friction and fewer steps in the purchase journey, theoretically boosting sales.
TikTok Shop allows you to sell products directly on TikTok through in-feed videos, LIVES, and the Showcase tab, including functionality for product discovery, product details, checkout, and post-payment activities within the app. TikTok Shop consists of four key areas:
- LIVE Shopping
- Shoppable Video
- Shop Page
- Shop Tab
TikTok Showcase is a feature that allows users to shop directly from your account. It displays a shopping bag icon on the profile page of the TikTok account, and users can shop in a few taps.
Much of the content for TikTok Commerce is pulled from your organic and ad creative or follows the same requirements. However, there are a couple specific TikTok Commerce guidelines to bear in mind:
- Each TikTok Shop can have only 1 official TikTok Account and 4 marketing accounts
- 1–20 products
TikTok Shop is available in Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam as of the time of this writing.
Go viral with the power of soona
Incorporating TikTok into your ecommerce marketing strategy can help grow your business. Not only can you showcase your products in a fun and engaging way, but you can also build brand loyalty with a new generation of consumers and TikTok users.
To make your products stand out from the crowd, create high-quality video content with soona’s TikTok deluxe video pack or the TikTok unboxing video pack.
Ready to elevate your brand on TikTok? Book your virtual shoot with soona today, and start creating content that gets noticed.
TikTok ad specs FAQ
What are the requirements for TikTok ad?
- Aspect ratio: 9:16, 1:1, or 16:9
- Resolution: minimum of 540 x 960 pixels; 640 x 640 pixels; or 960 x 540 pixels
- File type: .mp4, .mov, .mpeg, .3gp, .avi, .jpg, .jpeg, or .png
- Length: 5–60 seconds; TikTok recommends 9–15 seconds
- Bitrate: ≥516 kbps
- File size: less than 500 MB
- Profile image: 1:1 ratio; JPG or PNG less than 50 KB
- App name: 4–40 Latin alphabet letters and 2–20 Asian characters; no emojis
- Brand name: 2–20 Latin alphabet letters and 1–10 Asian characters; no emojis
- Ad description: 1–100 Latin alphabet letters and 1–50 Asian characters; no emojis
What are the TikTok ad formats?
- Image
- Video
- In-feed
- Topview
- Global App Bundle
- Pangle Placements
What are the dimensions of TikTok?
TikTok’s aspect ratio is 9:16, 1:1, or 16:9. The video resolution must be a minimum of 540 x 960 pixels, 640 x 640 pixels, or 960 x 540 pixels.
What is the upload spec for TikTok?
- Image and video ad formats
- .mp4, .mov, .mpeg, or .3gp
- .jpg, .jpeg, or .png
- Less than 500 MB