What makes a good TikTok ad?

TikTok’s creative checklist

• Format: vertical 9:16, full screen, shot at 720p or higher.
• Sound: treat music and voiceover as essential. TikTok says the right audio boosts recall and engagement.
• Hook: state the proposition in the first 3 seconds and prioritise the hook in the first 6.
• Text: keep captions in the safe zone, at 5 to 10 words per second.
• Length: TikTok’s video advertising guide names 21 to 34 seconds for In-Feed ads.

Structure and testing

TikTok suggests 3 to 5 different creatives per ad group and 3 to 5 varied ad groups per campaign. Refresh creative when results decline steadily or new users per day drop. Creator content often works well; TikTok advises giving creators freedom within your guidelines, because scripted ads feel fake.

In practice

For games, show real gameplay in the opening seconds. For subscription apps, show the outcome first, then the app producing it. Make the call to action a natural next step, such as download or play now, and compare variants on cost per install and retention.

See how we run TikTok for apps and games on our TikTok ads agency page.