TikTok’s journey has been an exciting one. From bursting onto the scene in 2016, it has faced both unprecedented success and governmental resistance (and that was all in 2020). Now with a new US administration and a host of new features, TikTok is back to booming, and opportunities for user acquisition remain strong… if you understand this platform. Liniad is here to expand on TikTok as a potential moneymaker with our 3 hacks for successful UA.

TikTok exposes a whole new way for advertisers to drive app downloads, presenting UA teams with a host of new opportunities . The setup is actually pretty straight forward. To get started with paid ads on TikTok, users simply need to set up a TikTok ads account and set up a campaign using an ads dashboard. Then it’s time to decide what strategically could work best for your campaign from the different ad offerings: in-feed video, brand takeover, hashtag challenges, branded lens, top views and custom influencer. 

A recurring theme here at Liniad we know, but the importance of creative within TikTok is just as important as any other platform. TikTok ads are unlike any that are currently offered on any other platform-  they have what most see as a significant advantage: ads that appear natively alongside organic content consumed via the ‘For You’ page. The fit is so native that they feature all elements of a regular post alongside all associated features- notably the ability to like, comment, share. The only element that makes a TikTok ad stand out as an actual ad is the call to action button. This native approach can lead to some impressive watch-through rates as audiences do not immediately recognize that this content is paid, which in turn offers a unique opportunity to attract downloads in ways other platforms cannot.  It goes without saying that your chosen creative for this platform is critical. 

Creating an ad that is native to the TikTok experience is key – it is important to incorporate key features seen regularly – from trending songs to popular effects. Creating the right video for a TikTok ad that is in line with its cultural audience can see incredible results, as can finding the right influencer to kick off your campaign.

It is true to say that TikTok is quite different from other social platforms, yet, after ad creation, all other common UA practises should follow suit – specifically when it comes to testing. Having run a significant amount of TikTok campaigns for clients, we have found that paid campaigns across TikTok massively benefit from different creatives – ideally a set of 4. By running 4 separate ads across TikTok for the same campaign, you are effectively split-testing your assets – and you should see that once data accrues after a good few days, some creatives will perform stronger than others. Different creatives will also resonate with different audience demographics, allowing you to categorize creatives in line with what works and what does not per your chosen segments.  It is also important to note that TikTok delivers precise targeting which really channels your ad to try and hit your specific demographic. As you can target by location, age, gender, interest, language and device type,  building different ad groups in line with split testing creatives can give your ad campaign a stronger chance at success. Also testing different groups with different creatives can push down the CPA which offers a slice of freedom to access best results possible. 

TikTok delivers a strong ‘reporting’ game. Once the campaign is over, the platform gives granular results on how it performed and resonated with your chosen demographics via conversions and CVR. As with any platform delivering these kinds of results, it is critical to leverage any and all findings for future strategies – especially when it comes to creatives as TikTok is a platform that relies heavily on a specific creative path. Interactions are also important on TikTok, so when assessing results, it is also important to review likes and comments as they can really enforce what is working, and what is not.