TikTok Spark Ads are a powerful way to monetise your content, grow your audience & increase engagement.
So, when you’ve landed a brand sponsorship & are reading through your contract & deliverables, you might be wondering what a TikTok Spark Ad is 😅
Let’s break it down! Here’s everything you need to know about TikTok Spark Ads, how they work, & how to generate a Spark Ads code 👇
What are TikTok Spark Ads & How Do They Work?
Spark Ads are ads on TikTok that use organic posts to promote a brand, product, or service.
Spark Ads use videos & posts from real & authentic TikTok accounts. It also ensures that any views & engagements, such as likes, follows, saves & shares, are attributed to your organic post rather than a brand using your likeness & you not getting to reap the benefits 🤳
An example of a Spark Ad might be that the brand you’re working with will ask you to create a TikTok video promoting their game’s new demo as part of your sponsorship deliverables. The brand will then boost that video with money to promote it to your audience & beyond to help reach their goals 🚀
Step-By-Step Guide on How to Create a Spark Ads Code on TikTok
For the brand to set up Spark Ads, you’ll need to generate a Spark Ads code to give to them. Spark Ads codes are unique codes generated by TikTok for specific posts, which provide the brand authorisation to promote creators' TikToks. So, how do you create the code?
1️⃣ Create your video & get brand approval
2️⃣ Authorise your content to be used in ads (Profile > Settings > Creator Tools > Toggle on Ad Settings)
3️⃣ Upload the video with approved content & copy
4️⃣ Once uploaded, go to the video, tap “...” in the bottom right & select “📢 Ad Settings” from the menu. Toggle on “Ad Authorization”
5️⃣ Hit “Generate Code”
You can now grant the brand permission to promote your video for a set duration, between 7 & 365 days.
6️⃣ Once authorised, hit “Copy Code” & share with your brand representative
That’s it! Once the brand has your video’s unique Spark Ads code, the brand can set up the Spark Ads & you’ll see the views, likes & comments rolling in 😍
💡 Brands can also request to use your specific content in Spark Ads via TikTok DMs. To approve their request, follow the steps above to generate the code for that particular post, & copy & paste it into the field provided in their request.
When Spark Ads boosts your post, it will automatically receive a “Sponsored” label near the caption to comply with the legal requirement of disclosing to your audience that they’re watching an ad. ✅
The Top Benefits of TikTok Spark Ads For Content Creators
If you’re shying away from using paid spend on your content, that’s okay! We understand the importance of keeping your content authentic & community loyal by not shoving ads in their face. However, TikTok Spark Ads work a bit differently from regular ads:
🌵 As the creator, you maintain full creative control over what’s in the ad. You may have brand guidelines to follow, but make it your own as you know your audience best 🫵
🌵 Compared to regular ads, your audience can still use native TikTok features that make your video more authentic, such as Duetting, Stitching & clicking through to the music 🎧
🌵 Spark Ads help boost your content to a much larger audience compared to if it was purely organic, increasing reach & exposure to your content 🤝
🌵 As it’s your video being used in the ad, you reap the rewards of engagements, videos & new followers gained from your video 📈
🌵 Brands are more likely to collaborate with creators who understand & are willing to use their content for Spark Ads (plus, you can charge more for sponsorships if brands want to boost your content 🤑)
🌵 Most brands may opt to run Spark Ads for a few days to a few weeks, but Spark Ads can run for a maximum of 365 days! Extended visibility keeps your content staying relevant for longer ⏰
Do TikTok Spark Ads Hurt Your Organic Engagement? Here's the Truth 😱
Nope! There’s no proof from TikTok directly to say that a brand running Spark Ads on your content will decrease the views & engagement on your future videos.
If your content is engaging, expect to see a rise in views & engagements on your recent videos. This is your audience clicking through to your profile & wanting to see more content from you! 🥳
With the boost from TikTok Spark Ads, there may also be a rush of comments. Take a step back & breathe. You don’t have to respond to everyone!
🌵 Prioritise answering people’s questions
🌵 Delete comments that break yours & TikTok’s community rules
🌵 Throw in a funny & relatable reply that shows off your personality!
Performing this community management as part of your TikTok ad strategy shows you’re invested in your content & community, & can create new community members who want to drop a follow, stick around & watch more content from you!
So, now that you know how Spark Ads work, how to generate a code & the benefits of using them, you might be wondering what other content you can monetise! Check out our blog on Understanding #AD - Sponsored Content Rules 101 for even more sponsorship tips & tricks 💸
