Short answer: TikTok ads run from TikTok Ads Manager, where each campaign holds ad groups and each ad group holds ads. Pick one objective, set a budget, choose who sees the ads and add your video. TikTok reviews each ad before it runs, most within 24 hours.
How TikTok ads are organized
TikTok Ads Manager has three levels: campaigns, ad groups and ads. The campaign sets the objective and the budget, the ad group decides where the ads show and to whom, and the ad is the video people see.
| Level | What you set there | What it holds |
|---|---|---|
| Campaign | The objective and the budget: daily, lifetime or no limit | One or more ad groups |
| Ad group | Placements, audience, budget and schedule, optimization goal and bid | One or more ads |
| Ad | Format, video or images, display name, text, call-to-action button and tracking | What people see |
From TikTok’s page on the structure of ads in Ads Manager.
Before you start, TikTok suggests deciding what you want people to do when they see your ads. Its objectives fall into three groups: awareness, consideration and conversion.
How to create your first TikTok ad
- Create a TikTok for Business account and log in.
- Enter your website address so TikTok fills in your business details.
- Choose one objective; TikTok puts its recommended one at the top of the list.
- Add your video, from your TikTok posts or from your library.
- Choose the budget and the audience, or set up your own.
- Review and confirm your billing details.
- Check every setting and publish. TikTok reviews the ad before it runs.
These steps follow TikTok’s guide for new advertisers, which applies default settings for each objective. A website conversion campaign needs the TikTok pixel set up on your site.
Send the ad to a page built for the people who click it, as our landing page guide explains. Add UTM parameters to the link so your analytics show which visits came from TikTok.
Spark Ads: your own posts as ads
A Spark Ad uses an organic TikTok post as the ad. It can be one of your own posts, or a post by another creator if they authorize it.
TikTok credits all the engagement on a Spark Ad to the original post, so the views, comments and follows stay on that account. Videos up to ten minutes long can be used, and a post TikTok has banned is rejected as an ad too.
Spark Ads need a TikTok account to post from, and our TikTok business account guide covers setting one up.
TikTok’s review before an ad runs
TikTok checks whether the product or service can be advertised, the ad’s text, images and audio, and the market and age group it targets. It also checks that the landing page matches the ad and works.
Some reviews take longer, but TikTok says most are done within 24 hours. You get a notification once the ad is approved and published.
If TikTok rejects an ad, read the details in Ads Manager, edit the ad and save it to send it back for review. If you can’t edit it or think the rejection was a mistake, request a review of the decision through Advertiser Support.
Before you publish a TikTok ad
- The objective matches what you want people to do after they see the ad.
- Your budget is one you’re ready to spend in full.
- The landing page matches the ad and works on a phone.
- The link carries UTM parameters, and the pixel is set up if you chose website conversions.
- Any creator post you use as a Spark Ad comes with their authorization.
- You know where to read the review result in Ads Manager.
RememberA TikTok campaign holds ad groups, and each ad group holds ads. Choose one objective, send people to a page that matches the ad, and give TikTok time to review it before it runs.
We don’t run TikTok ads. Our Meta Ads service plans, makes and runs ads on Facebook and Instagram, in English and Spanish. Our social media service adds TikTok posts on its Growth and Pro plans.
Common questions about TikTok ads
How long does TikTok take to review an ad?
TikTok says most ads are reviewed within 24 hours, though some take longer. You get a notification once the ad is approved and published, and a rejected ad can be edited and submitted again.
What are Spark Ads?
Ads made from organic TikTok posts: your own, or a creator’s with their authorization. All the engagement on a Spark Ad is credited to the original post, so the views, comments and follows stay on that account.
Do I need the TikTok pixel?
For website conversion campaigns, yes. TikTok’s guide for new advertisers says that objective needs a pixel set up. Tags on the ad’s link, such as UTM parameters, also show which visits came from the ad.
What does TikTok check before an ad runs?
The product or service being promoted, the ad’s text, images and audio, the market and age group it targets, and whether the landing page matches the ad and works.
Can I advertise a video I already posted?
Yes, as a Spark Ad. You can use posts from your own account, or posts by other creators with their authorization. Videos up to ten minutes long can be used.
Sources
Sources read on November 6, 2026: TikTok Ads Structure, How to Set Up a Campaign, How to create an ad in TikTok Ads Manager for new advertisers and About Spark Ads (TikTok Ads Manager help). Advertising & Ad Review (TikTok advertising policies).