Are you looking for the most up-to-date TikTok Ad Formats and Specs for 2024? To ensure your TikTok ad campaigns perform at their best, it’s essential to understand the latest ad formats and technical requirements. This guide will walk you through the most common ad formats and provide the key specs you need to optimize your ads for success.
Table of Contents
Most Common TikTok Ad Formats and Specs
Choosing the right TikTok ad format is key to a successful campaign. Below are the most common formats and their essential specs to ensure your ads look great and perform well.
Top-view Ads
TikTok TopView is a video-first format that showcases your brand on TikTok’s best and most visible placement, capturing user attention with sight, sound, and narrative.
- Maximum TikTok video length: 60 seconds
- Aspect Ratio of Topview video: 16:9, 9:16 or 1:1
- Recommended Resolution: must be ≥960*540px, ≥540*960px or ≥640*640px
- File Size: ≤500 MB
- File Types: .mov, .mp4, .3gp, .mpeg, or .avi
- Bitrate: ≥516 kbps
In-feed Ads
TikTok’s native ad type is In-feed advertisements, which allow you to embed your video commercials to auto-play on For You Page. With this type of ad, users can like, comment, share, follow, and shoot videos with the same sound on TikTok.
Specs for the ad video:
- Video duration: between 5 and 16 seconds (15 seconds long is recommended for optimal viewing).
- The recommended TikTok ad dimensions: 16:9, 9:16 or 1:1.
- Resolution options: 1280 x 720 px, 720 x 1280 px, and 640 x 640 px.
- Type of file supported: .mov, .mp4, .3gp, .mpeg, or .avi files in your ads.
- The TikTok ads video size: less than 500 MB.
Specs for the TikTok image ads:
- Recommended ratio: 1:1.
- Recommend file type: .png, .jpg, or .jpeg.
- File size: less than 50 KB.
Specs for brand/app names:
- For displaying the brand name on TikTok ads, 2-20 English character length is allowed.
- Spaces and punctuation marks are also considered characters.
- Emojis should not be included.
- The name character restrictions vary with language, operating system, and device model.
- App names are suggested to have 4-40 English characters.
Specs for ad description:
- If longer descriptions are allowed, they can be cut off at the end.
- The character limit is 12-100 for ad descriptions in English.
- Spaces and punctuation marks are also considered characters.
- Emojis, curly brackets, and hash symbols are allowed.
Spark Ads
Spark Ads allow brands to boost organic content, making them highly effective for engaging with users while maintaining a natural look within the TikTok feed.
Specs for Spark Ads:
- Aspect ratio: 9:16 (vertical video) or 1:1 (square video)
- Resolution: Minimum 720×1280 (recommended 1080×1920)
- Video length: 5-60 seconds (TikTok recommends 9-15 seconds for best engagement)
- File format: .mp4, .mov, .mpeg, .3gp, .avi
- Max file size: 500MB
- Caption: Optional, up to 150 characters (including hashtags)
>>> Read more: TikTok Spark Ads – Get authentic with user-generated content
Top Feed
Top Feed ads are a combination of in-feed and Top view ads. It is the first in-feed ad that appears on your For You Page. These ads are designed to look and feel like regular TikTok videos but are labeled as “Sponsored” or “Ad” to distinguish them from organic content.
TikTok advertising specs for Top Feed:
- Video length: Up to 60 seconds
- Aspect ratio: 1:1 (square), 9:16 (vertical), or 16:9 (landscape)
- File type: .mp4 or .mov
- Maximum file size: 500 MB
- Sound: Must be enabled by default, but users can turn it off
- Captions: Can be added in the ad creation process
- Video size: 1080 x 1080 pixels (square), 1080 x 1920 pixels (vertical), or 1920 x 1080 pixels (landscape)
Branded hashtag challenge
This format is divided into three locations within the app. The first type of video ad is a conventional video ad that appears in the In-Feed placement and encourages people to join in the challenge. The second method is to use prominent banners on the Discover Page to bring people to the Hashtag Challenge (the third placement).
For example, hashtags on TikTok open an opportunity for every business to go viral with hashtag challenges like #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt.
TikTok advertising specs for Branded Hashtag Challenge:
- Challenge banner size: 16:9 (landscape) or 9:16 (vertical)
- Video length: Up to 60 seconds
- Aspect ratio: 9:16 (vertical)
- File type: .mp4 or .mov
- Maximum file size: 500 MB
- Sound: Must be enabled by default, but users can turn it off
- Captions: Can be added in the ad creation process
Branded Effect
Branded Effects on TikTok are a type of advertising format that allows businesses to create their own custom filters, stickers, and augmented reality (AR) effects that users can apply to their videos.
Brand Exposure Limit
- Logo: Only includes one logo, and the display area must be within 150x130px.
- Product: The display area must be within 150x130px.
- Promotion: Includes campaign theme and slogan; the display area must be within 300x130px.
- Spokesperson and IP figure: The display area must be within 480x270px.
Branded Effect Name
Effect Name character limit: up to 30 English characters, without emojis, #, and special symbols (18 English characters are recommended to optimize display).
Branded Effect Icon
- You can use an icon designed by TikTok or provide your own icon.
- The image of your icon has to be consistent with your Branded Effect.
- The full design canvas: 162x162px is recommended (equal to export size), the icon must have rounded corners and a transparent bleed area.
- Safe area: 144x144px, with 20px round-corners
- File format: only PNG
- File size: < 60KB
Branded Effect Hint Text
- You must give the text that demonstrates trigger movements. The Hint Text shows up when people click on the panel’s effect and will explain how to use it.
- Hint Text character limit: ≤48 English characters without emojis, #, and special symbols (24 English characters are recommended to optimize display)
- The text must precisely match the details of the trigger function and cannot be misleading.
Branded Effect Official Music
- Cover image: 800×800. The key brand elements should be placed in the center of the circle area (260px diameter).
- Image file size: ≤10MB.
- Music format: .mp3, .wav.
- Track length: 15s.-1min (15s is recommended).
- Character limit: ≤60 English characters for the song name and no character limit for the artist’s name (≤12 English characters length is recommended for both, without emoji and special symbols).
- Have to provide music copyright documentation.
- Sign the authorization letter authorizing TikTok to upload the music and allow TikTok users to use this music.
Branded Effect Page
- Sponsor Display/Disclaimer: You can select to provide or not to provide your User ID for a sponsored display to set up the Branded effect
- Description:
- No character limit
- Can include emojis
- Can’t contain &, <, >, “”, or URLs.
- Landing Page External Link:
- Include just one external link.
- Can customize the text of the external link: ≤ 30 English characters (without emojis and special symbols).
- Can customize the text of the landing page title: ≤ 20 English characters (without support emojis and special symbols)
- Official Videos: You are able to select 1 to 6 videos under the Branded Effect page and set them as Official Videos. These are placed at the top of other UGC videos.
Branded Effect Panel (Sponsor mark)
You must provide the text and image as Sponsor Mark in case you are located in US / UK / FR / IT / ES / BE / SA / DE / AE / TR / AU / TW / HK / TH / MY / VN / ID / SG / CA. It will include the text: “Sponsor: XXX;” up to 30 English characters (without emojis and special symbols). For the rest of the countries, Sponsor Mark is optional.
Image specs:
- Format: png.
- Length: between 40px to 96px
- Height (fixed): 40px
- Image size: < 200Kb
Collection Ads
TikTok Collection Ads is a type of ad format offered by the TikTok social media platform that allows advertisers to showcase multiple products in a single ad. It’s designed to help e-commerce businesses promote their products and drive sales directly from the TikTok app.
TikTok advertising specs for Collection Ads:
- Creative specifications: TikTok Collection Ads can feature up to 8 products in a single ad. Each product can include an image or video, along with a title and description. The recommended resolution:
- Product images and videos: 1080 x 1080 pixels
- Aspect ratio: 1:1
- Call-to-action (CTA): Each product in a TikTok Collection Ad can include a CTA button, such as “Shop Now” or “Learn More.”
- Landing page: When a user clicks on a product in a TikTok Collection Ad, they are taken to a landing page where they can purchase the product.
- Tracking: TikTok Collection Ads include tracking and reporting metrics, such as impressions, clicks, and conversions.
Dynamic showcase/product ads
Dynamic Showcase Ads are particularly effective for businesses with a large product catalog, as they allow advertisers to showcase a wide range of products in a single ad unit.
Specs for Dynamic Showcase/Product Ads:
- Aspect ratio: 1:1 (Square) or 16:9 (Horizontal)
- Resolution: At least 1200×1200 (for 1:1) or 1200×628 (for 16:9)
- Video length: 5-50 seconds (depending on the number of products)
- File format: .mp4, .mov, .mpeg, .3gp, .avi
- Max file size: 500MB
- Product Catalog: Integrated with TikTok’s dynamic ads system via a product feed
- Caption: Up to 100 characters (including hashtags)
TikTok Shopping Ads
TikTok Shopping Ads are a type of ad format that allows e-commerce businesses to showcase their products on TikTok and drive traffic to their online store.
- File format: TikTok Product Feed supports file formats such as CSV, TSV, and XML.
- Product information: The product feed file should include information such as product titles, descriptions, images, prices, inventory levels, and other relevant data.
- Data requirements: TikTok requires certain data fields to be present in the product feed, such as product ID, title, description, image URL, and landing page URL.
- Product variations: If a business sells products with variations such as size or color, the product feed should include these variations as separate products with unique IDs.
- Feed updates: Advertisers can update their product feed regularly to ensure that the information displayed in their ads is accurate and up-to-date.
- Product feed management: Advertisers can manage their product feed using the TikTok Ads Manager, which allows them to review, edit, and upload their product information.
>>> Read more: 10 TikTok Ad Types you need to know [Update 2023]
Why TikTok Ad Specs Matter
Just running ads on TikTok isn’t enough – understanding TikTok ad specs is crucial for maximizing your campaign’s effectiveness. Here’s why the right specs make all the difference:
1. Optimized for Mobile Experience
TikTok is a mobile-first platform, which means the majority of its users engage with content through their phones. Ads that don’t adhere to the correct specifications – such as resolution, aspect ratio, and file size – may appear distorted, cut off, or pixelated, negatively impacting user experience.
Imagine running an ad for a new fashion brand using a 4:3 aspect ratio video. Instead of the full-screen immersive experience TikTok users are accustomed to, your ad appears with large black bars on the top and bottom.
2. Improves Ad Performance
Ads that meet the right specs not only look better, but they also perform better. A well-optimized ad, with the correct video length, resolution, and format, tends to load faster, display properly, and seamlessly integrate into TikTok’s content flow. Ads that are too long or poorly formatted may result in users skipping them, leading to wasted ad spend and lower engagement rates.
3. Higher Engagement Rates
TikTok users expect high-quality, creative, and dynamic content. For example, a travel agency runs an In-Feed Ad showcasing beautiful destinations, but they use a low-resolution video (480p) instead of TikTok’s recommended 1080p. The pixelated visuals fail to capture the beauty of the scenery, and users quickly scroll past.
4. Avoid Technical Issues
Incorrect ad specs can lead to technical problems, such as videos not loading properly, being rejected by the platform, or suffering from long loading times. For instance, a fitness app creates a 700MB video file for their TopView ad campaign, but TikTok’s max file size limit is 500MB. As a result, the platform rejects the ad, delaying the entire campaign.
Final word
Creating the right TikTok ad formats and specs is crucial for success on TikTok, as it ensures that the ad is displayed properly and reaches its intended audience. Therefore, advertisers should keep in mind the importance of engaging content and eye-catching visuals that capture the attention of viewers in the first few seconds. If you wish to know which ad types are more suitable for your brand’s strategy, from branding to performance, check out our ebook right now!
