Are you tired of your advertisements blending into the sea of content? In a world where attention spans are shrinking, grabbing your audience’s focus in the first few seconds is crucial. If you’re an advertiser who’s looking for a solution to break through the noise and create an instant impact, TikTok Top View Ads might just be the game-changer you’ve been seeking. Let’s dive into the world of this high-impact ad format and explore how it can transform your advertising strategy!
QUICK SUMMARY
- Explain TikTok TopView — a premium full-screen ad shown immediately when users open the app, ideal for maximum exposure.
- Highlight its benefits: guaranteed impressions, strong brand awareness, and impactful reach for major campaigns or launches.
- Compare TopView with In-Feed Ads in placement, cost, and objectives, showing how each serves different marketing goals.
- Include real case studies (Balenciaga, CELINE) proving TopView’s effectiveness in driving millions of views and high CTRs.
What is TikTok TopView ads?
As the first video users see when they open the app, TopView, not to be confused with Top Feed, is TikTok’s most premium ad format. TopView ads are 5 to 60-second videos that play as soon as users launch the app and seamlessly transition into their For You feed. TopView utilizes TikTok’s ad placement to put your brand in the spotlight, providing a unique viewing experience with no competing content.
Unlike the usual In-feed ads that are distributed on an auction basis, TopView ads are a form of reservation ads, meaning you will be paying a flat rate to get your ad delivered to a certain number of impressions. This way, you are guaranteed to get the exposure that you plan for. However, you’ll need to commit to flat-rate pricing, which is less flexible, and often higher than auction ads.
Are TikTok TopView Ads effective?
TopView ad is ideal for branding and high-velocity sales campaigns due to its extreme attention grab. It is certainly not for day-to-day campaigns, and brands should make effective use of this ad format by delivering creatives that have a lasting impact.
TopView ads are very suitable for large brands that want to utilize TikTok to create a strong impression on users. When your brand wants to (re)launch a product or edge out a competitive advantage in peak sales seasons, TopView is the best way to put the words out. TopView, although more expensive than other types of TikTok ads on paper, allows you to achieve must-meet branding goals conveniently.
A couple of big moments that TopView ads are perfect for are:
- Big branding moments
- Product (re)launches
- Peak season marketing
- Reputation boosting
In addition, in a just-released announcement, TikTok allows certain adult product categories to be presented on their premium placement. Some products, like dating apps, condoms, alcohol, etc., can now take advantage of TopView.
TikTok TopView Ad Features
TikTok TopView is a premium ad format that appears the moment users open the app, capturing full attention from the very first second. Here are its key features and advantages:
Prime Placement
- TopView ads appear first on the “For You” page, before any organic content.
- This gives brands maximum exposure and recall, making it ideal for awareness and launch campaigns.
Full-Screen & Sound-On
- The ad plays full-screen with sound automatically on, ensuring instant engagement.
- Because it dominates the user’s first impression, skipping is minimal and visibility is guaranteed.
Up to 60 Seconds of Video
- Videos can last up to 60 seconds, though 9–15 seconds is typically the sweet spot for performance.
- After a few seconds, the ad naturally transitions into the In-Feed environment, allowing users to like, comment, and share as they would with any organic TikTok.
Interactive Add-Ons
- TopView supports unique interactive elements to increase engagement, such as:
- Shake Surprise: users shake their phone to reveal rewards.
- Story Selection: lets users choose how the story ends.
- Super Like: triggers special visual effects when a user taps “Like.”
- These add-ons make the ad more immersive and boost overall engagement rate and watch time.
Customizable Destinations
- Advertisers can direct users to:
- External landing pages or websites.
- Internal TikTok destinations like hashtag challenges, user profiles, or videos.
- This flexibility supports both brand awareness and performance-driven goals.
Ad Format Options (Spark vs. Non-Spark)
- Non-Spark Ads: use standalone creatives not tied to any TikTok account.
- Spark Ads: boost an existing creator post, keeping authentic engagement metrics (likes, comments, shares) intact.
Advanced Targeting
- TikTok offers granular targeting options, including gender, age, language, OS, interest, and behavior.
- You can also use Custom or Lookalike Audiences to improve campaign efficiency.
Flexible Buying Models
- TopView can be purchased via CPM (Cost-per-Mille) or reservation models.
- It’s best suited for high-impact campaigns — such as product launches, rebranding, or major events — where visibility is the top priority.
How much are Top View Ads on TikTok?
The cost of TikTok TopView ads can vary depending on several factors, such as the targeting options, ad duration, and the level of competition for ad inventory. Generally speaking, TopView ads on TikTok can range from $50,000 to $150,000 per day, making them one of the most expensive ad formats on the platform.
The cost of TopView ads on TikTok may be a significant investment for some brands, but it’s worth noting that they offer high visibility and engagement levels that can drive significant results. Brands that want to use TopView ads should work with a TikTok agency – Mega Digital, to ensure that they get the most out of their investment and create effective ads that resonate with their target audience.
TikTok TopView ads formats & specs
In old TikTok fashion, before you start running TikTok TopView ads, you’ll need to make sure your creatives meet the following specifications:
- Length: Up to 60 seconds. Recommended: ~9–15 seconds for engagement
- Aspect Ratio: 9:16, 16:9 or 1:1.
- Resolution: 960×540 px, 540×960 px, and 640 x 640 px.
- File format: .mov, .mp4, .3gp, .mpeg, or .avi
- Video size: ≦ 500 MB.
- Bit Rate: ≥ 2,500 kbps (some sources use ≥516 kbps as general floor)
- Safe zones / content margins: Because the ad transitions from full screen takeover to in-feed layout, you need to account for safe zones (i.e. keep key branding/text away from edges that may get masked by UI or cropping).
- Caption / text / branding: Use ad description, brand/app name and CTA overlays. The caption (for boost / Spark usage) is often drawn from the video’s original caption (for Spark) with no strict limit.
What is the difference between TikTok TopView and In-feed ads?
| Factor | TikTok TopView Ads | TikTok In-Feed Ads |
|---|---|---|
| Placement | Full-screen, auto-play video format that appears when app is launched | Displayed in users’ feeds as they scroll |
| Visibility | High visibility | Requires user to scroll through feed |
| Cost | Expensive | More cost-effective |
| Effectiveness | Highly effective for generating brand awareness and reaching a broad audience quickly | Effective for driving engagement and conversions |
Overall, the choice between TopView ads and in-feed ads on TikTok depends on a brand’s advertising goals and budget. TopView ads can be highly effective for generating brand awareness and reaching a broad audience quickly, while in-feed ads can be a more cost-effective option for driving engagement and conversions.
Successful TikTok TopView ads case studies
Balenciaga
Objectives
Balenciaga has long been known as an innovative, avant-garde couturier of uncompromising standards – a fashion industry forecaster of ready-to-wear trends. Its goal was to raise brand awareness with a new audience on TikTok, as well as be the first high-end luxury brand on TikTok to test and utilize the TopView.
Solutions
- Balenciaga would launch a shopping campaign using TikTok Top View ads in the UK and France markets.
- Balenciaga’s TopView ads are displayed continuously, covering the user’s entire screen when opening the app. The ads also combined trendy sounds to get the attention of users. In addition, Balenciaga also uses TikTok Instant Page to let users buy without navigating out of the platform.
The results
- Drove 23M+ impressions across the UK, France, and Italy.
- The average CTR across markets was around 18%, and notably 20.56% in Italy.
- With a total of over 25 million video views and over 4.5 million shop page visits.
CELINE
Objectives
Luxury fashion brand CELINE decided to spread the word about the new seasonal collections by streaming their runway show live from Monaco to younger audiences on TikTok. The creative would be showcasing CELINE’s latest collection in a fresh and exciting way.
Solutions
- CELINE made four stunning TopView ads featuring its models between the stadium’s breathtaking architecture.
- A “Watch now” callout leads them to CELINE’s official TikTok profile.
- The creative is completed with the popular song “I Like Him” by Princess Nokia soundtracking.
The results
- 52M impressions were recorded with a total of 22,9M 2s video views.
- Across the two days and four markets, the average CTR was 17.74%
>>> Read more: TikTok Focused View Ads: How to Convert Viewers to Customers
How to set up TopView ads?
TikTok TopView ads are a premium ad format belonging to Reservation ads, and booking and setting up these ads is more complex than other ad formats on TikTok. To set up TikTok TopView ads, you must book the placement with a TikTok agency or a TikTok Ads representative – Mega Digital. So, contact us today to start using TopView to make the most of your TikTok advertising journey! And don’t forget to check out other ad formats for the most optimal advertising solutions!
