These days, TikTok is far more than just a hub for creator-led content. TikTok for Business has offered marketers and brands the opportunity to authentically partake in the platform’s highly creative and playful environment.

If you’re not advertising on TikTok, you’re missing out on the opportunity to reach super-engaged demographics. Unsure where to start? We’ve got you covered with our go-to, always-updated guide to TikTok video tech specs, ad types, and best practices. 

(Go ahead — bookmark me!) 

Table of contents

Tiktok at a glance 

Tiktok has 689 million monthly active users worldwide, and the platform has quickly eclipsed social channels that have been around much longer, including Snapchat, Pinterest and Twitter. 

  • If you’re looking to reach Gen Z and Millenials, you can’t ignore TikTok. 62 percent of TikTok users in the US are between 10 and 29 years old, while only 7.1 percent of users are over the age of 50.
  • Plus, TikTok users are highly engaged. 90 percent of all TikTok users access the app on a daily basis, and users spend an average of 52 minutes per day browsing the app.
  • Three out of TikTok’s five ad options are full screen ads, which means you get users undivided attention and guaranteed eyes on your brand. 

TIkTok platform specs you need to know

  • The recommended aspect ratio for all TikTok videos is 9:16.
  • Resolution options include 720px x 1280px, 640px x 640px, and 1280px x 720px.
  • Videos can be anywhere between 5 and 60 seconds long, but videos with a duration of 9 to 15 seconds perform best.
  • Your brand name should be between 2 to 20 characters long. App names should be about 4 to 40 characters.
  • Include a product description or service explanation with In-Feed Ads and TopView Ads. Descriptions should be between 12 to 100 characters long.

3 things your TikTok video needs to suceed

Follow these three essential TikTok best practices to maximize your ROI.

Use vertical video

TikTok is similar to Snapchat and Instagram Stories in that it’s mobile-first and content is vertically oriented. When it comes to advertising on the platform, native is the name of the game. That means you should only use vertical video— you can upload horizontal content but it looks small and awkward on the vertically-locked app.  

While you can crop a horizontal video into a vertical one, content that is created specifically for TikTok that performs best. When filming, keep your subject matter in the center of the frame so that you can easily crop to a 9:16 aspect ratio without losing anything important.

Don’t forget sound and captions

TikTok is a “sound-first” platform. The app was originally created for users to easily layer music and sound on top of their own video creations, and the use of “sounds” like song clips and movie dialogue is still a huge part of the platform. Sound grabs viewers attention and helps your ad seamlessly blend into FYPs. 

That being said, some ads— like Branded Takeovers— do not play with sound. Plus, there’s no guarantee that your audience will be watching your ad with sound up or headphones in, so it’s best practice to always include captions or text in your video ad. Closed captions make your content more accessible, allowing more people to enjoy your video. 

Worried your editing skills aren’t up to the task of adding captions and text to your TikTok videos? Vimeo Create makes it super easy. 

Craft a compelling CTA 

Tell your audience what action you’d like them to take with a compelling call-to-action. Even if it’s just a two-word phrase, users need some direction to know what to do next. You can use CTAs to drive traffic to a landing page, hashtag challenge, e-comm store and more. CTAs that create a sense of urgency increase conversions, so use strong action words paired with an adverb like “Shop Now” or “Learn More”. 

Pro-tip: Don’t forget to tailor your CTAs to TikTok, where users tap or swipe left to take the action. While “Swipe Up” is a popular CTA on Instagram Stories, when a user swipes up on TikTok they will be taken to the next video, not your link. 

The 5 main types of TikTok ads

TikTok is the place to connect with younger audiences like Gen Z and Millenials, and the platform offers several different ad options for brands looking to connect with the next generation. 

Read on to learn more about TikTok’s ad types and how they work. 

Branded Takeover

Have you ever opened TikTok and gotten served an ad right away? If so, that was a Branded Takeover ad. These full-screen ads appear on the FYP immediately after a user opens the app, although they can also appear in-feed. Users only see one Branded Takeover ad per day, which means less competition, but also makes them pricier than other ad options. 

Unlike other ad types on the app, Branded Takeovers do not play with sound and do not have accompanying description copy. Branded Takeover ads are short (3-5 seconds), so make sure your content hooks viewers instantly. Use a CTA to direct users to a Hashtag Challenge or landing page. 

Launching a new product? Tease the announcement in a Branded Takeover ad with a CTA like “Shop Now” or “Visit Store” that directs to your e-commerce site.

  • Aspect ratio: 9:16
  • Max file size: 500 MB
  • Video length: 3-5 seconds
  • File types: .mp4, .mov, .mpeg, .3gp, or .avi
  • Text description: Not supported

In-Feed Ads

In-Feed Ads appear in users’ news feeds or on their For You Page (FYP). This full-screen ad type is the foil to Branded Takeoves— in-feed ads are affordable, support multiple calls-to-action and brief descriptions (12-100 characters) and default to a sound-on experience. They look similar to native TikTok content and blend right into users’ feeds, just like Instagram Story ads. 

A major plus is that users can interact with your ad like any other video on the FYP— they can like, comment, share and even reuse and riff off your video’s sound. But like any video on the FYP, In-Feed Ads can be scrolled past or skipped quickly, so your ad needs to be engaging enough to hook your audience’s attention within the first 2-3 seconds. 

In-feed ads are the place to get super creative, so experiment with a viral trend like a dance challenge or meme. In-feed ads can be anywhere from 5-60 seconds long, although TikTok for Business recommends keeping your video 9-15 seconds long for optimal performance.

  • Aspect ratio: 9:16
  • Max file size: 500 MB
  • Video length: 5-60 seconds (9-15 seconds recommended)
  • File types: .mp4, .mov, .mpeg, .3gp, or .avi
  • Description: 12-100 characters

TopView Ads

TopView Ads blend the best of the Branded Takeover and In-Feed Ads. They occupy TikTok’s prime real estate— the top of the For You Page— where they appear as fullscreen, in-feed posts 3 seconds after users open the TikTok app. You’re guaranteed reach, just like with Branded Takeovers. 

But like In-Feed Ads, TopView ads support sound, auto-play and can be anywhere from 5 to 60 seconds long (although ads that run 15 seconds perform best). Take advantage of TopView’s full-screen and auto-play with sound capabilities with bold visuals and sound that instantly hooks your audience’s attention.

Topview ad video specs: 

  • Aspect ratio: 9:16
  • Max file size: 500 MB
  • Video length: 5-60 seconds (15 seconds recommended)
  • File types: .mp4, .mov, .mpeg, .3gp, or .avi

Branded Hashtag Challenge 

These are sponsored hashtag challenges that are prominently featured at the top of TikTok’s Discover Page and boost engagement and brand awareness— this ad option averages an engagement rate of 8.5%. Plus, you’ll get a lot of user-generated content! 

Sponsored challenges offer maximum reach and guarantee lots of eyes on your brand, unlike organic (non-sponsored) challenges that run the risk of not going viral.

Branded Effects

Branded Effects are sharable stickers, special effects and AR filters that allow users to directly interact with a brand, making them a great option if you’re looking to engage your audience and build brand awareness.

And like emojis, the medium transcends language barriers by uniting users around a shared visual language. Filters can go viral, or brands can encourage followers to create content using Branded Effects in exchange for a prize or shout-out.

TikTok strategists spill secrets to making content people love

So what ingredients make up the secret sauce for TikTok success? We asked experts from TikTok to share their insights from working with giant brands we all know like Nike to small businesses with scrappy teams of five or fewer people.

Post often, like 3-4 videos per week

“The top 100 brands with the highest engagement rates post, on average, a little more than four videos per week on TikTok.”
Danielle Johnson, Head of SMB Strategic Sales at TikTok

Find your creator community ASAP

Co-marketing efforts and partnering with other small businesses can increase your reach and introduce your business to entirely new audiences. Johnson suggests heading to TikTok’s Creator Marketplace to nurture relationships and brand partnerships.

“The [Creator Marketplace] is the official platform for collaborations between brands and creators on TikTok,” said Johnson. “It provides partners with high quality content and creator collaboration solutions, as well as connecting more than 31,000 TikTok creators with high quality brand partnership opportunities, where both can come to the table, outline who they’d like to work with, what types of products or what their tones are, and being able to search and make connections.”

Watch at least 10 TikToks per day

Johnson stresses the importance of watching, liking, and participating in the TikTok community as you build your brand. “Take the time to listen to the community. We want to say, first, scroll through, use the app, and engage with Tiktoks. Try to get through about 10 TikToks a day.”

“Think about liking, commenting, sharing the content you love, scroll right past the things that don’t interest you as much, and this will train your feed and begin to give you a sense of how our algorithms work.”
Danielle Johnson, Head of SMB Strategic Sales at TikTok

TikTok video ad templates we love

Market your brand with professionally-designed, TikTok-optimized templates that do all the heavy lifting for you. 

Create a TopView Ad that’s full of dynamic motion and sound from start to finish. Simply customize this template with your own creative and product info and voila — you’ve got a stunning ad that drives conversions with a strong CTA.

Try this template

Authenticity and community matter more than ever to TikTok users, so tap into your UGC library and customize this testimonial template for your biz.

Try this template

If you’re an up-and-coming brand, try this product demo template to introduce yourself and drive traffic to your ecomm store. Convert viewers by including a discount code that gives your audience extra incentive to click the CTA. 

Try this template

Create an In-Feed Ad that moonlights as a beauty tutorial with this template that promotes your products and brand with eye-catching graphics.

Try this template

Wrapping up

Spoiler alert: There isn’t an exact science to virality or advertising on TikTok.

The platform is extremely fast-paced — if something flops, learn from it and move on to the latest viral trend. Finding success on TikTok means sticking with it. The key for small businesses on TikTok? Stay up-to-date on the latest TikTok trends and focus on showing off your brand’s playful, creative side. 

More social media resources for your small business

Make a TikTok video today.