Every TikTok Ad Format Available & How to Use Each One

If you’re not advertising on TikTok already, it’s time to. There are nearly 2 billion users on the app. Around 67% of these users are 18-35, which leaves 750 million 35 and older. Which means your target audience is on this rapidly growing platform.

That’s why today, we’re sharing everything you need to know about 11 TikTok ad types, including the specs and formats you need to follow, the marketing goals these ads help with, and some examples so you can get some inspiration for your own TikTok strategy.

Now, let’s get into it!

Contents

• In-feed ads
• TopReach ads
• Branded mission ads
• Branded hashtag campaign
• Branded effects
• Logo takeover ads
• Carousel ads
• Spark ads
• Catalog ads
• Prime time ads
• Pulse ads
• TikTok ads comparison chart

The 11 TikTok ad formats

There are a number of tried-and-true TikTok ad types, plus a few brand new ad formats launched more recently. I’ll cover what you need to know in order to run each type of TikTok ad for your business.

1. In-feed ads

In-feed ads appear directly in your “For You” page. This is huge because that means this TikTok ad type blends in seamlessly with organic content. Users can engage as they would with any normal post, including likes, comments, shares, and interaction.

With this native feel that encourages engagement, in-feed ads are a great place to start when you’re testing out your TikTok ad strategy. You also have flexibility in selecting a call-to-action (CTA) button to include, like shop now, learn more, or sign up. This allows in-feed ads to work for a number of different marketing goals, including encouraging conversions, driving website traffic, or increasing sales. Even better? In-feed ads have a lower cost compared to other TikTok ad formats.

Nuvia Dental Implant Center features a customer testimonial.

Of course, there are a few things to keep in mind. TikTok is built for scrolling, and that includes skipping, and the native feel of in-feed ads also makes them super skippable. That means you need exceptional creative to stand out and grab attention.

In-feed TikTok ads specs

• Aspect ratio: 9:16 (vertical) recommended
• Resolution: 1080 × 1920
• Length: 5–60 seconds (9–15 sec ideal)
• File type: .mp4, .mov, .mpeg, .avi
• Max file size: 500 MB

Adobe Acrobat highlights its AI capabilities in this in-feed ad and its larger series.

2. TopReach ads

Launched in March 2026, TopReach is a new ad format that combines two preview ad types: TopView and TopFeed. TopView ads appeared right when users opened TikTok, taking over the entire screen with sound on for up to 60 seconds, while TopFeed commanded similar attention with the first in-feed experience for users.

Now, TopReach combines these two placements with a single ad purchase, allowing you to reach all targeted users and guarantee one impression per user. This ensures that you’re capturing and holding your target audience’s attention before they’ve even started scrolling.

This premium TikTok ad placement does come at a cost. But according to TikTok’s early tests, it yields some impressive results. During the initial testing, TikTok found that TopReach campaigns “can, on average, drive a 59% incremental reach at 3X lower CPR than buying TopView alone.”

Another thing to be aware of with this ad format is that it can be annoying for user experience. TikTok does limit the views with a built-in frequency cap during any 24-hour period, but it’s good to keep in mind when you’re monitoring analytics and considering creative.

TopReach TikTok ads specs

• Aspect ratio: 9:16
• Resolution: 1080 × 1920
• Length: Up to 60 seconds
• Sound: Auto-play with sound on

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3. Branded mission ads

Branded mission ads are specifically for user-generated content. With this TikTok ad format, you put out a call for UGC ad content to the eligible TikTok community, which includes user accounts over 18 with more than 1,000 followers and a track record of regular posting. Then, these creators post organic content for you to review and track. Finally, you can turn the best-performing videos from creators into ads for your brand.

This ad format has a few big benefits, including the organic UGC that gets posted in response to your call for content. It also gives you the opportunity to work with creators and customers without spending all of your time sourcing.

But keep in mind that it’s also a significant investment, at least $10,000.

Branded mission TikTok ads specs

• Format: Image, GIF, or video
• Length: 3–5 seconds (video/GIF)
• Resolution: 1080 × 1920
• Clickable CTA: Yes
  

  

4. Branded hashtag campaign

A branded hashtag campaign is a sponsored hashtag that encourages users to create and share content around a theme or challenge. This campaign typically runs for three to six days, and it’s often paired with an influencer marketing agreement (which you’d manage on the TikTok platform).

This ad type is super interactive, which is part of the appeal, and it’s primarily used to drive engagement. According to TikTok, branded hashtag campaigns have an average engagement rate of 17.5%.

But, again, these ads have a high cost. Typically, these branded hashtag campaigns are $100,000 or more, which makes them prohibitively expensive for most small and medium-sized businesses.

Branded hashtag campaign ads specs

• Campaign duration: Typically 3–6 days
• Includes: Landing page, banner, and hashtag page
• Typically paired with influencers

This is an example of UGC for a branded hashtag challenge #VMakeItHappen. The post also includes branded effects (see that boom with the logo?), which is a nice segue to our next ad type.

5. Branded effects

Branded effects are a unique ad placement in that they are actually creative that users can include in their own content. The impressions are then twofold: the users who see the options and the viewers who see any organic content with your branded effects. These options include custom AR filters, stickers, or effects users can apply in their videos—all fun, interactive elements.

These will be integrated into TikTok’s effects library and will be served to users who meet your targeting specifications. Because this is a wide reach, it best aligns with a marketing goal to build brand awareness.

The biggest thing to keep in mind here is that this ad type does typically require design help, especially for the AR filters and video effects.

Branded effects ad specs

• Format: 2D, 3D, or AR effects (each with specifications)
• Duration: Typically live for up to 10 days
• Does not support emoji

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6. Logo takeover ads

This is another new ad format from March 2026. Logo takeover ads let you co-brand with TikTok as users open the app, ensuring your brand is the first that any users see. This is an expensive ad format, and it’s primarily used to increase reach and drive awareness. Think major product launches, big announcements, or partnership news.

In terms of experience, logo takeovers could involve static images, short videos, or GIFs.

Logo takeover ads specs

• Aspect ratio: 9:16 (vertical full screen)
• Recommended resolution: 1080 × 1920
• Image formats: JPG, PNG
• Video formats: MP4, MOV
• Video duration: 3-5 seconds
• Max image file size: 500 KB
• Max video file size: 4-5 MB
• Link: Single link accessible by clicking creative

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7. Carousel ads

TikTok carousel ads are a bit of a departure from the video-dominant platform. Similar to carousels on other social media platforms, this ad format lets you show multiple images (called cards) in a single post in the feed with background music and a single CTA.

This is a Carousel post that could make a great ad for vintage clothing store Vestiaire Collective.

Users swipe horizontally through the images, each of which can highlight a product, feature, or step in a story. These are most commonly used for products, but they also work for before-and-after reveals, step-by-step content, or highlighting features and benefits.

TikTok carousel ad specs

• Number of images: 2–35 (standard carousel)
• Formats: JPG, JPEG, PNG
• Recommended sizes: 1080 × 1920 (9:16 – full screen) or 1080 × 1350 (4:5 – better for text)
• Music: Required
• Min music duration: 2 seconds
• Formats: MP3, WAV, M4A, FLAC
• Max file size: 10 MB
• One CTA and one link

This influencer ad features a bookable carousel post that highlights all the pretty spots in this dog-friendly vacation spot.

8. Spark ads

Spark Ads allow brands to boost existing organic content as paid ads. This organic content can be your other posts that perform well. For example, you might opt to boost an organic video that went viral. The organic content could also be another creator’s, whether that’s an influencer or another regular person.

This is a great way to extend the impact of an influencer marketing campaign, as long as you secure permission to boost the content. Spark ads are also ideal for encouraging trust with social proof, particularly if you’re boosting another creator’s video.

This ad format also works well for encouraging engagement. Especially because when you boost the organic content as a paid ad, all the existing comments, likes, and shares stay, as well. You do get the opportunity to edit the text in the caption.

In terms of costs, this varies. Spark ads support a variety of ad goals and auction buying types, so it’s a good idea to double-check with TikTok.

Spark ads specs

• Ad captions can be left blank
• Uses existing TikTok posts
• Same specs and experience as original video
• Includes original engagement (all likes, comments, and shares)

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9. Catalog ads

Catalog ads are automated ads that show personalized products to users based on their behavior on TikTok and their interests. This ad type is ideal for ecommerce brands, as catalog ads are shoppable.

To take full advantage of these automated, personalized ads, you need to start by setting up a catalog with a minimum of four products. It’s worth noting that you don’t need to set up a TikTok Shop in order to run these ads (but it might be worth doing so anyway). Then, you also need to set up a video or carousel post with your products. You’ll select “Website” as your campaign objective, then a Smart+ Campaign as your campaign type.

Keep in mind that, with this automation, you do lose some creative control.

TikTok catalog ad specs

• Requires a product catalog with 4-20 items
• Requires video or carousel content with your products
• Automatically generates the ads

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10. Prime time ads

This is a new TikTok ad format that delivers three sequential ads to a user within a specific 15-minute time frame. The goal here, as TikTok explains, is to allow companies to “tell a continuous brand story during high activity periods for maximum impact.”

These ads will appear on the FYP, and they will need to follow the standard specs for video posts.

Prime time ad specs

• Full-screen video
• Orientation: Vertical
• Aspect ratio: 9:16
• Length: Up to 60 seconds

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11. Pulse ads

TikTok’s Pulse suite offers businesses opportunities to run contextual ads. What does this mean exactly?

Instead of a specific ad format or placement, Pulse ads allow brands to select the context in which their ads appear. There are two ways to do this. With Pulse Core, you can leverage:

• Max Pulse: Run ads placed next to the top 4% of content on TikTok based on the Pulse Score across all content categories.
• Category Lineups: Run ads aligned with content in pre-identified categories (e.g., Beauty & Personal Care Pulse, Sports & Recreation Pulse) to build brand association with a specific content genre.
• Seasonal Lineups: Run ads alongside seasonal trending content.
• Custom Lineups: With these, you can run ads in bespoke lineups of TikTok’s top trending, brand-suitable content, generated by AI.

And with Pulse Premiere, you can place ads directly after videos from our top publisher partners in the sports, entertainment, and lifestyle categories. For example, you might run ads after NFL or Paramount.

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TikTok ad formats: Which type of TikTok ad should you use?

Here is the complete comparison chart for all 11 TikTok ad types.

Start experimenting with these TikTok ad types

Now, these are the most common TikTok ad types that you should know about when you’re considering getting started with or expanding your TikTok advertising strategy. In general, in-feed ads and Spark ads are usually going to be the most flexible and cost-effective.

But you’ll have to determine the mix of ad formats that works best for your business, which includes working for your audience, your brand, and, let’s be honest, your bandwidth.

The best way to figure that out is to get started, and our solutions can help!

To recap, here are all 11 types of TikTok ad formats available to advertisers:

1. In-feed ads
2. TopReach ads
3. Branded mission ads
4. Branded hashtag campaign
5. Branded effects
6. Logo takeover ads
7. Carousel ads
8. Spark ads
9. Catalog ads
10. Prime time ads
11. Pulse ads

Meet The Author

Céillie Clark-Keane

Ceillie runs content at Unstack, a no-code CMS built for marketers. Previously, she was the managing editor of the WordStream blog.

Other posts by Céillie Clark-Keane