TikTok Ads Campaign Types

In this article, you’ll discover the key TikTok Ads Campaign Types available on TikTok Ad Manager and learn how each type works, when to use it, and what role it plays in your overall digital marketing mix. We’ll start with the overarching campaign objectives in TikTok’s ecosystem, and then dive into each campaign type in detail: In-Feed Ads, TopView Ads, Brand Takeover, Branded Hashtag Challenges, Branded Effects, and Spark Ads.

For each campaign type you’ll get practical advice and tips to leverage them in PPC campaigns. This will help you evaluate which TikTok campaign type aligns with your goals, budget and creative capabilities.

Content:

• Campaign Objectives on TikTok
• In-Feed Ads
• TopView Ads
• Brand Takeover Ads
• Branded Hashtag Challenges
• Branded Effects
• Spark Ads
• How to Get Started With TikTok Ads

Campaign Objectives on TikTok

Before we explore specific campaign types, it’s crucial to understand how TikTok organises its campaign objectives. Because the campaign type you choose must align with the objective. The platform groups campaign objectives into three broad categories: Awareness, Consideration, and Conversion.

• Awareness aims to maximize reach and brand recall.
• Consideration encourages deeper engagement, such as video views, click-throughs, website visits or app installs.
• Conversion focuses on bottom-funnel goals like purchases, sign-ups, lead generation or app actions.

This objectives are very similar to Meta Ads and Google Ads if you are already familiar with them. The logic behind is the same. When you create a campaign in TikTok Ads Manager you select one of these objectives, then the system will optimize accordingly. It’s crucial to pick the right objective first. Otherwise you may choose a campaign type that looks shiny but fails to meet your KPI (key performance indicator/metric).

With that knowledge in place, let’s evaluate each TikTok Ads Campaign Types in detail.

In-Feed Ads

In-Feed Ads are one of the most versatile and widely used campaign types on TikTok. These ads appear directly in the user’s For You feed. The ad type mimic organic content to achieve engagement, traffic or conversions. In-Feed Ads can last up to 60 seconds, can include a CTA button and link out to a website, app store or landing page.

The advantage of this campaign type is its ability to blend with organic content. So it makes In-Feed Ads a well suited option when you want to drive Consideration or Conversion. For example, a brand launching a new product can use an In-Feed Ad to drive click-throughs to a product landing page. Or in the mobile-app context, you can run an In-Feed campaign to drive installs.

It all sounds good but heads up, because it sits in feed with other content, you’ll need a strong hook within the first 1-3 seconds. The algorithm also rewards early engagement (likes/shares) so creative quality is vital.

TopView Ads

The TopView campaign type is designed for maximum visibility and impact. The ad placement that makes the brand impossible to miss. Because TopView Ads appears as a full-screen video when the TikTok app is opened. Yes, the first thing a user sees. When users open TikTok, the TopView ad shows up before other content.

Because of its prime placement, it requieres higher budget. Therefore, TopView As is ideal for high-impact, brand-awareness type campaigns. For example, a product launch, event, or major seasonal promotion. It suits the Awareness objective primarily, though it can also serve Consideration when used cleverly.

Before jumping in both feet, think about this again: The budget you’ll need to spare for TopView Ads. The cost Cost is significantly higher than standard feed placements. If you are prioritising conversions with tighter budgets this ad type is probably not for you.

Brand Takeover Ads

The Brand Takeover type is among the highest-visibility options on TikTok. This TikTok Ads Campaign Type permits exclusive placement upon app open (image or video) before allowing in-feed content. It emphasizes exclusivity and immediacy. When the user opens TikTok, they are shown a static image or full-screen video takeover, then maybe auto-transitions into in-feed. The exclusivity ensures the brand message is front and centre. Because of the guaranteed top placement, the cost is high and availability limited in many markets.

Therefore, Brand Takeover is suited for large-scale brand announcements, dramatic product launches, or when you want to dominate the app for a short period. Think of it as a billboard within the app.. Because of cost and impact, it aligns with Awareness objectives ideally, although if you build it well you could drive very strong consideration actions as a second-step.

Branded Hashtag Challenges

Branded Hashtag Challenges harness user-generated content (UGC) and community participation to amplify brand presence. On TikTok, this type invites users to create videos around a brand’s hashtag and often aligns with trends. A brand picks or creates a hashtag, sets up a challenge with a prompt, then launches paid support to boost visibility of that hashtag and challenge. Often this includes a dedicated landing page, branded banner in the app, and a reward or incentive to encourage participation.

This type is best when the objective includes engagement, virality, brand affinity, and awareness through participation. It works well for brands with a presence on TikTok already who want to invite their audience into a conversation, rather than simply broadcast an ad. For example, a consumer brand launching a new product may create a hashtag challenge to get people posting user videos, thereby amplifying reach organically.

Branded Effects

Branded Effects campaigns provide interactive AR filters, lenses, stickers or other creative overlays that users can apply in their own videos. On TikTok, these effects drive engagement by letting users become part of the brand experience.

The brand develops a custom filter or lens that is associated with the brand. Then you can launch paid support to promote use of that filter or effect, often combined with a challenge or hashtag. Users apply the effect, create content, and share.

Branded Effects suit campaigns targeting engagement or consideration, where the goal is to build brand interaction, fun and sharing rather than immediate conversions.

Spark Ads

The Spark Ads type is somewhat unique in that it allows brands to boost existing organic posts (their own or creator posts) and turn them into ads. A brand takes an organic TikTok post, uses that post’s ID in Ads Manager, and promotes it as a native ad. The engagement metrics (views, likes, shares, comments) on the original post carry through. The ad appears in the feed like regular content but is flagged as Sponsored. Because it’s based on real content, it taps into trust and authenticity.

Spark Ads are highly useful when your brand already has high-performing organic content, or you collaborate with creators who publish strong posts, and you want to amplify that content via paid media. This type is excellent for consideration or conversion because leveraging social proof can reduce friction.

How to Get Started With TikTok Ads

Because TikTok’s algorithm and content style are unique, your familiar PPC work (testing, optimization, bidding) applies here too but with extra emphasis on creativity, native format, and aligning with the For You feed culture.

Getting started with TikTok Ads Campaign Types is straightforward but succeeding requires strategic planning and creativity. First of all, TikTok’s power lies in its ability to make ads feel native, not forced. The most successful brands treat TikTok as an entertainment platform first. Then as an ad platform. This shows us TikTok Advertisement represents a new era in digital marketing. The one that rewards creativity, storytelling, and authenticity over pure promotion. In today’s fast-moving digital landscape, brands that adapt to this new language of content are the ones that stand out.

For businesses looking to expand their marketing reach beyond channels like Google Ads or Meta Ads, TikTok Ads offers an exciting opportunity to tap into cultural moments, trends, and communities at scale. At SS&T Digital, we help brands harness the full potential of platforms like TikTok through strategy, planning, and performance-driven execution. 👇