What are TikTok Spark Ads and how do they work?
Last updated · by Ela Diker
TikTok Spark Ads are a native ad format that runs an existing organic TikTok post as a paid ad. The post can come from your brand account or a creator's. The creator authorises the post with a code valid for 7, 30, 60 or 365 days. Every like, comment, share and follow the ad earns stays on the original post.
What are TikTok Spark Ads?
Spark Ads are TikTok's native ad format for running organic posts as paid ads. You can use your own account's posts, or a creator's posts with their permission. Instead of uploading a separate ad creative, you put paid reach behind a real post that already sits on a real profile.
This is the key difference from a standard in-feed ad. In the For You feed, a Spark Ad looks and behaves like any other post. Viewers can like, comment, share, follow the account, tap the sound and swipe through to the profile. A call-to-action button still sends them to your landing page or shop.
TikTok launched Spark Ads globally in July 2021. For DTC brands in beauty, supplements and fashion, the format has become the standard way to put paid budget behind creator content without losing the creator's voice, handle or comment section.
Boosting your brand's own posts
Run posts from the TikTok account linked to your Ads Manager. This suits brands that want to grow a following quickly, mix awareness with later retargeting, or run organic and paid content together all year. You don't need a code because you already control the account. You pick the post straight from the TikTok posts tab.
Boosting a creator's posts
Run a post that a creator published on their own handle, with their authorisation. The ad shows the creator's name and profile, so it reads more like a recommendation than a brand message. You need a code or a Business Center connection, plus a written agreement covering duration, fee and caption.
What is a TikTok Spark code?
A Spark code is an authorisation string that a creator generates for one specific post so an advertiser can run that post as a Spark Ad. TikTok calls it a video code or post code. It grants permission and nothing more: the post stays on the creator's account, the creator remains the author, and the code covers only that one video for the period the creator chose.
Once you have the code, you add it in TikTok Ads Manager under Spark ads posts with Apply for Authorization. The post then appears in the TikTok posts tab, ready to use as a creative. One code never gives you access to the creator's other videos or to their profile settings.
Duets and Stitches need two codes. TikTok's guide to creating Spark Ads for Smart+ campaigns asks for the video code from the second creator and then from the creator of the original post before the post can be promoted.
Video code: one post at a time
Best for one-off creator collaborations. The creator authorises a single post and sends you the code, and you can batch-add up to 20 codes at once in Ads Manager. Each code expires at the end of its authorisation period and covers nothing else on the creator's account.
Business Center: a whole account
Best for agencies and long-term creator partners. You generate a QR code in Business Center, the account owner scans and approves it, and members you assign can use that account's posts across any ad account they can access. This removes per-post codes but needs more trust on both sides.
What is influencer whitelisting (creator licensing) and how does it work
How do you get a Spark code from a creator?
You ask the creator to generate it in the TikTok app, because only the account that published the post can create the code. Send them the exact post link, the duration you agreed and the steps below, so the code comes back right the first time.
Before starting, the creator needs to allow authorised posts on their account. After that, everything happens on the post itself. Agree the duration first: the creator selects it in the app, and changing it later means a new round of messages.
If you work with several creators, attach the same instruction sheet to every brief so codes arrive in a consistent format. Log each code with its post link, creator name and expiry date so nothing lapses in the middle of a campaign.
1. Open the post's Ad settings
On the video, the creator taps the three dots, then Ad settings, and agrees to TikTok's Advertising Content Terms of Service. If Ad settings doesn't appear, authorised posts usually aren't allowed yet at account level. That setting is under Settings and privacy, then Privacy, or under Me, then Creator tools.
2. Turn on authorisation and pick a duration
The creator switches on the Ad authorization toggle, generates the video code and chooses how long it lasts. The creator controls this setting, not you, so confirm the duration in writing before they tap Generate. A code that is too short can stop your ads in the middle of a campaign.
3. Copy the code and send it
The creator taps Copy Code and sends it by email or through your collaboration platform. Ask them to paste it rather than retype it, because one wrong character makes the code invalid. Ask for the post link in the same message so you can check you are authorising the right video.
4. Link it in Ads Manager
In TikTok Ads Manager, go to Tools, then Creative library, then Spark ads posts. Click Apply for Authorization, paste the code and click Search. Review the post and confirm it. The post then appears in the TikTok posts tab when you build the ad.
How do you set up Spark Ads in TikTok Ads Manager?
You build a normal campaign and choose an organic post as the creative instead of uploading a video.
TikTok's guide to creating Spark Ads for manual and search campaigns sets out the flow. Open the Campaign tab, click Create, select an objective and complete the campaign and ad group settings. Then, in the Ad creatives section, click Add videos or images and choose the TikTok posts tab. Select the authorised post (or click Add post to enter new codes), add the destination and tracking details, and click Publish all.
There are two ways to source the creative. Pull uses an existing post: from your linked business account, from an account authorised through Business Center, or from a creator's video code. Push lets you upload a video in Ads Manager and publish it to an authorised account without anyone touching the app. You can mix Spark and non-Spark ads in the same ad group, which makes side-by-side tests simple.
Captions are locked
You can't edit a post's caption after it has been authorised as an ad. Agree the final caption, hashtags and disclosure label with the creator before they generate the code. If the caption is wrong, the creator has to fix the post and authorise it again, which delays your launch.
Private posts go public
A private video becomes public once it is used in a campaign, and its privacy setting can't be changed during the promotion. If you want a creator's video to run only as an ad, without appearing on their profile or in search, use TikTok Ads Only Mode where it is available.
Limits and specs
Each Ads Manager account supports up to 10,000 Spark Ads, and sparked videos can be up to 10 minutes long. TikTok sets no restrictions on ratio, resolution or file size for organic videos. Organic posts that have been banned are also rejected in Ads Manager, so check a post's status before you agree a fee.
How do Spark Ads compare with standard in-feed ads?
Spark Ads usually beat standard in-feed ads on attention and engagement, because they run as real posts with visible social proof. Standard ads win on creative control and speed.
TikTok's Spark Ads 101 article reports results from its 2022 internal A/B tests. In those tests, Spark Ads had a 134% higher completion rate and a 157% higher 6-second view-through rate than standard in-feed ads. The same article credits the newer Spark profile landing page with a 69% higher conversion rate and 37% lower CPA. That second comparison is between Spark interfaces, not between Spark and non-Spark ads.
Treat these figures as directional. They are TikTok's own numbers and come from before today's Smart+ campaigns. Before you move budget, test both formats on the same offer, audience and landing page.
Where Spark Ads win
Engagement builds up on the original post and stays there after the campaign ends. Viewers can follow, visit the profile, use the sound, Duet or Stitch. The creator's identity carries trust, and reporting adds paid followers and paid profile visits alongside paid clicks. That makes upper-funnel results easier to read.
Where standard in-feed ads win
You control every frame and the caption, you can launch as soon as the edit is approved, you don't need creator authorisation, and you can test many cuts quickly. They suit offers with strict messaging, regulated product claims such as supplements, and assets that were never posted organically.
What do Spark Ads cost, including creator fees?
On the media side, Spark Ads cost the same as other TikTok ads: you buy them through the same auction or Reach and Frequency options, so budgets, bids and targeting work in the usual way. The extra cost is what you pay the creator for permission to run their post.
The creator's fee has two parts. The content fee pays for making and posting the video. The authorisation, or usage, fee pays for running the post as an ad for the agreed window. Creators typically quote it as an uplift on the content fee, commonly 20-50% for 30 days (industry range), rising for 60- or 365-day codes. Paying per post and per window keeps your costs tied to the posts that actually earn spend.
Watch for affiliate overlap. TikTok's help page on Spark Ads in Video Shopping Ads warns that if you run a TikTok Shop affiliate's video, you may also owe commission on qualified GMV the ad generates, whichever authorisation method you used.
If you source creators through #Collabz, the brief, usage rights and payment sit in one place, so you can agree the code duration and fee before the creator posts.
What are good TikTok Spark Ads examples?
The best Spark Ads examples take creator posts that were already working organically and put paid reach behind them, instead of producing ads from scratch. TikTok for Business publishes each of the four campaigns below as a case study. Read the numbers as one brand's results, not as benchmarks for your own account. What they share is a creator-led format: testimonials, transformations, dance routines and trend-based voiceovers, each boosted from a real handle.
Isle of Paradise (beauty, UK)
The vegan beauty brand found creators who had already posted organic testimonials about its Glow Drops, worked with them to repurpose that content, and ran the videos as Spark Ads alongside other user-generated content. Results included a 500% ROI, 45 million video views and a 68% increase in revenue per week.
Schwarzkopf (hair colour)
To promote its LIVE Colour range, Schwarzkopf asked lifestyle creators to post two videos each: one showing the steps to dye their hair and one revealing the transformation. The brand ran an A/B test of traditional in-feed ads against Spark Ads, and Spark Ads proved more effective for the campaign.
Monnalisa (fashion)
The Italian fashion label asked three popular Italian creators to perform a dance routine in a new outfit, set to a fresh music track, and post it to their followers. Boosting those posts as Spark Ads took the campaign to more than 1.5 million users and 8 million impressions.
James Allen (jewellery)
The bridal jewellery retailer built prospecting creative on a popular trend, using a voiceover and text boxes to keep a native feel. Compared with its non-Spark ads, the Spark Ads delivered a 25% higher click-through rate and a 24% higher conversion rate.
What makes a Spark Ad perform well?
Strong Spark Ads start with posts that already perform organically. Settle the paperwork before the creator posts, and test each post fairly against your current ads. TikTok's own guidance, based on reviewing more than 500 top-performing Spark Ads, points to the same habits. Positive, emotionally appealing stories work best. So do creators who speak straight to the viewer, quick text overlays and early adoption of trends.
Choose proven posts
Shortlist posts with strong organic views, likes, comments or shares, and look beyond your own category for creators whose audience matches yours. Spread the mix across the funnel: a tutorial, a review, a transformation and a trend video. That way each stage of the customer journey has a creative that fits it.
Brief for the format
Ask for a hook in the first seconds, the creator talking to camera, on-screen text for viewers watching without sound, and a commercially licensed track. Leave room for the creator's own style. Polished, ad-like edits lose the native feel that makes Spark Ads work.
Label it as an ad
A paid or gifted creator post is still an ad: use '#ad' in the US and 'Ad' in the UK, and put it in the caption before authorisation, because the caption is locked afterwards. The FTC's Disclosures 101 says free or discounted products count as a material connection. It also warns brands not to assume a platform's disclosure tool is enough.
Measure beyond the platform
Add UTM parameters to the landing page so you can see Spark Ads traffic in your own analytics. Compare each creator post against your best non-Spark ad on cost per purchase, not just clicks, and renew codes only for the posts that win.
Sources and further reading
- ASA and CMA, Influencers' guide to making clear that ads are ads — Advertising Standards Authority
- Disclosures 101: New FTC resources for social media influencers — Federal Trade Commission
- About Spark Ads — TikTok for Business
- How to create Spark Ads for Smart+ Campaigns in TikTok Ads Manager — TikTok for Business
- Spark Ads in Video Shopping Ads — TikTok for Business
- TikTok for Business, How to create Spark Ads for Manual and Search Campaigns, 2026
- TikTok for Business, Spark Ads 101: Make TikTok videos into ads (2022 internal A/B test data)
Frequently asked questions
Do you need an agency to run TikTok Spark Ads?
No. Any advertiser with a TikTok Ads Manager account can redeem Spark codes and launch Spark Ads themselves. Agencies mostly help when you manage many creators and ad accounts through Business Center.
Can you run Spark Ads from your own brand account without a code?
Yes. If your TikTok Business account is linked to Ads Manager, you can select its posts directly as Spark Ads creatives without a video code. You only need codes for posts on accounts you haven't linked or authorised.
Can a creator delete a video that is running as a Spark Ad?
Not straight away. The video must be un-authorised as a Spark Ad before it can be deleted from the creator's account. A video code can only be removed once every ad using it has been deleted in Ads Manager.
Do Spark Ads need an 'Ad' label?
Yes, if the creator was paid or given free product. The ASA and CMA's influencers' guide explains how to make clear that ads are ads in the UK, where 'Ad' is the expected label; in the US, use '#ad'. Add the label before the code is generated, because the caption can't be edited after authorisation.
Can Spark Ads be used with TikTok Shop?
Yes. Spark Ads work inside Video Shopping Ads using the Product Sales objective, either with a single product link or with several. You can also pair the same post with different products in different ads.
Which campaign objectives support Spark Ads?
With auction buying, Spark Ads support Reach, Traffic, Video Views, Community interaction, App promotion, Conversions, Lead generation and Sales. With Reach and Frequency buying, they support Reach, Traffic and Video Views.
Do creators benefit when brands run their posts as Spark Ads?
Yes. Views, comments, shares, likes and follows gained during the promotion are credited to the creator's original post. This extra reach is a fair point to raise when you negotiate fees for longer authorisation windows.