How to create a TikTok ads campaign
This guide walks through building a first campaign in TikTok Ads Manager, from choosing an objective to submitting your ad for review.
TikTok campaigns have three levels. The campaign holds your objective. The ad group holds targeting, placements, budget, schedule, and bidding. The ad holds the video, text, call to action, and destination.
TikTok is changing how campaigns are built. Some accounts see a classic flow where you choose Manual campaign or Smart+ campaign. Others have an upgraded Smart+ experience that merges both into one flow, where your budget choice decides how much is automated. TikTok says the upgraded flow may not be available to every account yet, so your screens may differ slightly from the steps below.
Start a new campaign
Log in to TikTok Ads Manager and click Create ad on your dashboard, or click Create in your campaign list. TikTok saves your work automatically as a draft, so you can leave and come back later. Find the draft in your campaign list and click Edit draft to continue.
Choose your objective
The objective tells TikTok which result to pursue. Objectives are grouped as awareness (Reach), consideration (Traffic, Video views, Community interaction), and conversion (App promotion, Lead generation, Sales). For an online store, Sales is built for selling products from your website, app, or TikTok Shop. Lead generation is built to collect leads.
Pick a manual or automated setup
In the classic flow, choose Manual campaign for full control or Smart+ campaign for automation. In the upgraded flow, the budget strategy decides it. Ad group budget keeps manual control per ad group. Automatic campaign budget lets TikTok allocate spend and requires all ad groups to share the same optimization settings.
For a first campaign, a manual setup makes the effect of each setting clearer.
Name the campaign and set campaign options
Enter a Campaign name you’ll recognize in reports, such as the product and month. Declare a Special ad category if one applies to your business. Leave Create split test off for now. You can also set a campaign budget at this level, which the budget guide covers in detail.
Set optimization and placements
Name the ad group. For Sales, choose where conversions happen, such as your website, then select your pixel and the event to optimize for, such as a purchase. For placements, automatic placement lets TikTok decide where ads appear, which can include partner apps through Pangle depending on your region. Choose Select placement to pick placements yourself.
Define your audience
TikTok can target automatically or let you set targeting yourself. In the upgraded flow, automatic targeting is the default, and Switch to custom targeting opens the manual options. Targeting covers demographics, audiences, interests and behaviors, and devices. Set your location and age limits accurately. On a first test, avoid stacking many narrow interests, since a small audience can limit delivery.
Set budget, schedule, and bidding
Enter a daily or lifetime budget and a start date. TikTok lists minimums above $20 a day for an ad group and above $50 for a campaign budget, in US dollars. For bidding, Maximum Results spends your budget to get as many results as possible, while Target cost per result aims to keep your average cost near a target you set. Without cost history, Maximum Results is the simpler start.
Build the ad
Choose an identity, which is the TikTok account your ad runs from, and a format such as Single video. Click +Add videos or images to upload or pick from your library. Add the ad Text, a call to action, and your destination URL. Use Build URL parameters to add UTM tags for your analytics. Check the preview, then click Submit. In the upgraded flow, the final button is Publish all.
Wait for review and check status
TikTok reviews every ad against its advertising policies. Its help center says most ads are reviewed within 24 hours, though some take longer. Check status in your campaign list. If an ad is rejected, the reason appears in Ads Manager. Editing an ad’s creative triggers a new review, so make changes deliberately once an ad is live.
TipSubmit ads a day or two before you need them to start delivering.
Before you move on
- The objective matches the result you want
- Pixel and optimization event are selected for website conversion goals
- Location and age targeting are correct
- Budgets meet TikTok's minimums
- The destination URL works and includes UTM parameters
- The ad shows as submitted for review
Official resources
- How to set up an ad campaign in TikTok Ads Manager
- Creating campaigns in the upgraded Smart+ experience
- How to create an ad in TikTok Ads Manager
- How to choose the right objective
- Ad review FAQs
Ad platforms update their tools often. This guide was last reviewed against the official documentation above in October 2026. If your screen looks different, the official help pages have the latest steps.
At a glance
- Level
- Beginner
- Time
- About 45 minutes
- What you need
- An approved TikTok Ads Manager account with a payment method
- At least one vertical video made for TikTok
- Your landing page URL
- The TikTok Pixel installed, if you plan to optimize for website conversions
- Your brand's TikTok account, if you want ads to run from it
Rather have it done for you?
Active Digital Marketing builds and manages TikTok ad accounts for businesses doing $25,000+ a month in revenue.
Apply to work with usOr get an ad account auditWhere DIY setups go wrong
The most common problems with self-built TikTok Ads setups, and what they cost.
Choosing Traffic when you want sales
TikTok optimizes toward the objective you pick. A Traffic campaign looks for people likely to click, not necessarily people likely to buy, so low-cost clicks can hide weak sales.
Launching a conversion campaign before the pixel works
If the pixel isn't firing the event you optimize for, TikTok has little to learn from and your reports won't reflect real sales. Verify tracking before you spend.
Reusing ads made for other platforms
TikTok ads are vertical video shown among native posts. Horizontal clips or ads that look like repurposed TV spots stand out for the wrong reasons.
Editing live ads repeatedly
Every creative edit sends the ad back to review. Duplicate the ad and test the new version instead of rewriting one that is running.
Leaving automatic placements unexamined
Automatic placement can include partner apps outside TikTok in some regions. That isn't wrong, but check placement reporting so you know where your money goes.
What this guide doesn't cover
A live campaign is the starting line. What decides results on TikTok is how quickly you can produce and test new creative, how cleanly your tracking feeds the delivery system, and how you adjust structure and bids as data comes in.
Active Digital Marketing runs TikTok as part of a broader paid media program for established brands, with a focus on creative velocity, Spark Ads, and Events API tracking. When the basics are in place and you want the account managed for profit, that is where ADM comes in.
- Creative testing frameworks and hook iteration
- Spark Ads using creator and brand posts
- Smart+ versus manual structure decisions
- Bid strategy and target cost tuning
- TikTok Shop and catalog campaigns
- Attribution and incrementality checks
Common questions
What's the difference between Smart+ and a manual campaign?
Smart+ automates more of targeting, placements, budget allocation, and creative combinations. Manual campaigns let you set those yourself. In TikTok's upgraded flow, your budget strategy decides which one you get.
How long does TikTok ad review take?
TikTok says most ads are reviewed within 24 hours, though some take longer. Check the status in Ads Manager after you submit.
Can I run TikTok ads without posting on TikTok?
Yes. You can upload videos directly in Ads Manager. Spark Ads, which promote existing posts from a TikTok account, are a separate option.
How many ads can one ad group hold?
TikTok allows up to 50 ads per ad group, with some exceptions such as Smart Creative ads and split tests.
Which objective should an online store use?
**Sales** is the objective TikTok built for selling products from a website, app, or TikTok Shop. For website sales, it needs the TikTok Pixel tracking purchases.
Keep learning
How to Create a TikTok Ads Manager Account
Set up TikTok Ads Manager step by step: sign-up, business details, payment method, account approval, Business Center, and team access.
Read the guideHow to Set a TikTok Ads Budget
TikTok budgets explained: daily vs lifetime, campaign and ad group minimums, bidding basics, and how to raise budgets without disrupting delivery.
Read the guideHow to Install the TikTok Pixel
Install the TikTok Pixel with Shopify or manual code, add the Events API, and check events fire with Pixel Helper, Test Events, and Diagnostics.
Read the guideHow to Create a Meta Ads Campaign
Build your first Facebook and Instagram campaign in Ads Manager: objective, Advantage+ settings, audience, placements, the ad itself, and launch.
Read the guideHow to Create a Google Ads Campaign
Build your first Google Ads Search campaign: objective, networks, locations, AI Max, keywords, responsive search ads, budget, and publishing.
Read the guideHow to Create a LinkedIn Ads Campaign
Build your first LinkedIn ads campaign in Campaign Manager: objective, audience, ad format, placements, budget, ads, and launch, step by step.
Read the guideRather have it built right the first time?
If your business does $25,000+ a month in revenue, apply and Mitch will review your accounts personally. Earlier than that? An ad account audit gives you a senior-level fix list you can work through yourself.