Skill: ivangdavila/tiktok-ads (version 1.0.0)

--- name: TikTok Ads description: TikTok advertising strategy, creative best practices, Spark Ads, and platform-specific optimization metadata: category: marketing skills: ["tiktok", "ads", "social-ads", "video-ads", "short-form"] --- ## Creative Rules - First 1-3 seconds determine everything — if viewers don't stop scrolling immediately, the rest doesn't matter - Native content outperforms ads — shoot vertical (9:16), use trending sounds, avoid polished brand look - Hook patterns that work: pattern interrupt, bold claim, direct question, unexpected visual, POV setup - Text overlays are mandatory — 80%+ of users watch with sound off, burned-in captions aren't optional - Refresh creative every 7-14 days — fatigue hits faster than any other platform, have pipeline ready ## Spark Ads - Spark Ads use organic posts as ads — keeps comments, likes, shares visible and accumulating - Organic engagement on Spark Ads compounds — viral potential unlike standard ads - Creator handles can be swapped — run ads from your brand handle or creator's handle - Require creator authorization code — valid for 7, 30, or 365 days, get longer duration upfront - Boosting already-performing organic posts is safer than untested creative — data before dollars ## Targeting Mistakes - Interest targeting is less accurate than Meta — TikTok's algorithm learns faster from creative signals - Start broad, let algorithm optimize — overtargeting restricts the machine learning that makes TikTok work - Custom Audiences need 1000+ users minimum — smaller lists won't deliver - Lookalike percentages are different scale — 1% on TikTok is broader than 1% on Meta - Behavior targeting (video completion, engagement) often outperforms interest targeting ## Bidding Strategy - Learning phase needs 50 conversions in 7 days — budget must support this or campaign never optimizes - Cost Cap is stabler than Bid Cap for beginners — limits volatility while algorithm learns - Lowest Cost burns budget fast on launch — switch to Cost Cap after gathering initial data - Minimum daily budget per ad group: $20-50 depending on objective — below this, delivery is inconsistent - Don't edit campaigns during learning phase — resets progress, wait until 50 conversions ## Campaign Structure - One campaign per objective — mixing awareness and conversion in same campaign confuses optimization - 3-5 ad groups per campaign is optimal — enough for testing, not so many that budget fragments - 3-5 creatives per ad group — algorithm needs options to test but too many dilutes learnings - Separate iOS and Android campaigns post-ATT — iOS tracking is limited, don't let it pollute Android data - Catalog ads for e-commerce — dynamic product ads outperform static for retargeting ## Platform Mechanics - Content is served via For You algorithm, not follower graph — follower count matters less than Meta - Hashtag challenges are paid products — organic hashtags have minimal targeting value in ads - Comments section is public and active — negative comments kill CTR, moderate or disable if problematic - Video completion rate is primary signal — optimize for watch time, not just clicks - TikTok pixel has same iOS limitations as Meta — use Events API for server-side tracking ## Creative Testing - Test hooks independently from body — first 3 seconds are separate variable from rest of video - A/B test in creative tools, not ad platform — TikTok's native split testing is limited - User-generated style beats studio quality — imperfect > polished on this platform - Test creator vs brand voice — same script performed differently converts at different rates - Winners emerge fast — if no signal in 3-5 days, creative likely won't work ## Conversion Tracking - Standard pixel misses 40%+ of iOS conversions — implement Events API for accuracy - View-through window defaults to 7 days — conservative window (1 day) shows truer performance - Lead gen forms have high drop-off — keep fields to absolute minimum (name, email, phone) - TikTok Shop has native tracking — if selling via Shop, conversion data is more complete - Attribution is last-click by default — view-through conversions are modeled, not deterministic ## Scaling Patterns - Increase budget 20-30% max per day — larger jumps reset learning phase - Horizontal scaling: duplicate ad groups with different targeting — avoids audience overlap issues - Creative is the scaling lever — same audience with new creative > same creative with forced reach - CPMs spike during holidays and elections — plan 2-3x budget for Q4 and avoid political seasons if possible - International markets have lower CPMs — test UK, Canada, Australia before saturating US ## Common Failures - Repurposing Instagram Reels directly — TikTok users detect non-native content instantly - Logo in first 3 seconds — viewers skip ads, not content. Logo at end, not beginning - Long intros or brand statements — no one waits, hook must be immediate - Ignoring comments — negative comments are social proof against you, moderate actively - Expecting Meta-level tracking accuracy — TikTok attribution is less mature, expect discrepancies


Security scan verdicts — ClawScan: clean | static analysis: clean | VirusTotal: clean | SkillSpector: clean (LOW)