TikTok Ads in 2026: how it works and where to start
A practical guide to TikTok Ads: how the platform works, the minimum budget, which videos perform, and how to measure results.
Velocy 4 min read
Table of contents
TikTok Ads is TikTok’s advertising system: businesses show their videos between the content people are already watching in the app. For many industries it’s still a channel with less competition than Facebook or Google. Here’s how TikTok Ads works, what budget you need, and where to start.
How TikTok Ads works
An ad looks like a normal video in the app, just with a “Sponsored” label and a button such as “Learn more.” You set a campaign objective (reach, traffic, leads, sales), an audience, and a budget, and TikTok’s algorithm looks for the people most likely to watch and click the ad.
Minimum budget for TikTok Ads
TikTok has a hard minimum. According to TikTok Ads Help:
- the daily campaign budget is at least 50 USD,
- the daily ad group budget is at least 20 USD.
In practice, that means a meaningful test on TikTok starts at around €1,000 a month (a few thousand zloty in the campaigns we run in Poland). So plan it as a focused experiment with a clear goal, not a “let’s try it and see” project.
What videos work
- Natural, phone-recorded footage. An ad that looks like a TV commercial gets skipped the fastest.
- A strong first few seconds. A question, a problem, or a result that stops the scroll right away.
- Showing the service behind the scenes. The process, a before-and-after result, an answer to a question customers ask often.
- Spark Ads. These are ads built on your brand’s existing posts, or on posts from creators you work with. Likes and comments from the ad stay on the original video.
Measurement: the TikTok Pixel
Before you launch a campaign aimed at leads or sales, install the TikTok Pixel on your website and set up events, such as a form submission. Without it, the algorithm optimizes for clicks, not for customers.
Who TikTok Ads is for
- businesses whose offer is easy to show in a short video,
- brands that want to reach new audiences, not only people who are already searching,
- businesses that already run campaigns on Google or Meta and are looking for another channel.
Plan for your first TikTok Ads test
- One goal. For example, form submissions on your website.
- One campaign, one or two ad groups. Budget set at TikTok’s minimum, so the algorithm has room to learn.
- Three to five videos. Different opening seconds and different arguments.
- Two weeks of testing without changes. After that, turn off the videos that don’t work and add new ones in the style of the ones that won.
- Compare with other channels. Measure the cost per lead from TikTok against Google Ads and Meta Ads.
Frequently asked questions about TikTok Ads
Do I need a business account on TikTok?
For ads alone, a TikTok Ads Manager account is enough. An active brand profile helps a lot, though, since people often check out the profile after watching an ad, before they reach out. For Spark Ads you need a post that’s already published.
What are Spark Ads?
These are ads built on regular posts, either yours or from creators you work with. The ad looks natural, and likes and comments stay on the original video. See TikTok Ads Help on Spark Ads for details.
How do you measure results from TikTok ads?
The foundation is the TikTok Pixel on your site, with events such as a form submission or a purchase. You’ll find instructions in TikTok Ads Help on the Pixel. It’s also worth adding UTM parameters, so you can compare TikTok with other channels in Google Analytics 4.
How many videos should I prepare to start?
Three to five different ideas is a good number: a different opening, a different message, a different person on camera. The algorithm will quickly show you which video holds attention and which one gets skipped.
Does TikTok Ads work for B2B?
Increasingly, yes. Business owners and decision-makers use TikTok too. Videos that teach something specific or show the work behind the scenes perform best. Before you commit a larger budget, run a small test to check whether the cost per lead is comparable with your other channels.
Summary
TikTok Ads is a good channel for reach and new audiences, but it needs a budget starting at 50 USD a day per campaign and videos recorded in the app’s native style. Start with one goal, install the Pixel, and plan a few video versions to test. If you’d like to do this with us, see TikTok advertising at Velocy.
Sources
Content prepared with the help of AI tools and reviewed by the Velocy team.