How to effectively launch advertising on TikTok: a step-by-step guide
Have you ever regretted not launching ads on Instagram among the first? Back when it was just gaining momentum and you could get the cheapest leads without crazy competition?
If so, pay attention: the same thing is happening now with another promising tool — advertising on TikTok. After a few years’ break, it has officially returned to Ukraine, and now anyone can attract an audience at the lowest prices on the market.
We’re not saying this without reason — our team is already running campaigns on TikTok and seeing results: acquiring a lead is still much cheaper than on Facebook or Instagram.
Read this article to find out:
- how to launch ads on TikTok step by step;
- who it will work for and who it won’t;
- why you should do it right now.
If you don’t want to handle this yourself, the SVITLI team is ready to launch your TikTok campaign and quickly track the results.
Кому потрібна реклама в TikTok
The platform has long ceased to be exclusively for entertainment — expert columns, product reviews, useful tips, and honest feedback have replaced dances and challenges. And the audience has evolved accordingly — they are ready to actively engage with brands and make purchases.
But, like any tool, advertising on TikTok will not work for everyone.
It delivers the best results for:
- brands focused on B2C: retail sales of clothing, cosmetics, household goods, online courses, fitness programs;
- new brands looking to quickly build awareness and launch viral creatives;
- companies willing to experiment.
But, as you understand, there are no perfect or universal promotion tools. Therefore, businesses with a narrow B2B focus or complex/expensive products should be prepared for a more complicated funnel. TikTok won’t be a source of impulsive purchases but will play its part in the initial touchpoints with potential customers.
Another important point: TikTok may not deliver the expected results if the brand is not ready to create lively, creative, and native content — the audience on this platform only responds to informal advertising.
Why advertising on TikTok currently provides the most cost-effective leads (+ our experience)
We often talk about advertising on TikTok as a unique opportunity to grow your business at (for now) minimal cost. Let’s take a closer look at why each of us currently has this opportunity.
What makes TikTok advertising special:
1.Low competition. Not all businesses have mastered the platform as an advertising channel yet, so impression and click rates are much lower than in oversaturated tools.
2.High organic engagement. TikTok’s algorithms actively promote new creatives and help brands quickly gain attention without large budgets.
3.The format inspires trust. Users naturally perceive lively and dynamic content on TikTok, which increases conversion and trust in the brand.
4.Flexible optimization algorithm. The platform quickly learns from campaign data, optimizing results even with small starting budgets.
Our TikTok ad test results
We tested advertising to attract leads for agency services in SEO, targeted and contextual advertising, and website development. We achieved very good results with a low cost per lead:
| Conversion rate | Number of leads | Cost per lead |
| 0.02% | 17 | 160.75 UAH |
| 0.04% | 11 | 83.84 UAH |
How to prepare for launch
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For a marketing campaign to work, we recommend going through several essential stages:
1.Clearly define the campaign goal. Think and formulate exactly what you want to achieve from TikTok — sales, leads, subscriptions, or brand awareness?
2.Prepare creatives adapted for this platform. Classic banners or static ads won’t work: you need short and dynamic videos lasting 10-25 seconds that look natural in the user’s feed.
3.Write out messages and scenarios. Plan right away what and how you will show, how you intend to capture attention from the very first seconds, and increase the completion rate. All of this affects the effectiveness of your creative.
4.Set up your audiences. TikTok Ads allows you to classify them by age, interests, behavior, geolocation — just like in Ads Manager.
5.Prepare the technical base. Get acquainted with tracking tools for collecting conversion data, which you will then use to monitor effectiveness and scale campaigns.
Here are some successful advertising creatives:
@slastic.comWill you try this LifeHack??♬ Pieces (Solo Piano Version) – Danilo Stankovic
@maslotom We launched Tombucha ? #maslotom ♬ original sound – Peanut Butter TOM ??
@lipss.lipper Buy and help #kyiv #cake #lipss ♬ original sound – Jai Howitt
“` Let me know if you need any further adjustments!
What budget is needed
As with other advertising tools, everything in TikTok depends on your goals and audience size. From our experience, it is optimal to start with at least $500, gradually allocating this amount to test different hypotheses and formats.
Step-by-step guide to launching ads on TikTok
The process of launching ads on this platform can conditionally be divided into three main steps.
Step 1. Creating a campaign
Start by setting up your campaign in TikTok Ads Manager: click “Create” and define the objective of your future ad:
- reach;
- traffic;
- lead generation;
- conversions, etc.
The entire logic of the advertising campaign is adjusted according to the objective: for example, to quickly introduce your brand, it is worth choosing reach, while to collect contacts of potential buyers — lead generation. Next, set the campaign name, set a budget (daily or for the entire period), and optionally use budget optimization or split testing.
Step 2. Setting up an ad group
At this stage, you need to:
- choose the desired promotion type (website, app, or catalog);
- select placements;
- set up targeting by demographics, interests, and behavior.
It’s also important to plan the budget for the ad group and the ad schedule. You can start with a minimum daily budget of 200 UAH. In this window you can also set your bidding strategy and pacing — standard or accelerated. In the first case, TikTok will distribute your budget evenly throughout the entire display period, and in the second — will strive to get maximum results in a short time.
Step 3. Creating an ad
At the final stage, upload your video creative, add text, choose a call to action and specify the landing page where you want to direct your audience. You can also use your previously published posts for advertising.
Before launching, review the preview version of your ad and enable tracking of results. After a final check, all that remains is to click the “Submit” button and your ad will be sent for moderation.
Running ads yourself vs. delegating
The dilemma familiar to almost every business: should you launch ads yourself or is it better to entrust this to specialists? Let’s look at the pros and cons of both options specifically in the context of advertising on TikTok.
Self-launch
✅ Full control over all processes.
✅ Opportunity to master a new tool.
❌ A lot of time spent on preparation, testing, and analytics.
❌ Significant risk of “wasting” your budget.
❌ Lack of a clear strategy without experience.
Delegating to an agency
✅ Saves your time and resources.
✅ Ready-made strategies and a comprehensive approach.
✅ Fast start.
✅ Transparent analytics and reporting.
❌ Service cost.
At SVITLI, we offer a comprehensive TikTok advertising launch, where our team will:
- Select formats and creatives that will work specifically in your niche;
- Calculate an effective advertising model taking into account your margin and customer acquisition cost;
- Analyze your website and sales funnel so that the ads deliver the expected results;
- Completely set up and launch the campaigns;
- Provide a detailed report on the results.
Vika
Olga Vedeneeva
