Elements like sounds and overlaying text are key to making a successful ad on TikTok, according to a new study from the creator-marketing platform CreatorIQ and TikTok.
Brands are investing more and more on the short-form-video platform to advertise their products and services, both by leveraging creators and by publishing their own content.
“TikTok is now the number two most utilized platform by our customers in creative marketing only behind Instagram, and about four out of every 10 campaigns now include TikTok,” Tim Sovay, chief business-development and partnerships officer at CreatorIQ, told Business Insider. “Just two years ago, I would put that number at one out of 10 campaigns.”
CreatorIQ partnered with TikTok to analyze “Spark Ads,” TikTok’s ad product that allows marketers to promote videos that were published by creators on the app, and determine which elements make an ad successful.
TikTok’s insights team supplied the research based on thousands of pieces of content and how they performed. CreatorIQ included case studies from companies like Walmart, Peloton, Redken, and Vitamin Water.
TikTok data from 2021 and 2022 showed that over half of users who saw a Spark Ad that included a creator said the creator was trustworthy, and that they trusted the brand. And 71% of TikTok users said “creator authenticity” led them to buy a product.
“Creator ads just work better on the platform,” Sovay said of TikTok. “Consumers trust creators over brands and celebrities. That power of combining organic reach and native ad products is something that we hear from our brands all the time.”
Here are five best practices for ads on TikTok, according to the study.
1. The first few seconds of a video are key to grabbing attention
TikTok rose to popularity because of its short videos. The company extended the length limit for videos to 10 minutes last year, but short videos still make up the lion’s share of the content published on TikTok.
That’s why the “hook,” the initial sequence of a video, is key to the success of an ad. TikTok found that 90% of the chance that viewers would remember an ad (“ad recall impact”) happened within the first six seconds of the video.
A good hook is not too sales-focused: Including branding in the first few seconds can increase recall, but it needs to integrate with the narrative of the video. For example, having a creator unboxing a package that shows the brand’s name works; splashing the brand’s logo across the opening frame doesn’t, the study says.
A recent video from creator couple Matthew and Paul for Walmart hooked viewers and landed in the top 1% of all TikTok ads, according to CreatorIQ. How to make a successful TikTok ad: New data reveals 5 key elements to drive more sales
2. An ad works better when you see the creator’s face, and they address the audience directly
“Brand recall” is defined as the percentage of people who are able to correctly identify a brand after being shown an ad, according to Lumen, the company that conducted the research with TikTok.
Ads in which a creator greeted their audience had a 112% uplift in brand recall. And creator ads that showed a person’s face drove a 148% increase in brand recall, when looking specifically at entertainment ads.
A good example of this is a September Peloton Spark ad featuring the fitness creator Ajahzi Gardner. The video begins with the creator greeting the audience, saying, “Hi besties, welcome back to another episode of cycle with ya girl.” The video clearly shows the creator getting ready and going for a spin on her Peloton bike.
3. It’s better to show a product ‘in action,’ especially in categories like beauty
Videos that showed a product being applied or used throughout the video had a 89% uplift in brand recall and a 47% uplift in “purchase intent” compared to those that didn’t show a product. Purchase intent is defined as the likelihood that a consumer will buy a specific brand’s product.
Creator unboxing videos also showed a 31% uplift in “attention,” according to TikTok data. Attention is calculated by combining impressions, view time, and four other metrics, as defined by the company that helped TikTok compile this research.
A case study from haircare brand Redken showed that an ad where creator Kylie Vazzana appeared using Redken products was in the top 2% of TikTok ads for retention and in the top 6% for conversions.
4. Elements like sound and overlaying text make the ad more interesting
The presence of sound in an ad, be it the voice of a creator or music, is essential to a successful ad.
Ads that featured text overlay were 1.4 times more likely to hook a user than ads that didn’t, while creator ads with music drive a 61% uplift in brand recall and a 177% uplift in purchase intent, according to the study.
Fast-paced content — with uptempo music, quick cuts, and movement — was also more likely to make an impact on viewers, the study found.
5. Having a clear call to action at the end of a video increases the chances users will click through
When a video had a clear written call to action at the end, the user’s purchase intent increased by 205%.
When users clicked through an ad, they were more likely to remember the brand, and become not only engaged viewers, but also paying customers, the researchers found.
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