TikTok Spark Ads

Spark Ads are a TikTok ad format that lets you put paid spend behind a real post that already exists on TikTok. The ad keeps the original account name, caption, sound and engagement, and likes, comments and follows from the ad count toward that post and account.

You can boost posts from your own brand account, or from a creator's account if they give you permission. Creators typically do this by generating an authorization code in their TikTok settings and sharing it, and you choose how long the authorization lasts. Check TikTok's Ads Manager help center for the current steps, since the flow changes from time to time.

A skincare brand works with a UGC creator who posts an honest routine video on her own account. It does well organically. The brand asks for an authorization code and runs that post as a Spark Ad to a wider audience. Viewers see her handle and her comments, not a brand ad, which often feels more trustworthy.

The same works with a brand's own account. If a slideshow or reaction video on your page clearly outperforms your other posts, boosting that exact post lets the ad keep the comments and likes it has already earned, instead of starting from zero as a fresh ad.

Spark Ads blur the line between organic and paid. You can let organic posting act as a testing ground, then put budget behind the posts that already earn attention. That loop works best when you post often and in volume, so there are more candidates to pick from.

Our UGC ads guide covers how to brief creators for this, and the UGC brief template includes a line for Spark Ad permissions.

• Not agreeing on usage and duration with creators up front.
• Boosting a post because you like it, not because its numbers stood out.
• Running one Spark Ad until creative fatigue sets in, with nothing ready to replace it.
• Forgetting to disclose paid partnerships where required.