Platform features
Spark ads: definition and examples
What is Spark ads?
Spark Ads is a TikTok ad format that lets advertisers promote an existing organic post as paid media, so all engagement on the ad, including likes, comments, shares, and follows, accumulates on the original post. Advertisers can boost their own content or, with permission, boost a creator's post, which makes the ad appear as a native video in users' feeds.
When you'd use it
- 1When an organic TikTok post is already performing well and paid budget can amplify its reach.
- 2When a creator has posted content about a brand and has authorized the brand to boost it as an ad.
- 3When the campaign goal is to grow the brand's TikTok account, since likes and follows on the boosted post accumulate on the original.
- 4When a brand wants paid content to look native in the feed.
Example
A skincare brand identified a creator's unsponsored review of their product that had already earned 50,000 organic views. They licensed it via Spark Ads, ran $5,000 in paid promotion, and the combined post reached 2.1 million views while the creator's account gained 12,000 followers.
Use cases
- 1Boosting a creator's review of a product as a Spark Ad so the ad retains the creator's handle and engagement counts.
- 2Amplifying an organic post that already has strong comments and shares to extend its delivery to a targeted audience.
- 3Running a Spark Ad on a high-performing organic video to grow the brand's follower count alongside paid reach.
FAQ
How are Spark Ads different from standard TikTok in-feed ads?
Standard in-feed ads create a separate ad post, so engagement stays on the ad and disappears when the campaign ends. Spark Ads boost an existing organic post, keeping all engagement on the original and allowing viewers to visit the creator's or brand's profile from the ad.
Make on-brand short-form video from the footage you already have.