This blog is part of a series highlighting influencer whitelisting and partnership ads across Meta Platforms and TikTok.

Be sure to check out the other posts:

• What is the Difference Between Whitelisting and Partnership Ads?
• How to Set up Whitelisting Ads on Meta
• How to Set up Partnership Ads on Meta
• How to Set up Collaboration Posts on Instagram

Partnership ads on TikTok are called Spark Ads and allow brands to “boost,” “whitelist” or “spark” content that has already been published organically on TikTok. 

Creators and influencers can grant brands content-level access, allowing them to boost their post via an ad code. With this access, brands can use their own ad budget to target specific audiences, add a clickable CTA button, and drive traffic to a landing page, just as they would with any other ad format.

Spark Ads have proven to be an effective paid strategy. Granting boosting access is often included as an add-on to influencer partnerships, allowing brands to get the most out of creator content. TikTok reports that Sparks ads generate a 142% higher engagement rate, a 43% increase in conversion rate, and a 4% lower CPM than a brand’s non-Spark ads. Spark ads provide a native ad format that looks and feels like regular organic content, but with the reach and scale of a paid campaign. Viewers can directly engage with the ad as they would an organic post, by liking, commenting, and sharing the post, as well as creating Duets or stitching the content.

Once content is boosted, paid views are added to the original post’s total view count, which can positively influence how the content continues to perform in the algorithm. All engagement generated through the ad, such as likes, comments and shares, is attributed directly to the original organic post on the creator’s profile.

Key Benefits of Spark Ads on TikTok

Leverage Authenticity and Social Proof

By boosting organically posted creator content, brands can amplify the authenticity and trust that user-generated content (UGC) naturally delivers. As UGC is often perceived as more genuine and relatable than polished brand ads, Sparks ads provide brands with a boostable access to valuable social proof. Incorporating these into paid campaigns can lead to increased brand credibility, ad engagement, and overall campaign effectiveness.

Extended Content Life and Reach

Organic posts on TikTok usually receive the majority of their engagement within the first 48 hours, but boosting a creator’s post through Spark Ads can allow brands to extend its lifespan and maximize performance. This strategy can help the content continue delivering value well beyond the initial organic window while expanding its reach to a larger, highly targeted audience. This also allows brands to fully leverage their influencer investment, boosting both engagement and overall campaign impact.

Efficient Setup and Enhanced Features

Spark Ads provides brands with access to pre-existing creator content, eliminating the need for brands to produce new ads and creative solely in-house. The setup process is quick and simple for both brands and creators, making Spark Ads an easy and efficient strategy to implement. They also allow viewers to engage with TikTok-native features like Duets, Stitch, and interactive stickers, while offering seamless integration with TikTok Shop and advanced targeting capabilities. Spark Ads provide a highly effective paid media opportunity.

How to set up Influencer Partnership Ads on TikTok

Creators can provide brands with a video access code to use their organic content in a paid campaign. This unique code grants brands access to a single piece of content, and creators specify the duration that the post can be used in advertising, which can range from seven to 365 days. The access time limit can be edited and changed as needed from the creator side.

Brands can only boost the content as is; they cannot edit the influencer’s captions or videos, but they have the option to add a custom CTA and link to a landing page.

Generating an ad code and boosting the post is a relatively simple setup for both the creator and the brand. Let’s take a look at the steps required on both sides. 

For brands to access the Spark Ads feature, the brand account must be able to run ads and have access to the TikTok Ads Manager. This means the brand must have a TikTok Ads account and a Business account. Once the brand has access to both a TikTok Ads Manager and a Business account, they must link them within the Ads Manager to create Spark Ads.

Once a brand has access to create Spark Ads, it must enter the ad authorization code provided by the creator. 

Step 1 (Creator): Enable ad authorization and generate the post’s authorization code

Creators can authorize a brand’s account to use their post by providing the brand with a unique code to access a specific, single video.

1. On the Post screen, tap Content disclosure and ads, or if the post has already been published, tap the three dots next to the post and scroll to Ad Settings.
2. In the Content disclosure and ads screen, toggle on Disclosure post content
3. From this screen, toggle on Ad authorization.
4. Once ad authorization is toggled on, select the period to allow (7-365 days) and tap Authorize.
5. Tap Generate to create a video code to share with the brand for promotion through Spark Ads. Copy the code and share it with the brand. 
6. Tap Save

This generated code will be made up of a long list of numbers, letters, and special characters. 

Step 2 (Brand): Create Spark Ads in TikTok’s Ads Manager

Brands first must select the identity for creating Spark Ads. There are two identities to choose from: 

• Identity Type 1: If your TikTok Business account is linked to Ads Manager and you’re using your own posts or publishing through your business account, select Identity Type 1
• Identity Type 2: If the brand is using Business Center authorized accounts or creator video codes, select Identity Type 2.

To boost creator content via Spark Ads, select Identity Type 2 and use the process, referred to as pulling content. 

There are different creation flows for creating Spark Ads under Manual, Search, and Smart+ Campaigns.

How to create Spark Ads for Manual and Search Campaigns on TikTok Ads Manager:

1. Select an Advertising Objective
2. Complete Campaign and Ad Group settings.
3. Go to the Ad details section.
4. Choose the creatives you wish to Pull as Spark Ads by clicking Add videos or images to open the creative selection drawer, which includes TikTok posts.
5. Choose the TikTok posts tab, and select the designated post you need to use in Spark Ads.
6. The TikTok posts tab includes all posts coming from:
   1. Linked business accounts
   2. TikTok accounts authorized via Business Center
   3. TikTok posts authorized via video codes

Note: Click Add post in the top right corner to authorize new posts as Spark Ads. You can batch authorize up to 20 video codes at a time. There is an authorization period for you to review beneath each post.

How to create Spark Ads for Smart+ Campaigns on TikTok Ads Manager:

1. Select an Advertising Objective. You must select the App Promotion or Lead Generation objectives.
2. Complete Campaign and Ad Group settings.
3. Choose the creatives you wish to pull as Spark Ads and click Add videos or images to open the creative selection drawer, which will include your TikTok posts and library.
4. Choose the TikTok Post tab, and select the designated post you want to use in Spark Ads.
5. Click Add Post in the top right corner to authorize new posts as Spark Ads. Note: You can batch authorize up to 20 Video codes at a time. Additionally, there will be an authorization period for you to review beneath each post.
6. After you select the video, click Confirm.
7. Complete the rest of the ad settings.
8. Click Submit to publish your Spark Ad.

Sparks Ads on TikTok is a powerful strategy for brands to amplify existing creator partnerships and organic content using paid ad campaigns. By combining authentic, engaging posts with the precise targeting of paid advertising, brands maximize the typical value of their creator/influencer partnerships. 

WRITTEN BY

Amanda Perry

Amanda is the Influencer Marketing Specialist at Reshift Media, where she strategizes and manages influencer marketing campaigns for various brands. She has worked in the influencer industry for the last 5 years, planning and executing influencer campaigns across many industries and brands.