Copywriter at Promodo
Over nearly three years as a copywriter, I’ve written for US and European startups and companies, including SE Ranking. I enjoy working with words—finding the right phrasing, organizing ideas, and turning them into clear and useful content that shows real value and helps businesses grow.
A TikTok ad can do very different jobs: drive a purchase, showcase your product range, or get your brand in front of a new audience. And now you’re trying to choose the format that fits what you’re trying to achieve.
With PPC expert Anastasiia Yakuba, we’ll break down the main TikTok ad formats, what each one is best for, and what to consider before launching a campaign.
In-Feed Ads are the basic and most popular format in TikTok advertising. These are short video creatives that appear in the user’s feed.
You can launch these videos directly from a profile feed (Spark Ads). In this case, the ad uses an organic video along with all its existing features, likes, comments, shares, and more.
You can also upload your own creative directly to the Ads Manager (non-Spark Ads). This type of ad is not linked to an organic post. It exists only as a paid ad and does not appear on the profile.
Spark Ads and non-Spark Ads can be equally effective. Spark Ads have one additional advantage: they help build an audience and engagement on the page. Everything else depends more on the creative itself.
- Anastasiia Yakuba, PPC team lead at Promodo
If you’re not sure where to start, define your PPC strategy first, then choose the campaign format.
Top View is a video that users see when they first open TikTok. It starts as a full-screen video and becomes a regular video in the feed after three seconds, so viewers can like, comment, share it, visit the page, and more.
According to statistics, TikTok users remember brands shown through TopView 1.5 times more often than brands shown through any other type of advertising. 70% of people are more likely to share content from brands they discovered through TopView, while 68% are significantly more likely to click on this type of ad than on other ones.
This format effectively attracts viewers and drives high engagement and reactions. For example, the Promodo team has already launched Top View for its client. As a result, the company received four times more impressions, almost twice the view rate, and 1.4 times more reach than with awareness campaigns.
Another advantage of Top View is that you show your brand to users immediately, at the best possible moment.
This format combines a video creative with an additional product card that links directly to the website.
Users can go straight to the product page, so they don’t need to look for a link or visit the profile.
This format works best for eCommerce, including clothing, cosmetics, gadgets, and home goods. It’s a good option when a product can be shown quickly in a video, and the user can make an impulse purchase.
It also works well for stores with a large assortment. If a catalog is connected, TikTok pulls products into the cards that are more relevant to each specific user.
Advantages:
Things to consider:
A carousel is a collection of up to 35 images shown as an ad while users browse their TikTok feed. Users can scroll through product images and convert. It’s a good alternative to video ads if you don’t have video creatives or want to repurpose creatives from other platforms.
Advantages:
Carousels work especially well for eCommerce when you need to showcase an assortment, such as different models, colors, or products from the same category. They are also useful for promotions or curated selections, such as “Top 10 Products,” “Holiday Gifts,” and similar scenarios.
Another convenient alternative to video ads, this format allows you to show up to 35 products in a scrollable format within a single ad. The ad is powered by a product feed.
What’s the difference between a catalog and a carousel? Visually, they look the same, but carousel banners are added manually, while a catalog pulls product cards from the feed.
It can deliver a higher CTR because the selection includes products that are relevant to the user. The user clicks and goes directly to the product page, bringing them closer to making a purchase.
Since the ad is based on a configured feed and the system selects which products to show, this format is useful for stores with large assortments and dynamic inventory or pricing.
Although TikTok is a video platform, other formats can work well here too. Catalog ads, in particular, can deliver better.
- Anastasiia Yakuba, PPC Team Lead at Promodo
Since TikTok automatically selects products based on user signals, giving it more purchase data can help refine that optimization. Promodo tested this with its home appliances and electronics client when TikTok introduced GA4 integration in beta. We added GA4 purchase data alongside TikTok Pixel data to the client’s Catalog Ads campaigns. ROAS increased from 1,754% to 2,382%, even though the campaign was already performing well.
Promodo’s partnership with TikTok lets clients test new features early, so they can act on promising capabilities before they become widely available.
It’s a static or animated banner that appears in the feed. It usually features a clear offer — a price, discount, or specific deal designed to grab attention right away.
Users see the benefit immediately and can purchase without extra steps, so banners work well for promotions, limited-time offers, and quick sales with a clear offer.
That’s why a strong hook matters: it grabs the audience’s attention and drives results. The entire creative should be well thought out, with a clean visual, clear messaging, and a clear offer.
This format also does little for engagement: likes, comments, and views are usually lower than with regular video or Spark Ads. It’s not a good fit for complex products or niches where you need to build interest and trust first.
Here, users see the creative in their feed and can immediately browse a selection of products and go straight to product cards to purchase.
This format works well for eCommerce stores with a wide assortment. You don’t have to limit the ad to one product — you can give users a choice right away, which increases the chances of conversion.
The main thing to consider is the technical setup. You need a properly configured catalog and tracking for the format to work correctly. Product relevance is also important: if the selection doesn’t match the user’s interests, performance will decline.
Like a regular banner, this format is designed for quick clicks and purchases rather than content engagement or brand awareness.
TikTok offers a range of ad formats, and each of them can be equally effective. The key is to create a high-quality and well-thought-out ad.
To avoid wasting your budget on random tests, it’s better to rely on proven approaches and experience from the start. If you want to figure this out faster and avoid unnecessary mistakes, Promodo specialists can help. We’ll recommend which formats to use in your specific case and how to work with them.
Copywriter at Promodo
Over nearly three years as a copywriter, I’ve written for US and European startups and companies, including SE Ranking. I enjoy working with words—finding the right phrasing, organizing ideas, and turning them into clear and useful content that shows real value and helps businesses grow.
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