Video ads by channel / TikTok
Video ads for TikTok.
Sound-led, vertical, product by second three, with the caption written into the script.
The medium
TikTok is the one feed where sound is assumed. In research TikTok commissioned from Kantar, 88 percent of users said sound is essential to the experience and 73 percent said they would stop and look at an ad with audio. The platform's own creative guidance starts from that: use sound or music, orient vertically at 9:16, keep the key content inside the interface safe zone.
The ad sits in the For You feed between organic videos, wearing the same handle, caption and right-hand column of buttons, and it can be swiped away at any moment. TikTok's analysis of its highest click-through ads found that over 63 percent show the key message or product within the first three seconds, and its guidance asks for the hook inside the first six.
Length is open, up to ten minutes on the current spec, but the platform's own recommended band has sat between nine and fifteen seconds and twenty-one to thirty-four. Text is paced at five to ten words a second. Spark Ads promote an existing post, so the caption travels with the film and cannot be edited later, which makes it part of the script rather than an afterthought.
The specs
Quoted from the platforms' own pages. The source and the date each was read are under the table.
| Placement | Ratio | Resolution and file | Length | Sound and captions | Safe zone and rules |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| In-Feed (auction) | 9:16 recommended; 16:9 and 1:1 accepted | 540 x 960 or larger for 9:16; MP4, MOV, MPEG, 3GP or AVI; 500 MB; at least 516 kbps | Up to 10 minutes on the current page; an earlier version recommended 9 to 15 seconds (or 21 to 34) | Sound assumed; ad caption renders in white, fixed font, no links or hashtags | No fixed pixel margins: TikTok publishes downloadable safe-zone overlays (In-Feed, In-Feed with Anchor, Arabic RTL); anything outside may be covered or cropped |
| Spark Ads | No restriction (the organic post is the creative) | No restriction on resolution, file type or size | No duration limit stated | The post's own audio | Caption comes from the post, up to 4 lines with emojis, and cannot be edited; up to 10,000 Spark Ads per account |
| TopView (reservation) | 9:16 | 540 x 960 or higher; 500 MB; bitrate at least 2,500 kbps (third-party figures citing TikTok) | 5 to 60 seconds, 9 to 15 recommended (third-party citing TikTok); about 3 seconds full screen, then in-feed | Sound assumed | Two safe-zone files, the in-feed one stricter; pre-approval and a review of up to 2 days; cannot be changed once live |
| Profile image and name | Square | 98 x 98 pixels, under 50 KB, key element inside 66 x 66 | Display name 20 characters | n/a | Non-Spark ads only |
- TikTok for Business, video ads specifications, read October 27, 2026
- TikTok for Business, Spark Ads, read October 27, 2026
- TikTok for Business, TopView, read October 27, 2026
- TikTok for Business, creative best practices, read October 27, 2026
TikTok's help pages were read through search snippets of the official articles on 2026-10-27 (the pages refuse automated fetches); the TopView numbers come from a third party citing TikTok and are marked as such.
How we build an ad for it
Directed by people, made with AI, finished by hand. You approve the script and the sound before any footage is made.
Sound leads the cut
The track or the voice is chosen before the shots are, and the edit is built on its beats. TikTok's own tip is to make music and sound an essential part of the storytelling and notes that faster tracks tend to drive higher view-through. The sound is approved by you before any footage exists.
The product by second three
Over 63 percent of TikTok's highest click-through ads show the key message or product within three seconds. We open on the thing itself in use, not on a title card, and the hook is complete inside six seconds.
A person, not a logo
TikTok recommends featuring people such as creators, employees or customers, in a style that is not overly polished. We cast and direct a presenter and keep the lighting and framing native to the feed. A generated person is never presented as a real customer, and any synthetic footage is labeled where the platform asks for it.
Composed against the overlay
TikTok does not publish pixel margins; it publishes overlay files. We lay every frame against the In-Feed overlay, keep the right-hand column and the caption area clear, and preview the ad in the in-feed frame, which TopView itself says is the stricter of its two zones.
The caption is in the script
On a Spark Ad the caption is the post's own, up to four lines, and cannot be edited in Ads Manager. On other ads the caption renders in white with no links. So the caption is written with the script and read aloud in the approval, the same as a line of voiceover.
Nine to fifteen first, then a longer take
The platform's own recommended bands are nine to fifteen seconds and twenty-one to thirty-four. We write the short version as a whole idea, and when a product needs demonstration we build the longer take as a second film rather than padding the first.
Films that fit
Finished Filmito films, labeled with what each one is. Hover or tap to play.
What to order
TikTok rewards variety over polish: four different angles a month, each with its own hook, outlast one ad repeated, and a Spark Ad needs a steady flow of posts behind it.
15 seconds. One idea, one hook, one clear ask. First cut in 3 days, 2 revision rounds, 16:9 and 9:16 included.
Launch on the pricing page4 unique ads every month. Different angles, not shorter cuts.
Growth on the pricing pageQuestions about TikTok ads
What are the TikTok video ad specs?
Vertical 9:16 at 540 by 960 pixels or larger, MP4 or MOV among other containers, under 500 MB, bitrate of at least 516 kbps. 16:9 and 1:1 are accepted but sit letterboxed in a vertical feed. We deliver the 9:16 master in every plan.
How long should a TikTok ad be?
The current spec allows up to ten minutes, but TikTok's own recommended bands have been nine to fifteen seconds and twenty-one to thirty-four. We write to the short band first; a longer take is made only when the product needs the time.
Spark Ads or In-Feed: which files do I need?
A Spark Ad promotes a post that already exists on your account or a creator's, so it needs the film posted first, with the caption you want to keep. An In-Feed ad is uploaded directly with its own caption. We deliver the film and the caption text for both routes.
Will a generated presenter pass?
We never present a generated person as a real customer or creator, and synthetic footage is labeled where the platform requires it. Where a Spark Ad needs a real face, we direct a real presenter and use AI for the world around them.
Where is the TikTok safe zone?
TikTok publishes overlay files rather than pixel values: one for In-Feed, one for In-Feed with an anchor, and an Arabic right-to-left version, plus two for TopView. We compose against the In-Feed overlay and send you the frame with it applied.
Can you use music from TikTok's library?
We compose or license a track cleared for commercial use so the ad is not tied to a platform catalog. You hear and approve the sound before any footage is made.
Keep planning
Other screens, the craft behind the films, and the public prices.
Other channels
- Video ads for InstagramReels, Stories and Feed, each composed in its own frame, with the first second doing the work.
- Video ads for YouTubeWritten for the five-second skip, cut as a six, a fifteen and a thirty, and mixed for the television it mostly plays on.
- Every channelThe index and the glossary of format terms.
Craft and proof
Plan your ad
Filmito
Tell us the screen. We build the film.
Six short questions about your brand and where the ad will run. A person replies within one business day with the idea, the price and the date.
Since 2017 · 9,700+ films · 4.8 from 970+ reviews, every one readable