8 steps to keep campaigns running while you're not

The holiday season brings a swirl of major sales moments and holidays, giving brands limitless opportunities to connect with consumers as they browse, discover, and shop on TikTok. And while many assume that activity slows as the holidays approach, the reality is that consumer engagement and purchase intent remain high throughout the entire season, especially on TikTok.

In fact, 69% of consumers expect to spend most of their time on TikTok over the holidays compared to other platforms¹, making it a powerful place to stay top-of-mind. And the momentum doesn't stop once the festivities wrap: 79% of TikTok users say they’re likely to keep shopping post-Christmas², extending the window for brands to drive impact well into the new year.

And while your team winds down for a well-earned break, your campaigns still need to stay sharp. That’s where TikTok’s built-in automation helps lighten the load – keeping your ads running smoothly, maximising performance, and making sure your creative stays fresh without the constant manual upkeep. Think of it as a way to protect your time and your results during the busiest season of the year. Want your campaigns to keep performing even after you hit 'out of office'? This checklist is all you need.

Get your account ready for the holidays

1. Check your Data Connections

Confirm your data setup is optimised with full-funnel event tracking, strong parameters and Advanced Matching in place. Your TikTok representative can verify your setup status.

2. Top up your balance and upload creative

Ensure you have enough budget based on estimated daily spend. Upload creatives in advance – ad review typically takes around 24 hours, so don't leave this to the last minute.

3. Follow Smart+ campaign best practices

Set yourself up for success with our AI-powered automation solution Smart+. For best campaign performance, ensure you:

• Add at least 6 creative assets and let Smart+ handle optimisation

• Run campaigns for a minimum of 7 days

• Set budgets at 10x your historical cost per action for comparable objectives

Read the Smart+ playbook for in-depth guidance on best practices.

4. Set up your catalog

Use Catalog or Catalog Carousel to automatically serve personalised product recommendations. If you haven't built yours yet, here's how to create one.

Let automation do the heavy lifting

1. Enable Automatic Campaign Budget

This allows the system to redistribute budget toward what's working in real time. One requirement: ad groups need to share the same optimisation location, goal, event, and target CPA. If that's not feasible, stick with ad group budgets. More on budget strategy here.

2. Use Cost Cap and tROAS bidding

For tighter control over efficiency, these bidding strategies keep your campaigns anchored to specific ROAS or CPA targets. Learn more here.

3. Set up Automated Rules

Automate performance-based actions like pausing, bidding, or notifications without manual checks. Let the system respond to performance in real time. Follow these best practices for optimal results.

4. Turn on Creative Automation

Symphony tools within Smart+ can refresh and enhance your creative supply with minimal input. Useful when you can't be hands-on. Learn more about Recommended Creatives and Automatic Enhancements.

TikTok Automation: the gift that keeps on giving

And that's it! By following this checklist, you'll be able to get the most out of your campaigns during the holiday period, so you can sit back, relax and leave the rest to the platform.

Don't forget to check out our automation playbook for tailored best practices. Happy holidays!