How to create Smart+ Catalog Ads for App prospecting

Last updated: September 2025

App prospecting is an automatic targeting setting for Smart+ Catalog Ads that helps you reach potential new customers who haven't interacted with your app or business before. When you choose the Prospect setting for Smart+ Catalog ads, your campaign will use real-time data and machine learning to find your ideal audience and deliver personalized creatives to achieve your campaign goals. You can create a Smart+ Catalog Ads campaign using the sales objective and the app sales destination in TikTok Ads Manager.

Before you begin

  • Create a catalog with products. You will need at least 4 products in your catalog that are in stock, approved, and activated.

  • Create single videos or carousels with images or videos from your product catalog.

  • You'll need at least one app available for Android or iOS.

  • Define the app signal strategy: Mobile Measurement Partner (MMP) or eAPI. Learn more about MMP App Integration before launching Smart+ Catalog App campaigns

  • Ensure you've applied the correct MMP or eAPI settings for iOS or Android. Learn more about MMP tracking. For a Smart+ campaign for app prospecting:

    • Enable passback primary app funnel metrics, including View content, Add to cart and Purchase.

    • Set up attribution with your MMP. Learn more about app attribution.

    • If you're promoting an iOS app, make sure Advanced Dedicated Campaign (ADC) is active

  • Enable all MMP channel data postback. Learn more about TikTok For Business cost integration with MMPs.

  • Configure the Launch App event.

  • Enable re-engagement attribution like Branch and Kochava.


How to create Smart+ Catalog app ads for App Prospecting

To create Smart+ Catalog App Ads:

  1. Log in to TikTok Ads Manager.

  2. Click Campaign at the top of your dashboard.

  3. Click +Create.

  4. Select Sales.

  5. Choose App as your campaign objective.

  6. Choose Smart+ campaign as your campaign type.

  7. Complete your campaign settings and click Continue.

  8. In the Product source details section, choose the catalog you want to use or create a new one.

  9. Choose which products you want to include in your campaign. You can choose:

    • All products: Allow TikTok to dynamically choose from all available products in your catalog.

    • Product set: Your ad will dynamically feature products from the product set you chose.

    • Specific products: Choose up to 20 products from your catalog.

  10. In the Optimization and bidding section, click the App dropdown to choose your Android or iOS app.

  11. In the Goal section, choose the action you want to optimize your ad for:

    • Value: Show your ads to people who are more likely to make a purchase. Choosing this goal will spend your full budget in order to attempt to maximize purchase value.

    • Install: Show your ads to people who are most likely to install your app. Set a target cost per acquisition (CPA) for your campaign.

    • In-app event: Show ads to people who are likely to take a specific action in your app, like Registration or Add to wishlist. Learn more about app event optimization.

  12. In the Audience targeting section, click Prospect.

  13. Complete the rest of your ad group settings and click Continue.

  14. In the Ads generation section, choose the videos you want to use for your ads. Note: A Catalog carousel will be automatically generated using images from your product details in addition to the videos you choose.

    • Turn on use TikTok account to deliver Spark Ads to use posts from a connected TikTok account.

    • Click +Add videos to choose videos from your library to feature in your ad.

    • Click +Create new videos to create, edit and upload new videos.

  15. Dynamic add-ons will be automatically selected to help you to optimize your ad performance for Catalog video or Single video formats. Learn more about interactive add-ons for Catalog Ads.

  16. Add a deeplink for the app that you want people to visit from your ads. Learn more about deeplinks.

  17. In the Tracking section, click Edit to add any third-party tracking settings you've set up for your app.

  18. Complete the rest of your campaign settings. When you're finished, click Publish.


Your Smart+ Catalog ads and the products in your Catalog will be submitted for review. When your ads are approved, your campaign will begin to optimize according to the goals you chose. You can edit your ads any time in the Campaign tab in TikTok Ads Manager.