TikTok Ads Structure
Last updated, April 2023

Ads run on TikTok Ads Manager are structured into 3 parts: "Campaigns", "Ad Groups", and "Ads". Understanding how your campaigns are structured will help you better set up target audiences, allocate your budget and design creative. This will allow you to expand your ad reach, improve your ad performance and ultimately achieve your campaign goals.


Below we will go through how these three work together to create a successful advertising campaign.


About the Campaign Level

The first step to running ads on TikTok Ads Manager is to create a "Campaign". This means you need to also determine your campaign objectives (or goals), which are the final results you want your ads to achieve. Here are the basic steps for setting up your campaign:


  1. ​Select the campaign objective

  2. ​Set the budget for the campaign

  3. ​Start creating an ad group


You can choose from various objectives like getting more people to install your app (App Install) or driving more people to your site (Traffic). At the campaign level, you will also set your campaign budget, either daily, lifetime, or no limit.


Please refer to Create a Campaign for more details.


Within each campaign, you will have multiple ad groups, which will enable you to optimize your ads and measure performance. Let's take a look at that next.


About the Ad Group Level

You can set specific ad placements, audiences, target audiences, campaign budgets, schedule, optimization goals, and bids for each ad group at the ad group level. Here are the basic steps for setting up your ad group:


  1. ​Choose placements

  2. ​Set your target audience

  3. ​Set up a campaign budget and schedule

  4. ​Set optimization goals and bidding method

  5. ​Start creating ads


The ad group level is a lot of the action takes place in this process, and is super critical for determining how your ads will run.

Please refer to Create an Ad Group for more details.


Within each ad group, there can be a single ad or multiple ads, which enables you to compare the delivery of different ads and optimize them based on their performance. Let's review the last part of the TikTok Ads Structure.


About the Ad Level

Ads are the content that you ultimately present to the target audience and what they will see on their mobile apps. Here are the basic steps for setting up your ad group:


  1. ​Name Your Ads

  2. ​Select Ad Format

  3. ​Enter Ad Details

  • ​Upload your media/creative

  • ​Set your display name and profile image

  • ​Add text, including copy and call-to-action buttons

  1. ​Add Tracking


Please refer to Create an Ad for more details.


This is the last part of the TikTok Ads structure. Now that you have a general idea of how setting up a campaign looks like, you are ready to start creating and optimizing your ads.


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