Spark Ads use the creator’s post with an authorisation code
The creator generates a code in their own account and grants you ad usage for a set period, commonly 7 to 365 days. You then run the post from your ad account with full targeting, optimisation and reporting behind it.
Engagement lands on the original post, so social proof compounds. A video that has already earned tens of thousands of organic views and hundreds of comments carries credibility a fresh in-feed ad cannot buy. Agree paid usage rights up front, because retro-fitting them always costs more.
The Promote button is for reach, and little else
TikTok’s Promote tool optimises for views, profile visits or website clicks. It cannot optimise for complete payment, it cannot use your product catalogue and it reports in its own interface. Treat it as a way to push a piece of content, and nothing more.
If a video is genuinely taking off organically, the auction is already giving it cheap distribution. Money works harder behind proven content run through Ads Manager, where you keep the pixel signal and the audience data.
A budget split that works
Start with 70% of TikTok budget on creator-led Spark Ads and 30% on brand-produced ads and product-feed formats. Refresh the creator pool monthly. Three to five active creators gives enough variety to hold frequency down without breaking the workflow.
TikTok ad group budgets start around £20 a day and campaign minimums sit higher, so a serious test needs £600 to £1,000 a month per concept group. Below that the ad groups sit in learning and the reads are unreliable.