Hello. A guide on TikTok ads

I scaled my B2C app from $0 to $5000 in 41 days with TikTok ads.

This article breaks down how to setup your TikTok ads step-by-step. I will be transparent about the pros and cons of this approach.

IMPORTANT

You won't get rich quick. Ad spend is expensive. My profit margin was 40%. This is the harsh reality of running ads. Anyone claiming otherwise is generally a fraud.

Ads require work. New ad variants are needed every 3-7 days, even if you find a winning format.

You will blow your first 500$ if this is your first time running ads.

Having said that, I love the stability of TikTok ads. It's extremely predictable in returns and scalability. This is something I could not find in Organic, UGC, influencer marketing etc. ✅

1: MMP

DO NOT MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE AS ME BY SKIPPING THIS STEP.

Use a mobile measurement partner.

Ads rely on purchase signals to find the right audience.

An MMP helps TikTok get these signals.

I use Appsflyer, but use any MMP you want.

I'm not affiliated with them.

Click this link to see an Appsflyer setup guide.

I lost my first 1000$ by not using an MMP. Do not make the same mistake.

2: CAMPAIGN SETUP

Use 1 campaign, with 1 ad group.

Create your campaign with the following settings:

3: CREATING YOUR ADS

You should create at least 6 ads.

They could look like this:

Format A

Format A, small variation

Format B

Format B, small variation

Format C

Format C, small variation

Here are two of my own winning ads:

Format 1: Story + visual transformation

Format 2: Looksmaxxing Before vs After

You can find ad formats by scrolling on TikTok.

Just copy what others are doing and give it your own twist.

How to create ads?

The cheapest ways are either creating your ads with AI or hiring a US college student.

I use Pixverse Faceswap and Motion. I am not affiliated with them.

4: FINALIZE YOUR CAMPAIGN

Post these 6 videos on a random TikTok account.

Get their Spark Ads Code in the post's ad settings

Add them to the campaign you just created.

Publish the campaign!

5: COMMENT SEED

This doubled my conversion rate.

After publishing your campaign, comment seed every video like this with 5 alt accounts:

Yes, it's a bit sketchy and I'm not proud of it, but every major marketing agency (Noise, Playkit etc) does this. Until TikTok becomes more strict with this, you should just do this or you will get left behind.

6: REVIEW & REPEAT

You only need 2 days.

The primary indicators you will be looking at are Conversions and Cost per Conversion. Clicks and clickthrough rate are secondary.

WINNING SIGNS:

MOST IMPORTANT: CPA < LTV, for me that's about $20

SECONDARY: CTR should be around 1%, but dont stress it if it's lower. As long as CPA is good, this does not really matter.

Now you have two scenarios:

>YES! My ads are working

Great. Increase ad spend by 20% each day until your returns drop.

>Fuck, my ads flopped

If you have no results after 2 days/100$ ad spend, stop the ads.

FAILURE ANALYSIS

Here are some scenarios:

Low views + Low CTR -> your ads suck in general. Create completely different ads.

High views + Low CTR -> your CTA is too weak. Strengthen your CTA

High views + High CTR + Low downloads -> your ad is low intent. People click out of curiousity, not because they actually want to download your app. This often happens when the ad is viral, but does not properly show your app's use case.

High views + High CTR + High downloads + low conversion -> your ads are not the issue, your onboarding is bad.

BONUS

Most people do not know these tips:

Enable comment filtering in TikTok settings. Filter keywords like "AI" "Scam" and "Money" and any keywords out that might sabotage your conversion rate. This way, you don't have to delete comments manually.

Create alt accounts to comment on your own ads praising the app. Unethical, but unfortunately necessary.

Use Faceswap / Motion AI tools to create easy ads for cheap.

Kill losers quickly. Ad spend > 2x Target CPA and no conversions = INSTA kill

Do not check your TikTok dashboard every 5 seconds

I hope this was useful to you.

This information would have saved me a lot of time, energy and money.

If you have any questions, DM me!

I'll share everything I know.

Links

• x.com/athcanft/status/2039865290591482314