--- title: "What are TikTok Spark Ads and how do stores use them?" author: "Performetic Ekibi" url: "https://www.performetic.com/en/blog/what-are-tiktok-spark-ads" published: "2026-04-01T08:00:00.000Z" updated: "2026-10-05T02:41:47.780Z" --- # What are TikTok Spark Ads and how do stores use them? > TikTok Spark Ads let you run organic TikTok posts, from your own account or from creators who authorize you, as ads. Likes, comments, shares and follows earned during the promotion stay on the original post. Ecommerce brands mainly use them to scale creator videos, using authorization codes that last 7, 30, 60 or 365 days. ## What are TikTok Spark Ads? TikTok Spark Ads are a native ad format that lets you promote organic TikTok posts as ads. The post can come from your brand account or from a creator who authorizes you. Views, likes, comments, shares and follows gained during the promotion are credited to the original post and account, and the ad looks like any other TikTok video in the feed. We covered whether TikTok ads work for ecommerce in general in [a separate guide](/en/blog/do-tiktok-ads-work-for-ecommerce). This article focuses only on Spark Ads: when to use them, how authorization works and how to read the results. ## How are Spark Ads different from regular TikTok ads? With a regular (non-Spark) ad, you upload a video to Ads Manager and engagement does not build up on an organic post. Spark Ads use a real post instead. According to TikTok's help center, the key differences are: | Feature | Spark Ads | Non-Spark ads | |---|---|---| | Source | Existing organic post | Video uploaded to Ads Manager | | Engagement | Credited to the original post and account | Not added to an organic post | | Tapping profile photo or name | Opens the video owner's profile | Opens the landing page | | Following | Users can follow via the "+" on the profile photo | Following is not part of the flow | | Ad text | The post caption, not editable in Ads Manager | Written in Ads Manager | For an online store this means Spark Ads turn part of your media spend into a lasting asset: a post that keeps its followers, comments and social proof. The trade-off is less control over the ad copy. ## What do ecommerce brands use Spark Ads for? Spark Ads shine in three situations: - **Scaling creator videos.** If a creator's video about your product is doing well organically, you can put your own budget behind it. Because it runs under the creator's identity, it feels native. - **Boosting your own best organic posts.** A video that already performs organically is a strong ad candidate. - **Building social proof.** Comments and likes from paid reach stay on the post, so new viewers see the product through other people's reactions. They are a weaker fit when you need to change the copy often, test many variations of a discount message, or when the video is plainly built as an ad rather than an organic post. In those cases non-Spark ads give you more flexibility. ## Where does Spark Ads content come from? TikTok requires you to pick a TikTok account as the identity for each Spark Ad. You can source authorized content in three ways: 1. **Linked accounts.** Link your brand account, or a creator account authorized through Business Center, and pick posts directly. 2. **Video codes.** A creator generates an authorization code for a single post and sends it to you. 3. **Push from Ads Manager.** You push creative from Ads Manager to a TikTok account authorized through Business Center. ## How do you get an authorization code from a creator? Video codes are the most common method in ecommerce. The flow TikTok describes is: 1. The creator makes sure ad authorization is allowed in their profile settings. 2. In the TikTok app, they open the video, tap the three dots and then ad settings. 3. They agree to the advertising content terms and turn on ad authorization. 4. They choose an authorization period: 7, 30, 60 or 365 days. 5. They copy the code and send it to the brand. 6. The brand opens the Creative library under Tools in Ads Manager, goes to Spark Ads posts and applies for authorization with the code. A few practical details matter. TikTok lets you batch authorize up to 20 video codes at a time. Duets and Stitches that feature two creators need codes from both. Match the authorization period to your plan: 30 days may cover a sale period, while an evergreen winning video needs a longer window. ## What should you check before launching Spark Ads? TikTok's help pages list several rules worth knowing in advance: - **Captions are locked.** Once a post is authorized as an ad, its caption cannot be edited. Make sure it is final. - **Private videos go public.** In manual campaigns a private video becomes public once it is used, and its privacy status cannot change during the promotion. - **Remove authorization before deleting.** A video cannot be deleted from the organic account until it is un-authorized as a Spark Ad. - **10 minute maximum.** Organic videos have no ratio, resolution or file size limits, but the maximum length is 10 minutes. - **Account capacity.** Each Ads Manager account supports up to 10,000 Spark Ads. - **Eligible objectives.** In the auction buying type, Reach, Traffic, Video views, Community interaction, App promotion, Lead generation and Sales support Spark Ads. In Smart+ campaigns you can combine Spark and non-Spark ads in the same ad group, which makes it easy to test a creator video against a brand-made video for the same product. ## How do you measure Spark Ads results? For Spark Ads, "paid clicks" only count clicks on the call-to-action button and the ad caption. For non-Spark ads, clicks on the profile photo, nickname and swipe left are included too. Comparing click-through rates across the two formats can therefore mislead you. Paid likes, shares, comments and followers count engagement within 1 day of someone seeing the paid ad. These show how social proof builds up, but they do not replace sales measurement. The real ecommerce question is how Spark Ads perform on cost per purchase and new customer acquisition. That requires a working TikTok Pixel and Events API setup. Example: a skincare brand collects 30-day codes from three creators for the same product and tests them in one ad group alongside its own studio video. After two weeks it keeps the two videos with the lowest cost per purchase, renegotiates a 365-day authorization with the best creator and pauses the rest. ## Do creator ads need disclosure? Yes. When you run a creator's post as an ad, it is commercial content, and disclosure rules for paid creator content vary by country. In Turkey, for example, amendments to the commercial advertising regulation that took effect on 1 August 2026 require influencers who receive a benefit to use the words "reklam" (advertisement) or "tanıtım" (promotion) in such posts, according to the Ministry of Trade. Because Spark Ads captions cannot be edited after authorization, the disclosure has to be in the caption before the code is shared. Put this requirement in your creator agreement. To connect creator work to revenue, see our guide on [how to measure influencer marketing](/en/blog/how-to-measure-influencer-marketing). ## Key takeaways - Spark Ads run organic TikTok posts as ads, and engagement stays on the original post. - Creators issue codes for 7, 30, 60 or 365 days, and you can batch authorize up to 20 codes. - Captions cannot be edited after authorization, so finalize copy and disclosure first. - Spark and non-Spark ads define paid clicks differently; compare them on cost per purchase. - Label creator ads clearly and follow local disclosure rules in every market you sell to. If you want a testing plan for scaling creator videos with Spark Ads profitably, you can book a [free growth analysis](/en/contact) with the Performetic team. ## FAQ ### What is the difference between Spark Ads and regular TikTok ads? Spark Ads use an existing organic post, and likes, comments, shares and follows from the promotion are credited to that original post. Regular ads use a video uploaded to Ads Manager, so engagement does not build up on an organic post. In Spark Ads, tapping the profile photo opens the creator's profile. ### How do I get a Spark Ads code from a creator? The creator opens the video in the TikTok app, taps the three dots, goes to ad settings, accepts the advertising terms and turns on ad authorization. They choose a 7, 30, 60 or 365 day period, generate the code and send it to you. You then add it in Ads Manager's Creative library. ### Can I edit a Spark Ad caption? No. TikTok states that once a post is authorized as an ad, its caption cannot be edited, and the ad's display name and text come from the organic post. Add any discount code or disclosure to the caption before the post goes live and before the authorization code is shared. ### Which objectives support Spark Ads? According to TikTok's help center, in the auction buying type Spark Ads support Reach, Traffic, Video views, Community interaction, App promotion, Lead generation and Sales. In the Reach and Frequency buying type they support Reach, Traffic and Video views. ## Sources - [About Spark Ads (TikTok Business Help Center)](https://ads.tiktok.com/help/article/spark-ads) - [How to create Spark Ads for Manual and Search Campaigns in TikTok Ads Manager](https://ads.tiktok.com/help/article/spark-ads-creation-guide) - [How to create Spark Ads for Smart+ Campaigns in TikTok Ads Manager](https://ads.tiktok.com/help/article/how-to-create-spark-ads-for-smart-campaigns-on-tiktok-ads-manager) - [Amendments to the Commercial Advertising Regulation (Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Trade, in Turkish)](https://ticaret.gov.tr/haberler/ticaret-bakanligi-tarafindan-ticari-reklam-ve-haksiz-ticari-uygulamalar-yonetmeliginde-yapilan-degisikliklerle-tuketicilerin-aldatici-reklam-ve-ticari-uygulamalara-karsi-korunmasi-guclendiriliyor)