TikTok Ad Formats and Creative Requirements in 2026

In 2026, TikTok Ads Manager lets you launch four types of ads on your own: standard In-Feed Ads, Spark Ads (promoting posts that are already published), image carousels and search ads. TopView, Branded Mission with a branded hashtag, and Branded Effects are sold through a TikTok manager. Branded Hashtag Challenge is no longer sold as a separate format: the old help page now opens the Branded Mission description, and the hashtag is only an add-on to it. The basic video requirements for the feed are: vertical 9:16, at least 540×960 pixels, a file up to 500 MB, and a length up to 10 minutes. There is a caveat for creators from Russia: since 2022 TikTok has restricted publishing new content and streaming from Russia, and according to media reports the ad account does not work for Russian accounts.

Which ad formats TikTok has

It is handy to split the formats by how they are bought. At auction in Ads Manager you launch In-Feed, Spark Ads, carousels and search yourself; the minimum is a daily campaign budget above $50 and ad groups above $20. TopView is booked through a manager, and the minimum budget depends on the market. Brand projects (Branded Mission, hashtag, effects) are put together with a manager and are not available in every country. For streams there are LIVE Shopping Ads for TikTok Shop stores, while an ordinary creator is left with Promote and Spark Ads.

In-Feed Ads: ads in the feed

This is the basic format: a video with an ad label placed between regular videos. It is shown in the For You feed, as well as in the profile, following and friends feeds, the search feed and the web version. It is bought at auction in Ads Manager, no manager needed.

File requirements for a standard (non-Spark) ad according to TikTok help:

• vertical 9:16, from 540×960 pixels, is the recommended option;
• horizontal 16:9, from 960×540; square 1:1, from 640×640;
• length: up to 10 minutes;
• file size: up to 500 MB, formats .mp4, .mov, .mpeg, .3gp, .avi;
• bitrate: from 516 kbps;
• avatar (optional): 98×98 pixels, JPG or PNG, up to 50 KB, keep the key content inside the central 66×66 square;
• account name: one line, up to 20 characters.

The caption of a standard ad is shown in white in a font you cannot change, and it cannot contain clickable links, @ mentions or hashtags. The specification does not state a character limit.

Spark Ads: ads from your own videos

Spark Ads also run in the feed, but instead of a separate ad video, an already published post is promoted: yours, or someone else's with the creator's permission. Likes, comments and follows are credited to the original video, and a tap on the username leads to the profile. A good clip from a stream can be promoted as it is. How to issue the authorization code and set up the campaign is covered in detail in our article on Spark Ads in TikTok.

There are fewer file requirements here: no length limits, and the formats are .mp4 or .mov. The caption is taken from the post (up to 4 lines with emoji are visible), and the avatar and name come from the account.

TopView: the first video when the app opens

TopView is a video that a person sees right when TikTok launches. For the first 3 seconds it fills the whole screen, then turns into a regular feed video with buttons and comments.

It can only be bought by qualified clients. Booking is done through a manager, and only some clients can book on their own in Ads Manager. Impressions are sold by CPM on a first-come basis, and for campaigns with 100% of impressions TikTok advises booking at least 60 days ahead. Every creative goes through pre-approval.

TopView video requirements (standard ads and Spark Ads Push):

• vertical 9:16 only, from 540×960 pixels;
• length from 5 to 60 seconds, 9–15 seconds recommended;
• file up to 500 MB, formats .mp4, .mov, .mpeg, .3gp;
• bitrate from 2500 kbps, noticeably higher than for the feed;
• caption up to 100 characters, an emoji counts as two characters.

If TopView uses an organic post (Spark Ads Pull), there is no length limit.

Branded Hashtag Challenge: what happened to it

TikTok help no longer has a separate Branded Hashtag Challenge product: the old challenge page addresses now open the article “About Branded Mission”. In Branded Mission a brand publishes a task, creators shoot videos, the best ones are promoted as ads in the For You feed, and participants get paid. A branded hashtag with its own page is now just an add-on to Branded Mission.

Branded Mission cannot be launched on your own: help sends you to a TikTok manager, and the campaign is then run in Mission Manager. The format is available in the US, Canada, Mexico, Brazil and a number of countries in Europe, Asia and the Middle East; Russia and the CIS countries are not on the list.

For the sample video in a mission the following requirements apply: 9:16, from 720×1280 pixels, up to 100 MB, bitrate above 2500 kbps, formats MP4, MPEG, 3GP, AVI, MOV, length 12–15 seconds (strongly recommended), caption up to 150 characters.

Branded Effects: your own filters and masks

Branded Effects are a brand's commercial effects that a user applies to their own video. The effect appears in the camera effects panel and gets its own page with videos. It is bought through a manager: help advises discussing a package of add-ons with them.

Key requirements for the effect materials:

• icon: PNG, exported at 162×162 pixels, safe area 144×144, rounded corners, up to 60 KB;
• effect name: up to 30 Latin characters (better up to 18), no emoji;
• music: MP3 or WAV from 15 seconds to a minute, cover 800×800 up to 10 MB;
• official videos on the effect page: from 1 to 6, with #ad in the description.

LIVE formats: advertising live streams

TikTok help has no separate technical requirements for stream ads. The options depend on whether you sell products.

LIVE Shopping Ads are for TikTok Shop sellers. The ad leads straight into the stream: the creative is either the broadcast itself (Real-time LIVE) or one of your videos. It is shown in the feed, Shopping Center and search. You need a connected store and an 18+ audience, and the stream must start within 48 hours of the scheduled time. Since July 2025 the main ad type of TikTok Shop is GMV Max; for streams it is LIVE GMV Max in Seller Center.

Without a store a creator has two paths. In the app: Promote with the goal of promoting a stream, which requires 18+ and at least 1000 followers. In Ads Manager: the “Community Interaction” objective with Spark Ads, which TikTok describes, among other things, as a way to promote a broadcast. How these tools differ in budget and settings is compared in our article TikTok Promote or Ads Manager.

Carousels and image ads

Carousel Ads is an ad made of several images set to music, shown in the TikTok feed and in TikTok Ad Network (a network of partner apps). It suits traffic, conversions, app promotion, leads, catalog sales and reach.

• from 2 to 35 images, JPG or PNG, preferably up to 100 KB each;
• sizes: 1200×628 (horizontal), 640×640 (square), 720×1280 (vertical);
• music is required and loops: MP3 from 2 seconds and up to 10 MB, from the Commercial Music Library or your own;
• one caption and one button for the whole carousel, one link (unless the ad is catalog-based).

In Ad Network the music library does not work, so without your own track the carousel will be silent there. Single images are described in the specifications only for Ad Network; help does not describe a “single image” format for the TikTok feed.

Search Ads: ads in search

Ads in TikTok search work in two ways.

• Automatic Search Placement (formerly Search Ads Toggle) is on by default in new campaigns. Your feed videos get into the results on their own, marked “Sponsored”, and into the search feed. No separate creative is needed, and delivery is not guaranteed.
• Search Ads Campaign is a separate keyword campaign only for the search results page. It supports video, including Spark Ads, and carousels. Auction only; markets are the US, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Mexico, Brazil, Saudi Arabia and Australia. No CIS countries.

Search has no technical requirements of its own: use the feed and carousel specifications.

Safe zones: where not to put text

TikTok does not publish exact pixels for the safe zone. Instead, the specifications offer downloadable templates: a standard one, one for Arabic, and one for videos with anchors. The longer the caption and the more extra elements, the smaller the zone. TopView has two templates, for the full-screen intro and for the feed, and the zone in the feed is stricter. Check the creative in the preview, although it may differ slightly from the real placement.

Format summary table

Format	Where it is shown	File requirements	How to buy
In-Feed (non-Spark)	For You feed, search	9:16 from 540×960, 16:9, 1:1; up to 10 min; up to 500 MB; from 516 kbps	Auction, Ads Manager
Spark Ads	Feed, search	Published post, .mp4/.mov, no length limit	Auction, Ads Manager
TopView	First video on opening	9:16 from 540×960; 5–60 s; up to 500 MB; from 2500 kbps	Via a manager, booking
Branded Mission + hashtag	For You feed, hashtag page	Example: 9:16 from 720×1280, up to 100 MB, 12–15 s	Via a manager
Branded Hashtag Challenge	—	—	No longer sold
Branded Effects	Effects panel, effect page	PNG icon 162×162 up to 60 KB, music 15–60 s	Via a manager
LIVE Shopping Ads	Feed, Shopping Center, search	Stream or video; specs not published	Ads Manager, TikTok Shop required
Carousel	Feed, Ad Network	2–35 JPG/PNG images, MP3 music	Auction, Ads Manager
Search Ads	Results and search feed	Same as feed and carousel	Auction, Ads Manager

How to make a creative people will watch to the end

The first seconds

TikTok advises showing the point of the video in the first 3 seconds and delivering a hook within the first 6. Do not start the clip with a title card. Put a reaction moment, the result of a round or a question that will hold the viewer right at the start.

Subtitles and text

TikTok recommends captions or on-screen text for context, at 5–10 words per second. For a gaming clip a line like “Won the round with one bullet” is enough. Keep the text inside the safe zone, or buttons and the caption will cover it.

Sound

Sound or music is part of the mandatory minimum in TikTok recommendations. In ads, use tracks from the Commercial Music Library: they are cleared for commercial use. A streamer’s voice and game audio also work if they are clear. In a carousel music is required by the specification.

How many variants to make

TikTok advises shooting vertical 9:16 at 720p or higher, putting 3–5 different creatives in an ad group and 3–5 ad groups in a campaign. Refresh your videos when results keep falling.

If you are from Russia

Since March 2022 TikTok has not allowed uploading new videos or streaming from Russia, and according to media reports its internal ad tools do not work for users in Russia. Search ads and Branded Mission are also not sold in the CIS markets. These formats are useful if you work for a foreign audience. How much a launch costs and how to go through it step by step is in our article on the cost and launch of TikTok ads.

A newcomer prefers to stay where there are already viewers and a live chat. To get started we help with the first online count and followers: services for promotion on TikTok, and for streams on other platforms you can build a plan in the viewer management panel.

Frequently asked questions

Which TikTok ad format should a streamer choose?

Spark Ads: you promote a ready clip from your own account, and the follows stay with you. It is launched in Ads Manager without a manager.

Can I buy TopView on my own?

Usually not. TopView is available to qualified clients through a manager, self-booking is open only to some advertisers, and every creative goes through pre-approval.

Does Branded Hashtag Challenge exist in 2026?

As a separate format, no, it is no longer sold. Branded Mission took its place, and a branded hashtag can only be added to it as an add-on through a manager.

Are there exact safe zone dimensions?

No. TikTok provides downloadable templates on the specification pages, and the size of the zone changes depending on the caption length and extra elements.

Can I advertise a stream if I don’t have TikTok Shop?

LIVE Shopping Ads are not available without a store. What remains is Promote with the goal of promoting a stream (18+ and 1000+ followers) and the “Community Interaction” objective with Spark Ads in Ads Manager.