Short answer
TikTok sells five kinds of ads a UGC video can end up in: In-Feed ads (a video in the For You feed, up to 10 minutes), Spark Ads (an In-Feed ad made from an organic post, yours or the brand's), TopView (the first video after the app opens, 5 to 60 seconds, for selected advertisers), Shop ads (now run as GMV Max campaigns) and carousel ads (2 to 35 images). For the creator, the format decides what to sell: paid usage of the file for a brand's own ads, a Spark Ads code for your post, or an affiliate video for Shop ads. One 1080×1920 export fits every video format.
What types of ads are there on TikTok?
TikTok's own ad products page lists its brand and reservation products; the self-serve formats live in TikTok Ads Manager's help pages. Grouped by where they show and how they're bought, as read on October 16, 2026:
- In-Feed adMost UGCAuction, self-serve
- WhereIn the For You feed, between organic videos
- Whose accountThe brand's (a non-Spark ad)
- Yes: What the creator sellsPaid usage of the video file
- Spark AdAuction or reservation
- WhereIn the For You feed
- Whose accountYours: the brand boosts your organic post
- Yes: What the creator sellsAn authorization code, 7 to 365 days
- TopViewReservation, selected advertisers
- WhereThe first video when the app opens, full screen, sound on
- Whose accountThe brand's, or a sparked post
- Check: Who can buy itQualified customers only, by CPM
- Shop ad (GMV Max)Auction, TikTok Shop sellers
- WhereFeed, search and the Shop tab
- Whose accountOften an affiliate's post, authorized for ads
- Yes: What the creator sellsCommission on sales, plus authorization
- Carousel adAuction, self-serve
- WhereFeed, and TikTok's ad network
- What it holds2 to 35 images with music, no video
- Partly: What the creator sellsPhotos, with usage
What does each TikTok ad look like on the phone?
The same 9:16 video reads differently in each format. What changes is whose name is on it, what TikTok draws over it and what the viewer can tap:
On app open
It charges by USB-C
Drawn by UGCLive from TikTok's ads help pages. The video stills are stand-ins for illustration; carousel ads are images, so they aren't drawn here.
How long can each TikTok ad be?
Video length each format accepts, in seconds
| In-Feed ad (auction) | Up to 10 min |
|---|---|
| Spark Ad | Up to 10 min |
| In-Feed ad (Reach & Frequency) | 5 to 60 s |
| TopView | 5 to 60 s |
TikTok Ads help: auction In-Feed specs (June 2026), Spark Ads (June 2026), Reach & Frequency specs (July 2025), TopView specs (June 2026).
So the length a brief asks for tells you how it'll be bought. A brief for 15 seconds or less fits every format, including the reserved ones; a 45-second cut works In-Feed and in TopView but sits past the 9 to 15 seconds TikTok recommends for both reserved formats. Cutting a 15 and a 30-second version, as most UGC formats suggest, covers both.
What size and file does a TikTok ad need?
| Spec | In-Feed (auction) | Reach & Frequency, TopView |
|---|---|---|
| Aspect ratio and smallest size | 9:16 at 540×960 or more (16:9 and 1:1 also accepted) | 9:16 at 540×960 or more (TopView: 9:16 only) |
| File size | 500 MB or less | 500 MB or less |
| Bitrate | 516 kbps or more | 2,500 kbps or more |
| File types | .mp4, .mov, .mpeg, .3gp, .avi | .mp4, .mov, .mpeg, .3gp |
| Ad text | Up to 4 lines shown on a Spark post's caption | TopView: up to 100 characters |
| Display name | One line, up to 20 characters (10 in Chinese, Japanese, Korean) | Same |
Where TikTok's buttons sit on a 1080×1920 In-Feed ad
- 240 px
- clear at the top, under the feed tabs
- 660 px
- clear at the bottom, for the caption and ad button
- 120 px
- clear on each side
TikTok's In-Feed safe zone file, as measured for our TikTok safe zone checker.
TikTok's smallest accepted size is 540×960, but every placement here plays 9:16 full screen, so export 1080×1920, the size our TikTok dimensions page gives for organic posts too. In-Feed ads accept files up to 500 MB, far more than a 30-second 1080p export needs.
What is the creator paid for each format?
The format decides which right you sell. Here is one edited 30-second video for a beginner, priced with our rate calculator at its defaults: $175 with organic use only, and each format's right on top.
- In-Feed adThe brand runs your file
- You sellPaid usage, by length of time
- Yes: 30 days+$53, $228 in all
- Yes: 90 days+$88, $263 in all
- Spark AdThe brand boosts your post
- You sellA code, at 30% of the video fee for each 30 days
- Yes: 30-day code+$53, $228 in all
- Check: Watch forCodes can't be withdrawn while an ad is using them
- Shop ad (GMV Max)The seller runs affiliate videos
- You earnYour affiliate commission on each sale
- Check: Ad authorizationTikTok includes authorized affiliate videos automatically
- Partly: Flat feeOnly if the seller agrees one
- Branded MissionBooked through TikTok's sales team
- You earnTikTok pays chosen creators for taking part and for paid views
- Check: To join1,000+ followers, 3 posts in 30 days, a personal account
Prices: our rate calculator's buildQuote(), default rates, typical figures. Formats: TikTok Ads help, Product GMV Max (September 2026) and Branded Mission (July 2025), read October 16, 2026.
Which TikTok ads can a small brand buy itself?
Self-serve or sold through TikTok
In TikTok Ads Manager, any advertiser
- Yes: In-Feed ads, auction
- Yes: Spark Ads, with a creator's code or the brand's own posts
- Yes: Carousel ads
- Yes: Shop ads as GMV Max, for TikTok Shop sellers
Reserved, managed or invitation only
- Check: TopView: qualified customers, creatives approved in advance
- Check: In-Feed Reach & Frequency: booked ahead at a fixed reach
- Check: Pulse: next to trending content, eligible advertisers or via sales (TikTok)
- Check: Branded Mission: through a TikTok sales representative
TikTok Ads help pages listed below, read October 16, 2026.
For a creator this is a pricing signal. A brand asking for a 9 to 15-second TopView cut has a reserved budget and approval rounds; quote the revisions. A small shop asking you to authorize a video is most likely running Spark or GMV Max, where your post, your name and your comments are on the line, as the Spark Ads guide explains.
What didn't we check?
- A live ad accountWe read TikTok's ads help pages, not Ads Manager itself, so menu names and eligibility in your market may differ.
- Pages that disagreeTikTok's In-Feed page puts no length limit on Spark Ads, its Spark page says 10 minutes; we show both.
- Shop ad video specsTikTok publishes no separate video spec for GMV Max; we assume the In-Feed specs apply.
- Market ratesThe fees are the calculator's defaults from published US rate guides, not what any TikTok format pays.
