TikTok has shaken up the social media market in just a few years with a one-of-a-kind app.
The Chinese platform owned by ByteDance has developed a concept that has never been seen before.
An application offering short videos in vertical format all with an infinite scroll.
It is now the second most downloaded application in the world in 2022.
With its organic algorithm, TikTok has seen many creators and influencers hatch on the platform.
TikTok has also done a lot for creators since the launch of its platform with the Creator Fund , TikTok Beta program , Branded Mission …
Brands have quickly understood the challenges and opportunities that TikTok could bring them organically, but particularly in advertising with creators.
With TikTok Ads, brands have access to specific advertising tools and formats to reach their targets and audiences.
A format that is particularly efficient and that is used by all advertisers is the Whitelisting TikTok or better known as Spark Ads .
It’s a format that combines the organic and the paid through creators for unbeatable performance.
We explain everything you need to know about this format and how you will be able to set up your first whitelisting campaign on TikTok.
What is TikTok whitelisting?
TikTok whitelisting campaigns (Spark Ads) carried out for the brands Pin Up Secret, Spring, Izybaby
To understand the whitelisting TikTok, we must first clarify how partnerships between creators and brands usually work on social networks.
Today when a brand sets up a campaign with content creators it has 2 options:
– Promote their product or service relying solely on the creator’s organic post to drive sales through their audience and followers
– Or use the creator’s video to broadcast it on their account advertising
With the whitlisting you combine these 2 options into one.
THE whitelisting TikTok Or list white promotes a creator’s organic video directly from their own account.
To do this, creators must give brands and advertisers permission to access their videos.
In other words, businesses can advertise from the creator’s account.
This marketing strategy is increasingly popular with brands because it allows them to achieve much more effective advertising results.
Also called Spark ads , THE whitelisting offers a unique and above all authentic advertising format since the advertising video is broadcast directly on the creator’s account and not from the brand’s account.
The benefits of TikTok whitelisting for brands
Spark Ads made for Highway Code.io
TikTok creator whitelisting has many benefits for brands and advertisers:
1. More authentic and credible content
Content created by creators is generally considered to be more authentic And more engaging than traditional advertisements.
Indeed, creators and influencers have a privileged relationship with their audience.
They have created a community that trusts them and identifies with them.
By boosting a creator’s video in advertising, you benefit from the engagement that generates the latter organically.
That is to say that comments, likes and shares will always be present in advertising, which will promote commitment and an increase in conversion rate .
Additionally, ads served through creator accounts are often considered to be less intrusive and can help build brand credibility.
It is therefore easier to promote products or services through them.
2. Reach a wider audience with TikTok advertising
Normally, organic posts from creators can be relatively limited.
If the brand relies solely on the organic reach of the creator’s video for its campaign, the campaign may not achieve the results expected.
But the arrival of whitelisting TikTok changes the situation.
Indeed, brands can now rely on advertising to reach a much larger audience than the creator.
The brand can thus count on guaranteed impressions and is therefore not limited by the organic reach of the publication.
In addition, the organic reach on TikTok has been tending to decrease in recent months and it is becoming more and more difficult to obtain views.
With the TikTok whitelisting , creator posts can be used indefinitely (up to 1 year).
The lifespan of the video is therefore unlimited, which is not the case in organic where the lifespan of an organic video is a few hours.
This allows brands to make the most of the budget invested in content creators.
3. Better performance tracking
When creators’ organic videos are used for ad campaigns, it is possible to accurately track and measure the performance of those ads.
Brands can monitor the number of views, engagement and conversions generated by each post, as well as the cost per action (CPA), cost per click (CPC) or cost per 1000 impressions (CPM).
Using this data, brands can adjust their advertising strategy and optimize the performance and targeting of their campaigns to achieve their marketing goals.
In comparison, when an organic video is simply shared on TikTok by the creator, it is often difficult to accurately measure its impact.
The technical characteristics of TikTok whitelisting
As you will have understood, thanks to whitelisting or Spark Ads, it is therefore possible to boost the organic videos of content creators from their account.
Here are the different technical elements of TikTok Whitelisting:
- You can sponsor organic videos of up to 10 min (in classic advertising you are limited to 1 minute)
- You can use up to 2200 characters in the video description (limited to 100 characters in classic advertising)
- You can use hashtags and mention @ people (which is not the case in a traditional ad)
- The video used in Spark Ads will include a CTA (Call To Action) or button that will link to the site or a landing page of the brand
How to set up a TikTok whitelisting campaign? (step by step)
Creator whitelisting allows brands to sponsor organic content created by creators from their own accounts.
To do this, creators need to give brands permission to access their videos.
In practice, the process works as follows:
1. Identify creators to whitelist
The first step is to identify the creators who are the best fit for the brand and product or service you want to promote.
It is important to choose creators whose audience corresponds to your target and whose content is consistent with your brand image.
2. Get Access to Creator Accounts
Once the creators have been identified and the framework for the collaboration defined (context, briefing, remuneration and creation of the publications).
You have to get them access to their videos, it’s the creators who have to do it on their side.
3. Enable account-level ad settings
Before being able to whitelister a creator, the latter must activate the advertising settings on their account.
Here are the different steps to follow:
– Go to your profile, then click on the menu at the top right
– Then select “Tools for creators”
– Then activate the “advertising settings”
4. Generate the advertising code of the video to sponsor
Once the advertising settings have been activated at the creator account level, it is now necessary to generate an advertising code for the video to be promoted.
This code will then be transmitted to the brand or advertiser to be used at the TikTok Ads Business Manager level.
Here are the different steps to generate a code Spark ads :
- Go to the video to sponsor
- Click on the 3 small dots on the right side of the video
- Then drag the last line until you get to “Ad settings”
- Then enable “advertising permission”
- Then generate the Spark Ads code (define its duration of use)
- Copy this code and send it to the brand
3. Configure whitelisting on TikTok Ads Business Manager
Once the code is obtained, it is time to configure the whitelisting on TikTok Business Manager ads .
Here are the different steps to add the code Spark ads :
- Set up your campaign and goals (conversions, traffic, generation of leads , app download)
- Setting up your ad groups and targeting
- Set up some announcements (this is where you will enter your code Spark ads )
- On Identify select “ Using a TikTok Account to Stream Spark ads “
- Then select “ Use another authorized account or another publication authorized
- Enter the Spark Ads code you received from the creator
- Then click on “ TikTok post”
- Select Spark Ads posts
- Your withelisting is now activated
4. Track performance
Finally, it is important to track the performance of the advertising campaign.
Brands need to ensure that organic content from creators used in advertising performs well and achieves the campaign objective.
It’s also important to measure the return on investment (ROI) of the campaign to ensure that whitelisting creators is a profitable strategy.
The benefits of TikTok whitelisting for creators
Whitelisting TikTok or Spark Ads not only benefits brands, it can also benefit creators and influencers.
Here are some of the benefits for them:
- More visibility: By allowing brands to use their organic posts in advertising campaigns, creators and influencers can reach a much larger audience than just their followers. This can allow them to gain visibility and attract new followers.
- Opportunity to work with other brands: Allowing brands to use their organic posts can also give them new opportunities for partnerships. They can thus be noticed by other brands, which can be beneficial for their notoriety and their image.
Boost your brand with UGC on TikTok
You want to get your business off the ground with campaigns on TikTok ads and instagram through more than 300 creators original UGC content.
Neads accompanies you in the implementation of your campaigns and your strategy.
By Nathan Elmaleh
