TikTok Ads is the most underpriced ad platform available to operators in 2023, and most Montréal businesses are still treating it like it's a teenager app for dances. The CPMs are a fraction of Meta's, the creative format forces honesty, and the algorithm is shockingly good at finding buyers. Here's the working playbook.

Account setup and structure

Start with a TikTok Business Account, a Business Center, and a dedicated ad account — not the personal account you've been posting from. Install the TikTok Pixel and — critically — Events API (server-side). In 2023, pixel-only tracking is not enough. You need server-side events for iOS, for consent-compliant tracking, and for the algorithm to have enough signal to optimize.

Campaign structure follows a pattern that works across most accounts:

  • One prospecting campaign with 2–4 ad sets targeting broad audiences. Let the algorithm find your buyer.
  • One retargeting campaign for pixel events and CRM uploads.
  • One testing campaign for new creative angles before they graduate to prospecting.

The creative rules that matter

TikTok rewards three things: authentic format, fast hooks, and completion rate. Ignore the production-value instinct that works on Meta. High-gloss commercial content is penalized on TikTok. The content that wins looks like native TikTok content, because it is native TikTok content.

  1. Vertical 9:16. Not debatable. Any creative shot horizontal will underperform by a wide margin.
  2. Hook in first 1.5 seconds. The algorithm decides whether to keep serving your ad based on the first three seconds. The first 1.5 is where the buy happens.
  3. Native captions. TikTok's auto-captions work — but custom captions in the TikTok font, positioned where they don't get clipped by UI, convert better.
  4. Trending audio — with caveats. Trending sounds boost discovery but must be licensed for commercial use. Use TikTok's Commercial Music Library or risk takedowns.
  5. One message per ad. Compression kills conversion. Say one thing. Say it cleanly.

Spark Ads — the unlock most accounts miss

A Spark Ad is a TikTok Ad that runs from an organic creator's handle, not your brand handle. The ad looks like organic content, keeps the creator's likes and comments, and performs 2–3x better than branded ads for the same creative. The mechanic: find creators open to whitelisting, get legal authorization codes from them, and run their content as Spark Ads from your account.

This is the single biggest performance unlock on TikTok and almost nobody is doing it correctly.

The agencies winning on TikTok Ads in 2023 are not the ones with the best creative directors. They are the ones with the best creator operations teams. — Where the actual leverage lives

Bidding, budgets, and the learning phase

TikTok's learning phase needs ~50 conversion events per ad set per week. That's your structural floor — if your budget doesn't support 50 conversions at your target CPA, the algorithm will thrash. Options: consolidate ad sets, raise budget, or move the optimization event up the funnel (e.g., from Purchase to Add-to-Cart) temporarily to feed the model.

Bid strategies we use most often:

  • Cost Cap. For accounts with clear CPA targets and enough data history. Gives control, needs volume.
  • Lowest Cost (no bid cap). For early-stage accounts finding their floor. Cheaper impressions, less control.
  • Value-based bidding (Max Value). For e-commerce with diverse AOVs. Requires clean purchase-value tracking.
Operator read

If you've run Meta Ads and TikTok Ads side-by-side and TikTok lost, the usual cause is not TikTok — it's that the creative was repurposed from Meta. The platforms reward different craft. Reshoot.

What to measure

Cost per result, 3-second view rate (is the hook working?), and — most importantly — backend ROAS measured in your source of truth (CRM or Shopify), not just the ad platform. TikTok's in-platform attribution is generous. Trust your post-view window in GA4 or your CRM more than the TikTok UI.