TikTok Messaging Ads are ads that let prospective customers start a conversation with your business directly from TikTok. There are two variants: Direct Messaging Ads, which keep the user inside TikTok and open a conversation in its built-in messaging feature; and Instant Messaging Ads, which redirect the user out of TikTok to an external messaging app such as WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger to start chatting with the advertiser. This article focuses on Instant Messaging Ads.

You can:

• Reach new audiences by tapping into TikTok’s active community.
• Shorten the path to conversion by opening a two-way conversation with the customer.
• Qualify leads in real time, quickly identifying prospects with higher purchase intent.
• Put the customer at the center, meeting them in the channel they’re already on and building long-term relationships.

Prerequisites

An active TikTok Ads Manager account with permissions to create campaigns.

An active account on your messaging platform (your integration partner) with permissions to manage integrations and events.

If you’re going to use WhatsApp, you’ll need a dedicated phone number for the WhatsApp Business API that is not in use on any other personal or business WhatsApp account. You can sign up your number directly from your messaging platform.

If you’re going to use Facebook Messenger, you’ll need a Facebook Page linked to your business and to know its Page ID.

TikTok Instant Messaging Ads is currently in Open Beta. Before creating campaigns, contact your TikTok representative to request allowlisting.

Key concepts

TikTok Messaging Ads: TikTok ad format that enables starting conversations with customers through direct messages or instant messaging apps.

Instant Messaging Ads: variant that redirects the user from TikTok to an external app (WhatsApp, Messenger, LINE, Zalo) to start the chat.

Message Event Set: set of messaging events created in TikTok Events Manager that allows TikTok to measure and optimize campaigns based on the conversations generated.

MMT (Messaging Management Tool): partner platform that manages conversations and integrates with TikTok to enable conversation-based optimization.

Conversation Optimisation: TikTok optimization objective that delivers ads to users most likely to start a conversation. Requires integration with an MMT partner.

Click Optimisation: alternative optimization objective based on clicks. Available for all instant messaging apps and does not require MMT integration.

Dayparting: setting that defines the days and times your ads will be served, so they only show when your team is available to respond.

How to integrate TikTok with your messaging platform

Before you can select Conversation Optimisation and choose your Messaging Event when creating a campaign, you need to connect your TikTok Ads Manager account with your messaging platform.

Step 1: Go to your platform’s integrations section

In your messaging platform’s settings menu, find the Channels and integrations module and select TikTok.

Step 2: Connect your TikTok advertising account

Click Connect account and sign in with your TikTok Ads Manager credentials. Authorize the requested access to link your advertising account.

Step 3: Link the Message Event Set

Select the Message Event Set you’ll use to measure and optimize your campaigns. If you haven’t created one yet, you can generate it from the connection flow itself or from TikTok Events Manager (see the How to create a Message Event Set section below).

Step 4: Confirm the integration

Make sure the integration status shows as Active or Connected. From this moment on, you’ll be able to select Instant messaging apps and Conversations as the optimization objective in TikTok Ads Manager.

Note: some platforms require the admin user to authorize the connection the first time. If you don’t see the option to connect, check the permissions of your role on the account.

How to create a Message Event Set in TikTok Events Manager

The Message Event Set is what allows TikTok to measure the conversations generated by your ads and optimize delivery.

Step 1: Open TikTok Events Manager

From TikTok Ads Manager, go to Tools > Events. Click Connect data source to start creating a new event set.

Step 2: Select the data source type

On the Select data source screen, choose the Messaging option and click Next.

Step 3: Name the event

Enter a descriptive name for your Message Event Set. This is the event you’ll select at the Ad Group level when you configure Conversations Optimisation.

Step 4: Connect with your platform

Under Setup methods, choose Automatic setup with partner platform. Select your messaging platform from the list and you’ll be redirected to it to complete the linking.

How to set up a TikTok Messaging Ads campaign

Once the integration is connected and the Message Event Set is created, you can create your campaign in TikTok Ads Manager.

Campaign level

Step 1: Create a new campaign

Go to TikTok Ads Manager, head to the Campaign section, and click Create.

Step 2: Choose the campaign objective

Select Lead generation as the objective. This is the objective that enables the messaging options you need for Instant Messaging Ads.

Step 3: Configure the split test (optional) and continue

If you want, you can enable Split Test to experiment with targeting, bidding/optimization, or creative variants. When you’re done, click Continue.

Ad group level

Step 1: Choose the optimization location

In Optimization location, select Instant messaging apps.

Note: if you don’t see this option, your account is most likely not on the allowlist yet. Request allowlisting from your TikTok representative before continuing.

Step 2: Verify the ad placement

The only placement available for this variant is TikTok Placement. No other setting needs to be modified at this step.

Step 3: Configure dayparting and budget

The Dayparting feature is on by default. Select the days and times when your team is available to respond to messages — this ensures a good user experience. Then set the Daily budget according to your investment plan.

Step 4: Define the optimization goal

You have two options depending on your integration:

• Conversation (recommended): TikTok optimizes delivery toward users most likely to start a conversation. Only available for WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger destinations, and for advertisers integrated with an MMT partner. You must select the correct Messaging event set (the one you created on your platform or in TTEM).

• Click: TikTok optimizes by clicks on the ad. Available for all instant messaging apps and does not require MMT integration.

When you’re done, click Next to move on to the ad level.

Ad level

Step 1: Ad identity

You can link a TikTok Identity to deliver the ad as a Spark Ad, but it’s not mandatory. If you’re not using Spark Ads, upload the video and image of the ad directly.

Step 2: Write the ad text and CTA

In the Text section, make it clear to the user that clicking the CTA will start a conversation with your business. Ideally, also include a “message us” or equivalent in the video or creative.

Step 3: Configure the ad destination

The options change depending on the optimization you chose in the previous step.

If you chose Conversation Optimisation

• Destination: Instant Messaging Apps is preselected by default.
• Select your app: choose Messenger or WhatsApp.

• For WhatsApp, enter the phone number linked to your WhatsApp Business API (the one you registered as a prerequisite).
• For Messenger, enter the Facebook Page ID of the page that will receive the messages. You can find it by going to your Facebook Page, clicking About below the cover photo, and then clicking Page transparency.

Once configured, click Check if the ID opens properly and scan the QR code with your phone to preview the experience. Note that the QR code only works on the matching operating system (iOS or Android — the latter only for Facebook Messenger), and the customer needs to have the messaging app installed.

When you scan the QR, a confirmation window will appear. Click Open and verify that the conversation opens correctly.

• For Messenger: you’ll enter the chat with the Get started button.
• For WhatsApp: in the preview you’ll see a message with a tracking code, but in the actual ad the message the user will send is: *"TikTok ID: ___. Hello! I came across your ad on TikTok and would like to find out more."*

If you chose Clicks Optimisation

Choose Instant messaging URL as the destination. You can select one of the allowed apps or use a custom URL.

The enabled messaging apps are:

• WhatsApp
• Messenger
• LINE
• Zalo

How to report on your campaign results

Once the campaign is live, you can monitor its performance from two places.

On your messaging platform

From your messaging platform’s dashboard you can filter and review which conversations originated from your TikTok ads, and see the per-campaign performance breakdown in the reporting overview.

On TikTok Ads Manager

In the reporting section you’ll see the Cost per results (conversations) metric to monitor the campaign’s performance.

You can also go to Custom columns and choose Messaging Event to add specific columns. Select Conversations (Instant messaging app) to see the performance specific to this event type.

Note: TikTok Instant Messaging Ads is in Open Beta. The available metrics, formats, and options may change as the format evolves.

Remember to visit our Help Center for further information.