After 4 years and hundreds of TikTok Ads campaigns, I have a checklist I run before every launch. If a single element is missing, the campaign either fails or runs at half its potential. Here are the 10 things that matter.
1. TikTok Pixel fully configured
Not “installed”, configured. Mandatory events: ViewContent, AddToCart, InitiateCheckout, CompletePayment. Without the final conversion event, optimization runs on click and CPA goes up by 60%.
2. CAPI activated (Events API)
iOS 14.5+ destroyed 30-40% of the browser pixel signal. CAPI recovers data server-side. Measured CPA difference: between 20-35% more efficient with CAPI properly configured.
3. Hook in the first 1.5 seconds
Text on screen plus visual action. If retention at 3 seconds drops below 55%, the video won’t scale no matter how much budget you put in.
4. Minimum 5 creatives at launch
A single creative is a bet. 5 creatives give you real distribution: 1-2 will perform, 1-2 will fail, the rest will be average. Without 5, you have no way to learn.
5. Learning phase respected
50 conversions per ad group per week. Below that, the algorithm doesn’t exit learning and performance is noise, not data. Calibrate budget to hit the threshold in 7 days, not 30.
6. Broad audiences, not interests
TikTok optimizes on signal, not on declared interests. At Mondly, the “broad” audience (just geo and age) delivered CPI 22% lower than audiences with 8 interests checked.
7. Spark Ads from validated organic content
Don’t push into paid a creative that has never been published. Post it organic, if it does over 50% watch time, you boost it. Spark Ads from validated content have 2-3x CTR vs. ads produced specifically for paid.
8. Sound, subtitles, 9:16 mandatory
85% of the audience watches with sound, but 40% start without. Subtitles visible in the first 3 seconds. Vertical full-screen format. Cropped horizontal video loses 30% of engagement.
9. Dedicated landing page
Sending to the standard product page cuts conversion in half. Dedicated landing, with a first fold that mirrors the exact message from the video and a single CTA. Conversion rate on TikTok campaigns: 1.2% on standard pages, 3.5% on aligned landings.
10. Creative velocity: 8-12 a month
A TikTok creative plateaus in 10-14 days. If you don’t have a content pipeline, scaling stops at 500 EUR/day. Structure that works: 4-6 paid UGC, 3-4 brand-produced, 2-3 variations of existing winners.
Bonus: how you decide what to stop
Simple rule: at 100 EUR spent without a conversion, you stop the group. At 2x target CPA and zero improvement signal after 7 days, you stop. Without clear thresholds, mediocre campaigns eat 60% of budget.
This checklist doesn’t guarantee success, but without it success is improbable. Set 10 minutes a week on TikTok Creative Center to update creative inputs from active trends.
