TikTok Whitelisting (Spark Ads): Full Guide to Getting Started

TikTok whitelisting is a valuable strategy for brands that want to harness the power and popularity of TikTok creators. It enables brands to turn organic creator content into paid content, which can increase their reach and engagement. According to Techreport research, influencer whitelisting outperforms conventional social media ads by 20-50%.

TikTok whitelisting is especially important because about 82% of consumers trust and appreciate influencers more than brands. Moreover, when an influencer endorses a product, up to 80% of viewers purchase it. 

Knowing and using TikTok whitelisting effectively can therefore be a key factor for companies that want to enhance their brand image and generate sales through influencer marketing on TikTok. This Collabstr guide aims to help companies understand and implement influencer marketing on TikTok, with a specific emphasis on the steps of whitelisting.

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What is TikTok Whitelisting?

Tiktok whitelisting (also known as Spark Ads) is a process that allows brands to use organic content created by influencers or creators as sponsored ads on their own accounts. This way, brands can leverage the authenticity and engagement of the influencer's videos and reach a wider audience with a call-to-action. 

To whitelist a creator's content on Tiktok, brands need to have a TikTok ads manager account and collaborate with the creator who grants them advertising permission. The creator needs to post the video organically and share the authorization code and video postcode with the brand. 

The brand then uses these codes to authorize the video and set up the campaign settings as usual. The whitelisted video will appear as an ad on the brand's account, while the original video will remain on the creator's account.

One case study of a successful Spark Ads campaign is the one by Isle of Paradise, a self-tanning brand. They collaborated with influencers who created authentic content featuring their products. 

Isle of Paradise then used the influencers' content to create Spark Ads that reached a large audience and boosted their sales. The outcomes were remarkable: a return on investment of 500%, a weekly revenue boost of 68%, and a total of 48 million video views.

What are the Requirements for TikTok whitelisting?

If you are a brand that wants to run ads on TikTok, you need to have the following:

• TikTok ads manager account: You can sign up or log in to the ads manager.

• Collaboration with a creator: You need to find a creator who can provide you with content for your ads.

If you are a creator who wants to share your videos with brands, you need to do the following:

• Enable your account for sharing: You can do this in your settings.

• Share the code of your video with the brand: You can find the code in the video details.

• Follow up with the brand: The brand may want to talk to you about how your video performed and how people interacted with it.

Please note that whitelisting is only required for commercial and brand accounts. If you have a non-commercial profile, such as an artist page, you do not need to whitelist it.

Benefits of TikTok Whitelisting 

Reach a highly targeted audience

By choosing the right content creators to work with, you can reach a highly engaged and relevant audience that matches your ideal customer profile. You can also use Tiktok's advanced targeting options to further refine your audience based on demographics, interests, behaviors and more.

Get full control over ad targeting

Unlike other influencer marketing platforms, Tiktok whitelisting gives you full control over how and where your ads are shown. You can decide which posts to use, which ad formats to apply, which placements to select, and which bidding strategies to follow. You can also monitor and optimize your campaigns in real time using Tiktok's analytics tools.

Optimize your ad cost

Tiktok whitelisting can help you lower your ad cost by improving your ad quality and relevance. Since you are using organic posts from content creators, your ads are more likely to resonate with the audience and generate positive engagement. This can boost your ad performance and lower your cost per result.

Boost your ROI

Tiktok whitelisting can also help you boost your return on investment by increasing your conversion rate and customer lifetime value. By partnering with trusted and influential content creators, you can build credibility and trust with your audience and drive them to take action. You can also use TikTok pixel and conversion tracking features to measure and attribute your results.

Enhance your content variety

Tiktok whitelisting can help you increase your content variety and creativity by tapping into the talent and expertise of content creators. You can benefit from their unique style, voice and perspective and create ads that stand out from the crowd. You can also diversify your content mix by using different types of posts, such as videos, images, live streams and more.

How to Find Influencers for TikTok Whitelisting?

1. Define your audience and goals

Before you start looking for influencers, you need to have a clear idea of who your target audience is and what you want to achieve with your campaign. Who are you trying to reach and what are their interests, preferences, and pain points? 

What are your objectives and key performance indicators (KPIs) for your campaign? Having a clear audience profile and campaign goals will help you narrow down your search and find influencers who match your criteria.

2. Choose your niche

Now it's time to select your niche or industry. This will enable you to locate influencers who are a perfect fit for your brand, possessing both relevant expertise and authority in your specific field.

For example, if you sell beauty products, you might want to look for beauty influencers who have a large and engaged following on Tiktok. You can also look for sub-niches or categories within your industry, such as skincare, makeup, haircare, etc.

3. Leverage an influencer search tool or marketplace

One of the easiest ways to find influencers for Tiktok whitelisting is to use an influencer database tool or marketplace. These platforms allow you to browse through thousands of influencers across different social media platforms, including Tiktok. 

You can filter your search by niche, location, follower count, engagement rate, budget, and more. You can also see the influencer's profile, content, audience demographics, and past collaborations. 

Collabstr is a reliable marketplace where you can find and collaborate with creators who match your vision and budget. One of the best features of Collabstr is its free Influencer Search Tool, which allows you to search for influencers by niche, location, platform, and more. 

You can also use it to find Tiktok whitelisting opportunities, which can boost your organic reach and engagement. Collabstr makes it easy to find and contact influencers who are open to whitelisting, and to manage the whole process from start to finish. 

4. Check engagement level

Once you have a list of potential influencers, you need to check their engagement level. Engagement is a measure of how active and responsive the influencer's followers are. It includes likes, comments, shares, views, and other interactions. 

A high engagement rate indicates that the influencer has a loyal and interested audience who trust their recommendations. A low engagement rate may mean that the influencer has fake or inactive followers who don't care about their content.

You can calculate the engagement rate by dividing the total number of engagements by the total number of followers and multiplying by 100. A good engagement rate for Tiktok is around 5%. 

To save you from the hassle, take advantage of Collabstr’s free instagram engagement rate calculator. It works by analyzing 12-24 of the user’s recent posts and adding their average likes and comments before dividing it by their follower count to calculate their engagement rate.

5. Reach out to potential influencers

The final step is to reach out to the influencers you have selected and pitch them your campaign idea. You can contact them via email, direct message, or through the influencer platform you used. 

You should introduce yourself and your brand, explain why you want to work with them, and what you expect from them. You should also mention your budget, timeline, deliverables, and any other details that are relevant to your campaign. Be polite, professional, and respectful when communicating with influencers and try to build a rapport with them.

What Does TikTok Whitelisting Look Like?

With its role as a platform for product discovery, TikTok has the potential to drive sales in the long run if creators have a strong presence. Whitelisting can dramatically amplify a brand's reach, as it provides access to the influencer's established fan base. The content, when viewed on the brand's account or as part of an advertisement, retains the comments, likes, and shares from the original post, making it appear more organic and appealing to potential customers.

Photomyne, a digital memories photo-app, for example, used TikTok's Spark Ads format to generate brand awareness and app installs. They collaborated with mid-tier creators in relevant categories such as DIY, Art, Tech, Family & Parenting.

The campaign resulted in a 5x increase in video views, 2x increase in engagement, and a 275% conversion rate for app installs. Photomyne saw a 28% decrease in video production costs per month and a 50% decrease in CPA for their free trial. TikTok allowed Photomyne to reach new demographics and geographic locations, making their app suite go viral.

How to Do Influencer Whitelisting on TikTok?

Step 1: Identify an appropriate influencer or content creator

You want to work with someone who has an engaged following, who aligns with your brand values and goals, and who can create authentic and appealing content for your product. To find such a creator, you can use Collabstr, a platform that connects brands with influencers and creators across various social media platforms.

Collabstr lets you browse through thousands of vetted and verified creators, filter them by niche, location, audience size, engagement rate, and more, and contact them directly to negotiate the terms of the collaboration.

Step 2: Request the creator to share the video naturally

Once you have agreed on the content and the compensation with the creator, ask them to post the video on their TikTok account as they normally would. This will help generate organic views, likes, comments, and shares, as well as boost the credibility and authenticity of the video.

Step 3: Select the TikTok video you wish to enhance

After the creator has posted the video, you can choose which one you want to use for your ad campaign. You can either use the same video that the creator posted, or ask them to create a different version that is more suitable for your ad objectives. For example, you might want to include a call-to-action, a discount code, or a link to your website in the video.

To enhance the TikTok video, you can consider the following steps:

• Choose a visually appealing thumbnail: Select an eye-catching frame from the video as the thumbnail to attract viewers' attention.

• Add captions or subtitles: If your video contains dialogue or important information, consider adding captions or subtitles to make it more accessible to a wider audience.

• Edit for clarity and impact: Use video editing tools to trim any unnecessary parts, adjust the brightness or contrast, and enhance the overall visual quality of the video.

• Incorporate engaging effects or filters: Experiment with different effects or filters available within the TikTok app to make your video more visually appealing and captivating.

• Include background music or sound effects: Enhance the overall experience by adding suitable background music or TikTok sound effects that complement the content and create a more immersive viewing experience.

• Utilize TikTok's editing features: Take advantage of TikTok's built-in editing features such as text overlays, stickers, and transitions to add creative elements and make your video stand out.

Step 4: Request the creator to activate the authorization code and provide the video code

To activate the authorization code from a TikTok video, follow these steps:

• Open the TikTok app and go to the profile page. Tap on the Menu icon (☰) in the top right corner.

• Tap on Creator Tools and enable Ad Settings. Read and accept the terms and conditions.

• Find the video to be used for Spark Ads and tap on More Options (⋯) at the bottom right corner.

• Go to Ad authorization

• Tap on Generate and choose the authorization duration (7, 30, 60 or 365 days).

• Tap on Authorize and wait for the video to be processed. Tap on Save when it is done.

• Tap on Manage and copy the code that appears on the screen. It will look something like this: TikTok_SparkAds_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX. This code is unique for each video and you need to share it with your advertiser.

Step 5: Copy and paste the video code on TikTok Ads Manager

Once you have received the authorization code and the postcode from the creator, you can authorize the video to run as an ad on your TikTok Ads Manager account. To do this, follow these steps:

• Go to TikTok Ads Manager.

• Under the Creative tab, click on Creative Library.

• Click on Spark Ads posts.

• Click on Apply for Authorization.

Note: Make sure to respect the terms and conditions set by the creator and comply with any usage restrictions or guidelines they have provided.

• Paste the video code received from the creator into the search bar.

• Once the code is entered correctly and the video is deemed valid, a preview will be displayed. Click on Search to find the authorized post. 

You will also be provided with some information about the whitelisted video, such as its length and resolution. Review the post and click on Confirm to authorize it for use as an ad.

If the video features two creators (such as Duets and Stitched posts), you will need to enter the video authorization codes from both creators.

Once the authorized post is successfully added to TikTok Ads Manager, you can proceed to create your Spark Ad using the authorized video.

Step 6: Configure the settings for your campaign

After you have authorized the video, you can create your ad campaign using it. 

From Tiktok ads manager:

• Select your advertising goal.

• Fill in the Campaign and Ad Group settings.

Step 7: Proceed to submit the ad

The last step is to select the authorized video and use it as your ad creative. You will see a list of all the videos that you have authorized under "Whitelist Creative". Choose the one that you want to use and click on "Select". 

• Under Identity, turn on Use TikTok account to deliver Spark Ads.

• Choose Use account owned by you. This option allows you to use any existing posts from your linked Business Account or upload videos from Ads Manager to your linked Business Account without using the app.

• Pick the TikTok account that authorized the post you want to use as your Spark Ad’s creative.

• Under Ad details, click TikTok post to pick your creative.

• You can then preview how your ad will look like on TikTok and edit some elements if needed, such as adding text overlays or stickers. 

• When you are happy with your ad creative, click on "Submit" and wait for TikTok to review and approve your ad.

Conclusion

Influencer whitelisting is a powerful strategy to boost your brand awareness, reach new audiences, and increase conversions. By allowing influencers to run ads on your behalf, you can leverage their trust and credibility, as well as their creative skills and insights.

However, influencer whitelisting requires careful planning and execution to ensure that you get the best results and avoid common pitfalls. You need to choose the right influencers, set clear goals and expectations, monitor the performance of the campaigns, and measure the return on investment.

If you are looking for a platform that can help you with influencer whitelisting, Collabstr is the perfect solution. Collabstr is a marketplace that connects brands with influencers who are willing to whitelist their content.  You can browse through thousands of influencers across different niches, categories, and locations, and find the ones that match your brand values and objectives. Sign up now for free.