Complete Guide to Moving TikTok Ads to YouTube Shorts Ads

If it’s a short-form domination battle between TikTok vs. YouTube Shorts, the former is the clear winner. According to Sensor Tower’s State of Mobile report, TikTok captures 55% of short-form video watch time in the U.S., while Instagram Reels holds 36% and YouTube Shorts at 26%.

If you’re considering moving from TikTok to YouTube Shorts ads, you’re in the right place. This guide will walk you through the transition, helping you navigate the platform differences, optimize your YouTube Shorts ads, and effectively tap into YouTube’s 200-million+ user base.

Why YouTube Shorts Is the Smart TikTok Alternative for Advertising

While YouTube Shorts may be YouTube’s response to the short-form vertical video trend, the platform as a whole offers far greater opportunities for advertisers. Backed by Google’s ad ecosystem, YouTube had just become the world’s second-largest search engine where audiences look for new products or research new brands.

If you’re only thinking about YouTube Shorts as a TikTok alternative, you might be overlooking the full potential of advertising on YouTube and its broad network. Here’s what you’re missing:

TikTok’s Uncertain Future

TikTok may be back in the app stores for new users to download, but for advertisers, there’s still some turmoil.

As concerns about a potential TikTok ban continue to rise, many brands have considered cross-platform strategies to safeguard their advertising investments. In fact, ad spend forecasts show a significant shift, with 10.7% moving to YouTube and 12.9% shifting to Connected TV (CTV) channels in the near future.

Realistically speaking, YouTube offers a more stable and secure option for U.S. advertisers, both technically and operationally:

• YouTube is owned by Google (Alphabet Inc.) and operates under U.S. jurisdiction, which mitigates concerns about foreign adversary risks—something TikTok can’t fully avoid.
  • Unlike TikTok, YouTube faces no immediate legislative threats, making it a much more reliable long-term platform for ad spend.
  • In response to TikTok’s uncertainties, YouTube has been proactively courting creators, encouraging them to shift to YouTube Shorts and “find your community” on the platform. This is part of YouTube’s strategy to acquire as many creators and advertisers as possible before the looming April 2025 deadline that could impact TikTok’s availability in the U.S.
• As some U.S. advertisers have explored, VPNs were briefly considered as a workaround to access TikTok during the ban. However, this approach is risky, as VPN usage can expose devices to malware, thus is not advisable.
  • YouTube, in turn, has only since expanded its reach, from the original website YouTube.com to the mobile app. Now, it has Connected TV reach as well, with Google TV and YouTube TV placements that advertisers can utilize to increase brand awareness.

YouTube Shorts’ Growth By the Numbers

YouTube Shorts has seen massive growth in the U.S., with monthly active users (MAUs) rising from 118.1 million in 2020 to 164.5 million in 2024. With YouTube’s expansion into Connected TV (CTV), this reach has extended further, adding 8 million users from YouTube TV screens.

As an official ad placement, YouTube Shorts has positioned itself as a strong competitor to TikTok in the short-form video advertising space.

Still mulling over whether YouTube Shorts ads are the way to go? Here’s what the numbers say:

• 5.91% Engagement rate – the highest among short-form platforms (TikTok 5.75%; Instagram Reels 5.53%
• 106.28% More likes than regular video content on YouTube
• 3x Increased ad RPM (revenue for creators)
• 43% U.S. advertisers already leveraging YouTube Shorts ads for promotions

Advantages of Advertising on YouTube Shorts

Transitioning your TikTok ads to YouTube Shorts unlocks a range of benefits, thanks to YouTube’s established presence in video advertising. With years of dominance in the space, YouTube provides a more stable and scalable platform—especially if TikTok is no longer a viable option for your brand.

Strong Creator Ecosystem

If influencer marketing is central to your TikTok ad campaigns, YouTube Shorts offers a powerful alternative. YouTube has its own thriving creator community, and studies show that 59% of content is shared across multiple social platforms—primarily TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts. Before making the switch, check if your TikTok influencers have a YouTube presence—you may already have an existing audience to tap into.

To make partnerships easier, YouTube offers BrandConnect, a platform designed to connect brands and creators seamlessly. Announced during the Google Marketing Live Update, BrandConnect allows advertisers to:

• Find creators who have already tagged or reviewed your brand
• Propose collaborations for sponsored content
• Promote creator content directly in YouTube Shorts ads

Broader Audience Reach

TikTok’s user base skews younger, with 25% of its audience aged 18-24 and over 30% aged 25-34. While this is great for brands targeting Gen Z and Millennials, YouTube offers a more diverse audience, including older age groups with higher purchasing power.

Here’s a breakdown of YouTube’s U.S. demographic reach:

• Gen Z (25.1%) and Millennials (25.5%) make up the majority of users
• Gen X (19.9%) and Baby Boomers (15%) represent a significant portion of viewers
• YouTube Shorts’ audience mirrors this diversity, with:
  • 18-24 (15.7%)
  • 45-54 (12.9%)

Let’s break down how your TikTok ad campaign focused on reach can be expanded when shifting to YouTube Shorts or YouTube ads overall:

	TikTok	YouTube Shorts (YouTube)
Campaign objective	Reach	Reach (Awareness)
Possible ad placements	For You Feed Following Feed Profile Feed	Shorts In-stream (bumper, skippable*, non-skippable**) Connected TV networks (Google TV, YouTube TV) Can also appear in home feed, search results; Google Display Network

* For Efficient reach & Target frequency campaign sub-objective (includes bumper)
* For Non-skippable reach & Target frequency campaign sub-objective

TikTok ads are primarily limited to the app, appearing in the For You Feed, Following Feed, and Profile Feed. However, if you’re looking to expand your reach, you can also advertise through Pangle, TikTok’s ad network, which allows you to connect with audiences across 100,000+ global apps.

With YouTube Shorts, you can expand your audience reach and strengthen lower-funnel campaigns, allowing for precise targeting at different stages of the customer journey. Additionally, brand safety remains a top priority on YouTube, to make sure your ads appear alongside safe and suitable content. 

To avoid last-minute scrambling as TikTok’s future remains in flux, future-proofing your ads by transitioning to YouTube Shorts makes sense. While the shift from TikTok ads to YouTube Shorts ads may involve several steps, it will undoubtedly offer greater stability and benefits in the long term.

YouTube Shorts vs. TikTok Ads: What You Need to Know

Before making the shift from TikTok ads to YouTube Shorts video ads, you must consider key elements such as ad creatives, cost structures, and campaign setup. While both platforms focus on short-form video content, YouTube offers a wider range of placements compared to TikTok. 

This means that your video advertising strategy will need to be adjusted to ensure optimal performance on YouTube Shorts.

Format Considerations

Short-form video content is best viewed in the 9:16 vertical format, but both TikTok and YouTube Shorts offer flexibility in aspect ratios, allowing for a variety of creative approaches. For instance, if you want your audience to focus on a smaller creative, you can easily adjust. However, maximizing screen space with vertical videos remains the optimal choice for capturing attention.

Here’s a quick guide on ad creative specs, safe zones, and how TikTok vs. YouTube Shorts compare:

As shown above, YouTube Shorts supports a broader range of file types. This allows brands and influencer partners to repurpose existing video content more easily and tailor ads to different viewing experiences. Moreover, YouTube Shorts’ structure for headlines and text enables clearer messaging and calls to action (CTA), regardless of where your ad appears.

Ultimately, scaling your advertising from TikTok to YouTube Shorts can enhance your creative flexibility, allowing you to produce more engaging content for your audience.

Cost Comparison

Budget considerations will naturally be a key factor when shifting your advertising strategy from TikTok to YouTube Shorts. While YouTube claims a 6% higher share in ad spend compared to TikTok, you might assume this means higher advertising costs—but that’s not always the case.

We analyzed Strike Social’s U.S. YouTube and TikTok campaigns, focusing on clicks and actions to determine how campaigns would perform if transferred. The reason behind this is simple: YouTube’s diverse campaign formats and objective options allow for greater precision in targeting your goals.

Instead of being limited to just one video view format, such as YouTube Shorts, you can also take advantage of other placements where your ads could perform even better.

Here’s a quick breakdown of the costs for TikTok ads vs. YouTube ads, helping you make a more informed decision:

YouTube’s CPC and CTR, while fluctuating, tend to be more stable and predictable than TikTok’s. This makes budgeting and campaign planning easier, giving advertisers more confidence in their decisions.

While YouTube CPC levels are not immune to the holiday seasons, TikTok also shows a rise, especially during Q4. As seen above, even with YouTube ad costs rising, driving clicks is managed well, as long as brands are partnered with the right YouTube advertising agency. 

Differences in Campaign Setup and Management

If you’ve worked with other ad management platforms like Facebook or Snapchat Ads Manager, you’ll notice some similarities in system navigation.

However, if your experience is primarily with TikTok ads, transitioning to Google Ad Manager for YouTube Shorts may require additional guidance. Here are the key differences to keep in mind:

Campaign Goals

In TikTok Ads Manager, campaign objectives are straightforward and tied to specific goals, with a simple setup process and consistent feed placements.

As for Google Ad Manager, you’ll need to select the appropriate campaign objective and format tailored specifically for YouTube Shorts ads. Here are some of the relevant formats for YouTube Shorts:

• Awareness & Consideration
  • Demand Gen
  • Video (Video views, Efficient reach)
• Conversion Goals
  • Demand Gen
  • Video (selecting Video as a sub-objective would also direct to Demand Gen due to the transition from Video Action Campaigns)

Targeting Options

Apart from the usual audience targeting features such as location, age, and interests, you can create Custom Audiences or Audience Segments. While this feature is also available in TikTok through Saved Audience, you’d have to prepare your audience list in the TikTok Business Center as there’s currently no option to do it within the campaign setup page.

• For YouTube, you can use a previously saved audience list or create a new one immediately without leaving the setup page. 
• YouTube advertising now allows users to target Nielsen DMA regions. TikTok launched this feature in 2021, and Google followed suit in 2023.

Ad Placements

Did you know that with CTV views growing 130%, YouTube has been thriving on both short-form and now bigger screens? Thus, there’s no harm in being flexible with where your ads can appear.

Although there isn’t a specific option to exclusively place ads on YouTube Shorts, with proper optimization, you can focus your efforts on this placement. Achieving this is made easier with the right software and a skilled team to help maximize your performance while staying within budget.

For example, during the Q4 season, we helped an HVAC brand leverage the power of YouTube Shorts ads, achieving 59% cost efficiency and generating up to 5.3 million total video views during the campaign flight.

Shifting Gears From TikTok Ads to YouTube Shorts

Transitioning from TikTok ads to YouTube Shorts is a significant shift, especially if TikTok has been a primary source of leads or sales, delivering strong results for your brand. However, the uncertainty surrounding TikTok’s future in the U.S. raises questions about its long-term viability. Marketers and brands must adapt quickly, rather than waiting until it’s too late.

The good news is that your current TikTok ad campaigns can be successfully transitioned to YouTube Shorts, opening up copious opportunities. Ready to take the leap and thrive on a new platform? Send us a message below, and let us help you elevate your ad performance as you move from TikTok to YouTube Shorts ads.