TikTok Pulse is a revolutionary revenue-sharing program and advertising feature that transforms how brands engage with their target audience on TikTok. Whether your brand falls under popular content categories like dance, comedy, food and cooking, fashion and beauty, or home renovations/DIY, TikTok Pulse can help you tap into a massive audience and connect with your desired community. TikTok Pulse allows brands to showcase their content alongside the top 4% performing clips of the day, generating maximum visibility and engagement. This article will provide a step-by-step guide to TikTok Pulse and its unique benefits.

TikTok Pulse is a game-changer for advertisers who want to make their mark on the platform and connect with their target audience meaningfully and effectively. So if you want to take your advertising campaigns to the next level, TikTok Pulse might be the tool you need!

Is TikTok Pulse different from Spark Ads?

TikTok Pulse and Spark Ads are two powerful tools brands can leverage to enhance their online presence and increase their customer base. Although both aim to boost brand awareness and expand reach, their strategies and implementation differ.

TikTok Features	TikTok Spark Ads	TikTok Pulse
Definition	Posts created by influencers in partnership with a brand	Contextual advertising feature for brands
Visibility	The post is labeled as ‘sponsored’. Appears in users’ home feed.	Ads are placed next to similar, top-performing Creator content in For You feed
Targeting	Targets users who don’t follow the influencer or brand	Matches brand ads with relevant creator content
Matching with content	Combines UGC and targeted advertising	Matches brand ads with relevant Creator content
Objective	Promote brand awareness and reach a wider audience	Bring brands into the community and break down barriers
Revenue Sharing	NA	Ad revenue split 50-50 with Creators

TikTok Pulse is an innovative contextual advertising feature that allows brands to align their ads with the top-performing content on the platform. This feature enables advertisers to maximize brand exposure by targeting specific audiences with engaging content. With 12 categories, including beauty, fashion, and gaming, Pulse offers a broad range of options to cater to the audience’s interests.

Moreover, TikTok Pulse offers a revenue-sharing program with creators, ensuring a fair 50-50 split of the generated ad revenue. This feature allows creators to benefit from the ads they help promote and incentivizes them to produce more engaging content. Thus, it fosters a positive relationship between advertisers and creators on the platform.

In contrast, TikTok Spark Ads are organic posts in partnership with a brand, promoted as ads in users’ home feeds. These ads appear even for users who do not follow the influencer or brand, labeled as ‘sponsored.’ Unlike Pulse, Spark Ads do not have revenue sharing with creators and are centered on user-generated content and targeted advertising.

Pulse and Spark Ads are effective tools for brands to promote their products or services on TikTok. However, it is important to note that advertisers can choose to run either a Spark Ad or a Non-Spark Ad as creative in running a TikTok Pulse campaign. This flexibility allows brands to optimize their campaigns based on their goals and target audience.

TikTok Pulse FAQ and Setup Guide: Maximizing Engagement Around Organic Content

TikTok Pulse Set-up Guide

Are you keen on launching a successful TikTok Pulse campaign? The key to achieving this goal is opening a TikTok Ads Manager account. This account will be your central hub for managing all your TikTok campaigns. After setting up your account, you can log in and view your dashboard to keep track of all your campaigns and monitor their performance.

Campaign Level

Open TikTok Ads Manager > Click Create an Ad under the Campaign section
Under buying type, Select Reach and Frequency
Click Reach in Advertising objective
Select TikTok Pulse
Enter Campaign Name
Click Continue

Ad Group Level

1. Ad Group Name

Select an Ad Group Name

2. Audience Targeting

Choose parameters for targeting options such as audience, demographics, interest, and device.
Refer to the TikTok Pulse Planning Packet (provided by your TikTok sales lead) for targeting recommendations.

3. Contextual Targeting

Confirm that Standard Feed is selected in the “Feed Type” section

Select TikTok Pulse content lineups in the “Content Topics” setting. (Do not select anything under “General content“)

“All Pulse” is the default state, meaning all Pulse content lineups are auto-selected. You should target All Pulse and allow the system to find the lineups that best match your audience and the given creative

To target specific lineups, choose 4 to 5 lineups. Select content lineups that resonate with the “audience” you are targeting. Targeting fewer than 4 lineups may impact the forecast for available inventory and/or reach.

4. Confirm that the Limited Inventory filter is auto-selected in “Content Exclusions.”

5. In “Schedule,” choose a date range when you want your ad to start running

Ad delivery will begin at 12:00 AM in the timezone of the country/region selected in Location and end at 11:59 PM every day
Ad scheduling can be set up to 225 days in advance
Ad delivery can be scheduled to start within 1 to 90 days
Ad Groups must be created at least 1 day before ad delivery

6. Choose a reservation purchase method in “Reservation.”

You can choose either Budget, Impressions, Reach or Reach Percentage.

7. Confirm that Reach is set to auto-selected in “Optimization Goal.”

8. Choose how often you want your ads to appear by selecting a “Frequency Cap.”

9. Select your desired delivery mode in the “Ad sequencing & Schedule” tab when using multiple creatives in your ad campaign.

Learn more about Multiple Creative Delivery Service

10. Once you have created your Ad Group, click Next to see the “Submit Order” and “Reserve Audience” screen.

11. Reserve your ad without attaching your creative by clicking Submit Order.

12. To add your creative, click Continue to Add. Then proceed to Ad level setup.

13. If you need to create additional Ad Groups for Pulse lineups, navigate back to the Create page in Step 1, go to “Use existing” in the Campaign level section, select the existing campaign, then repeat Steps 1-12 to set up a new Ad Group

Ad Level

1. Type the Ad Name

2. Select the options you want to display for your Identity, including a Display Name, Text, and Profile Image.

You can also run a Spark Ad as your Pulse creative

3. Upload a video in your Ad Creative

Reach & Frequency creative specs can be found here

4. Add any Interactive add-ons

5. Set your Destination page options, which can include adding a website URL and/or adding CTA buttons

6. Add any pixels or tracking URLs

Check out supported third-party tracking partners here

7. You can add additional ads by clicking the +Add button. Repeat Steps 3-6 if you wish to add more ads

8. When you are satisfied with your ads, click Submit to send them to the review queue

For more information, visit TikTok Business Help Center

TikTok Pulse FAQs

How Does TikTok Pulse Work?

TikTok Pulse is an advanced contextual targeting product designed to help advertisers maximize exposure and engagement for their brand. With TikTok Pulse, you can purchase ad slots that are immediately matched with relevant creator niches based on various categories of Pulse content. This targeting approach ensures that your ads are displayed alongside verified content, promoting brand safety.

Pulse ads are benchmarked based on views and engagement to ensure your brand is associated with trending content and reaches a wider audience. This approach guarantees that your brand’s message is aligned with culturally-relevant content, allowing you to achieve your advertising goals effectively.

What are the TikTok Pulse Lineups?

TikTok Pulse Lineups are top categories, such as Beauty, Sports, Gaming, Art & Animation, and others, that enable advertisers to reach their desired audience effectively. Your ads will be displayed in the “For You” feed after a popular and relevant TikTok video from your chosen Pulse Lineup.

TikTok Pulse uses a proprietary scoring system to identify the top 4% of culturally-relevant videos across each category daily. This approach ensures your ads are placed alongside the most engaging and relevant content. Various signals such as engagement, video views, recent growth, creator engagement signals, and brand safety and suitability signals are considered to calculate a video’s score.

What Are the Objectives Available for TikTok Pulse?

TikTok Pulse offers advertisers two buying options: Reach & Frequency (Reach objective only) and two ad formats: In-feed Spark Ads or Non-Spark Ads. These placement options and ad formats enable advertisers to connect with their desired audience effectively and achieve their marketing goals on TikTok.

Is TikTok Pulse Available for Everyone?

TikTok Pulse is currently only available to a select number of allow-listed advertisers in the US. Content creators must also meet specific criteria, including having at least 100,000 followers, posting at least five videos within the last 30 days, and being 18 or older to qualify.

Why Should You Use TikTok Pulse?

TikTok Pulse has emerged as a powerful tool for advertisers looking to expand their reach and engagement on the platform. By aligning their ads with top-performing content, brands can leverage popular content that resonates with their target audience, resulting in higher engagement and brand loyalty. It’s a win-win situation for both parties, as TikTok Pulse’s revenue-sharing program enables brands to engage with creators and participate in ongoing conversations actively.

One of the most exciting features of TikTok Pulse is the greater control it gives brands over their advertising campaigns and budget. Advertisers can choose between a Spark Ad or a non-Spark Ad as creative in a TikTok Pulse campaign, maximizing their advertising ROI and connecting with their target audience meaningfully and effectively with user-generated content.

Moreover, TikTok Pulse provides a unique opportunity for brands to drive engagement among diverse communities. By featuring alongside the top 4% of creators and videos on TikTok, brands can gain maximum exposure. Advertisers can also use TikTok’s 12 brand safety categories to place ads next to relevant content, connecting with their desired communities.

With TikTok’s inventory filter, ads run adjacent to verified content with high levels of brand suitability, providing brands with confidence in the safety of their ads. Brands can also use third-party brand suitability and viewability verification tools to analyze the effectiveness of their campaigns post-launch.

Overall, TikTok Pulse is an innovative and game-changing platform for advertisers looking to optimize their reach and engagement on TikTok. With its powerful features and tools, brands can achieve their marketing goals and create a lasting impression on their target audience. It’s a great opportunity for businesses to tap into the power of social media and connect with their audience more meaningfully.

by strikesocial