TikTok Ad Specs 2026: Every Format, Size & Requirement for DTC Brands

TikTok ad specs change often, and a video that's a few pixels off or a second too long can get rejected before it ever spends.

This post covers all six ad formats: in-feed, Spark Ads, TopView, Brand Takeover, Branded Hashtag Challenge, and image ads. For each one you get the exact dimensions, video lengths, and file types, plus what a DTC brand uses it for and what to brief your creator.

Verify every number in TikTok Ads Manager before publishing creative, because TikTok updates specs regularly.

TL;DR

• In-feed is where most DTC brands start: 9:16 vertical, 5 to 60 seconds, up to 500MB, auction at any budget.
• Spark Ads boost an existing creator post; the catch is a 7- or 30-day authorisation window that stops the ad when it expires.
• TopView, Brand Takeover, and Branded Hashtag Challenge are fixed-cost reservation formats for awareness at scale, not CPA.
• Every TikTok brief comes down to five things: 9:16 vertical, sound-on, a hook in the first two seconds, one CTA, and Spark Ads rights agreed upfront.

TikTok In-Feed Ads specs — the primary format for DTC brands

In-feed ads are the format most DTC brands run on TikTok. They appear inside the For You feed, look like organic posts, and work in the auction at any budget, from a $20/day creative test to a full conversion campaign.

Here are the current specs.

Verify the numbers in TikTok's in-feed ad specs before you build creative.

One requirement brands skip: the profile image is capped under 50KB at a 1:1 ratio, and a missing or oversized one can hold up approval. Sort it once at the account level and it's done for every ad after.

Best for DTC: cold-audience prospecting, testing creative at any budget, conversion campaigns, and brand awareness with click-through. If you only run one TikTok format, this is it.

What to brief your creator: 9:16 vertical, 15 to 30 seconds, sound-on, phone-filmed. The more specific the brief, the better the first take, so hand over a full UGC brief template rather than a one-line ask.

Spark Ads specs — how to turn creator content into paid ads

Spark Ads don't have traditional creative specs. They use an existing TikTok post as the ad, so the specs are the requirements for that source video and the authorisation that lets you run it. Spark Ads are how UGC ads go from an organic post to paid reach on TikTok.

That structural difference is why no other format works quite like this. You're not uploading a file. You're putting paid reach behind a real post that already lives on a creator's account.

Check the current process in TikTok's Spark Ads documentation before you set one up.

How authorisation works. The creator grants permission through TikTok Ads Manager using their own account, and you receive an authorisation code valid for 7 or 30 days. To pull the code, the creator opens the post on their profile, taps the three dots, goes to Ad settings, turns on Ad authorisation, and shares the generated code with you. You paste it into Ads Manager under the Spark Ads setup.

When the code expires, the ad stops running. On long campaigns, set a calendar reminder to renew before the window closes, because a lapsed code is the most common reason a Spark Ad stops spending without warning.

Best for DTC: putting paid reach behind UGC or influencer content that's already performing organically. TikTok's data shows Spark Ads get 142% higher engagement and a 69% higher conversion rate than standard in-feed ads, because they carry the social proof (likes, comments, the creator's profile) from the original post. This is the payoff of TikTok UGC: content briefed for the feed, then boosted once it proves itself.

What to brief your creator: brief for native content first, because the organic performance is what makes a Spark Ad worth boosting. Ask for 9:16 vertical, 15 to 30 seconds, sound-on. Request Spark Ads authorisation upfront, before the creator posts, and specify whether you need the 7-day or 30-day window. Trying to negotiate rights after a video takes off is where brands lose their best creative.

TopView specs — full-screen, first impression

TopView is the first thing a user sees when they open TikTok. It's a reservation buy, which means fixed cost instead of auction, and it's built for reach, not conversion.

Verify the details in TikTok's TopView documentation.

Best for DTC: brand-awareness campaigns with real budget behind them, generally a $10,000+ minimum commitment. If you're optimising toward CPA, this isn't your format; use in-feed or Spark Ads for conversion objectives.

Key difference from in-feed: TopView is bought on reservation at a fixed cost, appears before any organic content, and users can't like, comment, or share it. High reach, low interaction.

Brand Takeover specs — the 3-5 second takeover

Brand Takeover is a full-screen ad that opens the app, capped at one per user per day. It's premium, expensive (roughly $20–$50+ CPM), and priced for a scale most DTC brands don't need on day one.

Best for DTC: awareness at scale with a large budget. The one-per-user-per-day cap makes it high-exclusivity and high-cost, which is why it's rarely the right first move for a brand just starting on TikTok.

What it can't do: no description text and no engagement, no likes or comments. It's a pure awareness placement.

Branded Hashtag Challenge specs

A Branded Hashtag Challenge is a campaign format more than a creative one. You create a hashtag, creators and users film content around it, and those videos surface on the discovery page.

Best for DTC: community building and UGC generation at scale. A challenge can drive organic reach and build a library of creator content at the same time, which is its real value for a brand.

Note: a Branded Hashtag Challenge is a reservation purchase, not available through self-serve auction. Contact TikTok sales for current pricing and minimums.

Image ad specs — TikTok's static format

TikTok is a video platform, so image ads are a secondary format available in specific placements. Include them for completeness, but don't build a TikTok strategy around them.

Best for DTC: supplementary placements like Pangle (TikTok's audience network) or retargeting where creative bandwidth is tight. Video outperforms image on the main feed, so use image ads as a complement, not a replacement.

Quick reference — TikTok ad specs by format

One table for the specs you look up most: aspect ratio, video length, file size, and buying type across all six formats. This is the part worth bookmarking.

The column that decides your options is the last one. Auction formats (in-feed, Spark Ads, image ads) run on any budget and optimise toward your objective. Reservation formats (TopView, Brand Takeover, Branded Hashtag Challenge) are fixed-cost awareness buys with minimums. Most DTC brands live in the auction column and only step into reservation once awareness has a dedicated budget.

What to brief your UGC creators for TikTok ads

Specs get your ad approved. The brief is what makes it perform. Whatever format you're running, a TikTok creative brief comes down to five things.

1. Format: 9:16 vertical, phone-filmed, 15 to 30 seconds for in-feed. Native beats polished on this platform every time.

2. Sound: on. Build audio into the hook, not just background music. TikTok is a sound-on feed by default.

3. First 2 seconds: the hook has to stop the scroll before the brand or product appears. If the logo opens the video, the viewer is already gone.

4. CTA: specific, not generic. "Say 'link in bio' at the end" works; "include a call to action" doesn't.

5. Spark Ads authorisation: if you want to run their content as a paid ad, get written authorisation before they post, and specify the 7-day or 30-day window.

For real ads built on these principles, tiktok ad examples breaks down the hooks by type. To turn a brief into a script, ugc script examples with best practices has the templates. Briefing through the influencer marketing platform keeps content rights and Spark Ads setup in one place. Get the rights sorted upfront and every winning video is one you can put paid spend behind.

FAQ

What are the specs for TikTok in-feed ads?

TikTok in-feed ad specs call for a 9:16 vertical video, 5 to 60 seconds long (15 to 30 performs best), up to 500MB, in .mp4, .mov, .mpeg, .3gp, or .avi. The caption runs 12 to 100 characters and a CTA is required from TikTok's preset options.

What is the best aspect ratio for TikTok ads?

The best aspect ratio for TikTok ads is 9:16 vertical, which fills the full screen in the For You feed. TikTok also accepts 1:1 and 16:9, but vertical is what the feed is built around and what performs.

How long can TikTok ads be?

TikTok ads can run up to 60 seconds across most formats, though 15 to 30 seconds performs best for in-feed. Brand Takeover is the exception, capped at 3 to 5 seconds.

What are TikTok Spark Ads specs?

TikTok Spark Ads specs are inherited from the creator's original post: aspect ratio, length up to 60 seconds, and engagement all carry over. The extra requirement is authorisation, a 7-day or 30-day code the creator grants through TikTok Ads Manager.

What video format does TikTok use for ads?

TikTok ads use .mp4, .mov, .mpeg, .3gp, and .avi video files, with a 500MB maximum for most formats. Image ads use .jpg, .jpeg, or .png, capped at 50KB.

Can I use music in TikTok ads?

You can use music in TikTok ads, but paid ads must pull from TikTok's Commercial Music Library or use tracks you've licensed. Trending sounds that aren't cleared for commercial use aren't available for ads, so brief creators to build around commercially licensed audio.

What is the difference between TopView and in-feed ads?

The difference between TopView and in-feed ads is placement and buying type: TopView is a reservation buy that appears the moment the app opens, while in-feed ads run in the auction inside the For You feed. TopView delivers reach at a fixed cost; in-feed scales to any budget and optimises toward conversions.