Published by the Zolyp team ·
What are TikTok Spark Ads?
Spark Ads are a native ad format that uses posts from organic TikTok accounts. Because the ad is the original post, engagement gained during the promotion is attributed to that post, so the effect outlasts the campaign.
- Use posts from your own TikTok account.
- Use posts by other creators, with their authorisation.
- Viewers can tap the profile photo or nickname to visit the account, follow it with the + sign, or open the sound's music page.
| Buying type | Objectives that support Spark Ads |
|---|---|
| Auction | Reach, Traffic, Video Views, Community interaction, App promotion, Conversions, Lead generation, Sales |
| Reach & Frequency | Reach, Traffic, Video Views |
Source: TikTok Business Help Center: About Spark Ads, checked 15 October 2026
How does a creator generate a Spark Ads code?
If you're sparking someone else's post, send them these steps. The same steps work for your own posts.
- Open the TikTok app and tap the three dots on the post.
- In the share drawer, tap Ad settings.
- Toggle on Ad authorization.
- Select an authorisation duration.
- Generate and copy the code, then send it to the advertiser.
- For a Duet, a Stitch, or a post that mentions another video, you need codes from the owners of both posts.
- The code doesn't take effect until the advertiser applies it in Ads Manager.
Sources: TikTok API for Business: Apply an authorization code, checked 15 October 2026; TikTok Business Help Center: How to create Spark Ads for Manual and Search Campaigns, checked 15 October 2026
How do you create a Spark Ad in TikTok Ads Manager?
TikTok's steps for manual and search campaigns:
- Log in to TikTok Ads Manager and go to the Campaign tab.
- Click +Create, choose an advertising objective, and complete the campaign and ad group settings.
- In the Ad creatives (or Creative assets) section, click + Add videos or images.
- Choose the TikTok posts tab, select the post and click Confirm. To use a new code, click Add post and enter it.
- Check the authorisation period shown beneath each post.
- Complete the ad details, destination and any tracking, then click Publish all.
- You can batch authorise up to 20 video codes at a time.
- Other ways to get posts: link your own TikTok account, or use accounts authorised through TikTok Business Center, which can also receive new posts pushed from Ads Manager.
Source: TikTok Business Help Center: How to create Spark Ads for Manual and Search Campaigns, checked 15 October 2026
What are the rules for sparked videos?
The ad's display name and text come from the original post and can't be edited in Ads Manager.
- Videos can be up to 10 minutes. TikTok sets no limits on ratio, resolution, file type, bitrate or file size for organic posts used this way.
- Captions can be blank, and can include account tags, emoji and hashtags.
- You can't edit a post's caption once it's authorised as an ad, so finalise it first.
- A private video becomes public once it's used in a campaign, and can't be made private during the promotion.
- Posts banned on TikTok are rejected in Ads Manager too.
- A video must be un-authorised as a Spark Ad before it can be deleted from the organic account.
- Each Ads Manager account supports up to 10,000 Spark Ads.
Sources: TikTok Business Help Center: About Spark Ads, checked 15 October 2026; TikTok Business Help Center: How to create Spark Ads for Manual and Search Campaigns, checked 15 October 2026
Spark Ads or Promote: which should you use?
Both boost existing posts. Promote is TikTok's in-app tool for boosting your own videos and LIVEs. Spark Ads run in TikTok Ads Manager, so you get its full campaign structure and can use creators' posts as well as your own.
| Promote | Spark Ads | |
|---|---|---|
| Where | In the TikTok app, or on the web | TikTok Ads Manager |
| Whose posts | Your own videos and LIVEs | Your own, or a creator's with their code |
| Best for | A quick boost from your phone | Campaigns with more control over objectives, budgets and audiences |
Sources: TikTok Business Help Center: About Promote on TikTok, checked 15 October 2026; TikTok Business Help Center: How to find Promote in-app and on web, checked 15 October 2026; TikTok Business Help Center: About Spark Ads, checked 15 October 2026; TikTok Business Help Center: About TikTok ads structure, checked 15 October 2026
How do you fix Spark Ads code errors?
TikTok's most common code errors and its fixes:
| Error | What to do |
|---|---|
| auth_code_not_found: the code has been deleted | Ask the creator for a new code |
| auth_code_format_error: the code is incorrect | Check the code with the creator, or ask for a new one |
| auth_code_expired: authorisation expired | Ask the creator to extend the authorisation |
| Authorisation ends before the ad's end time | Ask the creator to adjust the authorisation |
| not_public_video: the post isn't public | Ask the creator to make it public |
| Story videos or Duet carousels | Not supported. Choose a different post |
| video_unavailable or video_deleted | Contact the creator or pick another post |
| user_permission_missing | Ask your account manager for ad permissions |
Source: TikTok Business Help Center: About Spark Ads code error notifications, checked 15 October 2026
Where Zolyp fits (from the team behind this guide)
Zolyp, which publishes this guide, is an AI social media manager: it plans, writes, designs and schedules posts for Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google Business, X, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, and Threads, and you approve the week before anything goes out. It doesn't run ads. It builds the steady organic feed that Spark Ads draw on, and its weekly report shows which posts did best, a sensible shortlist of what to spark.
Common questions
What is a Spark Ads code on TikTok?
An authorisation code a post's owner generates from the post's Ad settings. An advertiser enters it in TikTok Ads Manager to run that post as a Spark Ad.
Do likes and follows from Spark Ads count on the original post?
Yes. TikTok says views, comments, shares, likes and follows gained during the promotion are attributed to the organic post.
How long can a Spark Ads video be?
Up to 10 minutes, according to TikTok's Business Help Center.
Can I use a creator's TikTok video as an ad?
Yes, with their authorisation. The creator generates a code and sends it to you, and you add it in Ads Manager.
Can I edit the caption of a Spark Ad?
No. Once a post is authorised as an ad, its caption can't be edited, so finalise it before generating the code.