To say that TikTok has become a HUGE FREAKIN’ DEAL is a bit of an understatement.

There are over a billion active users on the platform (!!!), users spend an average of 95 minutes per day on the app, and it’s become a thriving spot for people to grow huge numbers and followings.

Basically, it can be a goldmine in a lot of ways.

We’ve been knee-deep in learning the TT ads platform for the last year over here at System Envy, and we’ve been diving into the ways that our clients and readers can make big money via advertising on the platform.

Here’s the thing, though: when it comes to ads, there are some big-time differences that you need to understand, especially when compared to Facebook and Instagram ads.

You curious? Let’s dive into the pros and cons of TikTok advertising vs. Meta advertising (AKA, Instagram and Facebook).

First things first… understanding this about TikTok is key:

When new platforms launch — especially super popular ones — it’s human nature to want to start advertising on them… and quickly. However, it’s always, always going to be a better practice to do your due diligence on the platform in question — especially since no platform is the same.

TikTok is no different there.

See, here’s the thing: Facebook and Instagram are known quantities in the ad world. While we see big algorithm changes on the platforms from time to time, the way people behave on both of these platforms has stayed fairly consistent for years now. When it comes to TikTok, though, we have a different beast.

Unlike the Meta platforms you’re likely more familiar with, TikTok is really more of a discovery platform (think: Pinterest-esque). The users on TikTok are likely familiar with being advertised to on Facebook and Instagram, but they’re certainly not expecting that type of advertisement when they scroll down their For You Pages. To create ads that actually make an impact, you have to understand this — and, in turn, create entertaining, engaging, short, and snappy videos that feel in line with the type of content they’re already expecting from TikTok.

This is why we always, always recommend that you spend a nice chunk of time in a research and discovery phase before advertising on TikTok. What is your ideal audience looking at? What are the kinds of things that attract their attention? Repel it? This matters.

Now, for the PROS of advertising on TikTok (and, uh… the cons)

We advertise on TikTok for quite a few of our clients, and we definitely foresee continuing to do so in the future. However, just like with annnyyyy advertising platform (trust us… any of ‘em), there are pros and cons.

Pros of advertising on TikTok

So advertising on TikTok is pretty freakin’ effective (makes sense, huh?), and we’ve actually seen a cost-per-lead that’s competitive with FB and IG ads. Plus, there are a few benefits to TikTok advertising that we really love.

First, you can set up events in TikTok with your URL, which is super handy. For instance, on FB or IG, you have to set up an event by adding a pixel tag to your website code — and even though FB/IG has an event set up tool, TikTok is a lot more seamless for this. It’s so, so easy, and gives more authority to the ads team to set up the code.

Next up in our fave pro of TikTok is a SUPER efficient feature that lets you reply to allll ad comments… which is so nice. You can filter, select certain ad groups, and find out info about the comment (for example, you can see whether the comment is positive or negative, and you can even see if it contains a question). Meta has nothing like this, and it’s SO freakin’ helpful for organizing comment moderation when you have multiple campaigns running.

Cons of advertising on TikTok

Nowwww, with pros come cons. ‘Tis life. And, in our opinion, TikTok kinda has a big con: the difficulty of setting up audiences. Basically, TikTok doesn’t let you set up audiences in the same way FB/IG does (with matching email addresses and names), which is a pretty big bummer. 

It only allows you to upload Apple IDFA (Identifier for Advertisers) or GAID (Google Advertising ID) IDs, which isn’t available from most email marketing software — making it pretty much impossible to set up custom audience lists and lookalike audiences. This is a huge con, since creating those types of audiences is a really big marketing tool… and one we find highly successful for our clients. They perform really well, and make a pretty stark difference.

Apparently, TikTok is working on this (whoohoo!), but for now, it’s a massive limitation on targeting capabilities. Whomp, whomp.

So… should you advertise on TikTok?

Short answer? Yes, you should advertise on TikTok.

Long answer? You should advertise on TikTok in conjunction with FB/IG ads, and not on its own — at least, not right now. By diversifying your ads, you’ll be able to reach more people AND take advantage of things like custom audiences on the Meta platforms.

Have more q’s about this? We’re your team, always — just let us know!