TikTok Spark Ads Management for Brand and Creator Videos

How to get a Spark Ads code, and why the expiry date matters

The creator opens the video's three-dot menu in the TikTok app, goes to ad settings, generates the code and chooses the authorization period. We enter the code in Ads Manager to link the video to the ad account. The video can be used in ads as soon as the code is entered; we do not need any access to the creator's account. If the brand uses a video from its own account, linking the account to Ads Manager is enough, with no code.

The real risk is the expiry date. When the code expires, the ad stops and Ads Manager shows an expired authorization error. So the campaign does not stop while it is winning, we set the authorization period to match the usage period in the contract and ask the creator for an extension before it ends. If no extension comes, a new code for a new video from the same creator restarts learning from zero, so we map the calendar when the campaign is set up.

• Before the code is generated, we have the creator confirm that ad settings for the video are switched on.
• We log every code in a tracking sheet with the video name, creator, start date and end date.
• An authorized video cannot be deleted from the organic account until the authorization is removed; we note this in the contract.

Spark Ads vs. non-Spark In-Feed ads

The video looks the same in the feed; the difference is the account behind it. A standard In-Feed ad belongs to the ad account and does not appear on a profile. A Spark Ad is a real post from a real account. In a sales campaign, that means a viewer who taps through to the profile sees a living account with comments and other videos, not an empty ad account. Tapping the profile photo takes the user to the creator's or brand's profile, and paid followers and likes from the ad stay on the post.

The ad text is also pulled from the organic post's caption, and at most four lines show in the feed. So we brief the creator on the caption before filming; for a video that will become an ad, we do not want a half-finished sentence or a chain of irrelevant hashtags. An old discount code left in the organic post also comes back as customer service questions during the campaign, so we have the caption updated to match the campaign dates.

Working with creators on Spark Ads: disclosure and contracts

In Türkiye, creator ads must clearly disclose the commercial relationship; the guideline published by the Advertising Board (Reklam Kurulu) on commercial advertising by social media creators is clear on this. We write the ad disclosure in the organic post into the contract. Payment terms, usage period and code duration should all match in a single document.

When choosing creators, we look at how well their videos hold viewers in the first seconds and at the quality of comments, not at follower count. We run small-budget tests with three or four creators for the same product and scale the winning video. On Meta we run a similar setup with Meta partnership ads and compare creator performance across both platforms with creative analysis.

Spark Ads: when do we recommend it?

How we manage Spark Ads

1. Video selectionWe shortlist candidate videos by checking organic performance, comments and music licensing.
2. Permission and contractWe align usage period, ad disclosure and code duration in one agreement.
3. Code trackingWe enter codes in Ads Manager, add end dates to the calendar and request extensions in advance.
4. Creator testWe run videos from several creators on equal budgets and pick the winner.
5. Comment managementWe monitor comments during the campaign together with the brand and the creator.

Spark Ads: metrics and requirements

The Brand Move TikTok Team

To learn more about Spark Ads or other TikTok ad formats, contact The Brand Move TikTok team today.

Contact us now