TikTok Ads
TikTok ads, judged on what happens after the click.
TikTok can bring cheap reach and real customers. It can also be the most expensive click-through rate you'll ever buy. We test it like it could be either, because it can.
How we run TikTok Ads
Native or nothing
TikTok punishes ads that look like ads. Creative has to feel made for the feed: vertical, fast, often a person talking to camera, with the hook in the first second or two. Repurposed TV spots and polished brand videos rarely survive.
Small tests, fast verdicts
We start with a capped test budget per market or audience and grade each one green, yellow or red before scaling anything. For UGLYCASH, that grading made it obvious where not to spend.
Judge it on the event that pays
TikTok's click-through rates often look great. For UGLYCASH, they ran around 2 to 2.5%, but about $1,000 a day was producing only a handful of funded accounts. High click-through with low-quality users is an expensive illusion, so we judge TikTok on the same downstream event as every other channel, and cut it where it doesn't pull its weight. Once we consolidated UGLYCASH's over-segmented campaigns so they could get out of the learning phase, TikTok came down to about $90 per first funding on Android.
Know who you're reaching
TikTok's audience still skews younger than Meta's or Google's, and its conversion tracking is less mature. That's fine for some products and a dealbreaker for others. We'll tell you which before you spend.
Part of the mix, not instead of it
TikTok rarely works best on its own. For UGLYCASH, our recommendation was TikTok, Meta and influencer drops working together, each judged on what it added.
Proof
- UGLYCASHThe ad with the most installs produced the fewest funded accounts; the payment message produced five times more
- UGLYCASHSeven markets graded on Meta, TikTok and Google, with TikTok cut where high click-through didn't turn into funded accounts
Our deepest track record is on Meta and Google. On TikTok, we bring the same testing discipline, and we'll tell you when it isn't working.
When TikTok is the right channel, and when it isn't
Right for
TikTok fits products that demo well in a few seconds, audiences that skew younger, apps and impulse-friendly consumer products, and teams that can feed it new creative every week.
Wrong for
It's a poor fit for long, considered purchases aimed at older buyers, for regulated categories that struggle to get ads approved, and for teams without a steady creative pipeline.
What it costs
$5,000 to $25,000 a month, plus a one-time $5,000 setup. One fee covers every channel we run.
One time. Every channel, tracking, funnel and creative, with a ranked action list.
No retainer. A senior second opinion for your team, buyer or agency.
Full details, a fee calculator and terms are on the pricing page.
Questions
Do you make TikTok creative?
Yes. We make ads ourselves, bring in designers when needed, or brief your team and creators so the content is built for testing.
How much should I test TikTok with?
Enough to get a real read on the event that matters in each market, not just views and clicks. For UGLYCASH, test budgets were about $2,500 per market.
Is TikTok cheaper than Meta?
Often on cost per thousand impressions, not always on the result that matters. Compare cost per acquisition, measured the same way on both.
Further reading: Mobile App Ads: User Acquisition Strategies That Work · Meta & Google Ads in 2026: Creative Is the New Targeting · TikTok Ads Agency vs. Consultant: Costs and Tradeoffs. Other channels: Meta Ads · Google Ads · Reddit Ads. Also: all paid media · app install ads · ad account audit. Comparing options? Agency vs. in-house vs. freelancer.
Want to see what this looks like for your account?
Book a free 30-minute consultation and we'll tell you what we'd change first. Want to know what it costs before we talk? Our pricing is public.
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