How to Create a TikTok Ads Account

So, you’re ready to advertise on TikTok? Tapping into its billion-plus users is a smart move for any brand trying to make an impact right now. Setting up your TikTok Ads Manager account is your first real step, and while it's pretty straightforward, knowing exactly what to expect can save you a ton of time and prevent mistakes. This guide walks you through every part of the process, from gathering your information to understanding your new dashboard.

First, Why Should Your Business Advertise on TikTok?

If you're still on the fence, let's quickly touch on why creating a TikTok Ads account is worth your time. The platform isn't just a fleeting trend for dance challenges, it's a legitimate, culture-driving marketing channel where brands of all sizes are seeing incredible results.

Here’s the short version of what makes it so powerful:

• Massive, Engaged Audience: TikTok has over a billion monthly active users globally who spend significant time on the app. The audience is not just kids, either, it spans every demographic, making it a viable platform for almost any industry.
• High Organic Feel for Ads: The best TikTok ads don't even look like ads. They seamlessly blend into the "For You" page, appearing as another piece of native, entertaining content. This leads to higher engagement and less "ad blindness" from users.
• Full-Funnel Advertising: Whether your goal is brand awareness, website traffic, lead generation, or driving direct sales, TikTok’s sophisticated advertising tools can help you achieve it. The platform offers objectives for every stage of the customer journey.
• Precise Targeting Capabilities: You can target users based on demographics, interests, behaviors on the app (like accounts they follow or videos they've engaged with), and even create custom and lookalike audiences based on your own customer data.

In short, creating a TikTok Ads account gives you a ticket to one of the most vibrant and attentive audiences on social media today. Now, let’s get it done.

Before You Start: Gather These Essentials

Having everything you need on hand will make the entire setup process much faster. Nothing is worse than getting halfway through a sign-up form only to realize you need to go hunt down a specific piece of information. Grab these things before you start:

• An Email Address and Phone Number: You’ll need these for verification and to secure your account. It's best to use a business email that multiple team members can access if necessary.
• Basic Business Information: This includes your official business name, the country where your business is registered, and the primary industry you operate in.
• Website URL: You'll need the URL of the business you plan to promote. This will also be necessary later for installing the TikTok Pixel (more on that later).
• Business Verification Documents (Optional but Recommended): Once your account is set up, you may want to verify your business for added features and trust. This might require documents like a business license or your tax registration number. You don't need it for the initial setup, but have it ready.

Step-by-Step: Creating Your TikTok Ads Manager Account

With your information gathered, you’re ready to create the account. The process should only take about 10-15 minutes.

Step 1: Go to the TikTok for Business Homepage

It all starts at the official portal. Open your web browser and navigate directly to the TikTok for Business website. You can find it with a quick search for "TikTok for Business" or by going to their main URL. Once you’re there, look for a prominent "Create now" or "Get started" button and click it.

Step 2: Sign Up for an Account

You’ll be directed to a sign-up page. TikTok gives you a few ways to create an account:

• Sign up with Email or Phone: This is the most common method. You'll enter an email address or phone number, create a secure password, and then enter a verification code that's sent to you.
• Sign up with your TikTok Account: If you already have a personal or business TikTok profile, you can use those credentials to sign up. This can streamline the process and link your advertising efforts more directly to your organic profile.

Choose the method that works best for you and follow the prompts. If you opt for email/phone, make sure to save your password somewhere secure.

Step 3: Tell TikTok About Your Business

After creating your login credentials, you’ll land on the "Create Your Ad Account" page. This is where you’ll input your business basics. It's important to get this information right, particularly the currency and time zone, as these cannot be changed later.

• Business Name: This should be your official company name or the name of the brand you plan to advertise. It will be displayed on some ad formats, so make it recognizable.
• Country/Region: Select the country where your business is legally registered. This impacts your available billing options and tax requirements.
• Industry: Choose the industry that best describes your business from the dropdown menu (e.g., E-commerce, Gaming, Retail, Education). This helps TikTok provide relevant tips and performance benchmarks.
• Time Zone: Select your local time zone. All of your campaign reporting and ad scheduling will be based on this setting. Double-check this before moving on.
• Currency: Select the currency you want to be billed in. Again, this is a permanent setting. Choose the currency tied to your business bank account or credit card to avoid conversion fees.
• Phone Number: Add your business phone number for verification and communication purposes.

Finally, you’ll need to read and agree to the TikTok Advertising Terms of Service. Check the box and click "Register."

Step 4: Complete Your Account Setup

Welcome to the TikTok Ads Manager dashboard! Before you can start building campaigns, you’ll likely need to complete a few remaining setup tasks. TikTok will usually prompt you with a screen titled "Let's Get Your Account Set Up."

You'll confirm your website and some billing details here. If you didn’t enter your business website earlier, you’ll do it now. This URL is important because it’s where you’ll install the TikTok Pixel to track conversions.

Next, you’ll be taken to the dashboard and asked to choose a campaign creation mode: Simplified Mode or Custom Mode. We'll touch on what these mean in a moment. For now, you can close that prompt and focus on the final setup piece: payment.

Step 5: Add a Payment Method

You can't run ads without a way to pay for them. To add your billing information, navigate to your Account Settings, often found by clicking the user icon in the top-right corner of the dashboard, and then select "Payment."

TikTok offers two main payment types:

• Manual Payment: This lets you pre-pay your account. You add funds to your account balance, and TikTok deducts your ad spend from that balance. This is a great option for businesses that want to maintain tight control over their budget.
• Automatic Payment: This is a post-pay model. You link a credit or debit card, and TikTok bills you automatically after your ads have accrued a certain amount of spend or on a specific billing date. This option often becomes available after you've spent some money on the platform or after your business credibility has been reviewed.

For brand-new accounts, Manual Payment is often the simplest and default option. Add your credit card, PayPal, or other accepted payment information and add an initial balance to your account to get started.

That's it! Your TikTok Ads Account is now ready to go.

Understanding Your New Ads Manager: First Look

Setting up the account is only half the battle. Now you need to understand the new environment you're in. Here are a couple of key concepts to get familiar with right away.

Simplified Mode vs. Custom Mode

When you go to create your first ad campaign, TikTok will ask which mode you want to use.

• Simplified Mode: As the name suggests, this is a streamlined, beginner-friendly process. TikTok simplifies the settings and uses smart automation to help you get a campaign running quickly with minimal input. It's perfect if you're new to the platform and just want to get your ads live without getting bogged down in details.
• Custom Mode: This provides access to the full suite of advanced tools, controls, and settings. You have complete control over targeting, bidding strategies, ad placements, and campaign optimizations. As you become more comfortable, you'll want to graduate to Custom Mode to get the most out of your campaigns.

Our advice? Run your very first campaign in Simplified Mode to learn the ropes. Once you see how it works, switch to Custom Mode for more control.

The Ad Campaign Structure

Like other big platforms (Meta, Google), TikTok ads are organized into a three-level hierarchy:

1. Campaign: The top level. Here, you set your overall advertising objective (e.g., getting more website traffic, app installs, or video views) and your campaign budget.
2. Ad Group: The middle level. Inside each campaign, you’ll have one or more ad groups. Here, you define your target audience, choose your ad placements (where your ads show up), set the budget and schedule for that specific group, and your bidding strategy.
3. Ad: The foundation level. This is the individual creative - the actual video and ad copy - that people will see. You can have multiple ads within each ad group, allowing you to test different videos or messages on the same audience.

Understanding this structure is essential for organizing and scaling your advertising efforts effectively.

Your Immediate Next Step: Install the TikTok Pixel

Before you spend a single dollar on an ad, do this one thing: install the TikTok Pixel. The Pixel is a small snippet of code you place on your website. It's a game-changer for your advertising efforts.

Here’s what the Pixel does:

• Tracks Conversions: It tells you when someone who saw your TikTok ad takes a valuable action on your website, like making a purchase or signing up for a newsletter. Without it, you’re just guessing at your return on investment.
• Builds a Custom Audience: The Pixel tracks all visitors to your site, allowing you to create a "warm" audience to retarget with future ads. Showing ads to people who have already visited your site is one of the most effective strategies available.
• Optimizes Ad Delivery: By feeding data back to TikTok, the Pixel helps the algorithm learn what kind of user is most likely to convert. This makes your ad delivery smarter and more efficient over time.

You can find the option to create your Pixel in the "Assets" section of your Ads Manager dashboard. TikTok provides easy-to-follow instructions for installing it on platforms like Shopify, WordPress, and Squarespace.

Final Thoughts

Getting your TikTok Ads account set up is a simple, administrative step that unlocks access to one of the most powerful marketing channels today. By following these steps and getting acquainted with the dashboard, you’re well on your way to launching campaigns that reach new audiences and drive real growth for your business.

Supporting those ad campaigns with a strong, consistent organic presence is where things really take off. When users discover you through an ad, they’ll want to see a vibrant profile with great content. This is where we built Postbase to make a real difference. For all the short-form videos and a packed content calendar that you need for both organic TikTok and other platforms like Reels and Shorts, our tool gives you a clean, visual way to plan and schedule everything from one place. It keeps your message consistent, saves you from duplicating work, and makes sure your organic content is just as compelling as your paid ads.