How to Target by Interest in TikTok Advertising

TikTok’s incredible algorithm knows exactly what users want to see, which is great for them, but even better for advertisers. With interest targeting, you can place your ads directly in front of audiences who have already shown they care about what you offer. This article will show you how to set up interest targeting in your campaigns and share some practical strategies to find the perfect audience for your brand.

What is TikTok Interest Targeting and How Does it Work?

Interest targeting is exactly what it sounds like: it lets advertisers show their ads to users based on what they're passionate about. TikTok's algorithm determines these interests by analyzing long-term user behavior, such as:

• The type of content they watch, like, and share.
• The accounts they follow and interact with.
• The text, captions, and hashtags in the content they engage with.

Through this analysis, TikTok groups users into audience categories. If a person consistently watches and engages with DIY home renovation videos, they'll likely fall into the "Home Improvement" interest category. When a home improvement brand targets this interest, their ads will show up in that user’s For You Page.

Think of it as finding your people without having to guess. Instead of casting a wide net and hoping for the best, you’re connecting with communities that are already invested in your niche.

A Step-by-Step Guide to Setting Up Interest Targeting

Finding and applying interests in the TikTok Ads Manager is straightforward. You’ll do this at the Ad Group level of your campaign creation process. Here’s how you get it done:

1. Navigate to the Ad Group settings: After setting your Campaign objective and budget, move down to the Ad Group level. This is where you'll define your audience.
2. Find the "Targeting" section: Scroll down past Placements and Creative Type until you reach the Targeting section. Here you’ll manage your audience’s demographics, language, and interests.
3. Select "Interests": Inside the "Audiences" panel, click the "Add" button next to Interests &, Behaviors. A dropdown menu will appear. This is where the magic happens. Make sure you're working under the Interests tab.

From here, you’ll see a list of broad, parent categories like "Apparel &, Accessories," "Beauty &, Personal Care," or "Gaming." This is your starting point.

Drilling Down into Niches

Every broad category can be expanded. Clicking the arrow next to a category reveals more specific sub-interests. For example:

• "Sports &, Outdoors" can expand into --> "Outdoor Sports" which can then expand into --> "Hiking &, Camping."
• "Food &, Beverage" can expand into --> "Cooking &, Recipes" which can then expand into --> "Baking."

You can choose to target an entire parent category for a broader reach or get really specific by selecting only the most relevant sub-interests. If you’re a brand selling specialized baking flour, targeting "Food &, Beverage" is too wide. Targeting "Baking" is much more efficient and will connect you with a far more relevant audience.

Choosing the Right Interest Categories for Your Brand

With dozens of categories to choose from, picking the right ones can feel like a tall order. The goal is to find a balance between relevance and scale. You want an audience that's specific enough to care about your ad but large enough to drive meaningful results. Here’s how to approach it.

1. Start with the Obvious

Begin with the most direct representation of what you sell. If you have an online store that sells sustainable pet toys, your first stop should be the "Pets" category. From there, you can explore sub-categories like "Pet Products," "Dogs," or "Cats." This method establishes a solid foundation of relevant users for your campaign.

2. Think Beyond Your Product

Now, think about the lifestyle and adjacent interests your ideal customers have. Someone buying sustainable pet toys might also be interested in:

• "Environmental Protection": This taps into the "sustainable" aspect of your product.
• "Home Improvement / Home Goods": They are homeowners who care about the items they bring into their space.
• "Outdoor Sports / Hiking &, Camping": They're likely active and might take their dogs on adventures.

By connecting these complementary interests, you build a picture of your target customer that goes beyond just one single characteristic. This strategy is perfect for widening your audience while still keeping it incredibly relevant.

3. Use the Search Function

Don't just rely on scrolling through the default list of categories. The TikTok Ads Manager has a search bar within the Interests section. Use it to find hidden gems. If you sell vegan skincare, searching "vegan" might not yield a direct interest, but searching "skincare," "natural," or "sustainability" will give you a list of options to consider and test against each other.

4. Pay Attention to Audience Size

As you select interests, look to the right side of your screen. The Audience Size meter will update in real-time, telling you whether your potential reach is "Too-Narrow," "Fair," or "Too Broad." While there's no single perfect number, you typically want to be in the "Fair" range. If your audience is too narrow, your ads may struggle to deliver. If it’s too broad, you might waste your budget on people who aren't a great fit.

Advanced Strategies for TikTok Interest Targeting

Once you've got the basics down, you can start testing more sophisticated strategies to optimize your campaigns and find new pockets of customers.

Strategy 1: Broad vs. Niche A/B Testing

One of the best ways to find what works is to pit your assumptions against each other. Create two separate Ad Groups with identical creative and budgets:

• Ad Group A (Broad): Target one or two large, parent-level interest categories (e.g., "Fashion &, Accessories").
• Ad Group B (Niche): Target a bundle of 5-10 highly specific sub-categories (e.g., "Vintage Clothing," "Streetwear," "Handbags," "Jewelry").

Let both run and monitor performance. Sometimes, the broad targeting allows TikTok's algorithm more room to find your best customers on its own. Other times, the hyper-specific targeting gives you a better return right out of the gate. The only way to know what works for your brand is to test it.

Strategy 2: The Art of Interest Stacking

Inside the Interests section, TikTok's logic is an unspoken "OR." If you select "Hiking" and "Dogs," you are targeting people who are interested in hiking or dogs. This expands your audience.

The real power comes from layering Interests with another targeting type, like Behaviors. This lets you create a more specific "AND" audience. For example, you could layer:

• Interest Targeting: "Outdoor Sports" + "Hiking & Camping". This defines the general audience persona.
• Behavior Targeting - Creator Interactions: Watched, Liked, or Commented on videos from creators in the "Travel" or "Outdoors" category. This qualifies them as highly engaged.

This "stacking" method creates a powerfully focused audience of mountain-loving enthusiasts who have recently been engaging with travel and adventure posts. They're not just passively interested, they're actively consuming relevant content on the platform.

Strategy 3: Finding Your Unorthodox Interest Combos

Sometimes the most effective audiences are the ones nobody else thinks to target. This involves creativity based on customer psychographics. What are the unexpected media consumption habits, hobbies, or life stages of your audience?

Here are a few examples of creative interest combinations:

• Brand: A subscription box for gourmet coffee.
  • Obvious Interests: "Food &, Beverage," "Coffee &, Tea".
  • Unorthodox Interests: "Tech," "Finance," "Education," "Business &, Marketing". Why? People in these professions often work long hours and rely on caffeine to stay productive. They're more likely to see premium coffee as a worthy investment rather than just a commodity.
• Brand: A mobile app for meditation and mental well-being.
  • Obvious Interests: "Health &, Wellness."
  • Unorthodox Interests: "Parenting," "Higher Education," "Entrepreneurship." These are demographics known for high-stress lifestyles who are actively looking for solutions to manage overwhelm.

Brainstorm these non-obvious audience profiles and create dedicated Ad Groups to test them. You might just stumble upon an untapped, high-performing audience that gives you a major competitive advantage.

Final Thoughts

Mastering interest targeting on TikTok takes your advertising from guesswork to precision. It provides a direct line to communities who are already passionate about what you offer. Start with what you know, experiment with broad and niche definitions, and don't be afraid to test creative combinations to discover where your ideal customers are hiding in plain sight.

Getting your ad targeting right is a huge part of the puzzle, but you still need a consistent flow of great content to show those audiences. We built Postbase because managing all that creative, especially short-form video for different platforms, can become a nightmare. Our visual content calendar helps you plan ahead, and our reliable, video-first scheduling means you can create your TikToks once and have them go live exactly when you want, without any headaches. It helps you focus on your content strategy instead of wrestling with your tools.