How to Use TikTok Promote Feature

You’ve created a TikTok that’s getting good organic traction, and now you want to pour a little fuel on the fire. That's exactly what TikTok’s Promote feature is for - a simple, in-app tool designed to push your best content in front of a wider, targeted audience. This guide provides a full walkthrough of how to use TikTok Promote, from prepping your video for success to analyzing the results so you can turn a small ad spend into real growth.

What is TikTok Promote and Why Should You Bother?

Think of TikTok Promote as a user-friendly entry point into paid advertising. It’s an in-app feature that allows you to turn any of your organic TikTok videos into an ad with just a few taps. It’s designed to be quick, intuitive, and accessible to everyone, from individual creators to small business owners who want to amplify their reach without needing a degree in digital marketing.

But how is it different from the more robust TikTok Ads Manager? It's all about simplicity versus complexity.

• TikTok Promote: This is your tool for quick boosts. It’s perfect for giving a high-performing video an extra push, increasing followers, or driving some initial traffic to your website. You manage everything directly within the TikTok app on your phone. The targeting options are straightforward, and the setup takes minutes.
• TikTok Ads Manager: This is a powerful, web-based platform for running complex advertising campaigns. It offers advanced targeting, ad formats (like In-Feed Ads, TopView, etc.), and detailed analytics. Ads Manager is what professional agencies and large brands use for sophisticated, large-scale campaigns.

So, who should use Promote? It's ideal for creators looking to grow their audience, entrepreneurs testing a new product, or anyone who wants to see how their content performs with a broader, targeted audience without getting bogged down in a complicated ad platform.

Preparing Your Video for a Paid Boost: The Non-Negotiables

Putting money behind a video that isn’t ready is like trying to fuel a car with no engine - it won’t go anywhere. Before you even think about hitting that "Promote" button, make sure your content is set up for success organically. A paid boost amplifies what’s already there, it can't fix a boring video.

Your content should already have the core elements of a great TikTok:

• A Strong Hook: You have less than two seconds to stop a user from scrolling. Your opening needs to be a showstopper. Ask a question, present a bold statement, or show something visually captivating straight away.
• Great Audio and Visuals: The video must be clear, well-lit, and easy to watch. The audio should be crisp. If you’re using a trending sound, make sure it fits the context of your video and isn’t just tacked on.
• A Clear Point or Story: Whether it’s 15 seconds or a minute long, your video needs a beginning, middle, and end. It should deliver value quickly, whether that value is a laugh, a helpful tip, or a new perspective.
• An Integrated Call-to-Action (CTA): Don’t just rely on the ad button. Your video content or caption should naturally guide viewers on what to do next. Are you asking them to follow for Part 2? Drop a comment with their thoughts? Check out a link in your bio? Make it obvious.

Promoting a video that already has decent organic watch time and engagement is always your best bet. It’s proof that people are already connecting with it, which is a great signal for a paid campaign.

How to Use TikTok Promote: Your Step-by-Step Walkthrough

Ready to launch your promotion? Here's how to do it, step by step.

Step 1: Choose the Right Video

Scroll through your profile and find a video that's already performing well. Look for higher-than-average views, likes, comments, and shares. High "saves" are also a powerful indicator that your content provides value. This existing engagement tells you the video has potential beyond your current followers. Pick that one.

Step 2: Find the Promote Button

Once you've chosen your video, getting to the Promote settings is easy. Here are two ways to do it:

1. Go to the video, tap the three dots (...) on the right-hand side, then select the Promote icon (it looks like a flame).
2. Go to your profile, tap the hamburger menu (three lines) in the top-right corner, select Creator Tools, and then tap Promote. This will show you a list of your videos to choose from.

Step 3: Define Your Goal

TikTok will ask you what you want to achieve with your promotion. This directly impacts what your ad will be optimized for and what call-to-action button will be shown. Your options are:

• More Video Views: This goal optimizes for impressions. It's meant to get your video in front of as many eyes as possible. It's great for brand awareness or just getting a message out.
• More Website Visits: This allows you to add a website link and a custom CTA button (like "Learn More," "Shop Now," or "Sign Up"). This is the best option for driving e-commerce sales, lead generation, or blog readers.
• More Followers: The goal here is simple: convert viewers into followers. The CTA focuses on your profile. This is perfect for creators focused on building an on-platform community.
• More Profile Views: Similar to more followers, but the main goal is just getting people to visit your profile. It's a slightly softer CTA and can be useful if your bio and pinned videos do a good job of converting visitors.
• More Messages: If your business relies on direct inquiries, this goal drives users to your TikTok inbox. It's great for service-based businesses or product consultations.

Choose the goal that truly aligns with your business objective for this specific video.

Step 4: Define Your Audience

Next, you’ll decide who sees your video. You have two main choices:

• Automatic: Let TikTok’s algorithm decide. It will show your video to users it thinks will be interested based on your content and existing followers. This is a great starting point if you're unsure or just want to see who TikTok finds for you.
• Custom: You take control. With a custom audience, you can define the targeting based on:
  • Gender: Male, Female, or All.
  • Age: Choose from several brackets (e.g., 18-24, 25-34).
  • Interests: This is the most powerful part. You can select interests like "Skincare," "Pets," "Gaming," or "Cooking." Be specific, but don't get so narrow that your audience size is microscopic. Think about the interests of your ideal customer, and consider experimenting with related audiences outside of your direct niche who might still find your content engaging.

For your first promotion, starting with "Automatic" is often a good choice. For your next one, try building a custom audience based on who your best organic followers are (you can see their demographics in your analytics).

Step 5: Set Your Budget and Duration

Now it's time to set your spending. You’ll select a total budget and a duration in days. TikTok will show you an estimate of the views you can expect based on your inputs. You don't need a huge budget to start. A small test of $5-$10 per day for 2-4 days is plenty to gather valuable data. You can always invest more later into the videos that perform well.

Step 6: Review and Pay

The final screen gives you a summary of your entire promotion: the goal, audience, budget, and duration. Double-check everything to make sure it's correct. Once you’re satisfied, you’ll add your payment information and tap Start Promotion. Your video will then go into a brief review process by TikTok before it goes live.

Your Promotion Is Live: Now What? How to Track Performance

The work isn’t over once your ad is live. The real learning happens when you study the results. After your promotion has run for a day or so, you can access its performance by going back to the Promote tool and tapping on Promotion details.

Here’s what to look for:

• Paid vs. Organic Performance: See how many views, likes, and shares came from your promotion versus your normal organic reach.
• Demographics: Check the age and gender of the people who engaged with your promoted video. Did your custom audience targeting work as intended?
• Key Metrics Based on Your Goal: If your goal was "More Followers," how many did you get? If it was "More Website Visits," how many link clicks did you see and what was your cost per click (CPC)?
• What You Learned: Did a specific audience respond better? Did your CTA work? Use these insights to create better organic content and run smarter promotions in the future. Don’t just look at views - look at the cost per desired *action*. That’s how you measure true ROI.

Pro Tips and Common Mistakes to Avoid

Ready to level up your Promote game? Keep these final pointers in mind.

• Only Promote Your Winners: The most common mistake is trying to rescue a failing video with ad spend. Promote videos that are already proving themselves organically. Money amplifies good content - it can’t save bad content.
• Engage with New Comments: When comments come in from your promotion, reply to them! This is a golden opportunity to build community with a new audience. It signals to both users and the algorithm that you’re an active, engaged creator.
• Be Patient with Your Results: Don’t expect one $15 promotion to change your life. Think of it as a learning experience. Every promotion gives you data you can use to refine your strategy over time.
• Review TikTok's Ad Policies: To avoid rejection, make sure your video complies with TikTok's advertising policies. Avoid overly promotional language, questionable claims, and restricted subjects like tobacco or weapons.

Final Thoughts

TikTok Promote is a straightforward yet powerful tool for getting your content in front of more of the right people. By starting with strong creative, choosing the right goal, and carefully analyzing your results, you'll ensure your budget isn't just spent, but invested in sustainable growth for your account.

As your account's visibility increases from successful promotions, managing a consistent content schedule and handling all the new comments can become challenging. Our goal at Postbase is to remove that complexity. While Promote gets your content out there, we've built a modern tool to handle everything that comes next. We designed a clean, visual calendar to help you plan your content strategy, and our reliable, video-first scheduling handles your TikToks, Reels, and Shorts. Best of all, a unified inbox brings all your DMs and comments into one place, so you never miss another conversation with your growing community.