> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.theoptimizer.io/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Build a TikTok campaign > Every setting in the TikTok Campaign Creator, level by level: ad account, Smart+ or Manual mode, objective, budget, targeting, placements, bidding, identity, ad copy, destination and creatives. A TikTok campaign in the creator has three levels — **campaign**, **ad group** and **ad** — just as in TikTok Ads Manager. Click a level in the tree on the left to edit it, or use **Next** to move down through them. This page covers each level's settings. To multiply them into many ad groups, ads or campaigns, see [Variations](https://docs.theoptimizer.io/ad-networks/tiktok/campaign-uploader/variations.md). Every field has an **ⓘ** next to its label that explains what it does on TikTok, so this page focuses on the choices that matter most. *** ## Campaign level ### Ad account Pick the TikTok ad account to launch in under **Select Ad Account**. Below it, choose: * **Create new campaign** — build a new campaign from scratch (the default). * **Use existing campaign** — add new ad groups and ads to a campaign already on TikTok. See [Adding to a campaign that's already on TikTok](https://docs.theoptimizer.io/ad-networks/tiktok/campaign-uploader/publish-and-templates.md#adding-to-a-campaign-thats-already-on-tiktok). ### Basic info * **Campaign name** — type a name, or leave it empty and one is generated. Click **Create Naming Template** to build the name from parts such as the date, the objective and the mode, so every campaign follows the same convention. * **Status** — **Active** or **Paused** once it's created. * **Tags** — added to the campaign in TheOptimizer once it's created, so you can filter by them in the Campaign Manager and use them in rules. ### Campaign type ![Mode and objective](https://mintcdn.com/theoptimizer/KLNQpZbHEIoigcRl/images/tiktok-campaign-type.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=KLNQpZbHEIoigcRl\&q=85\&s=fc37e00c3a59a7646034a4305fd260f0) **Mode** decides how much TikTok automates: | Mode | What it means | Objectives | | - | - | - | | **Smart+** | TikTok automates targeting and placements; you bring the creatives. This is the default. | Lead Generation, Sales, App Promotion | | **Manual** | You set the targeting, placements and bidding of each ad group. | Lead Generation, Awareness, Traffic, Sales | > [!NOTE] > > TikTok is ending the creation of **Manual** Sales and Lead Generation campaigns on **January 1, 2027**. The creator shows a reminder when you pick one. Smart+ keeps working for both after that date. **Objective** is what the campaign optimizes for. It decides which optimization goals, destinations and placements are offered on the levels below: * **Lead Generation** — collect leads on your website or an instant form. * **Sales** — drive conversions on your website, tracked by a pixel. With Smart+, the sales destination is your website. * **App Promotion** (Smart+) — **App install** finds new users; **App retargeting** brings back people who already installed the app. * **Awareness** (Manual) — show your ads to as many people as possible. * **Traffic** (Manual) — send people to your website. ### Budget **Budget level** decides where the money sits: * **Campaign budget (CBO)** — one budget for the campaign, which TikTok spreads across its ad groups. You set the budget mode and amount here. * **Ad group budget (ABO)** — each ad group spends its own budget, set on the ad group level. **Budget mode** is **Dynamic daily** (a day's spend can vary around the budget), **Daily** (each day is capped) or **Lifetime** (the budget is spent between a start and an end date). Budgets must meet TikTok's minimum for the account's currency. *** ## Ad group level ### Basic info **Ad Group name** works like the campaign name: type one, leave it empty, or use **Create Naming Template** to build it from the date, the objective or the copy number. Set the **Status** and any **Tags**. ### Promotion and lead destination Depending on the objective, you also choose what the ads promote — a **Website**, an **App (Android)**, an **App (iOS)** or a **Lead Generation** form — and, for lead generation, where leads are collected: an **Instant form** on TikTok, or a form on your **Website**. For app promotion, pick the app from the ad account's apps. ### Targeting **Audience Targeting** has three modes: | Mode | What TikTok does | | - | - | | **Automatic** | Finds the audience within your locations, languages and minimum age. | | **Automatic with suggestions** | Also uses the ages, gender and interests you suggest, though it may reach beyond them. | | **Custom** | Shows the ads only to the audience you set. This may limit delivery. | Then set **Locations**, **Languages** (leave empty for every language), the **Minimum age** (18+ or 25+) or age ranges, gender, interests and interest keywords, and **Operating system** (Smart+ targets one at most). ### Placements Choose where the ads show: **TikTok** (the TikTok app's feeds), **Pangle** (TikTok's partner apps) and the **Global App Bundle**. With Manual campaigns you can also leave it on **Automatic** and let TikTok decide. Some objectives only take placements picked by hand. ### Optimization & bidding * **Optimization goal** — the result TikTok delivers the ads for, such as conversions, value, clicks, landing page views, leads, reach, app installs or in-app events. It also sets what you're billed for. * **Pixel** and **Optimization event** — for goals tracked on your website, the TikTok pixel and the event that counts as a conversion (for example *Purchase (complete payment)*, *Add to cart* or *Lead (form submission)*). For in-app goals, the in-app event. * **Bid Strategy** — **Maximum delivery** gets the most results for the budget; **Cost cap** keeps the average cost per result near your bid and needs a dynamic daily budget. Click **Get recommendation** for TikTok's suggested bid. * For value goals, **Highest value** or **Minimum ROAS** (with a ROAS target), and the value window (**Day 7** or **Day 0**). ### Budget & schedule With **Ad group budget (ABO)**, set the budget mode and **Amount** here. Under **Schedule**, add a **Start date** to start later (otherwise it starts right away) and an **End date** to stop on a set date. Times are in **UTC**. A lifetime budget always runs between a start and an end; without an end it stops after 30 days. Manual campaigns also offer **Pacing** — **Standard** spreads the budget evenly, **Accelerated** spends it as fast as possible (it needs a cost cap) — and, for Awareness, a frequency cap. *** ## Ad level ![Ad copy, destination and creatives](https://mintcdn.com/theoptimizer/KLNQpZbHEIoigcRl/images/tiktok-ad-copy-creatives.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=KLNQpZbHEIoigcRl\&q=85\&s=62f60682dd1bc4c003ceb3f02e8e23e2) ### Ad details and identity * **Ad name** — type one, leave it empty, or build it with **Create Naming Template** from the date, the format or the creative number. With one ad per creative, each ad gets its own name. * **Status** and **Tags**, as on the other levels. * **Identity (TikTok account)** — the TikTok account the ads show as. Tick **Only show as ads** to publish the posts as ads only, not on your TikTok profile. Some formats also take a **Display name** (the brand name shown on the ad). ### Ad copy * **Ad texts** — up to 5 texts of 100 characters each. TikTok mixes the texts with the creatives. Click **Generate ad texts and hashtags** to have TikTok suggest texts and hashtags from your keywords. * **Call to action** — the button on the ad, or a **Dynamic call to action**: pick several and TikTok rotates them, showing the best one more often. Smart+ ads take a dynamic call to action only. ### Destination Tell TikTok where to send people after they tap your ad: a **Website URL** (use **Add URL macros** to add tracking parameters), an **Instant form** for leads, or an **Instant page** hosted by TikTok. ### Creatives Each video, image or carousel is a creative. * **Add Video** or **Add Image** (depending on the format the objective allows) — from the **TikTok library** (the ad account's own videos or images) or the **Media Manager** (your uploads in TheOptimizer, sent to TikTok when the campaign is created). * **Add Carousel** — several images (or, in Manual campaigns, images or videos) with music. Pick a track from your music, search TikTok's carousel music, or upload an audio file. Videos need a cover. If a video doesn't fit TikTok's requirements, **Fix video for TikTok** re-renders it at the right ratio; images are resized for TikTok automatically. When you add several creatives, choose how they're turned into ads: **One ad with every creative** (TikTok rotates them in one ad) or **One ad per creative** (each creative becomes an ad of its own). *** ## Reusing your recent ad groups and ads The right-hand panel saves you from re-entering settings you've used before: * At the **ad group** level, **Suggestions** lists your recent ad groups in this ad account for the same mode and objective. Click **Apply** to copy one's targeting, placements, optimization, budget and bid. * At the **ad** level, **Ad Suggestions** lists your recent ads. Click **Use This Ad** to copy its creatives, texts, call to action, identity and landing page. ![Ad Suggestions](https://mintcdn.com/theoptimizer/KLNQpZbHEIoigcRl/images/tiktok-ad-suggestions.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=KLNQpZbHEIoigcRl\&q=85\&s=e42d985c006c376ff99b2866956c6be9) If a setting can't be copied — for example because this campaign picks its own placements — a note at the top of the level says which one was skipped and why. *** ## Next steps * [Variations](https://docs.theoptimizer.io/ad-networks/tiktok/campaign-uploader/variations.md) — turn one setup into many ad groups, ads or campaigns. * [Publish, templates and existing campaigns](https://docs.theoptimizer.io/ad-networks/tiktok/campaign-uploader/publish-and-templates.md) This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.