“Why are TikTok ads not spending money?” This is a question that some advertisers have in mind. You may feel frustrated when you create an attractive TikTok ad campaign only to find that it doesn’t deliver the expected results. You allocated $100, but your TikTok only spent $0.1 or even not spent at all. This issue is called TikTok ads not spending.
Take a deep breath and don’t panic! The ‘TikTok ads not spending’ situation is a common challenge that all advertisers on this platform face, regardless of their level of expertise. If you are experiencing this issue, you need to understand its causes to optimize your campaign and maximize your advertising budget. This article will discuss the common reasons why your TikTok ads are not spending money and provide useful tips to fix it.
Why TikTok Ads not spending money?
The budget is too small
It’s possible that your TikTok ad campaign isn’t spending because your ad budget is insufficient. TikTok allows you to set either a lifetime or daily budget for your ad campaigns. If your ad budget is too low, your ad campaign may not run effectively.
In TikTok, the minimum campaign budget is set at $50 and ad groups start at $20. If your budget is too modest compared to your campaign goals, the TikTok algorithm may not recognize that your budget is sufficient for optimal distribution.
One of the fundamental strategies to address under-spending on TikTok is to resolve your budget allocation. If you’re advertising a high-value product or service but have allocated a relatively small budget, the TikTok algorithm may not recognize that your budget is sufficient for optimal distribution. The opposite may also be true.
What you should do:
- For advertising campaigns on TikTok, you need to ensure that the minimum budget at the campaign level is $50 and the minimum budget at the ad group level is $20.
- You should set your budget to be at least 5 times the bid price. Additionally, you can consider using the Maximum Distribution Bid Strategy.
- The Maximum Distribution Bid Strategy does not require a bid price and will try to generate the highest number of actions that your budget can support .
- If there no significant changes, you should gradually increase your budget.
- You should also allocate your budget to different ad groups, with each ad group having a different budget limit.
Target too much interest and behavior
Targeting ads is one of the most important factors to achieve high advertising effectiveness on TikTok. If you choose the wrong audience or target parameters that are too narrow, your ads will not be displayed to the right audience you want and your advertising costs will be wasted.
Targeting Overlap
When multiple TikTok ad campaigns target the same audience, it creates “targeting overlap”. This repetition can lead to fatigue, competition, and higher advertising costs. Advertisers often bid against each other to reach the same viewer, increasing advertising costs and potentially annoying the audience with repetitive content.
What you should do:
- You can also tweak your targeting parameters or schedule your ads strategically to minimize overlap.
- It is important to monitor and adjust your targeting settings regularly to avoid competing with other campaigns for the same audience segments.
Over-Targeting
“Over-targeting” is a situation that occurs when advertisers use overly specific criteria to determine their target audience. While targeting accurately is necessary, going too far can lead to “over-targeting”. This can limit the reach of advertising and hinder performance. When you limit your audience too much, you may miss out on potential customers who may be interested in your product or service.
What you should do:
- Define your target audience effectively: It’s important to strike a balance between specificity and reach when defining your target audience and criteria. TikTok Ads Manager provides two approaches when thinking about your audience: Narrow Targeting and Broad Targeting.
- Conduct A/B testing: A/B testing can help you optimize your targeting strategy and identify the most effective targeting criteria without excluding potential customers. You can test different targeting criteria such as age, gender, location, interests, and behaviors to see which ones work best for your ad campaign.
The bid is no longer competitive
If you are developing your business based on TikTok Ads, you must have heard of TikTok Ads bidding. In simple terms, it is the price you are willing to pay for specific actions such as display, conversion, or click.
If you bid higher than your competitors, you will have an excellent position to get ad space. Conversely, if your bid is too low, your TikTok Ads will not be competitive with other brands targeting the same audience.
That’s why TikTok will not show your ads to the audience and therefore your budget will not be spent.
What you should do:
- If you find yourself in this situation, what should you do? Try your best to optimize your bid and refresh your ads.
- However, while increasing your bid, make sure you don’t fall into the trap of bidding too high. We recommend that you choose the maximum amount you can spend before officially bidding higher.
- The average bid for TikTok Ads is $1 per click and $10 per thousand impressions. However, your actual bid will depend on many different factors, including your target audience, competitors, and budget.
The creativity is not interesting enough
The content of advertisements on TikTok plays an important role in attracting users and increasing their performance. If your advertising content is unattractive, irrelevant, or lacks creativity, users are less likely to interact with that content.
What you should do:
- Choose the right ad format: TikTok offers a variety of ad formats to choose from, including in-feed ads, branded effects, and sponsored hashtag challenges. Choose the format that best suits your campaign goals and target audience.
- Pay attention to video layout and size: TikTok videos are vertical and full-screen, so make sure your video is optimized for this format. The recommended aspect ratio is 9:16, and the maximum file size is 500MB.
- Create interesting and engaging content: Your video should be visually appealing and capture the viewer’s attention within the first 3 seconds. Use text overlays, sound effects, and other creative elements to make your video stand out.
- Use influencers or KOLs: Partnering with influencers or key opinion leaders (KOLs) can help increase your reach and credibility on the platform. Choose influencers who align with your brand values and target audience.
- Take advantage of TikTok’s ad features: TikTok offers a range of features to help you create effective ads, including auto captions, green screen effects, and more. Experiment with these features to see what works best for your campaign.
- Include a call-to-action: Encourage viewers to take action by including a clear call-to-action (CTA) in your video. This could be anything from visiting your website to following your TikTok account.
Policy Violation
If you notice that your advertising spending is always at 0, it is likely due to a policy violation. Compliance with TikTok’s policies is mandatory, otherwise your ads will not work as planned. Your ad content must be in line with TikTok’s unique idea, meaning that it must have minimal text, attractive visuals, and comply with the platform’s landing page rules. You can learn more about TikTok’s advertising policies on this website.
What you should do:
- Please be cautious in adhering to TikTok’s advertising policy.
- Ensure that your advertising campaign aligns with TikTok’s unique aesthetic to optimize performance.
- Pay attention to details such as the use of music that you have the right to use and keep the advertising captions consistent with the content of the advertisement.
Using an Ad Agency Account is the optimal solution!
In addition to the solutions mentioned above, we offer a promotion when using a TikTok Agency account. TikTok handles agency accounts and personal accounts differently. Advertising on personal accounts usually takes longer to approve, has a higher chance of being suspended or lacking advertising features, etc.
In addition to optimizing your advertising campaigns and accessing the entire advertising format package, using a TikTok Agency account will solve all issues while targeting audiences and reducing competitive budgets compared to personal accounts. It would be a mistake not to upgrade your TikTok to an agency account right now.
It is best to start using a TikTok agency account to avoid issues related to undistributed or spent advertising. However, this type of account is only for TikTok partners. You can access it by hiring their services or trying our account for free. This website provides information about using TikTok agency accounts, and other advertising solutions on TikTok.
Contact us to start moving your business in the right direction