Combining all the features and mechanics of other social media apps with a unique way for users to express their creativity TikTok managed to, and still does, win the hearts of millions around the world!
Because of its vibrant, innovative nature, TikTok has brought a complete shift in advertising approach compared to traditional digital marketing. It may not offer a lot of formats, but a huge audience is right there, waiting for brands and businesses to catch their attention. All the marketers have to do is the same users do every day – create attractive, immersive and original content! And while users have almost complete freedom in these fields, for brands, the situation is a bit different when advertising on TikTok. Numerous guidelines must be respected. Otherwise, TikTok ads will be rejected! We created a comprehensive overview of some of the most important guidelines that will help you create cool content for both users and TikTok’s Advertising regulators!
Ad Consistency
TikTok offers tons of ways to make an outstanding ad for your business. Templates, songs, fonts, filters, you name it! But your ad elements, such as captions, texts, images, videos, call-to-action and other stuff must always be consistent with the product or service you are promoting. For example, you feature one product in your video, but it leads to a completely different product on your landing page and your ads will be rejected. Also the ad caption needs to be consistent with the corresponding ad image or video.
Ad Caption, Text, Image and Video Issues
Always watch your grammar! Ads must not contain any spelling or grammatical mistakes. So, always double-check before the start! Also, no matter how much it may look witty or creative, never use gimmicks with capitalization, spacing or symbols in your captions. Keep the images clean, without any blurs, hidden spots or some kinds of watermarks on them. Videos and audio in the ad must be provided in high resolution, using standard dimensions (9:16,16:9 or 1:1 ratio), otherwise your ad will never go live!
Adult Sexual Content Issue
Anything overly suggestive or provocative, displaying nudity, intimate body parts, some brands and businesses should keep in mind that ad creatives must not display excessive visible skin or the content gets blocked by regulations! Also, don’t forget that minors should not be featured in your ads.
Misleading Claims Issue
Some of those TikTok filters may come in handy to emphasize the superiority of your product or service, but keep them aside from your ads. Why? Ads should not portray exaggerated performances or promises by brands. Be careful in your statements and try not to use absolute claims for your brand without related proof for them. Don’t show yourself by comparing with rival brands in a malicious manner or claim how much cheaper your product is. Remember that creatives and landing pages for some types of businesses that feature performance promise and time limit claims may be subject to restrictions, too.
Sensational and Shocking Content
Advertisers must avoid using any gruesome imagery or graphic images that may shock and scare users in any way or create an uncomfortable experience for them. Accidents, crime and horror scenes, human or animal waste, excessive violence or cruelty and any dangerous behaviors without safety protection are out of bounds. This is very important for brands and businesses in the beauty industry, anything that shows dirt coming out of pores or hair being pulled out is strictly forbidden.
Be careful with content containing alcohol, gambling and lottery, religion and culture, weight management. These topics are strictly forbidden.
Restricted Content
Even some topics that you might not expect could be prohibited on your market. For example ads for products or services that are specifically intended for children including toys, games, apps, clothing, etc. Advertisem*nts marketed specifically toward children, even if the product may be for a general audience, are also prohibited in the United States.
Make sure to check ad regulations for your country.
What’s the solution?
These were some of the top reasons why your ads were or could be rejected by TikTok. It’s just the tip of the iceberg! In order to be always on the safe side, you should check out the rest of the terms and conditions on the TikTok for Business website. They say it should be fun, but when it comes to marketers, the platform can be a little frustrating. For companies that are advertising on their own, this process can be even harder, since they can’t appeal for a review or edit any non-compliance with the policies. In this case you should consider providing services of an advertising agency specialized in TikTok like us, GrowMojo. Our team will always be there to prevent any potential issue in advance using its experience or find quick and creative solutions based on the expertise in this field. Feel free to contact us anytime you have a question, we will be there to guide you through the beautiful, but sometimes challenging world of TikTok!
