TikTok is a social media phenomenon, and their mission statement says they are the leading destination for short-form mobile video. They aspire to inspire, and bring joy to those watching each new video. More people are starting to accept the idea that this platform can yield true advertising results on top of creating unique, funny content within 60 seconds. 

The true art to advertising, however, is building a strong strategy. This helps you create a standard for a campaign, and it can help you collect data for future strategy building.

Continue reading to learn about interest targeting advertising on the TikTok platform, and how it can be executed and measured. 

What Is TikTok Ads Interest Targeting? 

First, let’s look into the interests of the consumer. Interests are actually confirmed by a user’s behavior in relation to all the different types of content available. Behavior types can be found on the platform in several ways, which usually includes actions like views and clicks. Content types play a factor as well, and these might include videos, ads, or articles. 

If a user’s interaction with a category is high, their profile becomes associated with a corresponding interest. If a user’s profile is often associated with fashion and beauty, for example, it is because they watch makeup and/or clothing videos. 

Interact with Your Target Audience

Interests work well for advertisers who are trying to reach a target market. Without the ability to find targets for their brands, ad spending can quickly become wasteful. Without them, it could be much harder to reach the demographic they wish to engage.

If teenage girls are seeing men’s sneaker ads, the message is likely to be poorly received, as it isn’t reaching the intended consumer. 

Strategizing the Ideal Ad Delivery

Now that we understand interest targeting on TikTok, let’s discuss how advertisers execute it. When advertisers create ad groups, they can select “Interest Categories”. The ad is pushed to users whose profiles fall under the selected category. As a result, the ad will then meet the desired target market group. 

There are two features that help advertisers take advantage of interest targeting. These help brands and advertisers be more specific about their targets:

Product Characteristics

Advertisers can select interests based on product characteristics. This allows advertisers to narrow their target market search and direct advertisements toward them. 

Consider this ad example: if Pepsi wants to promote a new drink, the product characteristic will fall under “Food and Beverage”.  If someone is interested in food and beverages, the likelihood of this person enjoying the new Pepsi will be higher than other categories. 

Use Cases 

TikTok advertisers can also select interests based on the use cases. Think back to the Pepsi example. If you’re promoting a beverage, but think that the customer might take the product to an outdoor event like a concert, it might also fit the category “Sports and Outdoors”. 

A use case in marketing and advertising is a demonstration that shows the interaction between an end-user and a product or service. They are more commonly used in technology, but they can also help to efficiently communicate the benefits to customers in a marketing presentation. 

Tracking the Progress of TikTok Ads Interest Targeting

After a TikTok ad campaign is executed is the perfect time to measure its success. Advertisers can view segmented data as well as insights broken down by interests. 

Don’t panic if the results aren’t what you’d hoped, as finding this information is the reason we take measurements. They’re collected so brands can understand how to pivot for improved outcomes, by evaluating their targeting criteria and ad optimization. 

TikTok Ads Interest Categories List

There are many interest categories are there on the TikTok platform: 

• Apparel & Accessories  
• Appliances 
• Apps 
• Automobile 
• Baby 
• Kids & Maternity
• Beauty & Personal Care 
• Education 
• Food & Beverage 
• Financial Services 
• Games 
• News & Entertainment 
• Pets 
• Sports & Outdoors 
• Tech & Electronics 
• Travel 

Do you think any interest categories are missing, which could be used in your own advertising campaign? We’d love to know which additions you’d like to see added to the platform. 

Final Thoughts

TikTok ads interest targeting can save advertisers time and money. Targeting is difficult enough, so TikTok has created an efficient way to target in a way that drives results. Best of all, it gives advertisers freedom to choose how it’s done. If an advertiser thinks a product should be in one category over another, they can switch them around as needed. 

These advertising platforms are made to help advertisers to drive results for their brands. Let us know how TikTok is able to do this for you when it comes to interest targeting.