TikTok ads run on an auction with $50/day campaign and $20/day ad group minimums. Here is what drives TikTok ad costs and how to lower them.
TikTok ads run on an auction, so you set a budget and TikTok charges based on competition for your audience. The minimum budget is $50 per day at the campaign level and $20 per day at the ad group level. CPMs are often lower than on Meta, but your real cost depends on creative quality, audience and season.
You choose an objective, such as traffic, leads or sales, and a bidding strategy. TikTok then charges by impressions (CPM), clicks (CPC) or optimized results. Better-performing creatives win more auctions at lower costs, which is why video quality matters more than bids.
Need a steady pipeline of ad-ready videos? Our social media and content services are built for this.
TikTok often delivers cheaper reach, but cheaper reach does not always mean cheaper customers. Compare platforms on cost per lead or sale. Our Google vs Meta vs TikTok Ads guide explains where each fits, and are TikTok ads worth it? helps you decide if TikTok should be in your mix.
The simplest way to plan is to start from TikTok’s minimums. One campaign at $50 a day for 30 days is $1,500 in ad spend. That is usually enough to test 3–5 videos in one ad group and see which ones bring leads or sales at a cost you can live with. Splitting the same budget across many ad groups spreads it too thin, so keep the first test simple.
If your goal is purchases, make sure you have enough budget for TikTok to see conversions, not just clicks. A store selling a $30 product needs more purchases to learn from than a service business collecting $500 jobs through lead forms.
Your total TikTok cost has three parts:
At Marfa Digitals, TikTok ads management starts from $500 a month, and most growing brands pay $1,000 to $1,500 a month with a new batch of videos included. Larger creator and UGC programs are quoted separately.
Compare TikTok with your other channels on cost per lead, cost per purchase and return on ad spend, not cost per click or views. Also watch the halo effect: TikTok often raises branded Google searches and direct visits, so check whether those go up while TikTok is running. If after 30 days your cost per result is close to your other channels and still improving, it is usually worth scaling.
Launch TikTok ads without wasting budget
We plan, create and manage TikTok campaigns focused on leads and sales. Explore our TikTok ads management services.
Plan My TikTok Campaign →TikTok requires at least $50 per day at the campaign level and $20 per day at the ad group level.
Plan for at least $1,500 over 30 days to test a few creatives and gather enough data to judge results.
