How to Get to TikTok Ad Manager

Trying to run ads on TikTok but can’t seem to find the actual advertising platform? It’s a common hurdle, especially because it isn't accessible through the regular TikTok app on your phone. TikTok Ads Manager is a separate, powerful tool that lives on the web. This guide will walk you through exactly how to get to TikTok Ads Manager, get your account set up, and understand the basic layout of your new advertising dashboard.

What is TikTok Ads Manager?

TikTok Ads Manager is the official platform where businesses and creators build, launch, manage, and analyze their paid advertising campaigns on TikTok. Think of it as the mission control for your ads. Unlike the simple "Promote" button you might see on your TikTok posts, the Ads Manager gives you full control over every aspect of your advertising.

Here’s a snapshot of what you can do inside the platform:

Set specific campaign objectives: Drive website traffic, generate leads, increase app installs, or get sales on your online store.
Access advanced targeting options: Go beyond basic demographics to target users based on interests, behaviors, device type, and even interactions with your brand.
Upload and manage ad creatives: You can upload your own videos or use TikTok's simple video creation tools.
Control your budget and bidding strategy: Set daily or lifetime budgets and choose how you want to bid for ad placements to maximize your results.
Track performance with the TikTok Pixel: Install a snippet of code on your website to track conversions, build retargeting audiences, and measure your return on ad spend (ROAS).

In short, if you're serious about advertising on TikTok, the Ads Manager is the only way to do it effectively.

Step-by-Step Guide to Signing Up for TikTok Ads Manager

Getting access is a straightforward process. You’ll be creating a "TikTok For Business" account, which will then give you access to your Ads Manager dashboard. Just follow these steps.

Step 1: Go to the TikTok for Business Website

First things first, open a web browser on your desktop or laptop computer. The TikTok Ads Manager is not designed for mobile browsers. Navigate to the official TikTok For Business homepage. You can easily find it by searching for "TikTok For Business" or by going directly to the ads homepage.

On this page, you’ll typically see a big, inviting button that says “Create Now” or “Get Started.” Click it.

Step 2: Create Your Account

After clicking "Create Now," you'll be taken to the sign-up page. Here, you have two main options:

Sign up with Email: This is the recommended route. You’ll simply enter your email address and create a password. You will need to verify your email address by entering a code that TikTok sends you.
Sign up with TikTok account: You can also use your existing TikTok profile to create a business account. It's a quick option, but it means your personal TikTok profile is directly linked to your business advertising activity. Many businesses prefer keeping them separate by using a business email.

Choose your preferred method and accept the terms and conditions. You are now officially creating a TikTok For Business account.

Step 3: Set Up Your Business Account Details

Once you’ve verified your email, you’ll be prompted to enter basic information to create your ad account. This part is incredibly important, as some of these settings cannot be changed later.

Here's what you'll need to fill out:

Company/Business Name: Enter the name you want to promote. This will appear on your billing documents.
Industry: Select the industry that best represents your business (e.g., E-commerce, Gaming, Financial Services). This helps TikTok understand your business and can provide better recommendations and benchmarks in the future.
Country/Region: Set the location of your business.
Time Zone: Choose your local time zone. This is permanent! Your ad reporting and scheduling will be based on this time zone, so choose it carefully.
Currency: Select the currency you will use for billing. This is also permanent! Once you set your currency to USD, EUR, etc., you cannot change it without creating a new ad account.
Phone Number: Provide a contact number for the account.

Double-check that your Time Zone and Currency are correct before proceeding.

Step 4: Enter Billing & Payment Information

After you submit your business details, TikTok will ask for your billing address and payment method. This step confirms that you're a legitimate business.

Business Website: You'll need to enter your company's website URL. Ensure the link starts with https://. TikTok uses this to verify your business. If you don't have one, this might be a roadblock, as it's a key requirement for proving you're a real business.

You'll then be asked about your payment type. The options available can depend on your region, but generally, you'll see:

Automatic Payment: You link a credit or debit card, and TikTok will automatically charge you when you hit your billing threshold (e.g., every $50 spent) or on your monthly billing date. This is the most common and convenient option.
Manual Payment: You pre-load your account with funds using a credit card, PayPal, or other methods. Your ads will run until the funds run out. This option gives you strict control over your spending.

Once you’ve input your billing details, your account will likely be submitted for review. This is usually a quick, automated process, but sometimes it can take up to 24 hours. You'll receive an email notification when your account is approved.

Step 5: Welcome to the TikTok Ads Manager!

Congratulations! Once your account is approved, you’ll be automatically directed to the TikTok Ads Manager dashboard. This is your home base for all things advertising. You have successfully created your ad account and are ready to create your first campaign.

A Quick Tour of Your New Dashboard

The Ads Manager can seem a little intimidating at first, but it’s organized into a few logical sections. From the top navigation bar, you’ll find the four main areas you’ll be working in.

Dashboard

This is the first screen you see when you log in. It provides a high-level overview of your account's performance. You can quickly see key metrics like total cost, impressions, clicks, and conversions for today, yesterday, or any custom date range. It also lists your active campaigns for a quick status check.

Campaign

This is where the magic happens. The campaign page is where you build, edit, and manage all your ads. The structure is broken into three simple levels:

Campaigns: The highest level where you set your advertising objective (e.g., Traffic, Conversions, Video Views).
Ad Groups: Within each campaign, you have Ad Groups. This is where you set your targeting (who you want to see your ads), placements, budget, and schedule.
Ads: Inside each Ad Group are your actual ads - the video creatives and text that users will see.

Assets

The "Assets" tab is a library for all the components you use to run your ads. It saves you from having to recreate or re-upload things for every new campaign.

You'll find several important sub-sections here:

Creatives: A gallery of all the videos and images you have uploaded or created.
Audiences: This is where you create and manage Custom Audiences (like website visitors or customer lists) and Lookalike Audiences.
Pixel: Where you can find the code and instructions for setting up your TikTok Pixel - arguably the most important asset for tracking results.

Reporting

While the dashboard gives you a quick overview, the Reporting tab lets you dig deeper into your performance data. You can build custom reports from scratch, choosing the specific metrics and dimensions you want to analyze. For example, you could create a report to see how your ads perform across different age groups, genders, or operating systems.

TikTok Ads Manager vs. The In-App "Promote" Button

If you've been on TikTok, you've likely seen the "Promote" button on your own videos. So, why go through the process of setting up a separate Ads Manager account? While Promote is good for getting a few more eyeballs on a single video, it's very limited compared to the full power of the Ads Manager.

Here’s a simple breakdown:

The "Promote" Feature

Objective: Limited to three simple goals: more video views, more website visits, or more followers.
Targeting: Very basic. You can choose "Automatic" targeting or create a simple audience based on gender, age, and a few interests.
Creatives: You can only boost an existing organic post.
Analytics: Provides only top-level metrics on the boosted video. No deep insights.
Goal: Best for creators or small businesses wanting a simple, quick visibility boost for an existing post.

The TikTok Ads Manager

Objective: A full suite of professional goals, including app installs, lead generation, and e-commerce conversions.
Targeting: Extremely detailed. Target based on interests, device information, video interactions, and even retarget people who have visited your website.
Creatives: Upload unique ads that don't even have to live on your TikTok profile (known as "dark posts"). Test multiple ad creatives against each other.
Analytics: Deep, granular data powered by the TikTok Pixel. You can see your full conversion funnel and measure exact ROI.
Goal: Built for businesses that want to drive measurable results and scale their advertising efforts efficiently.

The bottom line: "Promote" is like putting a small gas can in your tank, while the Ads Manager is like having a fully-staffed F1 pit crew.

Final Thoughts

Accessing the TikTok Ads Manager is your official entry point into professional social media advertising on one of the world's most engaging platforms. By following the steps to create a TikTok For Business account, you unlock a powerful set of tools that go far beyond the app's simple "Promote" feature, giving you a real chance to grow your business effectively.

Once your campaigns are live, the next challenge is making sense of all that performance data. Instead of spending hours manually pulling TikTok Ads reports and trying to line them up with your sales data from Shopify or your lead data in HubSpot, we created Graphed to do it all for you. You can connect your TikTok Ads account and instantly build real-time dashboards using plain English, helping you see your full marketing funnel and measure your true ROI in seconds, not hours.