Spark Ads boost real posts. Likes, comments and shares on the ad count toward the original video, and viewers can tap through to the posting account. To run one from a creator's post, the creator turns on ad authorization for that video, generates a Spark Ads code and sends it to the brand, which enters it in TikTok Ads Manager. TikTok's help center lists authorization periods of 7, 30, 60 or 365 days.
Because the ad looks like a normal post from a real account, it sits naturally in the For You feed, which is why brands test Spark Ads against creative built in the ad account. For creators, Spark authorization is a negotiable line item: the brand pays for the right to put ad spend behind your post for a set period. Meta's equivalent is partnership ads (formerly branded content ads), and the broader practice is called whitelisting or allowlisting.
On Socialync's UGC job board, which opens November 1, Spark Ads run as a whitelisting deal. The creator publishes the video on their own TikTok account through Socialync and adds the Spark Ads code to the job. The brand launches the Spark Ad into its own ad account from Socialync, which applies the code; if TikTok does not accept it that way, the brand pastes it once in TikTok Ads Manager. The creator earns commission only, with no base at delivery, for as long as the brand runs ads under the licence. Ad spend never passes through Socialync, and the brand pays Socialync 1.5% of attributed sales or 1.25% of ad spend.