11 SaaS TikTok Ads Strategies & Ideas to Test (2025)

💬 I've been noticing quite a few brands within the world of SaaS/B2B running TikTok Ads - and it's an ads channel I'm learning more about over time and how it can apply as part of the user acquisition mix for SaaS startups (whether earlier stage or scaling up).

One of the best ways to learn is analysing/breaking down examples of brands who 'seem' to performing on the channel - I say 'seem' as it is by assumption of course, as we don't really know, but you can get some rough indicators.

Plus, I've got some great case studies I've found to help with sparking ideas which you can apply to your context.

Showcasing examples, case studies and different TikTok ads tactics/strategies I've seen

💬 Various checklist points require more investment over others, but many can be achieved with low-cost experiments to try find some 'green shoots', which then you can double down on.

A top recommendation I have, especially for those starting out with doing TikTok ads (or even just focusing on organic at first), is checking out the Creative Centre - which is completely free to use. 

It’s simple to navigate and use, and you have various filters/sorting available to go through “top winning ads” which are trending in terms of performance. 

You can easily filter by:

• Country/region
• “Industry” - and in the case of SaaS and B2B, select “apps”
• Objective (conversions, lead gen, etc)
• When it ran (Last X amount of days - 7, 30 and 180 available)
• Language
• Even the likes of “likes” in percentile buckets
• As well as ‘ad formats’

If you want to search for specific brands or hashtags, you can do this too via the search bar at the top. 

Then there’s more sorting available based on view times, conversion rates and “likes”.

However, that’s not where the real magic starts - it begins when you press “see analytics”. 

This is where you can then see a breakdown of how specific ads are performing.

You can look at info, such as landing page URL, ad performance metrics (likes, comments, shares, etc)

However, that’s not where the real magic starts - it begins when you press “see analytics”. 

This is where you can then see a breakdown of how specific ads are performing.

You can look at info, such as landing page URL, ad performance metrics (likes, comments, shares, CTR etc). 

What’s even more awesome to view, in conjunction with watching the video, is the “interactive time analysis” - where you can view metrics of the video ad performance itself, such as CTR, CVR (conv. rates). Clicks and even the likes of how long audiences/viewers last on average in seconds (called “remain”). 

Not only that, there’s also a “recommended for you” section, to see other potential videos to analysis. 

A big component of doing TikTok ads (and of course for organic as well), is testing and experimenting - it’s just “part of the game” you have to play, until you can find some ‘winners’ and then scale/replicate what’s working. 

Hooks/messaging and style of videos is hard to do without knowing what key themes of content you want to produce in the first place - here are some recommendations from what I’ve seen work well:

• Tips and mini-tutorials (step-by-step) type videos
• Use cases for a specific X problem
• Myths/facts (and then tie back to product offering)
• “Behind the scenes” type content can work
• Helpful curated resources
• Interview cut-outs when speaking with thought-leaders (like you see with video podcasts)
• Answering/replying to comments (I like this style a lot for SaaS tools)
• “Trendjacking” - more of a reactive approach
• Mini-stories with customers/creators using the tool

And the list of possibilities goes on…

From here, it’s then working out a bit of a matrix in terms of what content, hooks, and styles of videos you want to produce.

Good examples of ads from a top SaaS brand (and one of my fav tools) is Canva, who are running a few different variations (as I write this). 

Plus, they do amazing organic content, and many of their ads are basically different organic variations they’re running.

This is more of a strategic consideration to think about, and is something that I recommend to clients/brands I consult or advise with. 

I’m a big believer in the opportunity cost of time/resources to find answers quickly, especially when entering/entering the early stages of a new channel.

The reality is, TikTok is a different world when it comes to content creation, and it can often be confusing which is the best direction to take. 

You’ve got content strategy to think about, video production, influencers/creators… the list goes on. And it’s not just the strategy part, but the production/editing and distribution process. 

Key tip: So, my recommendation here is to reach out to existing creators on the platform that create good content - pay them for some consulting or advisory time. 

You don’t even have to pay for an agency/consultancy - just ask a creator who does it often (if not daily) - you can save a lot of time and headache with navigating the TikTok world.

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Free “tools”/ways to find trending sounds/music

One way to do your own research and exploration when it comes to finding music/sounds/edits trends, is actually searching through the platform itself. 

And there are two ways - imply through the search function or through the Creative Centre. 

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#1 - The search function

I don’t need to show you how to use the search function, but I encourage you to type in the keywords of your niche that are relevant, and explore top videos, and users, and look through top performers by views. Take note (on a sheet) and analyse what you believe makes them work - when you take notes, you’ll be able to identify patterns that can help you with trends. 

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#2 - Creative Centre

When you go to the main Creative Centre page, you can head to the top nav to find the dropdown “trends”. From there, you can explore hashtags, songs, creators and videos.

You can also explore/filter by country - and what’s more cool is being able to explore the analytics of each song, and see top performing videos (which helps with further analysis).

Recommendation when it comes to video production to keep in mind - songs are a big one when it comes to trends from my experience.

Good chance you’ve seen “sponsored posts” before from creators/influencers on the likes of the Meta ads network (FB/IG), and the same happens on Tiktok too. 

The ideal ads format here are Spark Ads - which is where you can “boost” posts from your profile, or even promote from another creator’s account (although they need to approve and accept permission that you can use the content as an ad). 

The primary benefit of why I like this format is that it looks more natural (i.e. organic) when the ad is served to audiences. 

Plus from personal experience, they can perform pretty well - the art just comes into choosing the right “creative” (video) to back.

Note - you can also have the option to do duets, stickers, “stitch” and sound/music for viewers to see.  

There’s a good case study on TikTok’s business inspiration section with Canva, which saw great results using Spark Ads, and ensuring to use the right sounds/music to target key segments. 

Make sure to read more here

And whilst we’re talking about Canva, check out some amazing creators on the platform who do tutorials and tip-based videos just by simply typing in “Canva”. 

It’s incredible the community ecosystem they have built and people naturally sharing content/tips to their audiences. 

Note: I’m not suggesting Canva has paid for these creators/influencers, but more so a lesson to take note of the different types of content/topics being shared by users that you can learn from and adapt for your own brand. 

The reality is you never stop optimising or looking for improved ways to process how you edit and split-test variants - it depends on a few variables and contexts, such as team resources internally, existing skill sets, and a bunch of other factors. 

Note: get in touch if you'd like to chat about the editing process (tried and tested a few things - can share lessons/learnings). :)

How you approach TikTok ad creation is quite different to your usual Meta ads process - especially from TOF to BOF campaigns. 

Reality is, everything is video first, and it needs to come across “organic” - that’s from results and performances I’ve seen working with brands. 

Whilst conversions (and having a conversion focus) should be a goal, the content can’t come across as evident as you normally would on FB/IG. 

You need to focus on value-lead first from TOF to MOF, and testing various formats and styles of production - like many of the ideas I mentioned in checklist point 2. 

Note - there is an image format on TikTok called “carousels” (like FB/IG), however for SaaS/B2B, it might be worth testing, but yet to see many positive results.

In relation with the above points with ads, you want to ensure to have the right targeting in place, to serve content/ads that make contextual sense for those within different stages of the CX journey with your brand. 

Within TikTok ads manager, you can upload the likes of emails and phone numbers of audiences/customers that you have in your CRM/database. 

Then you also have targeting options that you have available, where you use the events from the pixel on your site/app, such as:

• Website traffic
• Lead gen data
• Engagement on profiles and ads
• Demographic targeting
• And other data points

Note - there’s also the option to create lookalikes based off your audiences.

Tip: depending on the CRM you use, you might have a native integration available, just like Hubspot and TikTok ads manager (where you can sync lists) - it’s a great integration to run lead gen ads.

If you don’t see a native integration with your CRM, then there’s a good chance there will be a Zapier available.

Just like how it works with Meta ads (FB/IG), you can do lead ads on TikTok too - experience is good, but naturally, have to be weary when it comes to targeting and the questions you do when it comes to lead quality. 

Good for more TOF campaigns, such as lead magnets/newsletter subs, but would be thinking where it sits if you’re focused more of your budget on conversion/revenue-focused campaigns. 

In terms of how it works, check out the docs here (and good gif on the page to illustrate the UX).

This is also another good doc on how to build an instant form (lead gen) for doing these sorts of ads.

Yep, there’s also an ad objective for those who run apps - similar to what Meta ads offers and it’s called “App Promotion” objective.

In order to learn more how to set up, check out this guide from the business help centre (good video tutorial as well which you can check out here).

Whilst not necessarily a SaaS product, there’s a good case study on an Aussie startup app called Steppen which got great results with app installs on the platform - read more here.

Both In-feed and Spark Ad formats are widely used by many advertisers whether across SaaS or eCommerce. 

Both In-Feed Ads and Spark Ads have these benefits:

• Has a good ‘native feel’ - fits into the flow of other content through the feed
• Good with various CTAs, editing styles, etc
• In-Feed Appear mainly on the “For You” section
• Can leverage organic content for Spark Ads

Then in terms of “Promote”, you can do this through ‘Creator Tools’. Have seen mixed results (and other creators have said the same thing when you do research and look at video reviews), but it’s worth testing for the right video/campaign.

Many of us know (or would have at least seen) the branded hashtag challenges that have gone viral on the platform. 

And whilst this isn’t the sort of campaign type that earlier-stage SaaS brands would consider, if you’re a scale-up, then it’s worth checking out some awesome case studies in the TikTok Business Centre. 

All just comes down to the right campaign and context.

Plus, outside of branded hashtag challenges, there are some good case studies with UGC engagement, educational content reach, and more to help with ideation/inspiration.

Explore some case studies from Tiktok themselves.