Paid social creative planning

Plan paid social creative around a customer question, an answer the business can support and the action the ad should invite. Write that brief before choosing an image, video or placement, so the team can judge whether the finished ad explains the offer.

Build a brief someone can produce from

For each offer, record who can use it, what they need to understand, the main message, the evidence for that message, the next action and any material condition. An Australian delivery offer, for example, may need a service-area limit in the ad itself, and the destination should carry the same terms.

Keep the brief specific enough to guide production. “Show product quality” leaves too much to guess; “Show the fastening step and finished fit using the current model” names footage that can be checked. If the product cannot be demonstrated clearly, a labelled image or plain explanation may work better.

Develop distinct concepts

Customer enquiries, sales conversations and product-page questions can reveal useful angles. Separate questions about fit, process, cost and trust, then develop a concept around one question and an appropriate demonstration, specification or explanation. One customer's concern does not establish that every customer has the same problem.

Sketch different ways to explain the offer. A demonstration can show how an item works; a comparison can explain a choice between variants; a process story can show what happens after an enquiry. A headline colour change does not create a new message. Keep the offer and material conditions accurate across concepts.

The brief should say what belongs in the opening frame or image, what the viewer will learn and where the next step leads. TikTok recommends a hook, a product point and a call to action for its performance ads. That is platform guidance, not a prediction of results for an Australian advertiser.

Make the production brief platform-ready

For TikTok, plan for sound or music and a resolution of at least 720p. TikTok recommends including people, such as creators, employees or customers, and a DIY or less polished style that fits the platform’s user-generated content. Treat these as creative recommendations, not requirements for every paid social placement.

Set the timing of the message in the brief. TikTok recommends introducing the content proposition in the first 3 seconds and prioritising the hook in the first 6 seconds. Captions or text overlays can provide context; TikTok recommends displaying 5–10 words per second when using text.

If a concept uses a trend, meme or challenge, check that it fits the offer and can be executed accurately. TikTok’s Creative Center provides trending hashtags, creative insights and a Commercial Music Library for developing ideas. These can inform the production brief without replacing the evidence and conditions the ad needs to communicate.

Give the shoot or edit team a short list of required elements: sound, people where appropriate, the opening proposition, supporting product information and the closing action. TikTok also recommends transitions, stickers and graphics to retain engagement and view time; use them only where they help convey the brief rather than obscure essential wording.

Prepare each placement version

Inspect the selected placement's current format rules before finalising an asset. TikTok recommends vertical 9:16 video for its non-Spark auction in-feed ads. Its safe zone changes with the video dimensions, caption length and additional formats, so one export may leave a label or condition obscured.

For each concept, record the intended placement, asset ratio, opening frame, on-screen wording, caption or audio, destination and preview owner. Make a separate crop or edit where the essential message would otherwise disappear. Check the complete ad in the available preview. TikTok cautions that its preview may differ slightly from live display by device.

Specify the deliverable for each TikTok format

For TikTok Non-Spark auction ads, the available video dimensions include vertical 9:16 at 540 × 960 pixels or higher, horizontal 16:9 at 960 × 540 pixels or higher, and square 1:1 at 640 × 640 pixels or higher. A production brief can specify the intended format and minimum dimensions before filming or editing begins.

Non-Spark video can be supplied as .mp4, .mov, .mpeg, .3gp or .avi, with a maximum duration of 10 minutes, a maximum file size of 500 MB and a bitrate of at least 516 kbps. Check these specifications against the selected placement when preparing the handover, rather than assuming one master export will meet every requirement.

Non-Spark ad captions use a uniform white font that cannot be customised, and they do not support clickable links, @ symbols or hashtags. For Spark Ads, captions are extracted from the organic video caption and up to four lines, including emojis, can display. Confirm who will supply or check the caption for the chosen format.

Check proof and hand over the record

A demonstration supports what it actually shows. A specification must apply to the advertised model. A customer review describes that customer's experience; it does not establish that everyone will get the same result.

The ACCC says it can require businesses to back up claims they make about their products or services. Have the product owner check the proposed claim, evidence and material limits. If the evidence is narrower than the headline, narrow the headline.

Give the production and media teams the approved wording, assets, evidence owner, placement versions and destinations together. Record the version and approval date. Before launch, compare the ad with the current offer; a changed price, stock position or service area can make an earlier asset inaccurate.

After launch, review the creative against the question it was meant to answer and the useful actions that followed. Platform differences can suggest another concept, but ordinary results alone do not establish which creative element caused the difference.

Pre-launch checklist for paid social creatives