What TikTok asks of a video ad
TikTok publishes the video specs for In-Feed ads in its ads help center (TikTok Ads Help: In-Feed ads, updated June 2026). Here they are next to what ProductToReel exports:
| Spec | TikTok In-Feed ads | ProductToReel video |
|---|---|---|
| Aspect ratio | 9:16 vertical recommended; 16:9 and 1:1 also accepted | 9:16 vertical |
| Resolution | At least 540×960 for vertical video | 1080×1920 |
| Length | Up to 10 minutes; no limit for Spark Ads | 15–20 seconds |
| File type | .mp4, .mov, .mpeg, .3gp or .avi | .mp4 with H.264 video and AAC audio |
| File size | Up to 500 MB | About 4–6 MB on our examples (well under 500 MB) |
| Bitrate | At least 516 kbps | About 2–2.7 Mbps on our examples (well over 516 kbps) |
So the MP4 you download goes into Ads Manager as it is: no cropping, trimming or re-encoding. What the table can't settle is placement. The same help page says TikTok's safe zones change with the video's dimensions, the caption length and the ad format, and it publishes them as downloadable templates rather than numbers. Check each video against the template for your format before it goes live.
Hooks for the first three seconds
TikTok's creative guidance for ads is specific about timing: get the content proposition across in the first 3 seconds and land the hook within the first 6. It also asks for sound or music, vertical 9:16 video of at least 720p, content kept inside the UI safe zone, and on-screen text at a pace of “5-10 words per second” (TikTok creative best practices, June 2025).
ProductToReel builds every video around that opening. The hook line appears as a title for the first 2.5 seconds, the voice-over is written to open on the same idea, and the captions follow the voice-over two to four words at a time. Your product is on screen from the first frame.
Each product gets three storyboards, and each opens on a different angle. Our AI script writer picks three of these:
- Problem → solution — open on the frustration the product removes, then show the fix.
- Three reasons — a fast list of why it's worth it.
- Point-of-view unboxing — the voice-over tells it in the first person: getting it, then using it.
- Before and after — life without it, then with it.
- Myth-busting — correct a belief your audience holds.
- Facts only — materials, warranties and specs from your page, never invented reviews or numbers.
For our demo reed diffuser it chose problem → solution, three reasons and before and after — watch the three example videos. Render all three and run them as separate ads: three openings to test instead of one.
Label it as AI-generated
TikTok's ad policy says ads that are significantly edited or fully generated with AI need the AIGC label or a clear disclaimer, caption, watermark or sticker; ads with undisclosed AI content can be rejected or restricted (TikTok ads policy: misleading and false content, April 2026).
The quickest way is the “AI-generated content disclaimer” in Ads Manager, which adds a text label at the bottom of the in-feed video, for Spark and non-Spark ads alike (TikTok Ads Help: ad disclaimers, September 2025). For regular posts, TikTok asks creators to label AI-generated content that contains realistic images, audio or video (TikTok Support).
Every ProductToReel video also carries C2PA Content Credentials that mark it as AI-generated, and TikTok says it uses Content Credentials to label AI-generated content automatically (TikTok newsroom, May 2024). Treat that as a backup and switch the label on yourself.
For ads and posts — not TikTok Shop affiliate videos
TikTok Shop holds its videos to a different bar. Its high-quality video requirements ask for a face on camera and real-time spoken or sign-language communication, “not AI-generated audio”, along with several product angles and step-by-step demos (TikTok Shop seller help, updated 17 September 2026).
ProductToReel videos show no people and use an AI voice, so they don't meet that bar, and we don't make them for TikTok Shop affiliate or shoppable posts. Use them where they fit: In-Feed ads and regular posts on your own account, labelled as AI-generated.