Summary
TikTok Messaging Ads allow businesses to convert video views into real-time conversations by redirecting interested users from TikTok directly to messaging apps like WhatsApp. This guide provides a comprehensive overview of how to leverage these ads to shorten sales cycles, qualify leads instantly, and engage with a new audience.
The TikTok integration is available to all Wati customers on the Growth, Pro, and Business plans. To enable it, contact us using the help widget in your Wati Team Inbox, or through the widget available in our help center.
Instructions
What are TikTok Messaging Ads?
TikTok Messaging Ads are a feature that allows prospective customers to start conversations with your business through TikTok Direct Messages and Instant Messaging Apps. There are two main ways this works:
Direct Messaging Ads: Users stay within the TikTok app and are directed to TikTok’s internal direct messaging feature to start chatting with you.
Instant Messaging Ads: Users are redirected outside of TikTok to a third-party instant messaging app, such as WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger to start chatting with advertisers.
Note: This article specifically focuses on Instant Messaging Ads.
Why use TikTok Messaging Ads?
These ads are a powerful solution for advertisers looking to grow their business through conversations. Here is how they can help:
Reach new customers: You can tap into a fresh audience and meet new customers by leveraging the energy of TikTok's dynamic and vibrant community.
Shorten the path-to-action: Two-way communication allows customers to get the information they need from your business quickly. This helps them make decisions and take action faster.
Qualify leads immediately: You can screen for prospects that are likely to convert the moment they start chatting.
Put your customers at the center: By being present where your customers already are, you can engage existing customers more effectively and increase their lifetime value.
Before you begin with TikTok Instant Messaging Ads
To get the best results from your TikTok Instant Messaging Ads, there are a few requirements and setup steps you need to complete first:
Set up the TikTok Integration: Wati partners with TikTok to provide deeper optimization goals and improved campaign performance. You must set up the TikTok integration within the Wati platform and select your messaging event. You need to do this before you can select "Conversations" as your optimization goal in TikTok.
Prepare your WhatsApp Number: If you plan to direct users to WhatsApp, you must use a unique phone number for the WhatsApp Business API. This number cannot be currently active on any other personal or business WhatsApp apps.
Sign up via Wati (if you don’t have a Wati account already): You can sign up for the WhatsApp Business API directly through Wati. To learn more about what you need to get started, please read our guide on WhatsApp API requirements and refer to Wati’s pricing page for charges.
How the TikTok & Wati integration works
By integrating TikTok Messaging Ads with Wati, you can use Click-to-WhatsApp ads to start real-time conversations with potential customers.
Here is what happens when someone interacts with your ad:
User Clicks: A person sees your TikTok ad and taps the "Message on WhatsApp" button.
Chat Opens: A WhatsApp chat with your business opens automatically on their device.
Manage in Wati: The conversation lands directly in your Wati inbox.
Step by step guide to integrate TikTok Messaging Ads with Wati
Before you begin (prerequisites)
Make sure you have the following:
A Wati account with admin access
A TikTok Messaging Ads account with (preferably admin access) permission to connect external apps
Follow these steps to connect your TikTok Messaging Ads account to Wati:
Step 1. Begin the TikTok connection
Log into your Wati account.
Click on Ads in the menu and then go to Connect Accounts under Click-to-WhatsApp Ads.
Click on the Connect button next to TikTok Ads to proceed.
Step 2. Authorize your TikTok account
After clicking on Connect button you will be asked to sign in to your TikTok account.
Before proceeding, you will see a checkbox requesting your confirmation to send conversion event signals data to TikTok.
Mark the checkbox and click on Authorize button.
Clicking on the Authorize button will open a popup window. Log into your TikTok Ads account and grant the requested permissions and click on Confirm.
Step 3. Connect your TikTok Ads account
Once you’ve successfully authorized your TikTok Ads account connection, you will need to configure below things:
Select the right TikTok Ads account.
Select the phone number (if you are using multiple numbers in Wati, select the one you wish to connect with TikTok Ads).
Note: If you are using multiple numbers and wish to connect multiple numbers, click on the small + button (refer to the above screenshot) to add more numbers.
Select the Event Set. Event Set is automatically created when you successfully connect and authorize Wati & TikTok Ads.
Once you’ve entered the details, click on Connect and authotize TikTok Ads account by clicking on Agree.
Step 4. Configure conversions events (enabling CAPI)
You can track two main types of events: Track qualified leads and Track purchases. Toggle the switch to ON for the event you want to track.
Configuring qualified leads event
Under the Track qualified leads section, define the action that qualifies a contact as a lead.
The most common method is using a template message. Select When a Template message is sent on chat and choose the specific template from the dropdown list.
Next up, select the TikTok Ads account where you wish to send these events. TikTok Ads will use this data to optimise your Ads for better results.
Once done, click on Set & Set live.
Note: This is the template you already created and is approved by Meta. If you don’t have such template, you can create a new template message for this purpose.
Configuring purchase event
Under the Track purchases section, select the template message that signifies a purchase.
Set a Purchase Value: To track return on ad spend (ROAS), you must set a purchase value. This is typically a variable within your purchase template (e.g.,
[[value]]). Select the correct currency and the variable that holds the purchase amount.Next up, similar to tracking qualified leads - select the TikTok Ads account where you wish to send these purchase events. TikTok Ads will use this data to optimise your Ads for better results.
Once done, click on Set & Set live.
Creating an event set and event types for TikTok ads
Once you successfully connect and authorize the TikTok integration in Wati, a Message Event Set is automatically created in TikTok.
The event set ID starts with CTM.
Event types are created and recorded
The following event types are automatically created under the Message Event Set:
Qualified Lead
Purchase
These events are then recorded and can be used for tracking and optimization in your TikTok ads.
How to create TikTok Messaging Ads
Before you get started, please ensure you have the following:
A Wati Account: You must have an active Wati account with the TikTok integration enabled.
A Valid Phone Number: For Click-to-WhatsApp (CTWA) ads, you need a phone number connected to Wati. This number must be unique and cannot be currently used on any other WhatsApp Personal or WhatsApp Business apps.
Once you have your Wati integration and WhatsApp number ready, you can start building your ad campaign. Follow these steps to ensure your ads are optimized to start conversations.
Step 1: Campaign level setup
Now, let's create the campaign structure.
Create Campaign: In the TikTok Ads Manager, go to the Campaign tab and click Create.
Choose Objective: Select Lead generation as your campaign objective.
Campaign Settings: You can choose to enable Split Test if you want to test different audiences or creatives. When ready, click Continue.
Step 2: Ad Group Level Setup
This is where you define who sees your ad and how it is optimized.
Optimization Goal: Choose “Conversations” goal to target users most likely to start a chat. This requires the Wati integration and the configured Event Set.
Note: Choose “Click” if you simply want to optimize for people clicking the button, without tracking the conversation depth.
Choose Instant messaging apps as your “Optimization location”.
Note: When you enter your WhatsApp phone number, TikTok automatically matches it with the message event set configured in Wati. The system creates a unique event set specifically for the link between your TikTok Ad account and your WhatsApp API account.
How to test your WhatsApp number
We strongly recommend testing your setup before launching the ad.
Generate QR Code: Hover your mouse over the Check if the ID opens properly link. A QR code will appear.
Scan: Use your mobile phone camera to scan the code.
Note: Ensure you have the specific OS selected (iOS or Android) and that WhatsApp is installed on the phone you are using to test.
Verify:
If the setup is successful, a WhatsApp chat will automatically open on your phone with the pre-filled message:
"Hello! I came across your ad on TikTok and would like to find out more.”
What to expect when it opens:
For WhatsApp:
In this preview mode, the default text might look like a tracking code. This is normal. In the actual live ad, users will see a pre-filled message that says:
"TikTok ID: [ID]. Hello! I came across your ad on TikTok and would like to find out more."
If you chose Click Optimization
You can select your Instant Messaging App or Instant messaging URL
Supported Social Media Apps:
WhatsApp* (Currently, Wati supports Click to WhatsApp (CTWA) only)
Messenger
LINE
Zalo
Placement: Ensure TikTok is selected as the placement. Only TikTok placement is available.
Budget & Schedule: Set your daily budget.
Tip: We recommend using the Dayparting feature that is on by default. Please select the day/time when you can respond, this ensures your team is available to respond to incoming WhatsApp messages immediately.
Click Next to move onto Ad Level.
Step 3: Ad Level Setup
If you chose Conversation Optimization:
Destination: For Whatsapp, this field will be automatically filled. To edit, please return to ad group level.
If you chose Click Optimization:
And selected Instant Messaging URL as your destination, you have to insert customized URL here.
Finally, you will design the ad that users will see.
Ad Text: Write your ad copy. Make sure to include a clear Call to Action (CTA) telling users to click to start a chat. Ideally, please include a “Message us” CTA in your creative/video.
Once done, click “Publish all”
Test your setup
Preview your ad in TikTok. Here’s an example:
Click the Click-to-WhatsApp (CTWA) button to start a test conversation.
Note: When you click the Call-to-Action (CTA) button, it should open your WhatsApp app and display the connected number with a pre-filled message in the chat box. Send this message as it is, without editing.
Check in Wati to confirm the message appears with the correct conversation tag. To do this, go to your Team Inbox in Wati and look for the message.
Verify event uploads in TikTok Ads Manager
After sending a Template message, log into TikTok Events Manager and go to Data Sources under Tools.
Check that the event appears in your Event Set. You should see the events reflecting here.
Note: It may take around 5 - 10 minutes for the event to show up.
How to view TikTok messages in your Wati Team Inbox
You can identify the conversation with the tag T-CTWA. Once you open this conversation, you can also see the tiktok_ad_id under Contact Attributes.
When replying, you need to send the template you added under tracking qualified leads when configuring the events. Click on the Template Messages button in the reply box and send the right template.
When you send this template successfully, you will see a new attribute - tiktok_ad_qualified_lead (with value set to True) under Contact Attributes.
How to view analytics for your TikTok Messaging Ads
Viewing analytics in Wati
The TikTok messaging ad reporting data is not available in Wati yet. It will be available soon!
Viewing analytics in TikTok Ads Manager
Once your ads are running, you can track their performance directly in the TikTok Ads Manager.
Cost Per Result: Check the reporting section for the Cost per result (conversations) metric to see how much each started chat is costing you.
Custom Reporting:
Click on Custom columns.
Navigate to Messaging Event.
Select Conversations (instant messaging app). This will add specific conversation metrics to your report, allowing you to monitor performance more effectively.
