TikTok Spark Ads with creators: the code, the steps, the duration and the rights
A Spark Ad runs a creator's organic TikTok post as an ad, from the creator's account. To use their video, you need their authorization, most often a video code: the creator opens the post, taps Ad settings, turns on Ad authorization, picks 7, 30, 60 or 365 days and copies the code. You paste it in TikTok Ads Manager. The code is a technical permission; the contract sets what you may do, for how long and at what price. Meta's equivalent is partnership ads. Every step below comes from TikTok's and Meta's help centers, checked 2 October 2026.
What Spark Ads are
TikTok describes Spark Ads as a native ad format that uses organic posts in advertising. The ad is the post itself: views, comments, shares, likes and follows gained while it is boosted are attributed to the organic post. You can spark your own posts, or other creators' posts with their authorization, the case covered here. Viewers see the creator's name and photo, which open the creator's profile; the call-to-action button and the caption lead to your landing page.
Rules from TikTok's help center to know before you ask for a code:
- The caption is frozen once the post is authorized as an ad: agree on the final version first.
- The post goes public. A private video becomes public once used in a campaign, and its privacy cannot be changed during the promotion.
- Limits. Videos of up to 10 minutes; up to 10,000 Spark Ads per ad account.
- Deletion. A video must be un-authorized as a Spark Ad before the creator can delete it.
- Objectives. In auction buying: reach, traffic, video views, community interaction, app promotion, conversions, lead generation and sales.
Sources: TikTok Ads, About Spark Ads (updated June 2026), TikTok Ads, Spark Ads for manual and search campaigns (updated June 2026). Checked 2 October 2026.
Three ways to get a creator's authorization
With an individual creator, the video code is the simplest route: the creator only needs the TikTok app.
| Route | Who starts it | What it covers | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Video code (post code) | The creator, in the TikTok app | One post | 7, 30, 60 or 365 days, chosen by the creator |
| Content Suite request | The brand, from Content Suite in TikTok One or Ads Manager (in beta, by allowlist, according to TikTok's Creator Academy) | One video, or the whole account | Video level: 365 days by default. Account level: until the creator turns it off |
| Account linked in Business Center | The brand, through TikTok Business Center | The account as an ad identity, to push new posts from Ads Manager | Not stated in the help pages checked |
TikTok One also has a Spark Opportunity Program, in which opted-in creators let the brands they mention boost their posts without a new request. Under contract, the video code stays clearest: one code, one post, one agreed duration.
Sources: TikTok Ads, Spark Ads for Smart+ campaigns (updated October 2025), Spark Ads for manual and search campaigns (updated June 2026), Content Suite for Spark Ads (December 2025), brand collaboration through Content Suite (December 2025), linking a TikTok account in Business Center (April 2026); TikTok Creator Academy, brand tagging and Spark Ad authorization (published 22 September 2026). Checked 2 October 2026.
Creator side: how to generate a Spark Ads code
These are TikTok's own steps. Send them to the creator with the exact video link and the duration you agreed.
- Allow authorized posts on the account: Settings and privacy, then Privacy, or Me, then Creator tools.
- Open the video and tap the three dots.
- Tap Ad settings and accept the advertising content terms of service.
- Turn on Ad authorization.
- Generate the video code and choose the duration: 7, 30, 60 or 365 days.
- Tap Copy code and send it to the brand.
Source: TikTok Ads, how to create Spark Ads for Smart+ campaigns (updated October 2025). Checked 2 October 2026.
TikTok's error list rules out private posts, stories, duet carousels and posts that tag multiple posts, and can refuse some duets and stitches (error 900003). When a duet or a stitch is accepted, TikTok's Smart+ guide asks for a code from both creators.
For paid partnerships, TikTok's Creator Academy asks creators to tag the brand in the post's ad settings, under Disclose commercial content, then Brand partnership: the brand then sees the video's analytics and the authorization code. The tag does not process payments; the brand still pays the creator directly.
Sources: TikTok Ads, Spark Ads code error notifications (updated July 2025), TikTok Ads, Spark Ads for Smart+ campaigns (updated October 2025), TikTok Creator Academy, brand tagging and Spark Ad authorization (published 22 September 2026). Checked 2 October 2026.
Turning authorization off
According to TikTok, authorization can be turned off for videos that are not actively used as paid ads: in the video's Ad settings, turn off Ad authorization and tap Save. Account-level access is switched off in TikTok Studio, under Creator Marketplace, Profile, Settings. The contract should say when the creator may do this, and with what notice.
Source: TikTok Ads, brand collaboration through TikTok Content Suite (updated December 2025). Checked 2 October 2026.
Brand side: how to add the code in TikTok Ads Manager
TikTok documents two paths.
While creating the ad
- Open the Campaign tab, click +Create, choose an objective and complete the campaign and ad group settings.
- In Ad creatives (Creative assets for some advertisers), click + Add videos or images.
- Open the TikTok posts tab and click Add post to enter the codes: up to 20 at a time, with the authorization period shown under each post.
- Select the post, click Confirm, complete the ad details, then click Publish all.
From the creative library first
- Go to Tools, the Creative tab, then Creative library.
- Click Spark ads posts, then Apply for Authorization.
- Paste the code, click Search, review the post and click Confirm. It then appears in the TikTok posts tab when you build the ad.
Note that a video code can only be deleted once every ad using that video has been deleted.
Sources: TikTok Ads, Spark Ads for manual and search campaigns (updated June 2026), Spark Ads for Smart+ campaigns (updated October 2025). Checked 2 October 2026.
When the code fails
| Error shown | What it means | TikTok's fix |
|---|---|---|
| auth_code_format_error | The post code is incorrect | Check the code with the creator, or ask for a new one |
| auth_code_not_found | The code has been deleted | Ask the creator to generate a new code |
| auth_code_expired | The authorization has expired | Ask the creator to extend the authorization |
| calculate_intersection_time_error | The authorization ends before the ad's end time | Ask the creator to adjust the authorization |
| not_public_video | The post is not public | Ask the creator to make it public |
| story_video_not_supported | Stories cannot be used for Spark Ads | Choose another post |
Source: TikTok Ads, Spark Ads code error notifications (updated July 2025). Checked 2 October 2026.
Which duration to ask for
TikTok offers 7, 30, 60 or 365 days, and Content Suite requests default to 365.
- The authorization must outlast the ad. An ad scheduled past the code's end date triggers the error shown above.
- Count the scale-up. A test is short; a winner can run for months. Agree on the longer duration, or on renewal terms, before launch.
- The code's duration is not the right's duration. A 365-day code does not give you 365 days of rights if the contract says 60. Align the two and write down which one prevails.
Longer usually costs more. ppc.io reports that some brands pay an extra 30 to 100% of the base fee per month to run ads through the creator's account; Influee puts paid-ads rights at about 20 to 30% of the base rate for 3 months, 25 to 40% for 6 months and 30 to 50% for a year. These are observed ranges, not rules. How rights fit into a full budget is in our UGC pricing guide.
Sources: ppc.io, UGC rates in 2026 (12 January 2026); Influee, UGC usage rights (5 January 2026). Checked 2 October 2026.
Three details that prevent a wrong code
The video link, the duration in days, and when to generate the code, close to launch. State all three so the creator authorizes the right post for the right period, then check the authorization period that Ads Manager shows under the post.
What the contract should say
The code proves that TikTok lets you run the post, not what you agreed. Our UGC contract guide gives a full template; these clauses are specific to Spark Ads:
- Posts and platforms. Each video by its link; the formats named: TikTok Spark Ads, plus Meta partnership ads if planned.
- The duration, twice. The code duration, the duration of the ad rights, which one prevails, and how a renewal is requested and priced.
- Scope. Ads from the creator's handle only, or also from your account and on your website. Territories if they matter.
- The post. Final caption agreed before the code is generated; no deletion or change of visibility while ads run.
- Disclosure. Who tags the brand partner, and how the post shows it is commercial.
- Revocation and fee. When the creator may turn authorization off, with what notice; and a separate fee line for the authorization, so a renewal is priced on its own.
In France, article L131-3 of the Intellectual Property Code requires each right transferred to be mentioned separately, with its extent, purpose, place and duration. To be safe, treat running the video as a Spark Ad as a separate use and name it. What usage rights and whitelisting cover is explained in UGC usage rights and whitelisting.
Source: Legifrance, article L131-3 of the French Intellectual Property Code. Checked 2 October 2026.
The Meta equivalent: partnership ads
On Instagram and Facebook, Meta calls this partnership ads, formerly branded content ads. The creator, with a professional account, opens the post, story or reel, taps the three dots, then Partnership label and ads, turns on Get partnership ad code and taps Copy. In Meta Ads Manager, the brand turns on the partnership ad toggle at ad level, clicks Enter ad code or post info and pastes the code.
Two differences matter for the contract. Meta's help article gives no validity period for the code, so the end date has to come from your agreement. And turning the code off stops new ads, but active ads using it keep running: the contract must say when the brand stops them. A code can be used by up to 2 partners at a time, and creators can revoke partnership ad permissions at any time.
| TikTok Spark Ads | Meta partnership ads | |
|---|---|---|
| Where the creator gets the code | Post, three dots, Ad settings | Post, three dots, Partnership label and ads |
| Duration | 7, 30, 60 or 365 days, chosen by the creator | Not stated in Meta's help article |
| Turning it off | Possible for videos not actively used as paid ads | Stops new ads; active ads keep running |
| Where the brand enters it | TikTok Ads Manager: TikTok posts tab or Creative library | Meta Ads Manager: ad level, partnership ad toggle |
| Broader option | Content Suite account-level authorization, or Business Center | Account-level permissions |
Sources: Instagram Help Center, create a partnership ad code, how to create a partnership ad, about partnership ad permissions. Checked 2 October 2026.
Before you scale a Spark Ad
TikTok reports paid metrics for Spark Ads separately: paid likes, shares, comments and followers within one day of seeing the ad, paid profile visits, and clicks on the call-to-action and caption. Compare them with the post's organic numbers before adding budget; our guide on how to measure a UGC campaign goes further. If viewers drop in the first seconds, test a new opening before a new video: see UGC hooks.
Source: TikTok Ads, About Spark Ads (updated June 2026). Checked 2 October 2026.
Where UGC Pocket fits
On UGC Pocket, creators publish on their own declared TikTok and Instagram accounts, and views are read from public statistics: the starting point for Spark Ads and partnership ads. Our team builds the campaign and writes the video scripts, following the codes of the formats that work in your sector, selects the creators and reviews each video. Reuse of the videos in ads or on your site is defined in the commercial proposal. If you want Spark Ads, say so: duration and scope are then written into the proposal. The price is from €2,000 per campaign, no subscription, price and terms set out in the commercial proposal (see pricing).
Posting on the creator's account is not unique to us: Billo, for example, asks its creators for a 30-day Spark Ad code. UGC Pocket is not the right choice for a small test of a few videos, raw files delivered fast, a physical product to unbox, or a budget under €2,000. To plan Spark Ads around a campaign, talk to the team. Creators: the app is free on iOS and Android, and each challenge shows its pay conditions before you start (download).
Source: Billo Help Center, how to create and share a TikTok Spark Ad code (1 September 2025). Checked 2 October 2026.
FAQ
What is a Spark Ads code?
A video code, also called a post code or Spark code, that a creator generates from the post's Ad settings in the TikTok app. The advertiser pastes it into TikTok Ads Manager to run that post as a Spark Ad from the creator's account, for the duration the creator chose.
How do I get a Spark Ads code from a creator?
Ask the creator to open the video, tap the three dots, then Ad settings, turn on Ad authorization, generate the code with the agreed duration and tap Copy code. Send them the exact video link and the duration in days, so they authorize the right post.
How long does a Spark Ads authorization last?
The creator chooses 7, 30, 60 or 365 days, according to TikTok's help center. Requests sent through TikTok's Content Suite default to 365 days. If the authorization ends before the ad does, Ads Manager shows an error.
What happens when a Spark Ads code expires?
TikTok Ads Manager shows the error auth_code_expired, and TikTok's fix is to contact the creator to extend the authorization. TikTok's help pages checked do not say what happens to ads already running, so plan renewal before the end date. Set its terms in the contract beforehand.
Can a creator cancel a Spark Ads authorization?
Yes, within limits. TikTok's help center says authorization can be turned off for videos that are not actively used as paid ads, from the video's Ad settings. The contract should say when and with what notice.
What is the Meta equivalent of TikTok Spark Ads?
Partnership ads, formerly branded content ads. The creator turns on Get partnership ad code and shares it; the brand pastes it at ad level in Meta Ads Manager. Turning the code off stops new ads, but active ads keep running.