TikTok has launched a Commercial Content Library to provide transparency around its paid advertising.

Marketers will be able to use the database to research information about TikTok’s paid ads – as well as other content that’s commercial in nature, such as:

• The advertising creative.
• Dates the ad ran.
• Main parameters used for targeting (e.g. age, gender).
• Number of people who were served the ad.

Why we care. Having access to this data can give marketers a better understanding of campaign performance and the TikTok algorithm. This key information will help reveal what creatives work, what ideas don’t work and more. Having this data at hand will enable marketers to make more informed decisions, potentially maximizing reach and ROI.

The rules. Access to TikTok’s Commercial Content Library is available to everyone globally. However, only data from Europe is available.

• TikTok said that its team is already working on ways to include advertising data from more countries, such as the U.S., in the future. But a date for this release is yet to be confirmed.

Added bonus. In addition to the launch of the ads transparency library, TikTok is also giving marketers access to a Commercial Content API.

• In order to use the Commercial Content API, marketers will be required to create a TikTok Developers account and submit an application for access, which will then be reviewed by the platform’s team in an effort to clamp down on the misuse of data.

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What TikTok said. TikTok announced the launch of its ads transparency library on its official blog. A spokesperson said:

• “We tested an early version of the Commercial Content Library with researchers and civil society to gather feedback over the last few months before making it more broadly available.”
• “From our tests and input from experts, we’ve added the ability to perform precise searches, included more targeting parameters, and improved data quality – among other updates.”
• “We value feedback on where we can improve both APIs. We’ll continue to respond with updates to better support independent research and transparency into TikTok.”

Deep dive. Read TikTok’s official blog post to find out more about its ads transparency library.