TikTok ads “not spending” refers to the situation where, after you’ve set up your campaign, your ad budget isn’t being used. This happens quite often: even though your daily budget is high, TikTok still doesn’t deliver your ads to users.
In the article below, Antidetect Hidemyacc has compiled 12+ common reasons why TikTok Ads don’t spend, their causes, and detailed solutions. Check them out now.
1. No engagement, so your TikTok Ads don’t spend
TikTok ads often don’t spend when the campaign doesn’t receive enough engagement from users.
Cause: When setting up the campaign, you don’t use a cost-per-click (CPC) billing model. Even if TikTok is already delivering your ads, if users don’t interact with them, your ads will almost not consume any budget.
How to fix it:
- Switch your campaign objective and billing to CPM (cost per 1,000 impressions) so your ads are delivered more widely without depending on engagement.
- Improve your ad creatives to make them more attractive and engaging. When viewers feel drawn in, they’re more likely to interact with your TikTok ads, which helps your budget get spent more effectively.
>>> READ NOW: How to create a TikTok Ads account in just a few minutes
2. TikTok ads not spending because your ad is reported
Another reason why TikTok Ads don’t spend is that your ad gets reported by users.
Cause: Users have reported your ad (clicked Report). This may be because the content is not suitable for the target audience, or the ad appears too frequently and annoys viewers.
How to fix it: Optimize your ad content so it’s more relevant to your target audience and avoid showing the same ad too often. If your ad has been stopped, you can submit an appeal to TikTok and request a review to resume delivery.
3. Reusing ad content from other platforms
One more reason why TikTok Ads don’t spend is reusing ad creatives from other platforms without adapting them to TikTok’s format.
Cause: Many advertisers reuse old ads from platforms like Facebook, Instagram, or YouTube to save time. However, TikTok requires video ads that match the characteristics of its platform in terms of format, visual style, sound, and engagement. Using content that isn’t optimized for TikTok can cause your ad delivery to be limited and your budget to spend very slowly.
How to fix it: Create new, unique, and creative videos specifically for TikTok, from visual quality to audio and duration. This not only improves delivery but also increases your chances of attracting viewers and driving engagement.
>>> CHECK OUT: How much do TikTok ads cost? Tips to optimize your budget
4. Targeting mistakes that cause TikTok Ads not to spend
When running conversion-based campaigns, poor audience targeting can lead to TikTok Ads not spending, especially for CPC (cost per click) campaigns.
Causes:
- Targeting too broad: If you only target by a few basic attributes like gender, age, interests, or location without combining filters, your audience becomes too broad. The ad will not reach the users who truly need your product.
- Targeting too narrow: If you define your audience too specifically, the audience size becomes too small to deliver to, and your ad may not be shown at all when those people are not online.
- Overlapping audiences: When you set too many audience groups or too many overlapping conditions, TikTok has difficulty finding the right users, which can cause your ads not to be served or to receive very few impressions and clicks.
How to fix it: Adjust your targeting conditions according to the characteristics of each audience group. Avoid setting targeting that is too broad, too narrow, or overlapping. These issues often result in TikTok Ads not spending any budget.
5. Using a personal ad account
TikTok Ads accounts have two main types: personal accounts and agency accounts. Personal accounts usually have lower trust, smaller funding limits, and restricted features, which directly affects ad performance.
Cause: Personal ad accounts often have low budgets and many limitations, making it harder for your ads to reach the right audience, which results in TikTok not spending your budget.
How to fix it: Use a TikTok agency ad account, provided by TikTok’s official partners such as Mega Digital. Agency accounts have higher trust, larger budgets, and more complete features to help you run ads effectively.
>>>> READ MORE: How many followers do you need to make money on TikTok?
6. Bid is too low, so TikTok Ads don’t spend
Sometimes your creatives and targeting are already good, but your TikTok ads still don’t spend. Why?
Cause: Your bid is too low, which reduces your chances of winning the auction and having your ads delivered to your ideal audience. As a result, your campaign underperforms and fails to meet your expectations.
How to fix it: Adjust your bid to a more reasonable level to increase your competitiveness. If you’re new to TikTok Ads, you can use Smart Optimization so TikTok automatically optimizes bids for you.
>>> LEARN NOW: 10 free and effective ways to increase TikTok followers
7. Landing page doesn’t meet TikTok’s standards
Your landing page is a crucial part of your TikTok campaign. If your landing page has the following issues, your ads may be rejected or severely limited:
- Ads direct users to a landing page that doesn’t function.
- The landing page is expired, broken, or newly created and incomplete.
- Content on the page is insufficient or missing important information.
- The page is not optimized for mobile and offers a poor user experience.
- The landing page closes automatically when users hit the back button.
- The landing page automatically downloads files to the user’s device.
- The page requires users to provide personal information or download third-party software in a way that violates policy.
How to fix it: Make sure your landing page is complete, easy to use, transparent, and compliant with TikTok’s policies.
8. TikTok ad lacks required information on the landing page
During TikTok ad review, missing key information can cause your ads not to spend or to be rejected.
Causes:
- Missing contact information, such as phone number or email.
- Missing company name and address.
- Missing licenses or legal business documents (where required).
- Missing product prices in the local currency.
- Missing terms & conditions, shipping information.
- Missing privacy policy, return or refund policy.
How to fix it: Provide full and accurate information about your company, products, and services on your landing page. This helps build trust and increases the chances of your ad being approved and spending normally.
9. Violating TikTok’s policies
TikTok enforces strict content policies. If you violate them, your ads may not spend at all, be rejected, or even lead to account suspension.
Causes:
- Content violates ethical standards or is connected to illegal activities.
- Using sensitive, explicit, or offensive content; mentioning weapons, ammunition, explosives, etc.
- Advertising unapproved or unlicensed drugs, medical devices, or products with unclear origin.
- Content that is politically sensitive, extremist, discriminatory, or incites violence.
How to fix it: Carefully review your content before submitting it for approval. If your ad is rejected, contact TikTok support and request a manual review.
10. No privacy policy for customer data
Ads that don’t have a clear privacy policy for handling sensitive user data lose credibility and are less likely to be approved and delivered.
Your ads or landing page ask for sensitive information such as:
- Personally identifiable information.
- Financial or insurance information.
- Medical, health, or biometric data.
How to fix it:
- Add a clear, publicly accessible privacy policy on your landing page.
- Don’t request unnecessary or overly sensitive information beyond TikTok’s allowed scope.
11. Grammar and spelling mistakes in your TikTok ad
Your ad may be rejected or not spend if the ad copy or captions contain serious spelling or grammar errors, or if you misuse symbols and characters, resulting in a poor user experience.
How to fix it:
- Carefully proofread your text before submitting your ad.
- Avoid typos, excessive symbols, or unprofessional formatting to make your ads look polished and trustworthy.
12. Low-quality or non-compliant images and videos
Another common reason your TikTok Ads don’t spend is substandard visuals. Your creatives may have issues like:
- Images are intentionally covered, cropped, or partially blurred.
- Images or videos are unclear, low-resolution, or poor quality.
- Video duration doesn’t follow the rules: TikTok usually requires at least 5 seconds and up to 60 seconds.
- Incorrect aspect ratio (recommended: Vertical 9:16, Square 1:1, or Horizontal 16:9).
- Poor audio quality: distorted, noisy, or hard to hear.
How to fix it:
- Check both image and audio quality before uploading.
- Avoid blurry visuals and bad audio; ensure your video clearly delivers key information.
13. Not enough account balance to run TikTok Ads
An account with insufficient balance or a balance that’s too low is also a common reason why TikTok Ads don’t spend or suddenly stop delivering.
How to fix it:
- Check your TikTok Ads balance regularly and make sure there is enough budget for your campaigns.
- If your balance is low, top up your account so TikTok can continue delivering your ads as normal.
Above, Hidemyacc has shared 10+ solutions to fix the TikTok ads not spending issue. Hopefully, this information helps you optimize your TikTok campaigns and improve your business results.
If you have any questions about the service, feel free to contact Hidemyacc for the fastest support and answers!
>>> YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Detailed guide to doing TikTok Affiliate the right way
