Spark Ads vs in-feed ads for TANP app installs: CPA −39%, CVR +67%
Commentary byROASArchiveOur analysis, not theirsTANP tested TikTok Spark Ads against standard in-feed ads for app installs and saw a 39% lower cost per action and a 67% higher conversion rate.
Spark Ads boost existing organic posts, here from TANP's own account and from creators.
TikTok published the result as a success story.
- Cost per action: 39% lower than the in-feed campaign.
- Conversion rate: 67% higher.
- Impressions: the page reports 308K+, 42% more than the comparison campaign.
- Not shared: spend, absolute CPA or the number of installs.
The change
Before
A standard in-feed ads campaign aimed at app installs, run over the same two-week period as the test.
After
Spark Ads built from TANP's own and creators' videos: seasonal gift ideas, unboxings, product intros and vlogs. About 53K existing app users were excluded with a customer-file Custom Audience.
Our reading: why it likely worked
Our interpretation, not the advertiser's claim.
- Spark Ads run from real accounts, so they look like normal posts and people may scroll past them less.
- Unboxings and vlogs show the gift in use, which sells better than a plain product shot.
- Excluding current app users stops spend on people who can't install again, which also helps the CPA.
Caveats: This is TikTok reporting on its own ad format, so it is vendor-reported. TikTok calls it a test campaign over two weeks, but spend, sample size and absolute costs are not shared, and the audience exclusion means format may not be the only difference.
How to run this in your account
- Hypothesis
- If we boost creator and brand organic posts as Spark Ads instead of running standard in-feed ads, then cost per install will fall because native-looking posts convert better.
- Primary metric
- CPA (cost per install)
- Guardrails
- Conversion rate
- Impressions
- Post-install activity
- Who should try it
- Apps and ecommerce brands with creators or an active TikTok account that can supply organic posts. It probably won't help if there are no posts worth boosting.
Who got the result
TikTok for Business · TANP published this result (Platform success story). The numbers are theirs; the summary and commentary on this page are ours.
Questions
Are TikTok Spark Ads better than in-feed ads?
In TANP's two-week test, Spark Ads had a 39% lower cost per action and a 67% higher conversion rate than in-feed ads. TikTok published the result itself.
What content works for Spark Ads?
TANP used seasonal gift ideas, unboxings, product intros and vlogs from its own account and from creators.
Should I exclude existing app users from install campaigns?
TANP excluded about 53K existing app users with a customer-file audience.
That keeps spend on people who can still install.