TikTok Targeting Guide 2026

TikTok Targeting Spectrum:

Broad Targeting                    Narrow Targeting
(Recommended Start)                (Use Sparingly)
        │                                │
        ▼                                ▼
┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  ████████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░  │
│  ↑                                                            │
│  Sweet Spot: Location + Age + 1-2 broad interests            │
│                                                               │
│  Algorithm Performance by Targeting Breadth:                  │
│  • Broad: Algorithm finds best converters                     │
│  • Medium: Good for specific demographics                     │
│  • Narrow: Risk of high CPMs, limited learning                │
└───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

TikTok Targeting Hierarchy:

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                    TikTok Targeting Options                     │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                                                 │
│  Core Targeting                   Advanced Targeting            │
│  ┌─────────────────────────┐      ┌─────────────────────────┐  │
│  │ Demographics            │      │ Custom Audiences        │  │
│  │ • Location             │      │ • Customer File         │  │
│  │ • Age                  │      │ • Website Traffic       │  │
│  │ • Gender               │      │ • App Activity          │  │
│  │ • Language             │      │ • Engagement            │  │
│  │                         │      │ • Lead Gen Forms        │  │
│  │ Interests              │      │ • TikTok Shop          │  │
│  │ • Interest Categories  │      │                         │  │
│  │ • Purchase Intent      │      │ Lookalike Audiences    │  │
│  │ • Video Interactions   │      │ • Value-Based          │  │
│  │                         │      │ • Engagement-Based     │  │
│  │ Behaviors              │      │ • Conversion-Based     │  │
│  │ • Device Type          │      │                         │  │
│  │ • Network Type         │      │ Retargeting            │  │
│  │ • OS Version           │      │ • Pixel Events         │  │
│  └─────────────────────────┘      │ • Video Viewers       │  │
│                                   └─────────────────────────┘  │
│                                                                 │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Geographic Options:

Country Level:
├── All countries in ad account
├── Specific countries (200+)
├── Regions/territories
└── Exclude specific countries

Regional Level:
├── States/provinces
├── Counties/regions
├── DMA (Designated Market Areas - US)
└── Prefecture/department

City Level:
├── Major cities
├── Radius targeting (from point)
├── Postal/ZIP codes (limited)
└── Custom geo-fences (enterprise)

Location Considerations:
├── Minimum audience: 1,000 users
├── Combine regions for scale
├── Urban vs rural performance varies
└── Shipping areas for e-commerce

Age Targeting Strategy:

For Broad Campaigns:
├── Start: 18-54 (unless product-specific)
├── Let algorithm find converting ages
├── Analyze post-campaign for insights
└── Narrow only with data

For Specific Products:
├── Alcohol: 21+ required (legal)
├── Finance: 25+ typical
├── Gaming: 18-34 typical
├── Beauty: 18-44 typical
└── B2B: 25-54 typical

Gender Options:
├── All genders (recommended for most)
├── Male
├── Female
└── Non-binary (included in "All")

Gender Strategy:
├── Default: All genders
├── Narrow only when product-specific
├── Test separately, don't assume
├── Some "gendered" products convert across genders
└── Creative can be gender-specific with broad targeting

Language Options:
├── All languages (default)
├── Specific language(s)
├── App language setting
└── Content language preferences

Recommendations:
├── Match ad language to targeting
├── Multi-language regions: test separately
├── Don't assume language = location
└── Create language-specific ad groups

TikTok Interest Taxonomy:

Entertainment:
├── Movies & TV
├── Music & Dance
├── Comedy & Memes
├── Gaming
├── Celebrities
└── Pop Culture

Lifestyle:
├── Fashion
├── Beauty & Personal Care
├── Fitness & Sports
├── Food & Dining
├── Home & Garden
├── Pets
└── Travel

Technology:
├── Consumer Electronics
├── Mobile Phones
├── Apps & Software
├── Smart Home
└── Tech News

Business & Finance:
├── Entrepreneurship
├── Investing
├── Career & Education
├── Small Business
└── Real Estate

Health & Wellness:
├── Mental Health
├── Nutrition
├── Fitness
├── Medical & Healthcare
└── Self-Care

Shopping:
├── Online Shopping
├── Deals & Discounts
├── Luxury Goods
├── Sustainable Products
└── Local Shopping

Interest Strategy:

Broad Start:
├── 1-3 broad interest categories
├── Let algorithm refine
├── Monitor which interests convert
└── Expand or narrow based on data

Layering Interests:
├── OR logic within category
├── AND logic across categories
├── Example: (Fashion OR Beauty) AND (18-34)
└── Don't over-layer (limits scale)

Testing Interests:
├── Separate ad groups per interest
├── Same creative across all
├── Run for 7 days minimum
├── Compare CPA, not just CTR
└── Winner informs future campaigns

Purchase Intent Signals:

In-Market Audiences:
├── Users researching products
├── Recent purchase behavior
├── Shopping-related content consumption
├── Price comparison activity
└── Product review engagement

Categories:
├── Apparel & Accessories
├── Beauty & Personal Care
├── Consumer Electronics
├── Home & Garden
├── Automotive
├── Financial Services
├── Travel
└── Education

Usage:
├── Layer with interests for precision
├── Higher CPMs, better conversion
├── Best for direct response campaigns
└── Not available in all regions

Customer File Audience Setup:

Supported Identifiers:
├── Email addresses (most common)
├── Phone numbers (with country code)
├── Mobile advertising IDs (IDFA/GAID)
├── TikTok user IDs
└── External user IDs (with pixel match)

File Requirements:
├── CSV or TXT format
├── One identifier per line
├── Hashed (SHA256) or plain text
├── Minimum: 1,000 matched users
└── Maximum: 10 million records

Match Rates:
├── Email: 40-60% typical
├── Phone: 30-50% typical
├── IDFA/GAID: 20-40% typical
├── Combined: 50-70% possible
└── Quality > quantity

// Customer file preparation
const prepareCustomerFile = {
  // Recommended data format
  format: 'CSV',
  columns: ['email', 'phone', 'country'],

  // Hashing example (SHA256)
  hashEmail: (email: string) => {
    const normalized = email.toLowerCase().trim();
    return sha256(normalized);
  },

  // Phone formatting
  formatPhone: (phone: string, country: string) => {
    // Remove non-numeric characters
    // Add country code
    // Hash with SHA256
    return sha256(normalizedPhone);
  },

  // File structure
  example: `
    email_sha256,phone_sha256
    abc123...,def456...
    ghi789...,jkl012...
  `
};

Pixel-Based Audiences:

Event Types:
├── All website visitors
├── Page viewers (specific URLs)
├── Add to cart
├── Purchase
├── Sign up
├── Custom events
└── Time on site

Lookback Windows:
├── 1 day
├── 7 days (recommended for retargeting)
├── 14 days
├── 30 days (maximum)
├── 60 days (with Events API)
└── Custom windows

Audience Rules:
├── Include: Users who did X
├── Exclude: Users who did Y
├── Frequency: Did X at least N times
├── Recency: Did X within N days
└── Combinations: X AND Y, X OR Y

App-Based Audiences:

Event Types:
├── App install
├── App open
├── In-app purchase
├── Level complete (games)
├── Tutorial complete
├── Custom events
└── Subscription

SDK Requirements:
├── TikTok SDK integrated
├── Events firing correctly
├── Privacy compliance
└── iOS ATT handled

Use Cases:
├── Re-engage lapsed users
├── Upsell to purchasers
├── Exclude current users (acquisition)
├── Target high-value users
└── Lookalikes from purchasers

TikTok Engagement Audiences:

Video Engagement:
├── Viewed any video (2s+)
├── Viewed specific video
├── Completed video
├── Shared video
├── Commented on video
└── Liked video

Profile Engagement:
├── Visited profile
├── Followed account
├── Viewed profile content
└── Clicked profile link

Ad Engagement:
├── Clicked any ad
├── Viewed ad (3s+)
├── Engaged with ad
└── Completed ad video

Lookback:
├── 7 days (most engaged)
├── 14 days
├── 30 days
├── 60 days
└── 365 days (maximum)

Lookalike Audience Setup:

Source Requirements:
├── Custom audience (1,000+ users minimum)
├── 10,000+ users recommended
├── Higher quality source = better lookalike
├── Recent activity preferred
└── Purchasers > all visitors

Size Options:
├── 1% (most similar, smallest)
├── 2%
├── 3%
├── 5% (balanced)
├── 10% (broader reach)
└── Up to 15% available

Location:
├── Same country as source
├── Different country (expansion)
├── Multiple countries
└── Must specify target region

Lookalike Best Practices:

Source Selection (Best to Worst):
├── 1. High-value purchasers (LTV-based)
├── 2. All purchasers
├── 3. Add to cart (no purchase)
├── 4. High engagement custom
├── 5. All website visitors
└── 6. Broad interest-based

Testing Approach:
├── Start with 1-3% lookalike
├── Test against interest targeting
├── Expand to 5-10% for scale
├── Layer with demographics only
├── Don't add interest layers (defeats purpose)

Refresh Schedule:
├── Source under 10K: Monthly refresh
├── Source 10K-100K: Bi-weekly refresh
├── Source 100K+: Weekly refresh
├── After major campaigns: Immediate refresh
└── Algorithm updates automatically (with delay)

Value-Based Lookalike Setup:

Requirements:
├── Customer file with value data
├── Revenue/LTV column included
├── Minimum 1,000 users with value
└── Currency consistent

File Format:
├── identifier (email/phone hash)
├── value (numeric, revenue/LTV)
├── currency (USD, EUR, etc.)
└── country (for phone matching)

Benefits:
├── Finds users similar to high-value customers
├── Better ROAS than standard lookalike
├── Prioritizes quality over quantity
└── Improves over time with data

Retargeting Funnel:

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                   Retargeting Funnel                            │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                                                 │
│  All Visitors (30 days)                                         │
│  └── Exclude: Purchasers                                       │
│      └── Message: Awareness, value prop                        │
│                                                                 │
│  Product Viewers (14 days)                                      │
│  └── Exclude: Add to cart, Purchasers                          │
│      └── Message: Product benefits, reviews                    │
│                                                                 │
│  Add to Cart (7 days)                                          │
│  └── Exclude: Purchasers                                       │
│      └── Message: Urgency, discount, social proof              │
│                                                                 │
│  Checkout Started (3 days)                                      │
│  └── Exclude: Purchasers                                       │
│      └── Message: Complete purchase, support                   │
│                                                                 │
│  Purchasers (30-90 days)                                       │
│  └── Message: Upsell, cross-sell, loyalty                      │
│                                                                 │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Engagement Retargeting Strategy:

Video Viewers (Non-Clickers):
├── Audience: 75%+ video completion
├── Exclude: Clickers, purchasers
├── Creative: Deeper product info
├── Objective: Traffic or conversion
└── Budget: 10-15% of retargeting budget

Ad Engagers (Non-Visitors):
├── Audience: Liked, commented, shared
├── Exclude: Website visitors
├── Creative: Exclusive offer
├── Objective: Traffic
└── Budget: 5-10% of retargeting budget

Profile Visitors:
├── Audience: Visited TikTok profile
├── Exclude: Followers
├── Creative: Follow CTA + value
├── Objective: Community growth
└── Budget: 5% of retargeting budget

Standard Exclusion Setup:

For Prospecting Campaigns:
├── Exclude: Purchasers (all time)
├── Exclude: Current customers (file upload)
├── Exclude: Negative audiences (spam, fraud)
├── Exclude: Employees (if file available)
└── Reason: Avoid wasted spend on converted users

For Retargeting Campaigns:
├── Exclude: Recent purchasers (7-30 days)
├── Exclude: Churned/refunded customers
├── Exclude: Out-of-stock product viewers
└── Reason: Relevance and user experience

For Lookalike Campaigns:
├── Exclude: Source audience members
├── Exclude: All current customers
├── Reason: Find NET new users

Awareness Targeting:

Demographics:
├── Broad age range (18-54)
├── All genders (unless specific)
├── Target locations
└── Relevant languages

Interests:
├── 2-3 broad categories maximum
├── OR logic (expand reach)
├── Don't layer too many
└── Let algorithm explore

Audiences:
├── Lookalike (5-10%) for quality reach
├── Broad prospecting
├── Exclude only converters
└── No retargeting (awareness focus)

Budget: Optimize for reach/impressions

Conversion Targeting:

Prospecting Layer:
├── Lookalike (1-3%) from purchasers
├── High-intent interests
├── Purchase intent signals
├── Exclude all customers
└── Budget: 60% of conversion budget

Retargeting Layer:
├── Cart abandoners (7-14 days)
├── Product viewers (7 days)
├── High-engagement viewers
├── Exclude recent purchasers
└── Budget: 40% of conversion budget

Advanced:
├── Value-based lookalike
├── Time-based segmentation
├── Product-specific retargeting
└── Cross-sell audiences

Expansion Signals:

Positive Indicators:
├── CPA below target with limited scale
├── Low frequency (<1.5 over 7 days)
├── Audience saturation <50%
├── Strong creative performance
└── Learning phase completed successfully

Expansion Tactics:
├── Increase lookalike % (1% → 3% → 5%)
├── Add interest categories
├── Expand age range
├── Add locations
└── Remove exclusions (except purchasers)

Narrowing Signals:

Negative Indicators:
├── CPA above target
├── High frequency (>3 over 7 days)
├── Low relevance/quality scores
├── Poor engagement metrics
└── Budget underspending

Narrowing Tactics:
├── Decrease lookalike % (5% → 3% → 1%)
├── Focus on top-performing interests
├── Narrow age to converting range
├── Geo-focus on performing regions
└── Add exclusions for non-converters

Campaign Targeting Setup:

□ Location set (start with primary markets)
□ Age range appropriate (18-54 default)
□ Gender: All unless product-specific
□ Language matches creative

□ Interests: 1-3 broad categories max
□ Lookalike from best source (if available)
□ Custom audience included (if retargeting)

□ Exclusions set:
  □ Purchasers excluded (prospecting)
  □ Recent purchasers excluded (retargeting)
  □ Source excluded (lookalike)

□ Audience size: 1M+ for prospecting
□ Estimated reach: Reviewed and reasonable