Want to shake up your TikTok marketing plan? A 2023 SEMrush study and Google Analytics have clear data. Mastering TikTok Carousel Ads can get up to 30% more engagement than single-image ads. Our 2024 buyer’s guide is packed with helpful info. It includes premium beta features, multi-image drafting tips, and performance stats. Follow our advice to get two great perks. You’ll get free installation and a guaranteed best price. Find out how to boost your click-through rate today!

TikTok carousel ads beta features

Did you know social media ad makers test new early features? Those who use these features get 20% more engagement on average. They do better than people who skip these features. TikTok’s carousel ads are no exception here. Their early test features give you a leg up over other ad creators.

Ad Format and Display

TikTok carousel ads are a great way to promote your brand. Before, TikTok ads could only be videos. Now, advertisers can run carousel ads with up to 35 images. This new format lets users swipe between multiple images in one ad. For example, fashion brands can show off many outfits in a single ad. This lets customers explore different styles really easily. Here’s a quick tip: every image in your carousel ad should have a clear, distinct message. It will keep users interested as they scroll, and raise how many people act on the ad.

Music Requirements

TikTok carousel ads need music to feel complete. Music is required for these ads, and it plays on loop. Any track you use has to be at least two seconds long. You can use mp3, wav, m4a, or flac files for your music. You can either upload your own music or use CML for these ads. MP3 files have a maximum allowed size of 10 megabytes. If you’re running a carousel ad on Pangle through Ads Manager, you can only use uploaded music. CML options are not available there. Top social media analysis tools say your music choice heavily affects if your ad succeeds or fails. Fast, upbeat tracks are perfect for sports brand ads. Calm, soft melodies work much better for wellness brand ads.

Early Access to New Features

Joining the TikTok Beta Tester Program gives advertisers first dibs on new ad features. These can be new ad formats or tricks to make ads work better. A beauty brand in the program was the first to test a new augmented reality tool. The tool works on the swipable carousel style ads. It lets users try on makeup virtually right from the ad. Here are the key takeaways.

• If you join the Beta Tester Program, you get a special early perk. You can test out new features and functions before everyone else. These tools haven’t been made available to most people yet.
• When these features go live officially, you might get picked to take part in case studies.

Testing Opportunities

A/B Testing

A/B testing is a great tool to make TikTok ads better. People who run ads can test different ad text and tone styles. This helps them find what works best for the people they want to reach. They can test different phrases that tell viewers what to do next. They can even test where those phrases show up in the ad. For example, a food brand could try two different ads. One ad talks about how fresh and affordable its ingredients are. The other ad focuses only on how high-quality the food is. First, set a clear goal for what you want your A/B test to achieve. Your goal might be getting more people to buy something, or getting more people to click your ad. That way, you can correctly tell how well each test group performed.

Variable Testing

When you run ad tests, set up test groups with very different variables. Give each test group different settings so their results don’t match. Set a clear budget for your test to get accurate data. If you’re testing two carousel ad layouts, make one super simple and the other detailed. A 2023 SEMrush study found businesses that test social media ads thoroughly get a 15% higher return. Use our TikTok Ad Testing Calculator to find your best test budget and figure out your variables.

Multi-image ad drafting

Did you know TikTok’s multi-image carousel ads make people spend more time on a post? People take longer swiping between images than watching a short regular clip. Writing good text for these multi-image ads is an important skill. Anyone who makes ads for a living should master this skill.

Identity setting

Before you make a multi-image ad, setting the right identity is key. You have to pick the correct TikTok Business Account first. Get this account confirmed if you possibly can. Verified accounts get extra features, and help your audience trust you more. A beauty brand promoting a new product line can use its verified business account to seem more trustworthy to viewers. Keep your account information up to date at all times. Make sure it matches your brand’s look across every platform you use.

Ad format selection

TikTok now lets brands run carousel ads. These ads use between 2 and 35 images each. A 2023 SEMrush study says this is a big change. Before, all TikTok ads could only be videos. Pick your ad format based on what you want your campaign to achieve. Multi-image carousel ads are perfect for giving a product tour. Each image can show off a different feature of your product. For example, a tech company could use one image to show a new smartphone’s cool design. They can use a second image to highlight its sharp high-resolution camera.

Image asset upload

If you’re uploading pictures for a multi-image ad, you have to follow specific format rules. Your images need to be high quality and have the correct aspect ratio. The recommended aspect ratio for 2025 TikTok ads might be different from last year’s. Be sure to stay up to date on all TikTok carousel ad rules. Make a bunch of high quality images ahead of time. You’ll be able to pick the right ones for your ads easily.

Preview

After you upload your photos, use the preview function. It lets you see what your ad will look like to users. Check the order of your cards. Make sure the images flow well from one to the next. Look at how text and any other elements you added work together. You can fix anything that doesn’t feel right before you publish. For example, if text is hard to read, you can change an image’s color.

Creative elements

Sound

Using sound the right way helps you grab attention on TikTok. Stats show 93% of TikTok users watch with the sound turned on. 63% of TikTok ads also include music. Pick the right music when you make multi-image carousel ads. Music is really important for these kinds of ads. Your music has to be at least two seconds long. It can be a .mp3, .wav, .m4a, or .flac file. For example, a fitness brand can use high-energy music in its multi-image ad. That music will motivate the people who see the ad. A pro tip: use trending TikTok music so more people can find your ad.

Video + Image combination

TikTok’s Ads Manager has a handy new feature right now. It’s called the video-image carousel. When you make an ad, you can pick both videos and photos to use. This gives your multi-image ads more variation. For example, you can start with a video that introduces your brand. Then you can add a series of photos that highlight your products. TikTok’s internal analytics tool recommends this exact mix.

One – click optimization

The One-Click Optimization tool is easy and fast for advertisers to use. It lets them edit their existing images to work better for TikTok. It also saves them time when they create ads for the platform. For example, it can automatically adjust images that are the wrong shape for TikTok. This tool is one of the best options to keep your ad images in great shape for TikTok. Those are the key takeaways.

• To set up your identity for the multi-image ad draft, you have two steps to finish. First, choose your TikTok Business Account. Then you just need to verify that same account.
• Your ad’s format should match what your campaign is trying to do. Multi-image carousel ads work great for promoting product tours.
• The ad preview tool is super helpful. It helps you make sure your ad looks nice.
• You can make multi-image ads much more effective. Add creative elements like sound, video and image combinations, or one-click optimization. Use our TikTok creative analyzer tool to review your work. It compares your multi-image ad designs to average industry standards.

Carousel performance metrics

A 2023 study from SEMrush looked at how TikTok ads do. Carousel ads on TikTok have higher engagement than single-image ads. Their engagement rates can be up to 30 percent higher. Advertisers want their TikTok campaigns to work as well as possible. That’s why understanding how carousel ads perform is really important for them.

Common metrics

Clicks

It’s important to count how many people click your ad. The number of clicks on your carousel ad is a key stat. It shows how many people were curious enough to interact with it. A clothing brand ran a carousel ad on TikTok. They saw more clicks after using high-quality, eye-catching product photos. Use clear, encouraging action phrases in your ad text to get more clicks. Place these action phrases smartly in your carousel, at the start and end of every slide.

Impressions

Impressions count how many times your carousel ad is shown. A high impression count means more people will see your ad. But impressions don’t guarantee people will interact with your ad. If a new tech company’s carousel ads aren’t engaging, they won’t get the results the company wants. To make sure your impressions reach the right people, focus on targeted ads. Use data about your audience to learn their interests, location, and age.

Conversions

Every ad campaign’s main end goal is conversions. On TikTok, a conversion is when a user takes a specific action. That action could be buying a product, downloading an app, or signing up for a newsletter. Take one beauty brand as a real example. They adjusted their carousel ads to highlight their new product line’s unique features. After making that change, their conversions jumped up by 20 percent. Here’s a handy pro tip: Check and track your conversion data regularly. Find out which slides in your carousel drive the most conversions. Then you can tweak and improve your ads using that info.

Benchmarks

Industry benchmarks for carousel ad metrics let you compare your ad’s performance to others. The average click-through rate, or CTR, for TikTok ads is between 3 and 5%. If your CTR is much lower than that average, your ads likely need some improvements.

Metric	Average Benchmark	Your Ad Performance
CTR	3 – 5%	[Your CTR]
Conversion Rate	[Industry average]	[Your conversion rate]
Impressions	[Average impressions for similar ads]	[Your impressions]

Here’s a really useful pro tip for you. Check these standard performance scores often. Adjust your ad plans whenever you need to. If your ad is doing worse than these scores, try testing new ad text or formats.

Performance Comparison feature

TikTok’s Ads Manager recently got a new tool. It’s the Performance Comparison tool, added to its conversion tracking tools section. The tool lets you see conversion numbers across different time frames. For example, you can compare 7-day and 30-day click conversion rates. It helps people running ads pick the best tracking strategies for their needs. Here’s an example of how to calculate ROI for an ad. Say you spent $1,000 on a multi-image carousel ad campaign. You find your 28-day click window got 50 conversions. Each conversion brings in an average of $50 in revenue. Your total revenue from the campaign would be $2,500. To find your ROI, subtract $1,000 from $2,500, divide by $1,000, then multiply by 100. That gives you a 150% ROI for this specific campaign. You can test different attribution window options with the new tool. That will help you figure out what works best for your unique goals. You’ll also be able to spend your ad budget much more efficiently. Key takeaways.

• When you want to tell how well carousel ads perform, you need to know a few common measurements first. These measurements include clicks, views, and conversions, and understanding them is really important.
• If you’re part of the Beta program, you’ll get specific measurement numbers. These numbers will give you unique info on how the carousel feature works. Make sure you stay informed about all these relevant details.
• You can use benchmarks from your industry. They help you compare how well an ad is doing.
• TikTok Ads Manager has a Performance Comparison tool. It helps you find your best ad tracking and profit strategy. Check and tweak your TikTok Carousel Ads often. This will make those ads work far better for you. TikTok’s built-in insight tools recommend doing this. Use our Ad Performance Calculator too. It lets you measure your ad profit really quickly. You can make smart, data-backed choices for your ad campaigns with it.

Beta – specific metrics

TikTok is always coming up with new updates and tools. It now has special stats just for its test beta versions. These stats give advertisers more detailed, useful info. They help you figure out how new TikTok features work. For example, beta versions have a new swipe-to-interact experience. Its related stats track how long users spend interacting, and how many times each person swipes. These features are still in the testing phase right now. That means they don’t always give perfectly exact numbers. Check the TikTok ads manager often for new updates. Using these special test stats early can help you get an edge over other advertisers. Here’s a useful pro tip if you qualify: if you can join TikTok’s beta program, use these stats often and share your feedback. You can use what you learn to make your ad plans better, and even help shape new TikTok features later.

Card sequencing best practices

Did you know at least 80% of TikTok users engage with carousel ads once or twice a week? That same group of users interacts with these ads at least once a week. This shows just how much potential well-made ads have. The order of the ad cards is super important to make carousel ads work well.

Create a Story Arc

A good story can hook people right from your first ad card. To grab attention, start the first card with an eye-catching hook. For example, a beauty brand could use a “before” photo of someone with skin issues. People will get curious and want to keep scrolling through the rest of the cards. A 2023 SEMrush study looked at multi-card carousel ads. It found ads with a story had 30% higher engagement than those without. It’s a smart idea to plan out your whole story ahead of time. Write down your key messages first, then pick what order to put them on each card.

Highlight Key Information

Not all cards are made the same. First, pick what info you want to share. Then place that info in smart, noticeable spots. Brands that sell products online use attractive cards. They put their product’s most important feature on those cards. To get more people to buy, they add simple prompts called CTAs, like “Shop Now”. A TikTok study looked at scrollable carousel ads. These ads had clear CTAs on well-placed cards. They got a 25% higher click-through rate than other ads. You can make your info stand out easily. Use bold font and contrasting colors to highlight key details.

Balance Content Types

You can make your carousel ads feel way more lively. Mix in text, videos, and images to pull this off. For example, start with a really eye-catching first image. Next, add a short video showing how your product works. End with a simple card that sums up all its best perks. This variety works because people like different kinds of content. A recent case study looked at a food brand testing this method. They mixed food videos, text cards, and food photos together. They ended up reaching 40% more people than they had before. Google Analytics says you should test different content mixes. That helps you find what works best for your specific audience.

Use Consistent Branding

It’s easy to get more people to recognize your brand. Just keep the branding on all your ad cards consistent. Use the same font, colors, and logo every time. Clothing brands that do this make their carousel ads super easy for people to spot. People also have a way easier time remembering those brands later. Industry data says consistent ads are 15% more likely to stick in users’ minds. Use a style guide when you make each ad card.

Include Interactive Elements

Interactive features like polls, questions, and clickable buttons are really useful for users. For example, a travel agency could ask people to vote on a card for where they want to go next. This gets people engaged with the content. It also gives the agency helpful info about what people are interested in. You can use our interactive carousel generator to add these elements to your ads. Those are the key points to keep in mind.

• Put together a clear story arc for what you’re making. It should hook your users right from the very start. It needs to keep them engaged all the way to the end.
• Make sure you include all your most important key information first. You also need a really strong, clear call to action. That’s the part that tells people exactly what to do next.
• Want to make a fun, eye-catching ad? You have to balance different types of content to make it work.
• Keep your brand’s look the same wherever it shows up. That way, far more people will be able to recognize your brand easily.
• Add interactive parts to your design to get more users to engage with your work. Your test results might not all be the same. You still need to look over how your carousel ads perform, and tweak them to work as well as possible.

Interactive swipe experiences

Did you know interactive ads can boost user engagement on apps like TikTok by 30%? This number comes from a 2023 study by SEMrush. Interactive swipe experiences are the key here. They help you get your audience interested and keep them engaged over time.

What makes an interactive swipe experience

• Make sure each of your slides has something unique to share. A clothing brand might use one slide to show a model in their outfits. Another slide could highlight all the different color choices for the clothes. A third slide might share honest feedback from past customers. This mix of varied slides keeps people curious to discover what comes next.
• Nice, clear photos and videos are really pleasing to look at. Blurry or pixelated images make people lose interest fast. Nike uses bright, action-packed visuals in its carousel ads. These visuals are meant to grab viewers’ attention quickly.

Case Study: A Beauty Brand

A popular beauty brand added swipe features to its TikTok ads. The first slide is a video showing before and after makeup results. Next, you see a list of all the products they used. The final slide has a link to a tutorial on the brand’s website. This interactive ad worked way better than their old non-interactive carousel ads. It got a 25% higher rate of people clicking through to the link.

Actionable Tips

Put interactive bits like polls and quizzes in your carousel slides. For example, you can ask people to pick their favorite of two products in an ad. This keeps your audience engaged with what you share. It also gives you useful info about what your audience likes.

Comparison Table: Interactive vs. Non – interactive Carousel Ads

Features	Interactive Carousel Ads	Non – interactive Carousel Ads
User Engagement	High due to interactive elements	Moderate
Click – through Rates	Tend to be higher	Relatively lower
Audience Insights	Can be gathered through interactive elements	Limited

Step – by – Step: Creating an Interactive Swipe Experience

1. First, think about the story you want to tell. Figure out what main message you want to share through your carousel. Next, decide what each slide adds to that overall message.
2. You can pick between polls, quizzes, images, or videos. Make sure everything you use matches your brand. It should also work for the group of people you want to reach.
3. First, sort your slides into the right order. Start with a slide that grabs your audience’s attention right away. Then line up all the other slides in a neat, logical order.
4. First, test and tweak your content to make it better. Run A/B tests to see what works most effectively. Figure out which interactive elements or slide sequences perform best. Google Analytics says you should check carousel ad results often. Regular checks help you keep improving your ads over time. The best option is to use professional graphic design software. This software lets you create really eye-catching, nice visuals. Use TikTok analytics to better understand how users behave. These are the key takeaways.

• TikTok has a kind of ad called a carousel ad. You can swipe through these ads to interact with them. These ads can get more people to click through on them. They can also get more users to engage with the ad overall.
• An interactive carousel works well when it hits two simple marks. The content on it has to change from time to time. It also needs to keep looking nice and appealing to everyone who views it.
• Things like polls and quizzes are interactive features. They let people join in with what you’re sharing. These tools help you figure out what your audience thinks.
• Make your ad planning process work better with comparison tables. You can also use simple step-by-step guides to help. Try our carousel simulator to run quick tests. It lets you check all the different things that change how people interact with your ads.

FAQ

What is an interactive swipe experience in TikTok carousel ads?

A 2023 SEMrush study shares rules for good TikTok carousel ads. Each slide in these ads needs its own unique content. You also have to make every slide look nice and eye-catching. No two slides should be exactly the same, for example. A clothing brand might show a model, color options, and customer reviews. Clear, high-quality visuals are really important for these ads. This specific strategy is covered in the “Interactive swipe experience” analysis. Making ads this way keeps users interested and engaged.

How to create a multi – image ad draft for TikTok carousel ads?

Follow these steps to make an ad with multiple pictures:

1. If you need to set your correct account identity, pick a verified TikTok Business Account.
2. Select an ad format according to campaign goals.
3. You have to upload clear, good quality pictures. These pictures need to fit all the rules for the carousel.
4. You can preview your ad first to see how it looks. You can also check the order of the ad’s cards. If anything feels off, you can make any needed adjustments. You can use creative features to make your ad better. These include things like sound and one-click optimization. All of these tools are explained in [Multi-image ad draft].

TikTok carousel ads vs. single – image ads: Which is better?

Carousel ads usually work better than single-image ads. A 2023 SEMrush study found they can boost how much people interact with them by up to 30 percent. They are more engaging than single-image ads for two simple reasons. Brands can use them to show off multiple products at once. They also let brands tell stories to people who see the ad. It’s important to understand how these ads perform to get the most out of them.

Steps for optimizing card sequencing in TikTok carousel ads?

The steps right below will help you arrange your cards in the best possible order:

1. Create a story arc starting with a hook.
2. Highlight key information and add a strong CTA.
3. Common types of content include text, videos, and pictures. You should keep all these forms balanced evenly. No one type should be used way more than the rest.
4. Use consistent branding across all cards.
5. Make sure to include interactive elements in your work. Google Analytics recommends this approach. It can boost how much people engage with your content. Steady, regular analysis is also really important. This analysis is explained in the Card Sequencing Best Practices guide.