How to Save TikTok Ads in 2023

An awe-inspiring Tiktok ad can skyrocket your business, while a poorly-executed one can do the exact opposite. If you're looking to tap into the growing trend of TikTok advertising, start by learning how to save TikTok ads!

Saving TikTok video ads from your competitors lets you store reference material for your own Tiktok ad campaigns. You can analyse each ad element, like video length, words, visuals and music to see what attracts your target audience. Overall, they're a fantastic tool for research and inspiration.

Fortunately, saving a TikTok video ad isn't rocket science, and can be done in a couple of ways. 

In this guide, we'll discuss the following:

1. The benefits of saving TikTok ads.
2. How to save TikTok ads using TikTok's Creative Control Centre.
3. How to save a TikTok ad using the MagicBrief extension.
4. What to look for in feed ads and regular ads as a Tiktok creator.

Why to Save Your TikTok Ads and How to Incorporate them in Your Ads

You've probably at some point watched an ad and thought:

'How on earth did this capture my attention so quickly and effectively?'

If your business relies on advertising (which most do), you'll want to first learn from other businesses' successes before creating your own ad.

There are various benefits to saving TikTok ads, which include:

Understanding your competitors: You can compare your own creative strategies with your rivals. This lets you identify potential weaknesses in your own advertising, and hone in on the areas that need improvement.

Gaining inspiration: Seeing how others create ads and TikTok videos can really help step up your game. If your ads seem dull and uninspired, watching ones that are more creative and sophisticated can help get your creative juices flowing.

Using unique features: Learn what visual and audio effects can be used in the ads created on TikTok. Special features can transform generic ads into something eye-catching and enthralling.

Save on expenses: Learning from your established competitors allows you to skip the trial and error phase in your ad creation process. You'll save time, money, and frustration by not having to go through failed attempts at creating the perfect ad.

How to Save a TikTok Ad Using the TikTok's Creative Control Center

The TikTok creative center is an excellent resource for digital marketers and business owners. It's a creative hub where you can learn from outstanding campaigns created by influential brands on TikTok. You'll also have access to the latest trends for hashtags, music, and more.

To save a TikTok ad on the Creative control centre, here's what you need to do:

1. Create or log in to your TikTok ad account.
2. Hover over 'Inspiration' on the left hand side of the menu.
3. Click 'Top Ads Dashboard'.

Here, you'll be presented with top performing ads from various industries. If you don't have any competitors in mind and want a general feel for what works, you can filter ads by:

• Location
• Industry
• Objective i.e product sales or views
• Likes and video duration
• Time they were published

Fill in the relevant criteria and click 'Filter'. You'll then see a catered list of ads which you can save into folders for future reference. 

Alternatively, you can type in the brand or product keyword in the search bar. For example, if you've just launched a Mexican restaurant, try typing in local competitor brands and industry giants. I’ve decided to use Chipotle since they're absolutely on fire right now!.

Type in 'Chipotle' and you'll be presented with all of their ads (34 in this case). You can then view each ad, along with their respective views, likes, CTR, comments and share count.

Once you find an ad that you like, click on the star icon on the thumbnail. You'll be then asked to 'Create a new collection', where you can accept or decline. We recommend creating an ad group for each competitor, industry or product type that you're researching. If you are monitoring and analysing ads, you want to quickly access them and not be lost in an endless list.

After saving the ad, go to your profile icon on the top right-hand side and click on 'My Collections'. You'll then be directed to the collections you created, where you can watch, and organise your saved ads.

Using the MagicBrief Extension to Save TikTok Video Ads

The MagicBrief extension was built for convenience, letting you save ads from TikTok and the Facebook Ad Library in a single click. The ad is then saved to your MagicBrief account, letting you analyze and store your favourite ads in one place. Once the extension is installed, it will appear as a 'Save to MagicBrief' button on the ad's page.

To use this method to save TikTok ads, simply do the following:

• Click here and start your free trial.
• Fill in your details to make an account and install the extension.
• Go to the ad's page on TikTok and click 'Save to MagicBrief'.
• It will be then saved into the MagicBrief library for future reference.
• You can also download the video ad straight to your desktop by clicking the download icon.

Why to Use MagicBrief Instead of the Creative Control Center?

You may be wondering at this point, why use MagicBrief if I can just save the ad on TikTok’s Creative control center?

Well, with MagicBrief you aren't just limited to saving TikTok ads. You can save ads from Instagram and Facebook too, even if the ad itself has stopped running. It's a great all-in-one tool that gives you a comprehensive view of all the past and present influencer ad campaigns in your niche.

What to Do With Your Saved TikTok Ads

You’ve gathered countless TikTok ads and they’re stacked in your TikTok ad library.

But what do you do with them?

You can't just stay indoors watching competitor ads and pray something sparks your creative juices!

The good news is, if you know what to look for, you can use the TikTok ads from your library to formulate strategies for your own ad campaign. Let's go through on what to pay attention to when looking at ads.

Type of Content

Many businesses don't just shove a product down their audiences throats and expect them to go wild. Instead, their purpose is to generate engagement so you become invested and buy their products later. They often showcase real-life personalities or stories in creative ways to market the brand.

Let's use a Starbucks ad as an example:

This short TikTok video shows a girl surprising her mom at work with a Starbucks coffee. The coffee, itself, isn't the main focus, rather it's the mom’s reaction when receiving it that makes it memorable.

In this case, Starbucks has used storytelling to their advantage, tugging viewer’s heartstrings while showcasing their coffee - very sneaky! Don’t be surprised If you even find yourself buying a Starbucks coffee for your mom shortly after!

Audience Involvement 

What do your competitor TikTok ads invoke to get you involved? Do they ask you to comment, share, or join an event? Engagement gets people invested, increasing brand recognition so keen viewers eventually turn into customers. 

See what your competitors are doing and try to emulate it in your own ads. You can go in a completely different direction as there is no single formula for success, but tried-and-tested methods can save you time.

What's their Hook?

Apart from being a direct competitor, what compelled you to click on their ad in the first place? Maybe their colourful headline claiming "best of the best" caught your eye or the unique visuals made you curious. Maybe it was a question that you were interested in.

By identifying the ad's hook, and applying the same methods to your own ads, you can create successful campaigns too.

Time Length and Pace

TikTok ads can be up to a minute long, but industry experts say 21-34 seconds is ideal. Check your competitor to identify ad duration patterns. Furthermore, see if ads are more upbeat or laid back, and see what the general pacing is like.

Before analysing an ad, always check its metrics like impressions, views and other performance indicators. You don't just want to save any TikTok ad you find, but the best performing one!

Summary

Saving TikTok ads lets you stay up-to-date with your competitors, identify industry trends, and if you want, copy their techniques. To save TikTok ads, our recommendations are MagicBrief and TikTok’s Creative control center.

After saving ad inspiration that drives the most engagement, you can look into things like content type, duration, visuals, audio and audience involvement. Once you understand what works, you can use the TikTok ads Manager video editor to create your own.

Good luck!