How to master TikTok Lead Generation Ads & get more leads

TikTok lead generation ads have redefined digital advertising by turning short-form video into a powerful performance channel. Brands use it to capture qualified leads in real time, in addition to engagement metrics like views or likes.

This article provides an overview of TikTok Lead Generation ads, including their definition, functionality, and benefits for businesses. 

Additionally, you will learn how to set up a TikTok Lead Generation campaign and generate TikTok leads through a step-by-step process overview.

Looking for an integration between TikTok Lead Generation and your favorite marketing tool? You can easily do so yourself by typing in your desired destination below.

Why is lead generation on TikTok the new marketer’s dream?

Despite its great success, a lot of marketers are still skeptical about TikTok. But let’s make the numbers speak for themselves. Here are a few TikTok business statistics that you should know in 2025.

• TikTok ranks as the 5th most popular social platform in the world

TikTok is among the most used social media platforms in the world. In terms of monthly active users, it ranks just behind Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, and Instagram.

• TikTok is the #1 downloaded app in more than 40 countries

TikTok has skyrocketed to international stardom at incredible speed and is currently reigning as the top downloaded app in Q4, 2024. Its global reach is undeniable, with its availability in over 150 markets and support for 35 languages.

• TikTok generates greater audience engagement

TikTok’s addictive nature can actually be a great advantage for businesses. It helps gain the attention of a younger audience with a specific psychographic interest.

It’s been shown that TikTok creates a pleasurable experience for viewers, so much so that it makes them more receptive to brand messaging and calls-to-action. 

There has never been a better time to enter the platform; if you want to rest assured that your content will do your brand justice, you can always use TikTok templates. 

How to generate more TikTok leads with TikTok Lead Ads

TikTok Ads can be made through immersive, vertical, short-form videos. Now, with TikTok Lead Generation Ads, TikTok offers a new first-party solution that can help businesses reach more leads and drive conversions effortlessly.

TikTok is by nature an immersive, highly engaging platform, where it’s extremely easy to generate interest and create connections. 

With TikTok Lead Ads, TikTok has come up with an original way for businesses to connect with their target audiences to grow their customer base and drive revenue.

TikTok Lead Generation Ads allow your potential customers to share their contact information with you directly on the TikTok platform, without going to a different landing page and waiting for it to load. 

This way, you are able to publish an in-feed video ad that is connected with an Instant Form. This form is already pre-populated with some of the basic user info gathered from their TikTok profile and can also be fully customized according to your industry, marketing needs, and business scenario.

TikTok Lead Ads are a great solution for all businesses looking to expand their reach and learn more about their audience. They gather lead data very quickly and easily, allowing them to act on their prospects immediately.

Here are some other tips to help you get leads on TikTok.

Add a clickable link to your bio

This is a best practice for all social media platforms, and TikTok is no exception. When a user sees your content by chance and finds it interesting, the first thing they do is check your bio. 

Use your bio as a business card and add a clickable link to help you drive your TikTok traffic to your own domain or landing page. 

When used effectively, clickable links in your bio can help generate new leads, generate subscribers for your email newsletters, invite users to your brand events, and much more.

Note: This feature is still in beta and not available for all TikTok accounts. However, you might get access to this feature by joining TikTok’s Testers Program.

Take advantage of TikTok challenges

Another great way to increase awareness and get leads on TikTok is to join both organic and sponsored TikTok challenges.

A TikTok challenge going viral can really put your brand in front of thousands of potential customers. If you want to target a younger audience, you should definitely add TikTok challenges to your lead generation strategy on TikTok.

You can either participate in an existing popular TikTok challenge or launch your own TikTok branded challenge. Get some TikTok followers and ask them to share the challenge to boost reach.

Partner with TikTok influencers

Creating a partnership with TikTok influencers can help you reach a larger audience, generate high-quality leads, and increase the ROI of your marketing efforts. 

In fact, reports show that influencer marketing has an 11% higher ROI than traditional marketing channels.

When it comes to lead generation on TikTok, it’s best to work with micro-influencers. This is because they usually have a better engagement rate than influencers with millions of followers.

Micro-influencers will reach a smaller audience. But since they are fewer in number, they can build more personal relationships with their fans. Their followers are more authentic and present a better opportunity for generating quality leads.

Advanced TikTok Strategies for Lead Generation

Beyond the go-to TikTok Lead Generation method we just mentioned, here are less-talked-about strategies to give an edge to your lead generation on TikTok:

1. Leverage sequential storytelling

Instead of random content drops, design a video sequence that tells a progressive story:

• Part 1 introduces a relatable problem or desire.
• Part 2 shows the emotional or functional consequences.
• Part 3 introduces your product or service as the ideal solution.
• Part 4 ends with a CTA and lead form or link in bio.

This narrative approach builds curiosity and loyalty, and when paired with retargeting, can lead to a dramatic increase in conversion rates.

2. Use TikTok LIVE for real-time lead collection

TikTok LIVE is underutilized for lead gen. Use it to:

• Host Q&As, tutorials, product launches, or giveaways.
• Promote a free resource or sign-up link during the stream.
• Include a link to your Instant Form or landing page in your bio and verbally mention it often.

Pair this with an urgency trigger, such as “Available to the first 100 sign-ups!”, to drive immediate action.

3. Gamify your lead capture

Gamification boosts engagement and lead quality. For example:

• Post a quiz in your video (e.g., “What type of [X] are you? Take the quiz in my bio!”)
• Use lead forms to deliver personalized results.
• Offer mini-prizes (discounts, exclusive access) for participants.

This tactic combines entertainment and utility, which are the two key motivators on TikTok.

4. Create hyper-niche content for micro-leads

Don’t try to reach everyone. Instead, focus on:

• Creating specific content for hyper-targeted sub-audiences (e.g., “Freelancers who use Notion” or “Moms working night shifts”).
• Speaking their language, reflecting their struggles, and offering laser-focused solutions.
• Using TikTok’s Interest-Based Targeting and Lookalike Audiences to reach more of them.

The more niche the content, the more qualified the lead.

5. Run “dark posts” via TikTok Ads Manager

Create ads that don’t appear on your profile but run exclusively to selected audiences:

• Use variations of messaging, formats, and hooks.
• A/B test Instant Form formats (More Volume vs. Higher Intent).
• Retarget viewers who watched at least 50% of your previous videos.

These “dark posts” allow aggressive lead testing without cluttering your main feed or alienating organic followers.

Knowing all these TikTok strategies for lead generation is going to be a massive advantage. However, you should know how to track your performance to see how well the strategy you have in place is working. Here’s a quick rundown of what you want to focus on:

The benefits of TikTok Lead Generation Ads

Ads are becoming increasingly competitive and expensive on all social media platforms. TikTok Lead Generation qualifies as an additional and extremely valuable way to generate more leads and sales.

TikTok Lead Generation is offering a cheaper alternative that proves to be extremely beneficial from many points of view.

1. Mobile-optimized solution

The vast majority of TikTok users access the app from a mobile device. Having an Instant Form within the TikTok app allows your potential customers to learn about your brand and answer your questions directly on TikTok. 

They no longer get sent to an external landing page that takes a while to load and is likely not optimized for mobile devices.

TikTok Lead Generation Ads make the process of sharing information with your leads and gathering information about them a lot smoother. 

This is especially true when you implement automation into your lead management system using a tool like LeadsBridge to sync incoming leads with your CRM in real-time.

2. Pre-populated fields

When creating TikTok lead forms, you can choose for certain fields to be pre-populated with the users’ basic information (like Name, Email, and Phone Number). This information is gathered directly from the users’ profiles, which they have previously provided to TikTok with consent.

This feature guarantees a safe and efficient experience between your business and your leads, making it easier for them to share their information.

3. Customizable forms

You are free to choose which questions you want to ask your audience inside the form. This feature allows you to focus on the information that is most relevant to your business.

4. Access your lead data right away

The fact that leads share information so easily allows you to collect it quickly and easily, which means you get to act on it immediately. Now, you have two ways: you can either download your lead data from TikTok and upload it into your CRM manually, or you can sync TikTok Lead Generation to your CRM through LeadsBridge and automate lead data transfer.

That’s right: LeadsBridge is an official TikTok partner, providing a seamless lead generation experience to all marketers advertising on TikTok. 

Our integrations enable you to connect TikTok Lead Generation to your CRM, email marketing software, autoresponder, or any other marketing tool of your choice, allowing lead data to be synced automatically, safely, and in real-time from one platform to another.

Having lead data always synced and updated inside your marketing stack allows you to:

• Act on your prospects immediately, by nurturing them with your offer;
• Forget about manual downloads and uploads of CSV files;
• Streamline your marketing and sales automation.

Here are a few of our most popular integrations for TikTok Lead Generation.

That’s a no-brainer.

Explore all our integrations for TikTok Lead Generation!

Does TikTok work with a pixel?

Yes, you do need to install a TikTok pixel in order to run targeted ads and effectively track conversions on TikTok. 

What is a TikTok pixel?

Just like the Facebook pixel, the TikTok pixel is an HTML code snippet that tracks users’ actions and behaviors across your website.

It’s added to your site through your backend dashboard and uses data and cookies to track users and serve them relevant ads on TikTok based on their interactions with your content. 

Is TikTok pixel free?

Again, yes. The TikTok pixel is free and can be installed by anyone who has a TikTok Ads account. If you’d like to learn more about the TikTok pixel, you can take a look at this article: How to use TikTok Pixel: TikTok conversions tracking.

TikTok advertising use cases for different industries

Now that you know what TikTok Lead Generation is, how it works, and why it’s so beneficial, you might be interested in learning exactly how it could benefit a specific industry. 

Here are some practical ways in which different businesses could use TikTok Lead Ads.

Automotive

You can use TikTok lead forms to invite interested potential buyers to schedule a test drive at your car dealership. 

Alternatively, you can showcase a new car model in the video ad and use the instant form to invite users to visit your website. Hyundai is an excellent example of how automotive industry brands can use TikTok Ads to attract more people to invest in a car.

Even with these results, there is always room for improvement. The faster you get in touch with those leads, the higher the conversions. The solution is automated lead management. 

See all our automotive integrations here.

Education

TikTok Lead Generation Ads can help you share information about your institute’s programs and courses with prospective students. After they submit your form, you can encourage them to visit your website. 

A great example is IDP Education Vietnam and how they filled up their subscription list via TikTok Ads. 

All of those students were contacted and nurtured with automated welcome emails and segmentation. And that’s always done through automated data bridges. 

See all our integrations for the Education industry.

Retail

You can use TikTok Lead Generation to advertise the advantages of joining your loyalty program to potential customers, and then create a form where people can easily sign up. 

Even international retailers such as Carrefour invest in TikTok advertising to broaden their reach and get more people walking through their doors across locations. No surprise here that their ads were a huge success:

See all our integrations for the Retail industry.

Ecommerce

You can use TikTok Ads as a storefront for your products, allowing buyers to purchase them in just a few clicks. 

By placing product links directly in your TikTok Ads, you enable consumers to make instant purchases as soon as they see your products in their feed. 

Then you can use TikTok lead forms to instantly collect users’ information and upsell or cross-sell products based on their recent purchase. SweatyTreatyCo did exactly that and exceeded their advertising objective.

However, without the right tools, getting similar results is almost impossible. 

See all our integrations for Ecommerce.

Real estate

You can use TikTok Lead Generation to give users a sneak peek into your listings, and then use TikTok lead forms to encourage users to sign up for a free tour of your listings. 

For instance, agencies like Village House Management generated more leads while achieving results using TikTok Ads. 

See all our integrations for the Real Estate industry.

How to set up TikTok Lead Generation

Now that we’ve covered all the basics, let’s take a closer look at how to set up TikTok Lead Generation with a step-by-step guide.

1. Start a Lead Generation Campaign

To get started on TikTok Lead Generation, you have to log into your TikTok Ads Manager. If you don’t have a business profile yet, you can easily create one. And no, you don’t need to have a TikTok profile to use TikTok Ads.

Log in to TikTok Ads Manager and click Campaign, and then click Create. You’ll be asked to choose between Simplified Mode and Custom Mode. 

Opt for Custom Mode for complete control over targeting and optimization.

2. Pick your objective

TikTok offers different campaign objectives like Awareness, Traffic, and Conversions. Under Traffic, select Lead Generation. This unlocks the instant form feature, so users can submit their info without ever leaving the app.

3. Name your campaign and set a budget

Choose a campaign name that helps you track its purpose or audience. Then, set a Daily or Lifetime budget depending on how you want to pace your spend. If budget isn’t a constraint, you can select No Limit.

4. Configure ad group and placements

Each campaign can include multiple ad groups. Name your ad group, then choose where your ads will appear. To keep it simple and effective, select TikTok as the placement. This ensures your ads show up in users’ For You feed.

Turn on Automated Creative Optimization to let TikTok test different creative combinations for better performance.

5. Define your audience

Under targeting, select Custom Targeting to manually choose who sees your ads. You can narrow your audience by gender, age, location, language, interests, device type, and behavior. The more specific your targeting, the better your lead quality.

6. Set ad group budget and schedule

While you already set a campaign-level budget, this step lets you control spending and timing for each ad group. Choose your budget type (Daily or Lifetime) and set start/end dates.

7. Select your bidding strategy

TikTok offers two bidding strategies:

• Lowest Cost: Ideal if you want to get the most leads for your budget.
• Cost Cap: This option lets you control how much you pay per lead.

Select the option that best aligns with your goals.

8. Build your ad and lead form

Now, it’s time to create your ad. You can upload your own media, or use TikTok’s video templates. 

Choose a thumbnail, write your copy, and set up your Instant Form. This is where users will enter their info.

Make sure the form is short, clear, and easy to complete. Also, preview everything, then click Submit. TikTok will review your ad before it goes live.

And voilà, that’s how you set up TikTok Lead Ads like a pro!

TikTok lead generation forms best practices

Here are some TikTok lead generation forms best practices to help you optimize your advertising efforts on TikTok:

Clear and compelling CTA

• Be direct: Use clear and concise language that tells users exactly what you want them to do.
• Offer value: Highlight what users will get in return for providing their information, such as exclusive content, discounts, or a free trial.

Mobile-friendly design

• Simple layout: Ensure the form is easy to fill out on a mobile device, with large touch targets and minimal scrolling.
• Short and sweet: Keep the form short, asking only for essential information to reduce friction and increase completion rates.

Engaging visuals

• High-quality content: Use high-quality images and videos that capture attention and convey your message effectively.
• Brand consistency: Ensure the visuals align with your brand identity to create a cohesive experience.

Personalization

• Tailored messages: Personalize the form and follow-up communication based on user behavior and interests.
• Dynamic content: Use TikTok’s capabilities to create dynamic and interactive content that resonates with your target audience.

Incentivize submissions

• Exclusive offers: Provide incentives such as discounts, freebies, or entry into a contest to encourage users to fill out the form.
• Clear benefits: Clearly communicate the benefits of signing up to motivate users.

Seamless integration

• CRM and email integration: Ensure the lead generation form is integrated with your CRM and email marketing tools for efficient lead management and follow-up.
• Automated responses: Set up automated responses to acknowledge submissions and provide next steps.

Compliance and privacy

• Transparency: Be transparent about how you will use the information collected and assure users of their privacy.
• Opt-in options: Include clear opt-in options for users to consent to receiving further communication.

Testing and optimization

• A/B testing: Continuously test different headlines, visuals, CTAs, and form lengths to determine what works best.
• Analyze performance: Regularly review analytics to understand form performance and make necessary adjustments.

Leverage TikTok features

• Interactive elements: Use TikTok’s interactive features like polls, quizzes, and challenges to engage users and drive them to the lead form.
• Influencer partnerships: Collaborate with influencers to reach a broader audience and add credibility to your lead generation efforts.

Follow-up strategy

• Timely follow-up: Respond promptly to leads with personalized messages to keep them engaged.
• Nurture campaigns: Develop a series of follow-up emails or messages to nurture leads through the sales funnel.

By following these TikTok lead generation forms best practices, you can effectively use TikTok to capture high-quality leads and drive meaningful engagement with your audience.

Manage leads with TikTok Leads Center

Once you have your TikTok lead forms up and running, you can unlock the full potential of your TikTok Ads campaigns with TikTok Leads Center.

Leads Center is a lead management tool that enables you to organize and manage leads directly from your TikTok Ad account. Say goodbye to the chaotic world of spreadsheets and stay ahead with organized, accessible data – right within your TikTok account.

TikTok Leads Center empowers you to streamline your lead generation process with the following features:

• Tap into the lead lifecycle: Monitor each stage from initial contact to final conversion with dynamic lead tracking.
• Assign custom tags: Use custom labels for a hyper-organized view.
• Attach specific notes: Jot down note-worthy instructions on individual lead profiles to personalize your follow-ups.
• Designate team members to follow up: Allocate assignees with ease, ensuring every lead is nurtured by the right team member.
• Sort leads swiftly: Use advanced filters to sort through leads by status, tailor-made tags, or by date.

Learn more about how to manage your leads with TikTok Leads Center.

Automating your TikTok Lead Generation 

There’s one more thing you have to do to generate sales from these leads: connect TikTok Lead Generation with your CRM or email marketing software through LeadsBridge. 

With automation, you never have to worry about manual downloads and uploads of lead data. If you’d like to see an example of how to create a bridge between TikTok and a marketing tool of your choice, you can check out our guide on how to integrate TikTok Lead Generation with LeadsBridge.

Thanks to our integrations, lead data is synced automatically in real-time. This enables you to connect with your prospects promptly and enhance your chances of conversion.

Learn more about our TikTok integrations!

Final thoughts

With the TikTok Lead Generation ad objective, generating leads on TikTok has never been so easy. This new feature enables you to collect your prospects’ information directly on the platform, without redirecting them to an external landing page.

The TikTok lead forms are already pre-populated with the users’ basic info from their TikTok account, and you can customize them by adding whatever fields you wish.

This lets you reduce the time and friction associated with filling out a form on a different landing page, allowing you to increase your chances for a successful conversion.

TikTok Lead Generation can then be easily integrated with your favorite CRM or other marketing tool thanks to LeadsBridge. This way, your newly acquired leads will be sent to your CRM automatically and in real time, allowing you to work on them with your offer right away, before the competition.

Start automating with LeadsBridge for free!