What does TikTok require before I use Promote?
Direct answerTikTok Promote turns a public video into an ad, and it only accepts public videos that use original sound or a commercially cleared sound. The Promote advertising policies, reviewed October 15, 2026, also require the promoter to be 18 or older. Government, politician, and political-party accounts cannot use Promote. Political content and tobacco or nicotine content are not allowed.
What Promote is
Promote is the in-app tool that helps people discover a video, sends more people to a website, or is used to gain followers. For the time you pay, TikTok displays that video as an ad. The video still has to comply with the Terms of Service, the Community Guidelines, and the Advertising Policies. Content that does not comply may be removed or restricted.
TikTok says it may update these rules, including when the law changes, and that it may apply a new rule to content already posted when a law requires the content not to be displayed.
The checks that are specific to Promote
- The video is public.
- The sound is original, or it can be used for commercial purposes. TikTok’s Commercial Music Library is the library it names, and it describes that library as more than 1,000,000 commercial sounds.
- The person using Promote is 18 or older.
- During setup, they agree to the Promote Terms of Service and the TikTok Privacy Policy.
Safer: a public product demo that uses a track from the Commercial Music Library. Risky: a friends-only clip, or a public clip built on a song that is only cleared for personal use. The second video fails a rule on this page even when the caption is accurate.
Accounts and products that cannot use it
Government, politician, and political-party accounts are not eligible for Promote. TikTok points that ban at its policy for those accounts. Political content is also not allowed on Promote, which matches the paid-political ban on auction ads. Tobacco and nicotine content is not allowed. Other products and services that cannot be advertised are on TikTok’s advertising-policies index, not listed again here. A rejected auction ad for a claim or a landing page is the rejection guide.
Sources
Reviewed October 15, 2026. Policies change. This is not legal advice.
Frequently asked questions
Can I promote a video that is only visible to friends?
No. TikTok says Promote is only available for public videos. A friends-only or private video is outside that sentence.
Can I use a trending sound?
Only if that sound is original or cleared for commercial use. TikTok points promoters at the Commercial Music Library, which it describes as more than 1,000,000 commercial sounds. A sound that is popular on the For You feed is not automatically cleared.
Does a passing Promote review exempt the video from other ad policies?
No. Promote still has to follow TikTok’s Terms of Service, Community Guidelines, and Advertising Policies. Political content and tobacco or nicotine content are named bans on the Promote page. Other product bans live on the advertising-policies index.
Check the video before you pay to boost it
LaunchGuarding can scan the caption and the landing page for a claim Promote would still have to defend.