Quick overview

Key takeaways

Here is a quick summary of what this page covers:

Main concept: The TikTok Ads Manager has introduced an automated goal-based budget increase tool designed to scale campaigns that are performing well. Shotade provides a negative review of how the feature is currently implemented on TikTok due to unexpected behaviour during a recent client test.
Who it is for: Tiktok advertisers who wants better ad performance without losing control of their budget
Action steps: Users should check every campaign at the campaign level to ensure the automated budget increase feature is not enabled by default.

Tiktok is a major social media marketing platform but If you are running ads on TikTok, I need you to stop everything and check your campaign settings right now. There is a feature that might be silently draining your ad budget without your consent, and my recent experience was a financial nightmare.

I’m your host, Shotade Oluwafemi, and today we are diving deep into TikTok’s goal-based budget increase tool. I want to give you my honest, unvarnished review of this new feature.

In this post, I am going to break down how this tool is supposed to work, why I actually think it has potential, and most importantly, why TikTok’s current implementation is dangerous for advertisers who aren’t paying attention.

What is TikTok’s Goal-Based Budget Increase Tool?

First, let’s start with the basics. What are we even talking about?

TikTok Ads Manager has introduced a new feature designed to help you scale your successful campaigns automatically. It is called the automated goal-based budget increase tool.

The concept is great in theory. We’ve seen similar functionality in Meta Ads Manager for a while now, and when used correctly, it can be a powerful asset for scaling winning ad sets without constantly babysitting them.

The way it works is fairly straightforward. You set specific rules based on your performance metrics. For example, you might say, “If my Cost Per Result drops to 200 Naira, I want to increase my budget by a specific percentage.”

The Standard Approach: The “Safe Ground” Rule

When we talk about scaling budgets, there is a golden rule you must follow: the 20% rule. Anytime you are increasing your budget, especially on a platform that uses algorithmic learning, you want to increase by increments of 20% to maintain a “safe ground.”

You can set your rule so that when it triggers, the system pulls funds from your wallet or payment method to raise your daily budget. As long as that rule is met, you can keep increasing by 20% over certain intervals. It’s a beautiful concept that helps winning campaigns explode in growth.

However, this is where the good part ends and the horror story begins.

Why I’m Giving TikTok a Negative Review

Here is the thing: TikTok’s goal-based budget increase tool is a good feature. I’m not denying that. I use it on Meta and I see the results. However, my recent experience with TikTok was drastically different.

I want to break down why I am giving a negative review based on a real-world test. This isn’t just theoretical; this is my money we are talking about.

Case Study: The One-Day Campaign Disaster
I set up a campaign for a client last week. It was a simple test—just one day. We funded the account with 15,000 Naira and set a daily budget of 10,000 Naira. It was supposed to run for one day and end.

When I checked the campaign recently, I noticed something was off. The daily budget was now 18,000 Naira. I was confused. Where did 18,000 come from when I set it to 10,000? The budget was totally depleted, and the client’s account balance was drained.

This was when I discovered that TikTok had automatically enabled this automated budget tool for my campaign without my input.

Here are the two main reasons why this implementation is dangerous and deserves a negative review:

1. Unintended Activation & Lack of Consent

This is the biggest problem. TikTok is enabling this feature automatically. Usually, for features like this, you expect a prompt or a pop-up asking if you want to turn it on. In my case, it was activated silently.

This is a risk factor for advertisers. If I hadn’t checked the campaign closely, the budget would have continued to increase without my knowledge. If you’re not aware of this, TikTok’s goal-based budget increase tool could cost you a significant amount of unplanned expenditure.

2. Data Insufficiency (A Few Hours Is Not Enough)

The second reason is perhaps even more egregious from an advertising strategy perspective. The tool applied its rules to a campaign that had only run for a few hours.

You don’t turn on automated rules for a 24-hour campaign. You need data.

You need the campaign to be running consistently for a certain amount of time so you can look at the data and say, “Okay, this is stable. I can use this to forecast.”

This campaign was just one day. Ten hours is not enough to gather stable data or make accurate predictions. The budget percentage was determined, and the rule was determined without my input. Check the best time to post on tiktok here >>

TikTok automatically decided to increase the budget based on, essentially, nothing. The result was a depleted balance without the guaranteed increase in results.

How Advertisers Must Protect Themselves

Given the risks associated with TikTok’s goal-based budget increase tool, I have some strong advice for anyone using TikTok Ads Manager.

Do not rely on TikTok to make the right call for your money. You need to take control.

1. Manual Verification is Non-Negotiable

The number one thing you must do right now is check your campaigns. You have to go into every campaign at the campaign level and ensure this feature is not active by default.

If you are not ready for the budget to be increased automatically, or if you haven’t gathered enough data yet, turn it off. It’s usually a simple toggle button. Just flick it off.

2. Wait for Stable Data

You should only use TikTok’s goal-based budget increase tool once you have consistent results. Look at your performance over a period of days or weeks. Gather that stable data that you can use to make future forecasts. Set your rules based on your data, not based on TikTok’s “suggestion.”

3. Stick to the 20% Rule

When you do decide to implement the tool, follow the “safe ground.” Ensure your rules are set to increase by a maximum of 20%. This protects your account from volatility and ensures the algorithm has time to adjust to the new budget level.

The Verdict

Look, in itself, the automated goal-based budget increase tool is a good feature. I’ve experienced the benefits on Meta, and it can genuinely help you scale. However, TikTok’s current roll-out of this feature feels rushed.

The fact that I have to give a negative review is disappointing because the feature has so much potential. But TikTok misbehaving in this regard—turning it on automatically, applying it to campaigns with no data—is a dangerous precedent.

If you are running ads, you have to check your campaign settings. If you are not ready for it, turn it off. It’s a simple toggle button. When you are ready, you can go back, set your goals, and use the tool to help you scale. But until they fix the “auto-enable” issue, keep your eyes open.

Learn more about Tiktok advertsing trends >>

That is my honest review. I hope this was helpful for you. See you in the next one.