How to run Snapchat and TikTok ads in Saudi Arabia

Snapchat and TikTok are two of the main places where people in Saudi Arabia watch short video, and many brands try ads on them and give up after a few weeks of poor results. Usually the problem is not the platform. It is a missing pixel, creative that looks like a TV advert, or no clear definition of what a good result is.

This is a practical walk-through for a business setting up its first campaigns, from account to measurement. We do not quote budgets or promise results, because both depend on your product, your margin and your audience.

Before you open an ads account

Answer four questions in writing:

1. What is the one outcome you want? An online order, a WhatsApp enquiry, a store visit, an app install or a form lead. Pick one for the first campaign.
2. What is a customer worth to you? If you do not know your margin per order, you cannot judge whether an ad cost is acceptable.
3. Where will people land? A product page, a landing page or a WhatsApp chat. It must open fast on a phone and be in Arabic if your ad is.
4. Who will answer? Leads from an ad go cold quickly. Decide who replies and how fast.

Account setup, step by step

Business account. Create a Snapchat Business account and a TikTok Ads Manager account using a company email, not a personal one, and add more than one admin so you are not locked out.

Payment. Set up the payment method the platform supports for your account. Check this early, because approvals and payment options can differ by account.

Tracking. Install the Snap Pixel and the TikTok Pixel on your website or store, and the server-side options where the platform offers them. Test that page views, add-to-cart and purchase or lead events fire. If you use WhatsApp as your conversion, set up a way to count those chats.

Policies. Read each platform’s ad policy page. Restricted categories, health claims, before-and-after images and financial products often have extra rules.

Creative that works on both

On both platforms, the ad is competing with people’s friends and creators. The creative matters more than the targeting.

• Vertical, full screen, shot for a phone, with sound-off captions in Arabic.
• The first two seconds show the product, the problem or a person. No logo animation first.
• One idea per ad. One benefit, one offer, one action.
• Real people and real settings usually look more natural than polished studio shots, though clean product footage works well for retail.
• A clear call to action said and written: order, message us, see the menu.
• Several versions. Make three to five openings for the same offer and let the data show which holds attention.

Each platform has its own feel. Snapchat is closer to a quick message between friends. TikTok rewards a creator-style, trend-aware edit. If producing in-house is not an option, our motion graphics and product photography work can supply the assets.

Writing for a Saudi audience

Write like people talk on the platform. A light Saudi dialect often works on Snapchat and TikTok, while a more formal register suits professional or high-trust services. Keep it short, avoid literal translation of English slogans, and check numbers, dates and prices for consistency. A native Arabic writer should read every ad before it runs.

A sensible budgeting approach

Without quoting numbers, the approach is:

1. Start with a test budget you can afford to treat as research.
2. Split it across a few creatives and one or two audiences, not ten.
3. Let each test run long enough for the platform to learn before you judge it. Check the platform’s guidance on its learning phase.
4. Judge by cost per real outcome, such as order or lead.
5. Scale slowly. Increase spend on what works in steps, and keep producing fresh creative, because ads tire.
6. Move money away from what does not work, and note why.

Audience and targeting

Begin broad enough for the platform to find buyers, with sensible limits on location, age and language. Add interest or lookalike audiences once you have conversion data. Retargeting people who visited your site or watched your video is usually worth setting up early. For delivery-based businesses, set the locations you really serve, city by city.

Measurement that tells the truth

Platforms report their own numbers, and they tend to be generous. Cross-check them with your own:

• Orders in your store or CRM, by source, using campaign links with tracking parameters.
• Enquiries and the time taken to reply.
• Cost per outcome, not cost per click.
• Returning customers, not just first orders.

Keep a simple weekly sheet: spend, outcomes, cost per outcome, best creative, and one lesson. After four weeks you will know more than any guide can tell you.

Common mistakes

• Running ads with no pixel and no way to count results.
• Sending traffic to the home page instead of a specific offer.
• Using English-only video for an Arabic-speaking audience.
• Changing everything in the first week, so nothing can be learned.
• Ignoring the comments, where customers ask the questions your ad did not answer.

Where this fits in your wider plan

Paid social works best when your profile, content and website are already in order. Our social media management service covers the monthly plan, and our marketing team can plan and run campaigns alongside it.

Plan your first campaign with us

If you want a campaign planned, produced in Arabic and measured properly, tell us your product, your target city and your goal through the start a project form. Our Riyadh team will suggest a test plan and tell you honestly if ads are the right first step for your stage.