The social network will launch a new, premium ad option that will enable big brands to maximize ad placement alongside the most popular content in the app.

Dubbed 'Pulse Premiere', the new feature is an expansion of TikTok's Pulse ads, which it rolled out back in May. Pulse ads let advertisers serve their ads against clips that appear in the top 4% of daily performers, based on view counts and engagement.

With this new expansion, the company is providing more controls for ad placement within the Pulse program.

According to TikTok:

Pulse Premiere gives brands the control to choose where their ads are placed, adjacent to content from our premium publishing partners in lifestyle & education, sports, and entertainment categories for specific tentpole events as well as evergreen, ongoing content.

So it's Pulse ads, but with a topical placement element-so it's not just the generic top 4% of performers that you can place your ads alongside, but also those within each of these verticals, providing more value for specific brand partners.

The social media app says it's partnering with Buzzfeed, Conde Nast, DotDash Meredith, Hearst Magazines, MLS, NBCUniversal, UFC, Vox Media and WWE as the first brand partners for this new product.

It could be a great option for big launches, but it will be interesting to see if expansion offers more monetization options for creators.

With more verticals in the rotation, that should mean more videos are in contention and that more creators are also in line for a bigger payday as a result — though it's not entirely clear how much this revenue share element benefits creators at this stage (TikTok does note that the expansion will enable more publishers to monetize their content on TikTok directly, while also amplifying existing partnerships).

Besides this, TikTok also plans to include the following two elements in the Pulse offering:

Pulse Seasonal Lineups : This will be the very first moment-specific ad offerings on TikTok which enables advertisers to run campaigns adjacent to the hottest and trending Pulse-eligible videos surrounding a particular marketing moment, cultural event, or seasonal timeframe when interest in the particular subject will be at its apex, thus driving relevance for a brand. We will first be piloting Seasonal Lineups with Thanksgiving and winter holidays, and are particularly excited to expand this idea to other cultural events and seasons to help brands really tap into audiences that have been primed for viewing.
Max Pulse : A new buying mechanism that enables advertisers to run their creatives adjacent to top 4% trending content across all categories on TikTok, in addition to those represented by the existing Pulse lineups, which will help advertisers maximize their brand's reach and unlock the full potential of their campaign.
It's a high-end ad option and is probably going to come with a price tag to match, but it could be a good consideration for major launches that are of relevance to the TikTok audience.

Movie releases and sporting events are likely to be most commonly associated with that, but there could be other ways to use the Pulse program to amplify major updates and announcements.