How much money do I actually need to start?

How much money do I actually need to start?
Let's answer this honestly so no one feels priced out. TikTok's minimum is $20 per day at the ad group level (the group that holds your audience and budget settings).
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But a minimum is not a learning budget. TikTok needs about 50 conversions in 7 days to exit the 'learning phase' (the stretch where it's still figuring out who to show your ad to).
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So a practical floor: pick a $20 product, budget enough to buy roughly 50 of those actions in a week.
Don't worry if that sounds like a lot, start with one ad group, not five. Try this: write down your product price, multiply expected cost-per-action by 50, and you'll see your real test budget. Small and focused beats big and scattered.