TikTok Organic Profile Now Needed for Ads
TikTok is making an important change that all advertisers need to prepare for. Starting January 2026, brands will no longer be able to run paid ads without having an organic business profile.
This marks the end of the Custom Identity grace period, which officially closes in December 2025.
This shift reflects TikTok’s push for greater transparency and safety across its platform. Setting up your business profile early ensures a smooth transition before Custom Identity is fully deprecated.
What This Means for Brands
If your brand doesn’t already have a TikTok business profile, now’s the time to create one. Just go to tiktok.com, sign up, make sure the account owner is 18 or older, and select ‘Business’ in your settings.
For the blue verification tick, fill out the verification form and share your User ID (UID) with your TikTok agency or rep.
To find your UID: TikTok app → Profile → Settings & Privacy → scroll to the bottom → tap the app version (e.g. “v21.7.0”) Your UID will pop up on screen.
If your brand falls into a restricted or sensitive category, there’s an extra verification step. TikTok provides a short guide to help with this process.
What This Means for Core
Once a brand’s business profile is live, agencies need to link it to the Business Centre and connect the relevant Ad Accounts. Only Admins can take these actions.
Core can also choose to activate “Ads Only Mode” when linking. This option ensures TikTok Ads Manager ads won’t appear on the public profile, allowing campaigns to run as dark posts if preferred.