Should I switch my personal account to business or create a new one?

TikTok recommends creating a fresh Business Account rather than converting an existing personal account, as conversions can result in follower loss and algorithm resets.

Can I switch from a Business account back to a Creator/Personal account?

Yes, but TikTok advises against frequent switching as it can negatively impact your account's algorithm performance.

What's the difference between Business Accounts and Creator Accounts?

Business Accounts prioritize marketing and sales tools (ads, analytics, CRM integrations), while Creator Accounts focus on community engagement and monetization options. Business Accounts see lower organic engagement but higher ROI potential.

Is TikTok Business free?

Yes, creating a Business Account is free. Costs apply only if you run paid ads.

Which regions can use TikTok Business Messaging?

TikTok Business Messaging is currently in beta and unavailable in the United States. It's also restricted in the EEA, Switzerland, and UK for API-based management.

Can I use a Business Account to monetize content?

No. Business Accounts cannot access Creator Fund or other creator monetization programs. Revenue comes exclusively through product sales and advertising.

How long does business verification take?

Verification timelines vary by region and industry. Most verifications complete within 5-10 business days.

TikTok Business Account: Benefits, Features & Setup

With 1.59 billion monthly active users and an average engagement rate of 2.65%—the highest of any social platform—TikTok has become essential for brands targeting Gen Z and millennial audiences. However, using a personal account severely limits your ability to run ads, access analytics, and integrate with business tools.

A TikTok Business Account is essential. It gives brands access to advanced analytics, stronger credibility, and the structure needed to grow. With SleekFlow’s integrations for instant forms, business messaging, and automated workflows, TikTok becomes a powerful and scalable engine for customer acquisition and sales.

In this article, we’ll explore why switching to a Business Account matters, how it differs from a regular account, the benefits it offers, the setup for a Business Account and how paired with third-parties TikTok integration, like SleekFlow’s TikTok Messaging Ads for marketing and SleekFlows’s TikTok Instant Forms for lead management can strengthen your strategy.

Why TikTok is a crucial channel for businesses

TikTok isn’t just for Gen Z anymore. It's become a mainstream platform where brands can reach highly engaged audiences in creative, low-barrier ways. As of early 2025, TikTok has over 1.59 billion active monthly users, and its short-form video format allows brands to tell stories in a fun, authentic way. Many users discover new products on TikTok, making it a fertile ground for awareness and conversion.

Moreover, TikTok’s ad ecosystem is maturing: marketers can run targeted campaigns, use lead forms, and integrate with commerce tools. According to TikTok’s own business resources, brands can use their Business Accounts to feature their website, contact info, and call-to-action buttons right on their profile.

pay.com.au, an Australian all‑in‑one business payments platform, shows how powerful a TikTok Business account can be for growth. By targeting TikTok’s community of 40,000+ verified Australian businesses, they ran conversion-focused campaigns using authentic, creator-led content and clear calls to action that felt native to the platform. With Smart+ automation and remarketing, pay.com.au efficiently optimised budgets, re-engaged website visitors, and scaled spend by 2.6x while keeping their target CPA, driving 6.5K total sign-ups. The campaign outperformed internal benchmarks and proved that even non‑ecommerce, B2B brands can acquire high-value customers on TikTok. Off the back of these results, TikTok has become an always-on channel in pay.com.au’s media mix—highlighting why businesses seeking measurable user growth should leverage TikTok Business tools, creative formats, and data signals to move customers from awareness to conversion.

What is a TikTok Business Account?

A TikTok Business Account is designed specifically for brands, companies, and organizations. According to TikTok, Business Accounts are public profiles that enable businesses to manage their presence, grow audiences, and leverage commercial tools.

TikTok Business account offerings vary by region, make sure your region has what you need for your business to grow, for example:

TikTok Business Messaging is not yet available in the United States
Business Accounts in EEA, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom, cannot use API for direct messages
TikTok Shop is only available in selected regions, including but not limited to Indonesia, Malaysia, United Kingdom, United States, Brazil, and the UAE.

Regular TikTok Account vs. TikTok Business Account side-by-side

Comparison of a TikTok Personal account (left) and a TikTok Business account (right).

Unlike personal or creator accounts, Business Accounts unlock access to advanced capabilities such as ads, analytics, contact buttons, and third-party integrations. Below is an overall breakdown on the difference between them:

Feature	TikTok Business Account	TikTok Creator Account (previously known as a Personal Account)
Ads Manager	Full Access + “Promote” tools	Only “Promote” tool
Analytics	Advanced, deep insights	Basic in-apps metrics
Library	Full Music Library Action Buttons Clickable link in bio, call-to-action buttons, contact info	Can only add limited links may require follower threshold
Third-Party Integration	API access, integration with management tools	Supported (e.g. scheduling, automation)
Monetization	Series, Creator Funds, Creator Marketplace	N/A

Benefits of a TikTok Business Account

1. Analytics & insights

Brands gain access to robust insights about different advanced metrics and trends by opening a Business TikTok Account.These can include:

Overview Metrics: Profile Views, Website Clicks, Traffic Sources, Search Queries
Content Metrics: Total Play Time, Average Watch Time, Retention Rate, Traffic Source Type, Audience Territories
Audience Analytics: Most Active Times, Demographics, Audience overlap

These analytics not only allow marketers to identify top-performing content, but also enable marketers to fine-tune their content, target the right audiences at the right time and measure ROI effectively.

2. Ability to run TikTok ads

Business Accounts can leverage TikTok’s Ads Manager to run paid campaigns, including TikTok Instant Form and Direct Message ads, with precise targeting options. Marketers can target users based on age, gender, location, interests, and behaviors. This level of targeting gives brands greater control over their advertising budget, maximizes reach to the most relevant audiences, and improves the chances of driving meaningful conversions

3. Brand trust & professionalism

With a TikTok Business Account, you can showcase essential business details — including your website, email, phone number, and business category — along with action-oriented buttons like Shop Now or Contact Us. These features help establish credibility by signaling that your brand is professional, trustworthy, and accessible.

Action buttons: Goal-driven buttons such as Shop Now or Learn More make it easy for users to take the next step, whether that’s shopping, visiting your site, or exploring a product page.
Profile enhancements: A clearly defined business category and clickable website link strengthen your brand identity and improve discoverability, helping users understand who you are and how to reach you at a glance.

4. Access to third-party integrations

By having a TikTok Business Account, you can connect to external tools such as CRMs, scheduling platforms, analytics systems, and unified inboxes through TikTok’s API. These integrations are essential for managing campaigns efficiently, automating workflows, and scaling TikTok into a fully operational marketing channel.

SleekFlow’s TikTok Business Messaging integrations provide a strong example. It allows brands to centralize conversations, capture leads instantly, and automate follow-ups to strengthen every stage of the TikTok customer journey. In the next section, we will take a closer look at how SleekFlow’s integrations elevate your TikTok marketing strategy even further.

How SleekFlow’s TikTok Business Messaging integrations strengthen your TikTok strategy

Flow diagram showing a TikTok ad or video leading viewers to click ‘Chat With Us’ and start a direct message conversation with a car dealership for customer engagement in SleekFlow.

1. Unified messaging across TikTok & other channels

With TikTok Business Messaging , you can generate 1-click message links containing pre-filled conversation starters and share them on your website or other social platforms to drive traffic directly into TikTok DMs.

Once users start the conversation, you can seamlessly link these messages to your wider messaging stack, so leads land in the same hub as WhatsApp, Instagram DMs, SMS, and more, giving you true omnichannel control.

Besides, multiple team members can respond simultaneously without stepping on each other’s toes. Conversations can be assigned to the right owner, internal notes keep collaboration smooth, and every message carries context such as the originating TikTok ad or video. That context helps agents respond faster with replies that actually feel relevant.

2. Engage instantly with AI Agents, 24/7

TikTok moves fast. Waiting for a human reply is where leads quietly disappear.

SleekFlow’s AI Agents act as the first line of engagement the moment a TikTok message comes in. They instantly greet users, answer common questions, and identify intent without relying on agent availability. This removes the waiting game completely.

More importantly, AI Agents help you make full use of TikTok’s 48-hour response window. They can qualify leads by asking the right questions around needs, budget, or timing, then pass only high-intent conversations to your sales team. Your agents spend less time filtering messages and more time closing real opportunities.

3. Automate lead routing, tracking, and CRM sync

Once a lead is qualified generated from TikTok videos or ads, SleekFlow automatically routes it to the right salesperson using round-robin logic, shift-based rules, or team-specific assignments. This works especially well for higher-value sales that demand timely, personalised follow-up.

Every TikTok lead is stored in a dynamic contact profile that updates automatically based on conversation behaviour, interests, and engagement history. No manual data cleanup. No outdated records.

All conversations and lead data sync seamlessly with CRMs like HubSpot, Salesforce, Zoho, or even Google Sheets. That gives your team one consistent source of truth across marketing, sales, and operations—so nothing slips through the cracks once TikTok demand starts scaling.

How to turn a TikTok personal account into a Business Account: Quick step-by-step guide

Here's how you can convert your existing TikTok account to a Business Account, or set one up from scratch if you don't have one yet:

Open the TikTok app → tap Profile → Menu (symbol: three lines) → Settings & Privacy.
Go to Account → Switch to Business Account.
Choose your business category, and fill in your business email / contact info.
Complete the registration (you may need to verify your business, depending on your country / industry)
Start exploring business tools: navigate to Analytics, Ads Manager, and set up call-to-action buttons or links in your profile.

Tip: TikTok advises avoiding switching back and forth between business and personal accounts.

Final thoughts: Maximizing results with a TikTok Business Account

TikTok has evolved into a vital platform for brands looking to reach engaged audiences, tell authentic stories, and drive conversions. A TikTok Business Account unlocks the advanced tools, analytics, and integrations that make this possible, from powerful audience insights and precise ad targeting to professional profile features and seamless CRM connections.

Paired with solutions like SleekFlow’s TikTok Business Messaging API integrations, brands can centralize messaging, automate workflows, and capture the full lead journey — turning TikTok from just a social platform into a scalable marketing and sales engine. For any brand serious about growth on TikTok, switching to a Business Account is not just an option, it’s essential.