TikTok Shop listings: product titles, descriptions and images

Most sellers come to TikTok Shop for the videos, and treat the product listing as a form to get through. Then a listing gets rejected for "Incorrect Category", or sits at Fair quality, or shows up for the wrong searches, and it's not obvious why.

The listing matters more than it looks. When a video sends someone to your product, the product page is what they buy from. And when they search inside TikTok Shop, the title is what they're matched on. This guide uses TikTok Shop's US Seller University pages, so check the version for your own country if you sell elsewhere.

How TikTok Shop grades listings

TikTok Shop puts each product listing into one of three quality tiers: Poor, Fair or Good (TikTok Shop: product detail pages and listing quality).

• Poor listings have incomplete or inaccurate information, low-resolution images, clickbait or promotional content.
• Fair listings meet the basic standards.
• Good listings have detailed descriptions with the information TikTok expects for that category, high-resolution images and accurate attributes.

TikTok's summary of the Good tier mentions a concise, non-clickbait title, five or more images larger than 600 x 600 pixels, a valid description (over 80 characters, or an image in the description) and all the required category-specific information. Missing category information keeps a listing at Fair, however good the rest is. For fashion, that includes a size chart.

Product title

TikTok Shop says customers find products based on how well their search terms match the product title (TikTok Shop: product listing guide). The rules:

• 25 to 200 characters, accurately describing the product. (The listing quality page gives 255 as the maximum, but staying under 200 meets both.)
• Include the brand, the product type, key features and the size or quantity where it applies.
• Use numerals ("2", not "two") and short units like cm, oz, in and kg.
• Capitalize the first letter of each word, except small words like "with", "and", "for" and "the".
• For multipacks, state the quantity shown in the first image, like "Pack of 6". Other pack sizes go in the description.

And what to avoid:

• Your shop name or a URL.
• "TikTok" (unless authorized) or other marketplace names.
• Symbols like ~ ! * $ ? _ { } # < > | ; ^
• All capital letters.
• Promotional or subjective phrases like "Best Seller", "20% off", "free shipping", "NEW RELEASE" or "low stock".
• Every variation in the title, like "XXS-6XL all sizes".
• Repeated words, like "Cotton Shirt, Soft Cotton Shirt, 100% Cotton Shirt".

TikTok's suggested order to help it pick the right category is brand, then contents, then what it's for, then the product type, then the main feature. In practice that reads like "[Brand] Insulated Water Bottle for Gym and Travel, 32 oz, Leakproof Lid".

Category and brand

Use the category suggestion in Seller Center, and if it's wrong, choose the category where a shopper would expect to find the item. A listing in the wrong category can be flagged as "Incorrect Category", and you'll have to re-list it in the right one before it goes live again.

The brand must match the brand's official website, trademark and packaging, in the same capitalization. If your product has no brand at all, choose "No brand". TikTok is strict here: choosing "No brand" for a clearly branded product can get the product frozen.

Description

The description should cover what the product does, what it's made of, how to use it, its size and what's included, in plain words. TikTok's rules for descriptions are mostly about what not to do:

• No marketing material or promotions unrelated to the product.
• No misleading or exaggerated claims about what it does, what it's made of or its effects, including unverified before-and-after comparisons.
• No links or details that send customers away from TikTok Shop.
• No broken links, clickbait or duplicate content.

Then check the category requirements. TikTok lists information that each category needs for the Good tier, like how to use it, material, specifications, size info, benefits or a model shot. It can be in the description, the images or the attributes. A short "How to use" line and a specifications list usually cover most of them. For general advice on writing the body, see our guide to writing product descriptions.

Images and video

From TikTok Shop's US listing guide:

• At least five images, showing the front, back and different angles. You can upload up to nine.
• Square images, at least 600 x 600 pixels.
• First image: a clear front view of the product, with no added text, graphics, watermarks or promotional stickers. A white background is recommended.
• No black-and-white images, no filters that blur logos, no placeholders or digital renderings.
• One video per listing, up to 5 MB.
• Branded products should show brand names and logos clearly.

Each image should show something different. Five copies of the same angle at slightly different crops don't help the shopper or the score.

A worked example

This is a made-up listing to show the process. "Tidewell" isn't a real brand.

Before (Fair):

• Title: "BEST WATER BOTTLE!! 32oz 40oz 64oz all sizes Tidewell bottle bottle for gym"
• Description: "Viral bottle everyone loves! Keeps drinks cold. Get yours before it sells out!"
• Images: four, the first with "SALE" across it.

After (Good):

• Title: "Tidewell Insulated Water Bottle for Gym and Travel, 32 oz, Leakproof Lid, Stainless Steel" (89 characters)
• Description: what it is, how long it keeps drinks cold and hot (from the maker's own testing), the lid and straw, the dimensions and whether it fits a car cup holder, care instructions, and what's in the box. The 40 oz and 64 oz sizes are mentioned as separate listings.
• Images: six. The bottle on white, the lid open, the straw, the bottle in a cup holder, a hand holding it for scale, and a dimensions chart.

The new title drops the caps, symbols, repeats and every size. It still has all the words a shopper types: insulated, water bottle, gym, travel, 32 oz and leakproof.

If you're listing a lot of products

TikTok Shop's bulk upload in Seller Center handles up to 1,000 products at a time, but you still need a title, description and image set for each. If the same products are on Amazon or Shopify, our guide to selling on several platforms covers how to adapt one master listing.

YelloShelf is a paid tool that drafts titles and descriptions from your product photos. It doesn't have a free plan or trial. You buy a credit pack, starting at $10, and your first purchase comes with a money-back guarantee. We're helping you remove the manual, tedious, time-consuming work. You still read it, edit it and paste it in yourself, including checking that every claim is one you can back up.

Quick checklist

• Title 25 to 200 characters: brand, product type, key feature, size or quantity.
• No caps, symbols, promo words, shop name or "TikTok" in the title.
• Correct category, and the brand exactly as it appears on the packaging.
• Description covers use, material, specifications and what's included.
• Category-specific information filled in, like a size chart for fashion.
• At least five square images, 600 x 600 pixels or larger, each a different view.
• First image a clean front view, no text or stickers.