How to Capture Call Leads from TikTok Ad Campaign

TikTok is much more than a platform for viral dances, it's a powerful engine for generating high-intent phone call leads for your business. This guide will show you precisely how to set up, run, and track TikTok ad campaigns designed to make your phone ring with new customers.

Why TikTok is a Surprising Goldmine for Call Leads

While many businesses associate TikTok with brand awareness or e-commerce sales, its potential for lead generation - especially call leads - is often overlooked. The platform’s algorithm is incredibly effective at identifying users who are genuinely interested in what you offer, putting your message in front of a highly engaged audience.

This is a game-changer for certain types of businesses:

Local Services: Think home services like plumbing, HVAC, landscaping, or cleaning. A phone call is the most direct way for a local customer to get a quote or schedule a service.
Consultation-Based Businesses: Coaches, consultants, financial advisors, and law firms can use TikTok to drive consultation bookings, where a conversation is essential.
High-Ticket Sales: For complex or expensive products like custom furniture, solar panels, or used cars, a phone call is often a necessary step in the sales process to answer questions and build trust.

Using TikTok’s native Lead Generation forms, you can create a nearly frictionless path from a user watching your video to them calling your business directly.

Step-by-Step: Setting Up a TikTok Campaign for Call Leads

To get started, head to the TikTok Ads Manager. The magic happens in how you configure the campaign objective and, most importantly, the Instant Form that users fill out.

Step 1: Choose the Right Campaign Objective

In the TikTok Ads Manager, when you create a new campaign, you'll be asked to choose an advertising objective. For getting phone numbers, you have two primary options, but one is usually better.

The Best Option: "Lead Generation"

This objective allows you to use TikTok's native Instant Forms. These forms load instantly and are pre-filled with the user's information (like name and email), minimizing friction. The user never has to leave the TikTok app, which drastically increases completion rates.

The Alternative: "Website Conversions"

You could also send users to a dedicated landing page on your website with a "Call Now" button. While this gives you more control over branding and content, it adds an extra step. The user has to wait for an external site to load, which often leads to a significant drop-off. For capturing calls directly, the native Lead Generation objective is almost always more efficient.

Step 2: Build Your Instant Form to Drive Calls

Once you select "Lead Generation," you'll move to the Ad Group level, where you will create your Instant Form. This is the most critical part of the process.

Give your form a clear name (e.g., "Free Consultation Call - Q3"). Then, let's configure the components:

Form Type

More Volume: Prioritizes getting as many form submissions as possible. It's great for building a large list but may include some lower-quality leads.
Higher Intent: Adds a review step before submission, forcing the user to confirm their information. This adds a little friction but ensures the leads you get are more serious. For phone calls, starting with "Higher Intent" is often wise to reduce wasted time on unqualified numbers.

Intro & Questions

The intro is your chance to state your offer clearly. Your ad creative got their attention, the form intro seals the deal.

Banner: Upload an image or use one from your video. Keep it simple and on-brand.
Headline: Be direct. "Get a Free Home Cleaning Quote" or "Book Your 15-Min Strategy Call."
Questions: This is where you collect the information. TikTok will pre-populate fields like name and email. Make sure you add the Phone Number field. You can also add custom questions to pre-qualify leads further. For example, a roofer might ask, "What type of roof do you have?" This weeds out people just clicking around and gives you valuable context before you even make the call.

The Thank You Screen: Your Call-to-Action Powerhouse

This screen appears after a user submits the form, and it's where you turn a submitted lead form into an immediate phone call. This is the most overlooked but powerful step.

Headline: Don't just say "Thank You." Be directive. Use a headline like "Thanks! Call Us Now to Confirm Your Spot" or "Your Info Is Submitted. Call Now For an Instant Quote."
Button Text: Change the default "Visit Website" to something action-oriented like "Call Now" or "Get Instant Quote."
Button Link: This is the key. Instead of a website URL, use a tel link. Enter tel:+12345678900 replacing the numbers with your business phone number (including country code). When a user taps this button on their phone, it will automatically open their dialer with your number, ready to call.

With this setup, the user journey is seamless: they watch your ad, tap the call-to-action, their info is pre-filled, they submit, and are immediately prompted to call your business. Effortless.

Step 3: Design Compelling Ad Creative

Your Instant Form won't work if your ad doesn't stop the scroll. TikTok creative should feel native to the platform, not like a polished corporate commercial.

Use a UGC-Style Approach: User-Generated Content style feels more authentic. Film on a phone, speak directly to the camera, and keep it casual. Show real people, real job sites, or real results.
Educate Before You Sell: Your video should provide value. A plumber could show "One Simple Trick to Unclog Your Sink," and then end with a CTA: "For tougher jobs-in-the-area, tap below to call us now!"
Strong Hook & Clear CTA: Grab attention within the first two seconds. Start with a direct question ("Is your lawn ready for summer?") or a bold statement. Throughout the video and especially at the end, use text overlays and a voiceover telling people exactly what to do: "Tap Below to Get Your Free Quote."
Use Sounds Strategically: Using trending audio can increase your reach, but you need to make sure the core message of the video is clear even if viewed with the sound off. Captions are your best friend here.

Targeting and Follow-Up Best Practices

A well-structured campaign is only half the battle. Targeting the right people and following up quickly will make or break your success.

Finding Your Audience on TikTok

TikTok's algorithm is so good that sometimes broader is better. Here's a good approach to targeting:

Start Broad if Your Account is New: If you're just starting out, set general demographic parameters (age, gender, location) and let the algorithm do the work. It will find pockets of engaged users based on who interacts with your video. You can analyze the results later to see which groups convert best and then narrow your focus.
Layer on Interests and Behaviors: You can target users who have shown interest in certain categories (e.g., "Home Improvement") or interacted with hashtags related to your industry. This is more direct and puts your ad in front of a pre-qualified audience.
Build a Lookalike Audience from a Customer List: This is the holy grail. You can upload a list of your best customers' phone numbers or emails, and TikTok will scan its user base for people with similar profiles, interests, and behaviors. This is incredibly powerful for finding your next best customers.

Why Speed-to-Lead Matters

When a lead comes through from TikTok, the clock starts ticking. A user's intent is highest the moment after they submit your form, that intent cools down minute by minute. Lead decay is real, and the chance of successfully connecting drops dramatically after just a few minutes.

You need a system for immediate follow-up. Here's how:

Automate Your Notifications: Don't wait to manually download a CSV of your leads. Use a tool like Zapier or Make to connect your TikTok Ads account directly to your tools. You can create an automation that instantly sends the lead to your CRM, notifies your sales team in a Slack channel, or sends you a text message as soon as a form is submitted.
Have a Script Ready: The first few seconds of the call are crucial. Have a simple script with a clear objective. The goal is to confirm their interest and schedule the next step (e.g., a formal quote, an at-home visit). Remember the context: "Hi Jay, I'm calling from ACME Plumbing, you just submitted a request for a quote on TikTok..."
Answer Your Phone Professionally: It sounds basic, but it matters. Your team needs to answer calls promptly and introduce themselves and your business name respectfully. Your public-facing phone number should be reserved for business and answered with that in mind.

Measuring What Matters: Your ROI

To really understand if your campaigns are working, you have to look beyond the surface-level metrics in TikTok Ads Manager. Success isn’t about the number of leads, it’s about the number of new customers.

You need to track two sets of metrics: those inside TikTok and those inside your business.

Key TikTok Ad Metrics

Cost Per Lead (CPL): This is the total ad spend divided by the number of form submissions. It tells you exactly what you're paying to acquire one lead. This metric helps you understand the initial cost-effectiveness of your campaigns.
Form Submission Rate: This is the ratio of people who submitted the form after clicking your ad. A high rate indicates your form is compelling and easy to use. A low rate could mean your ad is misleading, your offer isn’t clear, or your form asks too many questions.

Key Business Metrics (in Your CRM)

These are the numbers you have to track manually or with an integrated system. They show the real business impact.

Lead-to-Call Rate: What percentage of leads from TikTok actually answer the phone when you call them back? This is a great indicator of lead quality. A low rate might mean you have a problem with incorrect phone numbers, or your follow-up is too slow.
Cost Per Acquisition (CPA): This is your true cost to get a paying customer. It includes ad spend plus any sales team costs or other expenses. Knowing your CPA lets you determine the actual profitability of your TikTok campaigns.

Final Thoughts

Using TikTok's Instant Forms can be a surprisingly direct and effective way to generate phone call leads for your business. Success hinges on a well-configured form, authentic ad creative that speaks to your audience, a lightning-fast follow-up process, and diligent tracking of both ad performance and real business outcomes.

Connecting all the dots - from ad spend on TikTok to a won deal in your CRM - can feel like you’re constantly wrangling spreadsheets. This is where we designed Graphed to help. When you connect all your marketing and sales data sources just once, it’s easy to ask simple questions like, "What was my actual customer acquisition cost from the TikTok campaign last month?" and get an instant, real-time dashboard that gives you the full picture without the manual work.