TikTok photo carousel API

What TikTok's API supports for photos

TikTok's Content Posting API added photo posts alongside video. These are the parts that matter for UGC teams, from TikTok's photo post reference:

TikTok only pulls photos from URLs on a domain your app has verified. Upload your slides with POST /v1/media and they are served from our domain, so you never set up TikTok domain verification yourself.

Direct post vs draft

• Direct post (draft: false): the carousel goes live on the creator's profile at scheduled_at. Use auto_music: true so it isn't silent.
• Draft (draft: true): the carousel lands in the creator's TikTok inbox. They open TikTok, add a trending sound, edit text, and post. Best when sound choice drives reach and the creator is willing to tap publish.

curl https://ugcapi.dev/v1/posts \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer ugc_live_..." \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "accounts": ["acc_tt_01", "acc_tt_02"],
    "format": "slideshow",
    "media": ["https://cdn.example.com/c/1.jpg", "https://cdn.example.com/c/2.jpg", "https://cdn.example.com/c/3.jpg", "https://cdn.example.com/c/4.jpg", "https://cdn.example.com/c/5.jpg"],
    "caption": "5 cheap dinners under 15 minutes #mealprep",
    "options": { "tiktok": { "auto_music": true, "title": "5 dinners under 15 minutes" } }
  }'

Slide design tips

1. Use 9:16 (1080x1920) for TikTok. If you also post to Instagram, keep text inside the center 4:5 area.
2. Slide 1 is the cover. Make it a question or a bold claim.
3. Use large text with a solid or blurred background so it reads on small screens.
4. End with a slide that gives people a reason to save or follow.

Same slides on Instagram

Add Instagram account IDs to the same request and the slides publish as a carousel too. See the slideshow API. For the step-by-step version, read post a TikTok slideshow via API. For TikTok's posting rules in general, see TikTok posting API.