TikTok TopReach Creative Sequencing: plan two clips with Sume

TopReach Creative Sequencing is TikTok's way to take over both of its high-visibility placements, TopView and TopFeed, and tell a continuous narrative the moment a person opens the app. TikTok announced it at TikTok World on May 13, 2026. For a creator of video files, the practical question is how to make two clips that read as one story. Sume can cut both from one master in Timeline. The file specs for each slot are on TikTok's own pages and change, so use the TopView and Reach and Frequency pages for those numbers, not this post.

What is TopReach, and what is sequencing?

TikTok describes TopReach as its newest premium ad solution, combining TopView and TopFeed into a single buy so advertisers can reach all available users on TikTok in a single day for key brand moments. Sequencing is the creative layer on top. The Q3 2026 product preview adds that TopReach Max Reach is available by allowlist in select regions, uses automated priority logic and supports age, gender and interest targeting.

How should the two clips relate?

TikTok's text gives the idea, not a formula, so the following is a production approach rather than a TikTok rule. Treat the TopView clip as chapter one and the TopFeed clip as chapter two. The first should work alone: a viewer may see only one of them. The second should assume the first and pay it off, with the same character, colour and sound, and a shared last frame and first frame.

Keep the sound consistent. Both ads need audio, and sharing a music bed or voice makes the pair feel like one piece.

How do you cut both from one master in Sume?

Write a master of the whole story, then cut the two chapters. Video trim takes a start plus one of end or duration and an output size from 256 to 2160 on a side with fps 24, 25, 30 or 60, at $0.02 per job. Run it twice on the master with different ranges.

If you need to build a chapter from several shots, Timeline takes an audio spine and up to 200 video[] slots and renders a 1080x1920 MP4 by default for $0.10 per output minute, rounded up. Use /plan first: it is unbilled and returns duration and an estimate.

for N in 1 2; do
  if [ "$N" = 1 ]; then S=0; else S=12; fi
  curl -s -X POST https://api.sume.com/v1/video-trim \
    -H "Authorization: Bearer $SUME_API_KEY" \
    -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
    -H "Idempotency-Key: topreach-ch$N-001" \
    -d "{\"video_url\": \"https://media.sume.com/artifacts/artf_demo/story.mp4\", \"start\": $S, \"duration\": 12, \"output\": {\"width\": 1080, \"height\": 1920, \"fps\": 30}}"
  echo
done

What can go wrong between the two clips?

The most common break is a continuity jump: a prop, outfit or colour grade that differs between chapters because they were generated separately. Cutting both from one master avoids it. If you must generate a second chapter, use the last frame of the first as a visual reference where your model accepts one, and compare stills of the two boundary frames side by side.

The second break is length. A chapter that runs long may be fine as a file but weak as a hook, so set each chapter's duration on purpose and let the Timeline plan confirm the total before you render.

What should you confirm before booking?

Check the file specs for each placement on TikTok's current pages: TopView has its own, and Top Feed is a Reach and Frequency feed type, so the Reach and Frequency creative rules apply to it. Check availability too: the preview says the Max Reach product is allowlisted in select regions, so ask your TikTok representative whether your market has Creative Sequencing.

Then review the pair as a viewer would: open chapter one, then chapter two, on a phone, with sound. If chapter two needs chapter one to make sense, say so in the brief for the team that books it, because a viewer can land on either.