Looking to make money on TikTok? Historically, one of the best ways for TikTokers to make recurring revenue on the short-form video platform was to find brand deals or third-party affiliate marketing programs and use TikTok content as promotional material. With the launch of TikTok Shop, however, creators can find these opportunities without even leaving the platform.
Curious about how you can become a TikTok Shop affiliate? Below, we break down how this affiliate program works, and how much you can expect to make from it.
What is a TikTok Shop affiliate?
A TikTok Shop affiliate is a TikTok creator who’s part of the TikTok Shop program and is paid a commission by helping sell products from other brands through their content — a process called affiliate marketing.
Affiliate marketing is a type of advertising where creators are paid commission for every sale they generate for a brand. There was a time when affiliate marketers used blogs almost exclusively; writers would write about products and add affiliate links to Amazon or other marketplaces. When a reader clicks on one of those links and buys something, the writer gets a kickback from the seller.
Now, creators sell affiliate products on YouTube, Instagram, and other marketing channels. Usually, that still involves using some third-party marketplace or making a deal with brands directly.
TikTok Shop affiliates can instead slip a clickable link to a TikTok Shop product right into a video and make bank off of every sale. No dealing with third parties or coupon codes. It’s not quite passive income, since you still need to create relevant content, but being a TikTok Shop affiliate is still a great income stream.
How to become a TikTok affiliate (6 Steps)
Interested in becoming a TikTok Shop affiliate? Here are six simple steps to get yourself set up as a TikTok Shop affiliate:
- Join TikTok Shop: You can sign up for TikTok Shop through TikTok’s Seller Center.
- Find products you want to market through TikTok Shop: Browse through the Shop tab to find products you want to promote.
- Get permission to sell products: Before you can promote anything, you need to reach out to the seller and apply to be an affiliate for their store.
- Add your contact information: Sellers you want to work with need to know how to get in touch with you.
- Add products to your showcase: Choose products that are a natural fit for your audience and add them to your showcase.
- Get samples and sell the product: Many sellers provide free samples that you can showcase in your TikTok content.
Who can become a TikTok Shop affiliate?
If you want to become an affiliate, your TikTok account will have to meet the following requirements:
- Be at least 18 years old
- Have at least 5,000 followers
- TikTok is currently running a pilot program in which some creators can get early access to TikTok Shop (and be an affiliate) with only 1,000 followers. If you’re selected, you’ll get a sign-up page for TikTok Shop.
- Don’t have a Government, Politician, or Political Party Account.
- Comply with the TikTok Shop Content Policy, TikTok Community Guidelines, and other TikTok Shop policies.
- Have no record of e-commerce permissions being revoked by TikTok Shop or associating with accounts that had those permissions revoked.
How much money can you make as an affiliate marketer on TikTok?
TikTok Shop’s affiliate program allows sellers to set their own rates, typically ranging between 5% and 20%, so you’ll have to do a bit of research to see which products are worth promoting for you.
That gives you an idea of the rate you can expect. Want hard figures? Let’s look at two inspirational stories shared by TikTok, and a few stories from creators who’ve tested out the program.
Nis (@itsnisrin)
Nis is a beauty-focused creator, but she also creates content around women’s health, shares the results of her burgeoning painting skills, and slips in the occasional comedy sketch.
Her TikToks regularly get tens of thousands of views, and she’s also one of the most successful affiliate marketers on U.K. TikTok. Her affiliate TikToks usually show her unboxing and demoing products.
But she’ll also share updates after she’s used a specific product for a while.
According to TikTok, Nis’s affiliate marketing work brings in an estimated £450,000 GBP, or approximately $553,000 USD. Considering that TikTok Shop has only been available in the U.K. fairly recently, that means she’s really raking it in!
So where’s her success coming from?
Nis’s beauty tutorials are simple and relatable — just being able to see her using the products she recommends helps create trust for her audience. After all, if she unboxed a product and showed it off without using it, her viewers would probably not be as likely to purchase it.
Richard (@richardsalesofficial)
Richard is one of the biggest creators on U.K. TikTok. With over 7M followers and 425M likes, his TikToks regularly get hundreds of thousands of views. He’s a variety content creator, though a lot of his recent TikTok videos see him reacting to other popular TikToks.
While reaction TikToks are a dime a dozen, Richard’s natural charm and hilarious jokes make seeing his face in the corner of a video a lot more enjoyable. He brings that same style to his affiliate content.
So how much has Richard made from affiliate marketing? From the numbers TikTok shared, it’s looking like about £150,000 GBP, or $184,000 USD. It’s clear that bringing his trademark humor to his affiliate work has turned it into a massive income stream for him.
Trevin Peterson (@trevinpeterson)
Trevin creates content about selling products through Amazon FBA and entrepreneurship. He has over 350K followers on TikTok and 80K subscribers on YouTube. He recently tested out the TikTok Shop affiliate program and shared his results in a YouTube video.
The short of it? In 30 days of posting affiliate marketing videos regularly to TikTok, Trevin earned about $3,500 in commissions. That means he could earn about $42,000 in a year, which is more than some full-time gigs.
Lori Ballen (@shestarter)
Lori is a digital marketer and affiliate expert with over 35K followers on TikTok. Most of her content is either directly related to affiliate marketing or promoting some kind of product. In a recent TikTok, she shared how much she made through the TikTok Shop affiliate marketing program.
$50,000 in 90 days. That’s an impressive number! While Lori is a specialist in affiliate marketing, a dedicated creator could easily get similar results.
While some of the creators above are rare examples of the highest earners, there are some key takeaways that all creators can learn from:
- You’ll see more success as a TikTok Shop affiliate if you stick to your usual style. If the promotional content you create is too different from your regular content, you risk turning your audience off of whatever product you’re trying to pitch them.
- No matter your niche as a creator, you can make bank as a TikTok Shop affiliate.
Being an affiliate vs. selling products on TikTok Shop
When you’re an affiliate marketer, you promote products from other brands through your content. TikTok’s affiliate program is part of the broader TikTok Shop program, which also allows you to sell your own products directly through the app. As long as you’re approved for TikTok Shop, you can do both! But does that make sense for every creator? Let’s look at some pros and cons of each approach.
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TikTok Shop Affiliate Pros and Cons |
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Generally, selling products on TikTok Shop can be a great investment if you’ve got the budget and want to try your hand at entrepreneurship. For most TikTok creators, though, being an affiliate is a better place to start.
4 other ways to make money on TikTok
Adding affiliate links to your TikToks isn’t the only way you can bring in some extra cash. Here’s a quick list of some of the best monetization opportunities on TikTok.
- The Creator Rewards Program:This program rewards creators for making original, high-quality content that’s at least a minute long. All you need to do is meet the eligibility requirements, sign up, and watch the money roll in.
- LIVE Gifts: When you live stream on TikTok, your audience can buy digital gifts with real money, and you’ll get a portion of that.
- The TikTok Creative Challenge:This challenge from TikTok allows creators to create ads for brands and earn a nice bit of change. It’s a little different from affiliate marketing, since you get paid from the your ad’s performance rather than for every sale a brand makes.
- TikTok Series: A TikTok Series lets you put exclusive content behind a paywall. You can charge anywhere from $0.99 to $189.99 for that content, making it a great revenue stream!
Want to learn more about making money on TikTok? Get a little help with our free guide on How To Make Money on TikTok!
Make bank as a TikTok affiliate
TikTok Shop’s new affiliate marketing program is a great opportunity for creators looking to diversify their income streams. For those who are used to third-party affiliate programs and hustling for brand deals off the platform, being able to promote products directly through TikTok is a refreshing change. So go get set up, find products you can market, and start bringing in that affiliate income.
Want a full guide to all the ways you can earn on TikTok? Check out our Free Guide on How to Make Money on TikTok.
FAQ
How does being a TikTok Shop affiliate work?
If you have at least 5,000 followers, are at least 18, and have an account in good standing, you can sign up for TikTok Shop in the TikTok app. From there, you can access the Affiliate Product Marketplace, find brands that you want to work with and apply directly with them. If you’re selected, you’ll usually get free product samples you can promote in your videos. Just plug the TikTok Shop link for the product in that video and you’re golden. Every time someone taps through that link and buys the product from that brand, you’ll get automatically paid a portion of that sale.
How much commission can you make as a TikTok Shop affiliate?
It depends. Each TikTok Shop seller sets their own commission rates, so it can be hard to estimate how much you’ll earn. That being said, most affiliate marketing programs on other platforms — like Amazon’s — pay between 5% and 30% to affiliate marketers. And remember that you earn that percentage on every single sale you make.
Is it worth it to become a TikTok Shop affiliate?
Absolutely! Since some of TikTok’s other monetization tools aren’t paying creators all that much, it makes sense to diversify your income as much as you can. After all, you don’t have to pay anything to get product samples (sellers will often send them your way for no charge), so there’s literally no cost for you. While you have to spend some time creating that affiliate marketing content, the upside is more than worth it.
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