TikTok Shop Affiliate: The Ultimate Guide to Making Money on TikTok

Marketing is a crucial part of running a TikTok Shop, but let’s be real—dumping money into paid ads doesn’t always guarantee results. That’s where affiliate marketing comes in.

In 2024, affiliate marketing spending in the U.S. hit $10.72 billion and is projected to grow to $12 billion by 2025. Why? Because it’s performance-based—you only pay when you make a sale. The TikTok Shop Affiliate Program follows this same model, allowing sellers to partner with influencers who promote their products in exchange for commissions.

So, how do you set up your TikTok Shop Affiliate Program and make the most of it? In this blog, we’ll break it down step by step. Let’s dive in and see how you can grow your TikTok Shop.

What is TikTok Shop Affiliate and how does it work?

TikTok Shop Affiliate is a platform that connects content creators and sellers for mutual benefit. Sellers can leverage the influence of creators to drive sales, while creators earn commissions by promoting TikTok products.

Whether you’re a seller or a creator, understanding how the two work can help maximize your success with TikTok Shop Affiliate.

• For sellers: You’ll need to add your products to the TikTok Shop Affiliate program and set a commission rate for each item. Once your products are listed, you can invite TikTok creators to collaborate and promote them. When a creator successfully sells a product through their affiliate link, you’ll pay them the agreed-upon commission.
• For content creators: First, you join the TikTok Shop Affiliate program. Then, you pick products from the TikTok Shop marketplace to promote. You make fun videos showing the products and encourage people to buy them. If someone buys through your special link, you get paid a commission.

In short, TikTok Shop Affiliate offers a win-win collaboration—sellers boost sales through creator-driven promotions, while creators monetize their content by earning commissions.

Pros and Cons of TikTok Shop Affiliate 

Pros of TikTok Shop Affiliate

• Low entry cost: TikTok affiliate marketing doesn’t require a large upfront investment. Brands simply pay a commission to the creator for successful sales. This makes it a low-risk marketing method, especially for small businesses with limited budgets.
• Short videos are great for product promotion: Short videos are perfect for showing off a product, explaining its features, or comparing it to others. They are more engaging and can encourage viewers to make a purchase. Plus, they have a higher chance of going viral.
• Algorithmic recommendation boosts reach: TikTok’s For You Page (FYP) is good at showing videos to people who might be interested in a product. Even if a creator doesn’t have many followers, their video can still reach a wide audience, making product promotions more effective.
• User-generated content (UGC) builds trust: Content creators try out products and share their honest opinions with their followers. This kind of promotion feels more real and helps build trust with viewers, making them more likely to buy.

Cons of TikTok Shop affiliate

• High competition: As more brands and creators join the platform, popular categories (such as beauty, clothing, etc.) are becoming saturated. Without a unique or innovative approach, It can be tough to stand out.
• Constant changes to rules and algorithms: TikTok is always changing how it works. The rules for how content is promoted and how the algorithm works can change often. Creators and sellers need to stay updated and adjust their plans, or their promotions might not work as well.
• Target audience limitations: TikTok is mostly used by Gen Z and Millennials. These groups are great for selling, but if your products are aimed at older people, it can be harder to reach them on TikTok since they don’t use the platform as much.

Recommended read: 6 Secrets Behind TikTok Shop’s Low Prices

How to set up TikTok Shop affiliate program as a seller?

Let’s get straight to the point—how can sellers set up and maximize the TikTok Shop Affiliate Program? Here’s a step-by-step guide from setting it up to leveraging it for more sales.

Step 1: Enter TikTok Shop Affiliate Center

Log into your TikTok Shop Seller Center using your phone number, email, TikTok account, or Google account.

If you don’t have a seller account yet, click “Sign up now” and follow the instructions to start your TikTok selling journey.

Once logged in, you’ll see the TikTok Seller Center dashboard. Find “Affiliate Marketing” in the left-hand menu and click “Go to TikTok Shop Affiliate Homepage.” This takes you to the TikTok Shop Affiliate Center, where you can manage your affiliate marketing efforts.

Step 2: Set Up Open Collaboration

There are two collaboration options available: Open Collaboration (formerly known as Shop Plan and Open Plan) and Target Collaboration.

1. Open Collaboration: In this option, you add your products to the affiliate program, making them available in the product marketplace for TikTok content creators to discover and promote. You can choose to add one, two, or all of your products.
2. Target Collaboration: This option allows you to invite specific content creators to promote your products. You send direct messages to influencers, inviting them to create videos for your products.

You can run both collaborations simultaneously. Next, I’ll show you how to set them up.

To start with Open Collaboration, follow these steps:

1. Go to the Affiliate Center and click “Open Collaboration.”
2. Add your products to the Affiliate Marketplace so TikTok creators can discover and promote them.
3. Set a commission rate for each product or a default rate for all. Typically, commissions range from 10% to 40%, depending on product margins.
4. Click “Save” to finalize the setup.

Once saved, your products will be available in the Affiliate Marketplace, where creators can browse and choose items to promote.

However, competition is fierce. If your commission is too low, creators may ignore your products. You might also attract low-quality creators or scammers looking for free samples.

To screen quality creators, consider Target Collaboration, which lets you have affiliates who align with your brand.

Step 3: Set Up Target Collaboration

Target Collaboration allows you to directly invite specific creators to promote your products, ensuring you work with influencers who match your brand.

To begin a collaboration with creators, click “Target Collaboration” from the left menu of the TikTok Affiliate Center, then select “Invite to Collaborate” at the top-right corner of the page.

Next, you can send collaboration invitations to creators:

1. Fill in the details: Enter the invitation name, expiration date, email address, and phone number. The most important part is the message, where you introduce yourself and express your interest in collaborating. Since creators with large followings get many messages each day, your message needs to be persuasive and stand out to grab their attention.

2. Select products: Choose the products you want to promote.

3. Offer free samples: If you wish to provide free samples, there are two options:

• Auto-approve requests: All sample requests will be approved immediately and delivered to the creators.
• Manually review requests: You decide whether to approve each sample request.

4. Choose creators: Search for creators by username or user ID, and add them to your creator list to send invitations.

If you’re unsure which creators to invite, use TikTok Shop’s “Find Creator” tool:

• Enter relevant keywords or hashtags (e.g., “skincare,” “home gadgets”).
• Browse millions of creators and filter results based on follower count, engagement rate, and niche.
• Analyze their past promotions to ensure they align with your brand.

By handpicking the right creators, you can significantly increase the chances of successful promotions and higher sales.

Step 4: Monitor Performance and Optimize

Once your affiliate program is live, monitoring performance is essential. TikTok Shop Affiliate Center provides insights on key metrics like:

• Affiliate GMV (Gross Merchandise Value generated by affiliates)
• Affiliate LIVE GMV (Sales from live streams)
• Affiliate Shoppable Videos (Number of videos featuring your products)
• Affiliate Product Card GMV (Revenue from in-video product links)
• Estimated Commission (Total payouts to creators)
• Items Sold (Number of units sold via affiliates)

How to Optimize for Better Results

• Increase commissions: If creators aren’t picking up your products, consider slightly raising the commission to make your offer more appealing and attract more affiliates.
• Offer performance-based bonuses: Reward top-performing creators with additional incentives to keep them engaged.
• Analyze creator effectiveness: If a creator isn’t driving sales, reconsider your collaboration and find better partners.

By continuously testing, analyzing, and optimizing, you can maximize the impact of your TikTok Shop Affiliate Program and drive more sales.

Tips to boost sales on TikTok Shop with affiliate program

To increase sales on TikTok Shop, sellers can use several strategies to leverage the TikTok Shop affiliate program more effectively.

Partner with the right creators

Focus on finding creators who align with your brand, not just those with the largest follower count. Creators with a massive following don’t always generate strong sales. Micro-influencers, on the other hand, often have higher engagement rates and more loyal audiences.

Offer free samples for better promotions

If you send creators free samples, they can make more real and exciting videos. With so much competition, most creators won’t want to buy products on their own, so offering samples can really help your products get noticed.

Offer good commission rates

Obviously, offering a higher commission can encourage more creators to promote your products. Check what your competitors are offering and choose a rate that works for both sides, making sure it’s good for business and fair to creators.

Encourage Creators to Leverage Trends

Staying on top of trends is important because they can help make content go viral. Encourage creators to include popular challenges, sounds, or hashtags in their videos to reach more people. Even though trends can fade quickly, when they’re popular, they can bring a lot of attention to your products.

Read more: How to Find TikTok Trending Products to Sell on Your E-Commerce Store

How to Join TikTok Shop Affiliate as a Content Creator

If you’re a content creator ready to earn commissions, follow these six simple steps:

1. Sign up for the TikTok Affiliate Program:
Create an account or log in to your existing TikTok account. Then, register on the TikTok Affiliate platform or scan the QR code provided below.

2. Meet the eligibility requirements:

To join, you must meet these criteria:

• Be at least 18 years old
• Have at least 1,000 followers and be selected for the TikTok Shop creator pilot
• Follow TikTok Community Guidelines

3. Explore available products:
Browse through the products available in the TikTok Affiliate Marketplace. Choose items that fit your content style and resonate with your audience.

4. Apply to promote products and get samples:
Once you’ve selected the products you’d like to promote, apply to join the affiliate program and request samples. After approval, you’ll get access to affiliate links, promotional materials, and samples to feature in your content.

5. Start creating content:
Begin promoting the products by creating engaging TikTok videos. Use your affiliate links and encourage followers to make purchases.

6. Earn commissions:
You’ll earn a commission for each sale made through your affiliate links. Keep track of your earnings and performance through the TikTok Affiliate dashboard.

FAQ about TikTok Shop Affiliate

1. Can you have a TikTok Shop and be an affiliate?

Yes, you can. As a seller, you can set up your TikTok Shop and also become an affiliate. This means you can promote your own products through the affiliate program while earning commissions from other sellers’ products as well. It’s a great way to expand your reach and earn more.

2. How to add affiliate products in TikTok Shop?

To add affiliate products in TikTok Shop, start by going to your TikTok Shop seller dashboard and linking your products to the TikTok Affiliate Program. You can set a commission rate for each product.

3. How much do TikTok Shop affiliates make?

Affiliates earn a commission for each sale made through their links, which typically ranges from 10% to 40%, depending on the product and agreement with the seller. Earnings can vary based on how well creators promote the product, the number of sales, and the product’s price.

Conclusion

The TikTok Shop Affiliate Program offers an exciting opportunity for both sellers and creators to work together, boosting sales and building brand visibility. If you’re looking to get started as a seller, it’s crucial to choose the right creators, offer competitive commissions, and stay on top of trends.

At Sup Dropshipping, we simplify the dropshipping process for you by connecting you with trusted suppliers, taking care of logistics, and offering marketing support. If you’re ready to take your TikTok Shop or affiliate marketing to the next level, contact us and we’re here to help you every step of the way.