TikTok Shop affiliate program for sellers

TikTok creators have a massive global audience, making it a super valuable platform for any online businesses looking to expand their reach. With the introduction of TikTok Shop, this social media giant now offers one of the best eCommerce solutions for POD sellers.

TikTok’s Affiliate Program excels in connecting creators directly with merchants for successful collaborations. It’s a powerful addition to your existing and new marketing tactics, letting you promote products to millions with the chance of going viral.

Ready to tap into the power of TikTok and start selling with Printify? Let’s get started!

What is TikTok shop affiliate marketing?

TikTok Shop Affiliate Marketing is a program where sellers collaborate with creators to amp up product visibility and sales. 

When creators recommend products from your brand on their channels, they automatically earn a commission once someone purchases through the affiliate link. It’s a simple way to expand your reach while creators earn from every sale they help generate. 

The program is managed in the TikTok Shop Seller Center.

Connect with the right creators for your brand

Connect with affiliates in your network, or choose a Targeted Plan to partner with specific content creators that match your brand and style. 

On the flip side, creators easily find products that match their style using TikTok tools, so keep an eye out – creators just might contact you first about a collaboration.

Monitor how well creators are selling your products

Each product in your TikTok Shop catalog will have a dedicated list of connected affiliates and the number of sales they’ve made. Reward high-performing creators with product samples and bonuses to strengthen partnerships.

Commissions are paid automatically

Once a creator successfully makes a sale, their TikTok Shop affiliate commission is automatically paid from the product’s retail price. Sellers set a competitive percentage commission to attract creators.

Why work with creators to sell on TikTok?

TikTok is a rapidly growing social media platform. As of 2024, it has approximately 1.04 billion monthly active users worldwide, positioning it as one of the top five social media platforms in the world.

This high user engagement provides exceptional sales and monetization opportunities. TikTok users are 1.5 times more likely to purchase products they discover on this app than other platforms. 

In 2024, 48.3 million TikTok users are Gen Z, highlighting its popularity with younger audiences and the potential to reach these consumers through their favorite creators.

Resources for connecting with creators on TikTok

TikTok provides multiple ways for sellers to collaborate with creators, each with unique benefits and new monetization opportunities. Whether you’re looking for high visibility or targeted partnerships, there are four main resources for connecting with influencers who can increase your sales.

The Open Plan

The Open Plan lets any creator apply to promote your products, giving you plenty of options. It’s easy to set up in the Seller Center and ideal for sellers who want to reach a larger audience. Just choose your products, set commission rates, and add a product pitch to attract creators.

Creator Connect

Creator Connect helps you find creators who best match your brand by filtering based on audience demographics, follower count, and content style.

This approach ensures that relevant creators promote your products. Use filters to locate ideal creators and send invitations directly through the platform.

Targeted Outreach

Targeted Outreach lets you hand-pick specific creators for highly tailored partnerships.

Go to the Seller Center, invite select creators who meet your brand’s criteria, and chat about a collaboration that’ll benefit both brands.

Platform Promotions

Platform Promotions increase visibility using TikTok’s promotional tools, including ads and post-boosting. This is ideal for scaling your new marketing channels quickly.

Tips for pitching partnerships to creators

Pitching collaborations with TikTok creators as a small seller can be a game-changer for your business. The key is to craft personalized and appealing proposals that highlight value for both parties. Here are three actionable strategies to help you get started.

1. Identify your target

Don’t be swayed by follower count alone. Instead, focus on creators who genuinely align with your brand’s style and values. Whether working with micro-influencers or established creators, choosing partners your target customers connect with and can deliver authentic engagement is essential. Review their past content and audience demographics to ensure a strong match.

2. Create a compelling pitch

Tailor your pitch to fit the creator’s unique audience and content style. Explain why their followers would like your product and clearly outline the terms to ensure both parties benefit from the partnership from the get-go. 

Mention specific examples from their content to show you’ve done your homework. A personalized, thoughtful pitch demonstrates that you value the collaboration and makes your offer stand out. 

3. Offer additional bonuses and benefits

Sweeten the deal by offering free product samples, coupon codes, or higher commission rates. These incentives motivate creators to develop more engaging ads and frequently upload content, improving your brand’s visibility.

Increasing the affiliate’s commission share shows flexibility and support for their efforts, encouraging a long-term, mutually beneficial relationship. Clearly outline the terms to ensure both parties benefit from the partnership.

Best practices for maximizing TikTok sales with creator collaborations

To succeed on TikTok, sellers must keep current on trends and use the platform’s unique features to engage their audience effectively.

1. Stay on top of trends

Viral trends drive TikTok, and tapping into them can significantly increase your product’s visibility. Regularly monitor TikTok’s Discover page and TikTok Creative Center to spot emerging trends that align with your business. Incorporating trending content into your creator collaborations helps keep your brand relevant and relatable.

2. Use popular TikTok effects

Applying TikTok’s built-in effects creates more engaging, eye-catching content. Popular effects can enhance videos and increase their shareability.

Encourage influencers to use trending effects like transitions, filters, or augmented reality tools to add some pizzazz to their product presentation. 

3. Tell a story to create emotional connections

Storytelling is a powerful way to create deeper connections with your audience.

Encourage influencers to develop content that tells a story, such as a “day in the life” using your product or a “before and after” transformation. This approach builds authenticity and trust, making your products more desirable.

4. Choose creators who reflect your brand values

Use TikTok’s QuickTok tool to quickly draft content ideas and identify creators who align with your brand. Partnering with influencers who share your values ensures your product is presented authentically and reaches the right audience.

5. Use trending sounds and hashtags

Trending sounds and hashtags are essential tools for increasing discoverability on TikTok. Encourage your creator partners to use popular sounds and relevant hashtags in their content so your products are in front of more viewers, enhancing engagement.

How to analyze sales performance

Once creators begin promoting your products, track their performance in the Seller Center to see metrics like sales generated by each affiliate.  

TikTok’s Affiliate Data Compass provides advanced analytics that gives sellers detailed insights into key metrics like revenue, commission payouts, sales volume per creator, and content performance. Monitor these metrics to understand which creators drive the most sales and deliver the highest ROI.

In the Affiliate Data Compass, focus on tracking product performance, conversion rates, and engagement to assess the effectiveness of each campaign. Revenue tracking helps you see how much profit is generated, while commission insights show if the payouts motivate creators. 

Additionally, monitoring sales volume per creator helps you identify top performers and adjust your collaborations accordingly. Use these insights to adjust commissions, prioritize high-performing creators, and optimize your marketing strategy.

How to join TikTok Shop’s affiliate program as a Printify seller

Ready to sell your Printify products to 170 million TikTok users?

Register and complete the steps on the TikTok Shop Seller Center

To set up your affiliate TikTok Shop, register on the Seller Center with a TikTok business account or create a TikTok Shop as an individual seller. Select the US region – Printify currently only offers integrations for sellers with a US presence.

Authenticate your region by uploading your identification documents and filling out the required business information and billing details. 

Integrate Printify with your TikTok Shop account

With Printify’s integration, all your products will seamlessly sync with your TikTok shop.

Connect your TikTok shop to Printify by navigating to your Printify account’s sales channels selection page and selecting TikTok Shop as your store integration.

Click Connect – Printify will redirect you to TikTok. Select the US seller account type, and your integration will authenticate quickly.

List products in your TikTok Shop

Publishing from Printify is simple. Go to the My Products page and click Edit design to update product details, descriptions, and tags.

For shipping, you have two options:

• Enable free shipping by adjusting the product price to cover shipping costs.
• Set up weight-based flat rates for products with similar shipping requirements – ideal for single-category items like t-shirts or mugs. Go to the TikTok Shop Seller Center to create a shipping template based on weight ranges and rates, following the Printify shipping guide.

Once you’ve set up shipping, activate your listings in the Manage Products section. TikTok orders will then automatically sync with Printify for fulfillment.

Choose and set up an Affiliate plan

Go to the Affiliate page in TikTok Shop Seller Central to begin setting up your plan.

• Open Plan: Select New Open Plan, choose products that are live in your shop, set commission rates, and add a promotional pitch to make your products attractive to a broad range of affiliates.
• Targeted Outreach: Use Creator Connect to filter creators by category, follower demographics, or audience type. For a curated approach, invite specific creators who align with your brand for a more personalized partnership.

Track creator performance

• Monitor sales and engagement in the Seller Center.
• Adjust commissions and partnerships based on performance metrics to support high-performing affiliates.

Join the TikTok Affiliate Program and start selling with Printify

Easy integration

Integrate your TikTok Shop US with Printify and publish products in no time.

No upfront costs

Create a free Printify account and design as many products as you want. You only pay for production once a customer orders, leaving you with all profit and no risk.

No inventory

Start a TikTok shop with zero inventory. Every order is made on-demand for each customer, which means no investment losses, unsold stock, or storage costs.

1000+ Products

With over a thousand products, our Catalog has everything you need to target a huge TikTok audience of potential customers. Browse apparel, accessories, home decor, posters, stickers, and more – all ready for your custom designs.

Simple product creation

Use our Product Creator (formerly known as Mockup Generator) to apply designs with creativity. Simply upload an image from your device and adjust the design until it’s perfect.

Effortless fulfillment

Create designs, integrate TikTok Shop with Printify, publish your products, and share them on social networks. Our global network of Print Providers will produce, package, and deliver each item directly to the customer on your behalf.

Final thoughts

Short videos with direct clickable links are the future of digital advertising, and no other social media platform has more options than the TikTok Shop Affiliate Marketing Program.

Use the power of bite-sized video content to your advantage. Connect with popular creators to reach millions of potential customers and set your Printify products up for success!