TikTok’s Affiliate Program allows sellers to partner with creators who will promote their products and boost sales. Through TikTok Shop Affiliate, sellers and creators work together to enhance and optimise their businesses—sellers increase sales, while creators earn commissions from those sales.
Each affiliate marketer receives a unique tracking link, allowing product creators to see which affiliate drove the sale. In exchange, affiliates earn a commission based on the amount spent by the customers they refer.
Nowadays, TikTok influencers are some of the most effective affiliate marketers, especially among Gen Z and Millennials. To get started, let’s explore two collaboration approaches on TikTok: Targeted Collaboration and Open Collaboration.
Target Collaboration
A Target Collaboration allows sellers to invite specific creators to promote selected products. This ensures targeted and efficient product promotion. Once the creator accepts the invitation, they can begin promoting the product immediately.
Key Features
- Products: Sellers can choose specific products for promotion.
- Visible to: Only the invited, selected creators will see the products and have the option to promote them.
- Commission: Set individual commission rates for each product or group of products. Commission can range from 1% to 80%.
- Benefits: This collaboration method lets sellers partner with creators who have a relevant audience and can help increase sales for particular products. It’s a targeted approach that aligns products with the right creators for maximum impact.
With Target Collaboration, you can ensure that your products reach the right creators, boosting sales while allowing creators to earn commissions based on specific products they help promote.
Open Collaboration
Open Collaboration allows sellers to make their products available for promotion by all TikTok Shop creators. This approach maximises the potential reach of your products by opening up the opportunity to a larger pool of creators, driving more sales.
Key Features
- Products: Choose to make either specifically selected products or all your products available for promotion.
- Visible to: All TikTok Shop creators can view the products. You can activate “Require Approval” mode so only approved creators can promote your products.
- Commission: Set commission rates for individual products, selected product groups, or all products. Commissions can range from 1% to 80%.
- Benefits: Open Collaboration expands your product’s visibility by allowing all TikTok Shop creators to promote it. This increases the chances of finding creators who resonate with your products and can help boost your sales.
By using Open Collaboration, you tap into a larger network of creators, increasing the likelihood of engaging with the right influencers to drive growth.
Relationship Between Target and Open Collaborations
You can set up each product in multiple collaborations simultaneously, but creators will only receive one commission rate per product. Here are key points to understand how commission rates are prioritised to maximise your strategy.
- Multiple Collaborations: A product can be part of both Target and Open Collaborations, allowing you to reach different creator groups.
- Single Commission Rate: A creator will only earn one commission rate per product despite being included in multiple collaborations.
- Priority of Commission Rates: The commission rate set for Target Collaboration will always take precedence over the rate set for Open Collaboration.
- Recommendation: To make the most of Target Collaborations, it’s a good idea to set a higher commission rate so that creators are more motivated to promote the product.
By strategically managing commission rates, you can ensure your product gets the attention it deserves from the right creators.
How to Set Up Different Collaborations
Setting up collaborations effectively helps you reach the right creators and maximise sales. Here’s a breakdown of how to set up both Target and Open Collaborations.
Target Collaboration Setup
Entrance 1: Access Target Collaboration Page
- Step 1: From the Affiliate Center, go to the left navigation bar and click on Collaboration, then select Target Collaboration.
- Step 2: On this page, you can view existing target collaborations and create new ones. The collaborations are organised into four tabs:
- Ongoing: Collaborations that aren’t expiring within 7 days.
- Expiring: Invitations that will expire within 7 days.
- Canceling: Invitations you are in the process of canceling (cancellations take effect the next day at 00:00).
- Canceled: Invitations that have expired or been canceled.
Entrance 2: Find Creators
- Step 1: On the Find Creators page, click Invite to send a target collaboration to individual creators.
- Step 2: To send a target collaboration to multiple creators at once, add them from Find Creators to the Manage Creators page. You can invite up to 50 creators at a time.
Creating Target Collaborations
- Step 1: On the Invite to Collab page, search for creators by username or ID, or click Add from the Manage Creators page to select creators for this target collaboration.
- Step 2: From Manage Creators, select or remove creators. Filter creators by assigned tags, whether they’ve been added in the last 90 days, and by criteria such as followers, video views, and live views.
- Step 3: Use the Recommended Creators tab to find creators TikTok recommends for your collaboration. Filters are available to find creators based on:
- Similar product promotions
- Follower behavior (purchases, views, etc.)
- Step 4: Add products to the collaboration. Filter and sort products by category, price, and items sold. Ensure you check stock levels to avoid running out of inventory during the promotion.
- Step 5: Set commission rates (1%-80%) for each product. You can do this individually or in bulk. If the commission rate for a target collaboration is higher than that of an open collaboration, you’ll see a green up arrow. A higher commission rate will encourage creators to participate.
- Step 6: Set up free samples by toggling the Free Sample Available option. Choose between manual or automatic approval for sample requests.
- Step 7: Complete the invitation by adding:
- Collaboration name and expiration date
- Contact details (email, WhatsApp)
- A personalised message for the creator
- Deliverables (video, live session, etc.)
- Step 8: Once the collaboration is created, you can duplicate it to send to a new set of creators with the same products and commission rates.
Creator Live Flash Sale in Target Invitation
- Step 1: Set up flash sales when the preferred content type is Shoppable LIVE.
- Step 2: Flash sales can last between 10 minutes and 10 days, within the target collaboration's validity period.
- Step 3: You can batch delete or edit products in the flash sale. If a product is removed from the target invite, it will no longer appear in the flash sale.
- Step 4: Flash sale invitations can only be sent to a single creator with LIVE streaming capabilities.
- Step 5: Once confirmed, copy the invite link and share with creators.
Managing Target Collaborations
- Step 1: Access target collaborations from the Target Collaborations tab. Filter by name, product, creator, or response status.
- Step 2: For each collaboration, you can share, view orders, duplicate, or end the collaboration.
- Step 3: On the details page, view collaboration, creator, and product info such as commission rates and posting activity.
- Step 4: Track individual creator performance, including posted content and live sessions.
Open Collaboration Setup
Accessing Open Collaboration
- From the left navigation bar, click on Open Collaboration.
- To add products, click Add Product to Affiliate or check the Not Added tab.
- Opportunity Products
- Open collaborations highlight Opportunity Products—items with high potential compared to other products. These are suggested based on search metrics, sales volume, and growth trends.
- Filter and view detailed information to make informed decisions on which products to add.
Creating an Open Collaboration
- Step 1: Your products are automatically added to an open collaboration. You can enable Auto-add Products for customised commission rates.
- Auto-add with optimised commission rates: Set commission rates automatically based on product performance.
- Auto-add at a flat commission rate: Apply the same rate for all products.
- Step 2: If you don’t enable auto-add, add products individually or in batches. You’ll need to set a commission rate for each product.
- Step 3: You can offer free samples for all selected products. Set up free sample quantities, expiration dates, and eligibility criteria.
Tracking Performance in Open Collaborations
- Monitor how many creators have added your products and how many have posted content. Click on the Creator Showcase number to get more details.
- Filter and view performance metrics for each creator, including videos and live sessions.
Managing Free Samples
Setting up Free Samples in Open Collaborations
- When selecting batch free samples, filter eligible creators by content category, fan count, sales volume, and shoppable content volume.
- Choose products to include in the free sample batch, and define the request period and eligibility.
Product Growth Suggestions
Once you’ve set up your collaborations, take advantage of product growth suggestions:
- Top Selling: Products with high sales from creators’ shoppable videos and LIVE.
- Potential Top Selling: Products that have a moderate number of orders from creators.
- Steady Selling: Consistently ordered products from creators.
- Content Gap: Products with strong sales potential but few shoppable videos—encourage creators to post about these products for increased visibility.
Following these suggestions can help you optimise your product strategy, adjust commission rates, or offer free samples to improve performance.
FAQs
Here are some frequently asked questions about managing collaborations on TikTok Shop:
What happened to Shop Plans?
- Update: Shop Plans are no longer available on TikTok Shop.
- Alternative: To make your products available for affiliate commissions, enable the New Products Auto-Mode in Open Collaboration. This feature automatically adds any new products to the open plan, ensuring they are available for creators to promote.
How many Target Collaborations can I send in one day?
- Limit: You can send up to 1,000 target collaborations within a 24-hour period.
- Tip: Be strategic in selecting creators to maximise your outreach without hitting the limit.
How do I delete a creator from a Target Collaboration?
- Step 1: Navigate to the Edit Target Collaboration page.
- Step 2: Use the trash icon next to the creator’s name to delete them.
- Impact: Deleting a creator will cause the products in the collaboration invitation to expire on their end.
- Timing: Any changes made will take effect the next day at 00:00.
How do I edit or delete products from a Target Collaboration?
- Step 1: Go to the Edit Target Collaboration page.
- Step 2: You can adjust product commission rates or remove products from the collaboration.
- Timing: All edits will take effect the next day at 00:00.
How do I remove products from an Open Collaboration?
Sellers can remove products from Open Collaborations in the following ways:
- Method 1:
- Tick the box next to the products you want to remove.
- In the Actions column, select Remove from Collaboration.
- Method 2:
- Click the Bulk Edit button at the top of the Open Collaboration page.
- This will prompt you to download a file where you can update affiliate details, including removing products from the collaboration.
By managing collaborations effectively, you can optimise your product visibility and maximise affiliate commissions for both you and your creators.
Need a fresh perspective? Let’s talk.
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