With TikTok's recent explosion in popularity, it has become a great place for marketing products and services. Many TikTok users use the platform to find new products, making it an excellent platform for affiliate marketers to discover new products and services. However, placing affiliate links on TikTok, a video-focused platform, can be challenging. This article will guide you through affiliate marketing on TikTok.

What is TikTok Affiliate Marketing?

TikTok affiliate marketing involves creating videos on the app to promote affiliate links and earn a commission from the merchant. The videos are meant to drive traffic to the sales page. You are paid a commission each time one of your referrals buys using your merchant link.

Is it Good to Do Affiliate Marketing on TikTok?

Before starting affiliate marketing on TikTok, you should determine if the app is the right option. Judging by its usage level, TikTok can be a good place to do affiliate marketing. As of 2024, TikTok is the second most downloaded app globally. With such a high growth rate, you can use the platform to reach a wider audience.

While most of the videos on TikTok involve dancing, entertainment, and comedies, a closer analysis of the hashtags views on Tiktok shows that other kinds of content are also popular, such as:

• Sports and Fitness
• Home and Renovation
• Fashion
• Cooking and Recipe
• Fashion
• Pets
• Outdoors

That means if you market affiliate products in one of the above categories, you are likely to experience success. However, checking the number of hashtag views before you start is advisable, as likes, views, and shares are crucial for TikTok. You should also consider the platform’s engagement rate. 

Luckily, TikTok has the highest engagement rate among different social media sites. According to one study, a micro-influencer on TikTok has an engagement rate of 17%. That’s higher than Instagram, which has 3% engagement rate, and YouTube, which has 1% engagement rate. 

Many TikTok users also suggest using the platform to learn something new. The platform is an excellent motivator for users to take action. Studies indicate that 91% of TikTok users take action, such as liking and sharing content when they find it on TikTok. Another 42% suggest they are motivated to try new things when they come across them on TikTok.

How to Do Affiliate Marketing on TikTok

If you are considering doing affiliate marketing on TikTok, there are two approaches you can consider. These are:

Joining the native Tiktok affiliate program  

This program allows sellers to connect with creators who market their products on their behalf. However, its most significant challenge is its unavailability in most countries. It only entered the US market recently and isn't open for everyone yet. You need a shop if you are selling affiliate products with the TikTok affiliate program. 

The second option is probably your most viable: joining an independent affiliate marketing program. This allows you to partner with any brand you want, promote products how you want, and drive traffic to your preferred platform. Therefore, this is what we will focus on in this article.

How to Add Affiliate Links on TikTok

When doing affiliate marketing on Tiktok, one of the critical factors you need to consider is how you add affiliate links to promote affiliate products successfully. Here are several ways you can do that:

Promoting affiliate links organically

No matter how you promote affiliate links, you should not ignore adding the links organically. Studies indicate that big news outlets are now focusing on Tiktok’s organic marketing. This has several benefits, such as:

• It's free with no upfront costs.
• This can lead to more genuine and authentic connections with the audience.
• Since you don't spend anything on paid ads, it's sustainable in the long run.

Unlike other social media sites such as Facebook and Instagram, TikTok doesn’t limit the amount of traffic creators can get on their links. Therefore, you should take advantage of these benefits and promote your affiliate links organically. There are several ways in which you can promote your TikTok content organically. These are:

• Add a clickable link in your bio. You need a business account to add a clickable link to your profile. The link could be to your website, landing page, or blog. But even with a business profile, you need at least 1000 followers. If you check the profiles of most creators, you will see that they have added a link.
• Add a link to your other profiles.TikTok has also made it easy to include links to other social media profiles, such as Instagram and YouTube, in your account settings. You can add links asking your followers to visit different social media profiles where you promote your affiliate products.
• Use promo codes. Some merchants provide affiliate marketers with promo codes to make it easier for them to market your affiliate products.
• Add a URL to your content. Ensure that you create relevant and engaging content showcasing the product you are promoting. The content could be a review, demonstration, or tutorial. You can then include the affiliate in the description of the content.

Using TikTok Promote to promote affiliate products

To grow as an affiliate marketer, you need more than organic reach. You may need to use ads to grow your organic reach. Paid marketing methods can, therefore, help you boost your affiliate marketing efforts. Ensure that you promote your videos using TikTok Promote. This feature is available for everyone with a TikTok account.

You can create an ad on the platform that is customized according to your target audience, budget, and timeline. You can then relax and wait for TikTok to take care of the distribution. By using the TikTok Promote feature, you can get more views, grow your TikTok following, and get more people to visit your website. Besides, it is cost-effective, as you can start a campaign for as little as $3.

Here are the steps to follow when using the TikTok Promote feature:

• Choose a video you want to boost. A good idea would be to select your best-performing video. Since such a video is already performing well, it's likely to get some great results.
• Under the individual video setting, choose Promote. Alternatively, you can go to the Business Suite under Settings and Privacy. You will see the promotion feature.
• Set your promotion goal. This goal could be getting more views, website visits, or followers.
• Choose the audience you want the promotion to reach.
• Set a budget and the time you will be running the promotion.

Creating an Affiliate Marketing Strategy

Before you begin posting on TikTok, you must have a clear plan for using the platform to promote your products. Write down your main objectives and what you want to achieve with your affiliate marketing. Ensure that you understand what you can achieve on the platform. Take a look at what other affiliate marketers are doing on the platform. Here are the critical factors of a TikTok affiliate marketing strategy.

Choose a profitable niche

When searching for a niche, you need to begin by finding a broad category. If you already have a significant following on TikTok, you should go with the niche in which you are already creating content. Your followers are more likely to be interested in products in that niche.

For instance, if you create videos on makeup applications, your audience will likely trust you when you recommend beauty products, unlike car spare parts. That means you are seen as an authority when you promote products in your niche, increasing your chances of success.

If you are a beginner content creator on Tiktok, you will have more leeway in choosing a niche. That said, here are a few tips to help you choose the niche:

• Consider a broad category. Start by thinking of a large niche category you would be interested in. It could be technology, beauty, fashion, travel, or finance. Once you have a broader category, you can narrow it to a smaller category within your niche. For instance, if you choose the technology niche, you can narrow it down to laptops.
• Choose something you are interested in. When you create content in a niche you are interested in, your passion and enthusiasm will be evident. It will also be easier to keep creating TikTok videos even when you are not getting the expected returns. Your audience will feel your passion for the subject, leading to a more engaged audience.
• Choose a big and growing niche. Remember that you are not doing a one-time thing. You will still be creating content for a couple of years down the line. Therefore, consider if you still have content ideas for making videos. That’s why you should select a big and growing niche. Ensure that the niche has a sizable audience and is also expanding. A large audience means you also have a higher chance of engaging and making a sale.
• Choose a low-competition niche. The competition level of the niche is one key factor that will affect your sales. If too many people on TikTok promote similar products, it might be harder to make a sale. A high-competition niche also means you will be competing against companies with bigger budgets.
• Choose an evergreen niche. A niche with low competition can also help, as it ensures consistent demand for the product. That will provide you with a better opportunity for affiliate marketing.
• Consider the variety of products. Your chosen niche should have a wide range of products that resonate with your audience. Since you will use the same strategy for promoting expensive and cheap products, choose popular products with considerably higher price tags. Remember that the higher the price, the higher the commission.

Choosing the products to promote

We have already mentioned a few factors to consider when choosing the affiliate marketing products to promote on Tiktok, such as the price. However, since this is another factor that will affect the success of your effort, it's worth expounding on. You must promote products that meet your TikTok audience’s needs. The more popular the products will be with your audience, the more chances there are of making a sale. Here are a few factors to consider when choosing an affiliate product to promote on TikTok:

• Choose a product you trust. Ensure that you believe in the product and that it aligns with your values. It should be a product you have used before that you were satisfied with its performance. This will ensure that you build your audience’s trust. They are also likely to buy the recommended products. 
• Choose high-quality products. Promoting poor-quality products will harm your brand’s reputation. If one of your TikTok viewers buys a product you recommended that is of poor quality, you will lose credibility. They will not trust you when you recommend other products in the future.
• Consider the commission rate of the product. While the quality matters more, ensure the product has a considerable commission.

If you are using multiple affiliate marketing programs, you can compare their payouts to decide on the highest-paying one.

Join an affiliate program

Once you understand the niche and products you want to promote, you need to join an affiliate program that will allow you to do so. Remember that a program like the Amazon affiliate works great for physical products, while others are more suited for software products.  

Most affiliate networks allow you to browse for products using your niche. You can, therefore, visit their site to see whether they have the products you will be promoting and what pricing they are selling. Remember to also go through customer reviews to find out if previous buyers are satisfied with the product.

When choosing an affiliate program, ensure it meets your audience’s needs. Consider the commission level of the program and the earnings per click. While higher commissions are good, they shouldn’t be the only factor to consider. You need to consider the chances of selling the product. If the product has a high order rate but low commission, you might make more than another product with a low order rate. Therefore, you should aim to strike a good balance.

Create a TikTok affiliate marketing content plan

Once you have joined an affiliate marketing program, it is time to start creating content. Having a good content plan can help you to:

• Reach a broader audience and, therefore, increase brand awareness.
• Provide better customer service.
• Build a more engaged community.
• Get customer feedback.
• Advertise products to your target audience.

When designing a TikTok marketing campaign, consider who your target audience is on TikTok and who you hope to reach with your TikTok videos. You should approach TikTok in the same way you approach other social media sites. With TikTok, you can create different kinds of content, including dancing challenges, product reviews, and videos when using the products.

Even as you create TikTok content, ensure you understand how the platform's algorithm works. First, the app will show your videos to a few viewers likely to engage with your content. If the content is well received and many people like, comment on, and share it with others, the app increases the number of people it shows the videos to. This process continues in the long run. If your videos keep performing well, there is a higher chance of them going viral on TikTok.

When you understand that you need to think of a way to create TikTok content, your viewers will love it right from the beginning. Include a video hook at the beginning to motivate your viewers to keep watching. Use trending music in your videos, as it will enhance the audio, too. Use relevant trends to draw the right audience.

Some of the content ideas you can include in your plan are:

• Quick tips, how-to videos, and tutorials.
• User-generated hashtags.
• Funny skits.
• A multipart series on the same topic.
• Duet. Collaborating with someone to create videos.

When you are out of content ideas, check the Discover Page to see what is trending and what your followers and competitors are posting.

Top Tips to Succeed in TikTok Affiliate Marketing

Here are several tips for succeeding in affiliate marketing on Tiktok.

Be transparent and authentic

Most affiliate programs require affiliate marketers to disclose to their audience that they are promoting products for a commission. Even if this isn't a requirement, it's always a good practice to disclose it to your audience. While creating videos reviewing a product is good, your audience will trust you more when you reveal that you are getting paid to promote the product. With trust, they are more likely to buy using your affiliate links.

Keep monitoring and optimizing results

As with other content creation programs, it's important to keep tracking and analyzing your results to see what’s working and what isn’t. A good way to track performance is by using TikTok analytic tools. This will show your TikTok metrics and how to grow your account. Ensure that you also understand the platform’s best practices and algorithm.

Use Influencer Marketing

Influencer marketing is a big part of the TikTok ecosystem. With GenZ following celebrities and other big personalities, collaborating with an influencer can increase your brand’s chances of success and engagement.

If you are just getting started, you don't need to team up with TikTok celebrities with millions of followers. You can search for upcoming stars in your niche, as they will provide great results. They will make your brand look natural and authentic, and your business will get great exposure.

However, ensure that you have precise rules that content creators should follow when marketing your brand. Let them know your expected outcome, the number of videos they need to create, and how often they need to create them.

Leverage on emerging trends

TikTok is a trend-driven platform. One reason for its popularity is that videos on the platform go viral. Therefore, if you want to get the most views and increase the chances of your content going viral, leverage the latest trends.

To understand what is trending, look for clues in videos going viral. Consider the hashtags, music, and sound patterns used in the videos. Which of these elements are they mentioning most? What challenges are getting the most views? Think of a way to make your challenges unique and outstanding. 

Create entertaining but informative content

TikTok is more of an entertaining platform; therefore, you should aim to create something your audience will find fun. While humor sells, you should provide your audience with informative content to convince them to buy.

Share the latest coupon codes

Instead of telling your audience they will find your affiliate links in your bio, give them a reason to search for the link. You can do that by mentioning coupon codes in your videos and sharing the link in your bio. Be clear about the validity and expiration date of the coupon codes. Nobody wants to use a coupon code only to find out if it's already expired. To avoid disappointing them, explain the terms for using the coupon code to your viewers.

Conclusion

With its growing popularity level, Tiktok is a great platform for affiliate marketing, enabling you to make passive income. If you have a sizable audience on TikTok, you can leverage the audience to promote a merchant's products for a commission. What makes it even better is that you don't have to manage any inventory of products. You only need to send traffic to the merchant’s sales page.

However, since the platform is video-centric, it can get tricky to understand how to place affiliate links. Fortunately, by following our guide, adding links to your TikTok account should be easy and make the process a success. We recommend you also read our guide on Tiktok content ideas to help you gain followers.