Affiliate marketing is selling another company’s product or services for a small commission. But how can we sell these products or services, well don’t worry in this guide we will explain how to do affiliate marketing on TikTok, what are the benefits, pros and cons, and much more.
TikTok has emerged as a powerful social media platform in recent years and has gained over one billion monthly active users.
How Does Affiliate Marketing on TikTok Work
Affiliate marketing on TikTok works the same on every other social media platform.
You build your audience. Then you apply for affiliate programs. Once accepted you get a unique tracking link. You promote that affiliate link to your audience on TikTok, and when someone buys the product through your link you earn a commission.
There are three key players in TikTok affiliate marketing
The Merchant: The merchant is the person who creates the product or service and then also creates the affiliate program.
The Affiliate (YOU): Affiliates are those who will promote and sell the merchant product for a small commission.
Customer: Customers are those people who will buy the product they are the main goal of both the merchant and the affiliates.
Why Should You Start Affiliate Marketing on TikTok
The reason you should start affiliate marketing on TikTok is that it has over one billion monthly active users out of which 150 million are from the USA. Affiliate marketing on TikTok is not yet crowded.
On TikTok, your content can get higher reach and organic traffic easily even if your account is new. This is because the TikTok algorithm is a lot more rewarding for newcomers.
Another reason is on TikTok even awful content can become viral as long as you don’t violate the TikTok policies and they are happy with you.
Steps To Do Affiliate Marketing on TikTok
Here is the step-by-step guide on how to do affiliate marketing on TikTok.
Step 1. Choose a Niche
Choosing a niche will make it easy for you to create content. Don’t create content on multiple niches like gaming and running.
Targeting multiple niches is good for increasing your revenue but if you start targeting multiple niches. You will quit it soon.
Because multiple niches require more focus and work. But at the start, you have to be laser-focused on one niche and after making yourself an authority in that niche. Then you can tap into other niches.
How to choose a niche?
While choosing a niche for TikTok affiliate marketing. Ask yourself the following question.
- Are there any reputable affiliate programs in that niche?
- Are there people searching for that niche?
- What is the competition in that niche?
Step 2. Create a Business Account on TikTok
Creating a business account on TikTok will enable you to put a link in your profile. You can also see analytics and can see which type of content does good.
To create a business account first you need to create an account on TikTok.
Then go to “settings” and click on “account”. There you will see an option “switch to business account” Click on that.
Step 3. Build Your Audience
Before you apply to any affiliate program you need to build your audience first. Start creating content in your niche, remember to stay on one niche don’t jump from niche to niche.
To build your audience you need to:
- Be consistent. Upload at least one video a day.
- Create high-quality content. Use good lighting, and make sure your voice in videos is clear.
- Make your content visually appealing and entertaining.
- Create content that can engage the audience because TikTok likes content that involves user engagement.
- Follow TikTok trends
- Collaborate with other creators, so you can expose your content to their audience too.
Step 4. Join Affiliate Program
Once you have built your audience start joining affiliate programs that are relevant to your niche.
Promote those products in your content.
Before joining an affiliate program consider the following things.
- Is that program relevant to your niche?
- What are the commission rate and cookie duration of that program?
- Check the product quality before promoting it.
- What is the payment method of the program?
Don’t rely on one program, join multiple programs in your niche to diversify your income
Scale up Your Business
Once you start making money out of your TikTok affiliate marketing business you can also start affiliate marketing on other platforms too.
You can also tap into other niches for a diverse income stream and can even launch and promote your own product.
Hire skillful people to help you do your TikTok affiliate marketing business and you can start focusing on other things.
Where Can You Put Your Affiliate Links On TikTok
In TikTok, you can put your affiliate links in the following places.
Profile
You can put your affiliate link in your profile but for that, you have to switch your account from personal to business.
To switch your account from personal to business, simply go to “settings” and click on “account”. There you will see an option “switch to business account” Click on that and your profile will switch from personal to business.
After that, the option of Website will appear in your profile where you can put your affiliate.
But what if I am an affiliate for multiple products?
If you are an affiliate for multiple products then you can add your website or landing page link there people will first visit your website or landing page and then they will be redirected to the merchant website.
You can also use Linktree. Put all your links in Linktree and then put that Linktree URL in your TikTok Profile.
Video Description
There is a problem with putting your affiliate links in TikTok video descriptions. TikTok description links are not clickable. You have to manually copy and paste it.
But still, a lot of influencers do put their affiliate links in the video description. There is nothing wrong with putting affiliate links in the description.
Add Social Media
You can also link your social media account to TikTok and add your affiliate link to your social media account.
The social media will work as a bridge between the merchant website and your TikTok account.
This way you can also increase your other social media platform followers and if your audience sees your affiliate link there. They are probably going to make a purchase.
Types of Affiliate Marketing Content on TikTok
There are following types of affiliate marketing content on TikTok.
Product Review
In this type of content, you only have to review the product you are promoting. Tell its benefits, pros and cons, test its durability, and what is the purpose of that following product.
You can also tell your audience if the product is recommended or not.
Tutorial videos
Create tutorial videos using the products you are promoting. This way your audience will see the usefulness of the product in daily life.
For example: Teach them how to create a website and then tell them to buy the following web hosting.
Result Based Content
Show your user how the product has changed your daily life. Create a before and after videos. Show how your skill was before and how it is now after using this product.
Comparison
Create videos in which you will compare two products that are similar to each other. This video will target people who will be confused in making a decision about which to buy.
Pros and Cons of Affiliate Marketing on TikTok
Here are the pros and cons of affiliate marketing on TikTok.
Pros of Affiliate Marketing on TikTok
- Massive users of over one billion.
- TikTok algorithm rewards newcomers.
- No money is required to start.
- Higher traffic and easy reach.
- Potential to go viral quickly.
Cons of Affiliate Marketing on TikTok
- Most of the TikTok audience is young, aged 18 to 24. So if you are selling something that is for old age people TikTok might not be a good place.
- TikTok has limited places to put your affiliate links, which makes it difficult to send traffic directly to the merchant’s website.
Should You Start Affiliate Marketing on TikTok?
Yes, You should start affiliate marketing on TikTok.
29.6% of affiliate marketers are already using TikTok to promote products.
TikTok algorithm rewards newcomers and even awful content can go viral.
However, there are some limitations in affiliate marketing on TikTok regarding the affiliate links. On TikTok, you cannot put clickable links in the video description.
The only place you can is in your profile bio.
The best way to do affiliate marketing on TikTok is to create a landing page first, put all your affiliate links in that landing page, and put that landing page link in your profile bio.
Instead of a landing page, you can also put a Linktree link in your profile bio.
Conclusion
Affiliate marketing on TikTok when done correctly can be very rewarding. Affiliate marketing on TikTok works the same on every other social media platform.
The reason you should start doing affiliate marketing on TikTok is that it has over one billion MAUs. And unlike other social media platforms TikTok rewards newcomers.
However, on TikTok, you can only put clickable links in your profile bio and for that, you have to change your account from personal to business.
