Testing TikTok Affiliate Marketing
Reasons for Testing
For the past 60 days I’ve been taking part in the TikTok affiliate program for a number of reasons. My YouTube channel is all about testing affiliate marketing. And testing different platforms, and I wanted to see if the numbers were true. I have some friends who are being very successful in the program like Reuben. Who made over $100,000 in the TikTok affiliate program in three months. And i know he’s genuine because I’ve spoken to him. And I’m part of his Facebook group where he shares his details every single day. I also know somebody else who is earning around $1,000 per day on average, which is absolutely incredible numbers. I wanted to see if those numbers were actually true.
Joining the Program
The second reason was hearing about a loophole that allowed access to the TikTok affiliate program without the need for 5,000 subscribers. There’s actually another way to get inside the TikTok affiliate program without a huge social media following. The question is how do you get a TikTok seller account? There was a loophole, and I say “was” because I think it has now been closed.
The Seller Central Loophole
Business Account Access
TikTok shut that loophole down because thousands of people started using it. The loophole worked like this: there is a service called TikTok Seller Central a business account that signals to TikTok that you’re a business wanting to sell products on the platform. If you got accepted and signed up to that Seller Central account, it also gave access to the marketplace, making it possible to upload videos and start earning through the TikTok affiliate program. Not only would you have a business seller account to sell products, but you could also use their affiliate program at the same time.
Follower Requirements
That was the loophole no follower requirements whatsoever. The normal way to get access to the TikTok affiliate program requires 5,000 subscribers, but the good news is that threshold is being lowered to just 1,000, which is fairly easy to reach on TikTok. Running some paid ads to a few videos can quickly push that follower count up for just a couple hundred dollars and get to 1,000 followers pretty quickly.
Sign Up Incentives
TikTok sent out a referral link to sellers who are active in the program, offering a £10 voucher for Amazon or to spend on TikTok just for signing up through that link. The Seller Central loophole has since been closed and honestly, it was a real pain while it lasted. It took a full day to get through all the paperwork and proof of ID to get into the program.
Market Challenges
Identification and Location
Getting in through Seller Central involved a lot of paperwork and proof of ID. Using a referral link or simply reaching 1,000 followers on TikTok is now the simplest route into the program. There is one significant drawback for UK-based users though. When setting up the Seller Central account, an attempt was made to register in the USA since that’s the biggest market and where people like Reuben made their money. But without US identification like a driving license or birth certificate, opening a US account simply wasn’t possible.
UK Audience Behavior
Providing a UK driving license meant the account ended up being UK-based. The UK audience simply doesn’t buy as many products off TikTok compared to the US. Most UK shoppers are still using Amazon and other established platforms buying through TikTok Shop hasn’t really taken off there yet, which kept the audience numbers very low. That said, it’s still possible to make money through the TikTok affiliate program in the UK, but it heavily depends on producing a successful or viral video.
Content Strategy
Free Samples and Amazon
The lack of success came down to not fully understanding how to make videos for TikTok still being too much in the mindset of YouTube and the Amazon influencer program. On the Amazon side, things have actually gone well. Once inside the TikTok affiliate program, free samples can be requested for almost any listed product. There’s usually a free sample button, and clicking it sends a request to the seller to provide the product in exchange for a video. If the video drives sales, everyone wins that’s the idea behind the free samples. The added benefit is that most of these products are also sold on Amazon.
That means one free product can generate an Amazon video, a TikTok video, and a YouTube video at the same time. Free products, free content, free affiliate commissions a genuinely useful setup.
Viral Video Styles
One of the most successful videos was simply showing a golf club being cleaned with a tool available on TikTok Shop. No speaking, no script just an action. That kind of video is often what goes viral. A similar approach worked for Reuben, whose biggest success came from simply walking a dog down the street with a lead that didn’t tangle. No face shown, minimal talking just a clear product demonstration that proved the item was genuinely useful.
Demonstrating Products
Viral TikTok videos are built around a hook, a story, solving a problem, or pure curiosity that makes someone stop scrolling. The traditional YouTube review format talking directly to camera about why a product is good doesn’t translate well to TikTok. The content needs to be creative, and showing your face isn’t even necessary. Most of the successful videos out there are made without the creator ever appearing on screen.
Performance and Results
Sixty Day Earnings
In the first month, earnings came to £10. It looked promising early on good view counts, everything trending upward. The highest-performing video reached around 15,000 views, which on TikTok is modest at best. A truly viral video clears a million views. The second month improved nearly £30 earned with about 40 plus sales, and the numbers were slowly trending in the right direction. Still, £30 is not much to celebrate.
Stepping Stone to Success
It’s nowhere near $100,000 like Reuben’s results, but it does feel like a stepping stone toward making it work properly. The missing piece is finding the right product and pairing it with the right type of video. That product needs to be trending. Reuben’s YouTube channel covers how to identify these trending products in detail. Picking something random from around the house and reviewing it won’t go viral. It has to be a product that’s already gaining traction on TikTok and the key is getting in early, before the trend peaks and fades.
Product Selection
Trending and On Sale
A big part of the problem was jumping on products that were already past their peak the interest had faded and people were tired of seeing them. Getting in at the start of a trend is everything. Beyond trending status, the product also needs to be on sale. If it’s the same price as Amazon, people will just go to Amazon. The winning combination is a product that is trending and offered at a discount. A video pointing out that something people already use is now half price or that they can get two for the price of one gives real buying motivation.
High Commission Potential
People buy either because it’s a product they already want to try, or because the deal is too good to pass up. Find that combination, make a video that gets strong engagement, and it can go viral. A video hitting 100,000 or half a million views can generate serious money. Commissions on TikTok Shop range from 10% to 50%, and aiming for at least 15% commission rate is a reasonable minimum. Focusing on low-priced products naturally keeps commissions small. A higher-ticket item like a ninja air fryer on sale with a $15 commission per unit paired with a viral video is how the big numbers become possible.
Final Thoughts
Future Plans
This was a genuine test to see whether TikTok affiliate marketing worked and whether the results were worth sharing. Going forward, TikTok Shop won’t be the main focus products will get added occasionally, but the Amazon influencer store will take priority. There are also some lingering doubts about the ethics of TikTok Shop that make it hard to fully commit to the platform.
Advice for Different Regions
For UK-based creators, it’s worth trying if making TikTok-style videos comes naturally. If it doesn’t, the effort probably isn’t worth it given the lower buying behaviour of UK audiences on the platform. For anyone in the USA, the opportunity is significantly stronger. The sales volume there is on another level people making $1,000 a week within the first few weeks is entirely realistic. For US-based creators especially, signing up and giving it a proper shot is well worth considering.