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How To Recruit TikTok Affiliates: A Step-by-Step Guide

With over 1.8 billion monthly active users globally as of 2023, TikTok provides unparalleled access to a diverse audience, making it a goldmine for affiliate marketing opportunities.

In this guide, we’ll explore actionable strategies to help you identify, recruit, and collaborate with TikTok affiliates, unlocking the platform’s full potential to grow your business.

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TikTok Creator Marketplace (TCM)

The TikTok Creator Marketplace (TCM) is TikTok’s official platform for brands to connect with content creators (both macro, micro, and nano influencers). It’s a powerful tool for finding TikTok affiliates, offering detailed insights into creator performance and ensuring transparent collaboration. 

Brands can search for creators based on industry, audience demographics, or location.

Creators listed on TCM can double as influencers and affiliates. Businesses can invite them to join their affiliate programs for long-term partnerships.

The platform provides campaign opportunities where creators can apply to work with your brand, making the connection process seamless.

Advantages of TCM

  • Detailed performance metrics: TCM offers in-depth analytics like views, engagement rates, and audience demographics, helping you select the right creators.
  • Transparency: Managed by TikTok, the platform ensures a clear and professional collaboration process.
  • Broad reach: Access creators of all scales, from nano to mega influencers, catering to varied marketing budgets.

Limitations of TCM: It is more focused on influencer marketing rather than being optimized for affiliate marketing. Paid collaborations are the primary focus, with fewer tools dedicated to ongoing affiliate relationships.

You don’t need to list your shop on TikTok to leverage the Creator Marketplace. Simply create a brand account, upload your campaign requirements, and let creators discover and apply for your opportunities.

The Creator Economy, which platforms like TikTok Creator Marketplace contribute to, is projected to reach $104.2 billion in value in 2024, demonstrating the massive opportunity for brands to connect with creators.

Search niche hashtags to find Tiktok affiliates 

Another effective way to find TikTok affiliates is by searching for niche-specific hashtags. TikTok’s hashtag feature is a goldmine for discovering creators who are already engaging with content relevant to your industry or products.

Identify keywords related to your niche. For example, if you sell eco-friendly products, search hashtags like #EcoFriendlyLiving, #SustainableProducts, or #GreenLifestyle. Then explore the videos under these hashtags to spot creators who align with your brand’s values and audience. Evaluate their content style, engagement rates, and follower demographics to ensure a good fit. 

Creators using niche hashtags are likely already passionate about your industry, making their endorsements more genuine and relatable. You can often connect with micro or nano influencers through this method, yielding high engagement rates without breaking your marketing budget. You’re not limited to official platforms and can reach out to creators directly via TikTok’s messaging feature or through their contact information if provided.

Offer free samples to attract Tiktok affiliates

Providing free samples is a tried-and-true strategy to attract TikTok affiliates. By allowing creators to experience your products firsthand, you build trust and encourage authentic content creation, making it more likely for them to promote your brand. 

How to find Tiktok affiliates by offering free products: 

  • Identify creators whose audiences align with your target market.
  • Reach out to these creators with an offer to send free samples of your product.
  • Encourage them to share honest reviews, tutorials, or creative content featuring your product.

Creators are more likely to produce genuine content when they’ve personally experienced your product. Sending free samples is often more affordable than paying upfront for a partnership, especially with micro and nano influencers. Moreover, content created from free samples usually feels less like an ad, increasing its appeal and shareability on TikTok.

If you run a skincare brand, send your latest moisturizer or serum to beauty influencers. They might post a video demonstrating how they use the product or a “before and after” comparison. 

Pro tip: Accompany your free samples with a personalized note or discount code. This added touch can enhance the creator’s experience and encourage them to become long-term affiliates.

Focus on micro-influencers

Micro-influencers are a powerful resource for finding TikTok affiliates. These creators typically have between 10,000 and 100,000 followers, offering high engagement rates and niche audience appeal. Unlike mega-influencers, micro-influencers tend to have a closer relationship with their audience, making their recommendations more trusted.

How to approach micro-influencers

  • Use TikTok hashtags related to your industry (e.g., #FitnessMotivation for a fitness brand).
  • Analyze their content and audience demographics to ensure alignment with your brand values.
  • Offer them affiliate opportunities, such as a custom link or discount code they can share with their followers. 

Studies show that micro-influencers have an engagement rate of up to 60% higher than macro-influencers. They are more budget-friendly than larger influencers while often delivering comparable or better ROI. Their followers are typically niche-specific, ensuring that your product reaches the right audience.

Use affiliate recruitment platforms

Affiliate recruitment platforms offer a streamlined way to find TikTok affiliates who are already experienced in promoting products and earning commissions. These platforms specialize in connecting brands with influencers, simplifying the process of setting up and managing affiliate programs.

A step-by-step guide to utilizing affiliate platform:

  • Choose a platform: Platforms like BixGrow, ShareASale, and Refersion specialize in affiliate recruitment and can help you find TikTok influencers who are looking for affiliate opportunities.
  • Set your criteria: On these platforms, you can filter affiliates by audience size, niche, and engagement rate to find TikTok creators who best align with your brand.
  • Manage partnerships: Once you’ve selected affiliates, you can manage the entire affiliate program, tracking performance, handling payments, and offering commissions, within the platform.

These platforms give you access to a wide network of influencers who are already familiar with affiliate marketing.  They often provide robust analytics to track performance and optimize your affiliate strategy. Furthermore, you can easily manage payments to your TikTok affiliates through the platform, avoiding any administrative headaches.

Create engaging TikTok Ccontent

To attract TikTok affiliates, you need to create content that resonates with both potential affiliates and their followers. Engaging content not only helps you capture attention but also encourages TikTok creators to share your brand and products through affiliate links. TikTok users spend an average of 52 minutes per day on the app, increasing the potential for your content to be discovered and shared.

You should focus on trends, challenges, and viral formats that align with your brand. Make your content fun and shareable to encourage creators to participate and promote. When creating content, subtly highlight your affiliate program. For example, offer exclusive affiliate codes or special discounts for creators who join your program.
Partner with TikTok influencers to co-create content. You can feature your products, offer giveaways, or even create challenges that encourage affiliate sign-ups.

Engaging content gets shared and spreads, making it easier for affiliates to find you and want to collaborate. Content that aligns with TikTok trends allows your brand to appear more authentic, leading to higher affiliate engagement. When affiliates share content that’s already viral or highly engaging, it maximizes their potential to drive traffic and sales.

Direct messaging

Direct messaging (DM) can be an effective way to reach out to potential TikTok affiliates, especially when you’re targeting micro-influencers or creators who have a more niche audience. Unlike influencer marketing agencies, direct outreach allows for personalized communication, building a more direct relationship with potential partners.

How to find Tiktok affiliates via direct messaging

  • Identify potential creators: Look for TikTok creators who are already sharing content related to your niche or product type. Review their engagement rate, audience demographics, and past brand collaborations.
  • Craft a personalized message: When reaching out, make sure your message is personalized to show that you’ve done your research. Highlight why you’d be a good fit for them and how your affiliate program can benefit both parties.
  • Offer clear incentives: Be clear about the benefits of joining your affiliate program. Whether it’s commission, free products, or exclusive discounts, make sure the offer is compelling enough to entice them.

You can directly contact creators who align with your niche and are more likely to engage with your affiliate program. This approach is free and doesn’t require a budget for ads, making it ideal for brands with limited marketing resources. Direct outreach through messaging is a common method used to start a conversation with potential affiliates.

Work with creator agencies

Partnering with creator agencies, like those available on platforms such as Fiverr, can help you streamline your TikTok affiliate recruitment process. These agencies specialize in matching brands with relevant influencers and affiliates, making it easier for you to connect with the right partners without needing to go through a long search process.

How to recruit Tiktok affiliates with creator agencies:

  • Choose the right agency: Platforms like Fiverr have numerous creator agencies and individual influencers offering services. You can filter your search based on niche, creator size, and experience.
  • Outline your needs: Be clear about what you’re looking for in your TikTok affiliates. This might include specific demographics, interests, and types of content they should create.
  • Set a budget: You can find creators at various price points. Agencies and freelancers will work within your budget to recruit the right affiliates and create the content you need.
  • Collaborate on campaigns: Once you’ve selected your creators, work with the agencies to launch your campaigns. The agencies will manage the communication and ensure your TikTok affiliates are on track.

Agencies have in-depth knowledge of influencer marketing and can quickly identify the best TikTok affiliates for your program. Instead of reaching out to creators individually, agencies can handle the bulk of the outreach and coordination, saving you time and effort.

Track and evaluate performance

Once you’ve recruited TikTok affiliates and launched your campaigns, it’s essential to track and evaluate the performance of your affiliate marketing efforts. Monitoring key performance indicators (KPIs) helps you determine whether your strategy is working and whether adjustments are needed. According to a report by Statista, 75% of affiliate marketers track affiliate sales performance to optimize their strategies and increase ROI.

Some key metrics to track are engagement rate, click-through rate, conversion rate, revenue generated, and cost per acquisition. Some effective tracking tools are Google Analytics, affiliate platforms (e.g., BixGrow), and Tiktok Analytics. 

By tracking performance, you can make informed decisions about which affiliates are generating the most value for your brand. You can identify which affiliates are most successful in driving traffic and conversions, enabling you to focus on your best-performing partners. Performance tracking allows you to tweak campaigns in real time for better results.

Build a strong incentive structure

A strong incentive structure is key to motivating TikTok affiliates to actively promote your products and drive results. By offering the right kind of rewards, you can ensure long-term engagement and performance.

Types of Incentives for Affiliates

  • Commission-based incentives: The most common incentive for affiliate marketing is commission, where affiliates earn a percentage of sales made through their unique affiliate links. You can offer a standard commission rate, or, to incentivize high performers, you may offer tiered commissions, with higher percentages for greater sales.
  • Performance bonuses: Bonuses can be given for reaching sales milestones, such as earning a bonus for every 100 sales generated or a fixed bonus for achieving a specific target.
  • Free products or samples: Offering free products to affiliates can be a great incentive, especially for TikTok creators who want to try and review your product creatively. This works well for beauty, health, and lifestyle brands, where influencers can showcase their experiences on TikTok.
  • Exclusive discounts for affiliates: Exclusive discounts make followers feel valued, and they can drive more sales for affiliates, increasing their incentive to continue promoting.
  • Recurring commissions: This works well for subscription-based services or products with high customer retention rates, where affiliates can earn a continuous income as long as the customer stays subscribed.

Offering higher rewards for better performance encourages affiliates to optimize their campaigns, improve their strategies, and push for greater results.

FAQs

Can affiliates search for brands through TikTok?

No, at the moment, TikTok does not provide a built-in feature for affiliates to directly search for brands. However, you can integrate your affiliate program with a management platform like BixGrow or other third-party affiliate marketing systems to enable easy collaboration.

If you already have a marketplace or an affiliate system in place (e.g., Shopify + BixGrow), here’s how you can use TikTok for affiliate marketing:

  • Create affiliate links easily: Provide your affiliates with shortened links or discount codes that they can share on their TikTok profiles or content.
  • Link through TikTok Bio: You can ask your affiliates to place their unique affiliate link in their TikTok bio, making it easily accessible for users to click on and purchase your products.

This method helps streamline the affiliate process and encourages smoother collaborations on TikTok.

Conclusion

Finding the right TikTok affiliates for your brand doesn’t have to be a daunting task. By leveraging tools like the TikTok Creator Marketplace, conducting targeted searches via niche hashtags, offering free samples, and focusing on micro-influencers, you can tap into the platform’s massive potential. Pairing this with affiliate recruitment platforms like BixGrow ensures you can track, manage, and scale your affiliate marketing program seamlessly.

By actively engaging with content creators, providing them with clear incentives, and tracking performance, you’ll be able to maximize the impact of your affiliate campaigns and grow your brand’s presence on TikTok. Stay strategic and creative, and remember, the right affiliates can boost your visibility, drive conversions, and ultimately take your TikTok marketing to the next level.

I have been working in marketing for four years, passionate about creative writing and copy writing. Love to be alone at watersides, sip coffee, play games or read anything that is thought provoking.