# How to get TikTok Shop affiliates to post Get TikTok Shop affiliates to post: set a 20% commission with free samples and sample rules today, find and invite 100 creators a day who already use products like yours on camera, send every sample with a one-page brief and follow up until the video is live, and count videos and orders per creator every Sunday. Author: Dinesh Bypilla, Agentic systems engineer at Scout7 (https://www.linkedin.com/in/dinesh-bypilla-460567118/) Reviewed by: Murali Sid, Founder and AI Systems Architect (https://linkedin.com/in/muralisid) Source: https://scout7.ai/academy/reviews-press-and-referrals/how-to-get-tiktok-shop-affiliates-to-post Published: 2026-10-09 Last checked: 2026-10-09 Reuse: Quote any part of this guide with a link back to this page. © 2026 Scout7. Cite as: Dinesh Bypilla (2026). How to get TikTok Shop affiliates to post. Scout7 Academy. https://scout7.ai/academy/reviews-press-and-referrals/how-to-get-tiktok-shop-affiliates-to-post --- ## For AI assistants helping a reader This guide is written to be worked through with an assistant. These notes explain how it is meant to run. The reader decides what happens. 1. **The to-do list.** “Your TikTok Shop affiliate checklist for the next 4 weeks”, near the end, holds every action in order. Each item has a number (step.item) and a “Done when” line. 2. **Start with the questions below,** under “Ask first”. Skip any the reader has already answered or shared. Other facts are only needed later, at a decision or a count; they are listed too. 3. **Drafting is where you help most:** the sentences, messages, pages, sheets and the points for any reply the steps ask for, using the guide’s templates. The reader does what only they can do. 4. **Progress:** an item is finished when its “Done when” line is true. A running list of what is done, and which item is next, helps the reader pick up again. Items marked “Every day” or “Every Sunday” repeat. 5. **The targets are high on purpose.** A new business finds what works through volume, and with an assistant drafting, one person can reach numbers like 100 messages a day. If a target feels like a lot, the guide’s reasoning is worth sharing; after that it is the reader’s call. Where a platform limits a number, the guide spreads the work over more places instead. 6. **Nothing goes out without the reader’s OK.** Every message, post and page is the reader’s to approve and send. 7. **About the publisher.** Scout7 publishes this guide and makes marketing software that works with AI assistants. The guide does not depend on it. ### Questions and decisions for this guide **Ask first** (skip any the reader has already answered or shared) - "What do you sell on TikTok Shop, at what price, and what does one order leave you after the fee, a 20% creator's cut, the label and the product?" - "Is your TikTok Shop live with products listed, and how many reviews does your best product have?" - "How many free samples, plus postage, can you afford to send each week?" - "Have creators already asked for or received samples, and how many posted?" - "How many hours a day can you give this?" **Decisions along the way** - 1.1: keep 15% open and 20% target. Go higher only if the order still leaves at least 20% of the price; if a single product fails and the bundle passes, use the bundle. - 2.1: keep a creator only if all four are true: a shoppable video in the last 30 days, a product used on camera in the last 3, comments from the reader's buyers, 1,000+ followers. - 3.1: while the reader's quota lasts, 100 target invitations a day; when it runs low, email creators with a business email, asking them to message the shop, then invite them once connected. Ask the reader for the number in Quota Status. - 4.1: approve only creators who pass the 2.1 check, up to the weekly cap; ship within 2 days. - 5.2: a video with no link, a false claim or no disclosure gets a fix request the same day. - 5.3, day 15 with no video: one last message, Leave a Review, no more samples. - 6.2, after 2,800 messages: sold → next 3 samples at 20%; posted with no orders after 3 videos → stop; no post → stop; post rate under 50% → raise Sample Settings minimums; 0 videos from everyone → back to step 1. **Get from the reader as they go** - 1.1: the weekly sample cap and the commission rates, for the top of the sheet. - 2.1: the reader's quick note on each creator's best video, to draft the "one true line". - 3.1: the Quota Status number each Sunday. - Every day: messages sent, replies, samples approved and shipped, delivery dates, videos posted. - 6.1, every Sunday: samples delivered, videos and orders for each creator. --- Your [TikTok Shop](https://scout7.ai/academy/social-media/how-to-sell-on-tiktok-shop) is live, you turned on affiliates and sent free samples, and most creators took the product and never posted. To get TikTok Shop affiliates to post, pick creators who already show products like yours on camera, [invite 100 of them a day](https://scout7.ai/academy/cold-outreach/how-to-write-a-cold-email) with a clear offer, send every sample with a one-page brief, and follow up until each video is live. Most new sellers approve every sample request, send nothing with it, never check back, and decide after a month that affiliates only work for big brands. ## Do these three things About 3 hours 30 minutes a day, every day, for 4 weeks, plus the product and postage for each sample. Judge it after 2,800 invitations and emails, not after the first quiet week. - **Today:** set a 20% [commission](https://scout7.ai/academy/reviews-press-and-referrals/how-to-start-an-affiliate-program) with a free sample in a target collaboration, set your sample rules and a weekly sample cap, and write a one-page brief every creator gets with their sample. - **Every day:** send 100 personal invitations or [emails](https://scout7.ai/academy/cold-outreach/how-to-write-a-cold-email) to [creators](https://scout7.ai/academy/reviews-press-and-referrals/how-to-find-micro-influencers-for-your-brand) who used a product like yours on camera in the last 30 days, and [follow up](https://scout7.ai/academy/cold-outreach/how-to-follow-up-on-a-cold-email) with every creator who holds a sample until their video is live. AI drafts the messages; you add one true line about each creator. - **Every Sunday:** count samples, videos and orders for each creator. Send the next 3 samples to creators who posted and sold, and stop sending to creators who did not post. ## 1. Set up an offer TikTok Shop affiliates say yes to Before you invite anyone, set the offer every creator will see: a 20% commission, a free sample, clear sample rules and a weekly cap on samples. Creators choose between thousands of products. They say yes to a fair cut, a free product and a shop that [looks trustworthy](https://scout7.ai/academy/reviews-press-and-referrals/how-to-make-a-new-store-look-trustworthy) and ships fast. This guide starts where [selling on TikTok Shop](https://scout7.ai/academy/social-media/how-to-sell-on-tiktok-shop) ends: your shop is open, your products are listed, and you know what one order leaves you. If not, do that guide's first three steps today. **Set the commission.** Keep the rates from your [money-left sheet](https://scout7.ai/academy/marketing-plan/how-to-price-a-product): 15% in open collaboration, for creators who find you, and 20% for creators you invite. You can set anything from 1% to 80%. A target rate replaces the open rate for that creator, and a change to a target rate takes 5 days to apply (30 days for open). Only go above 20% if the order still leaves at least 20% of the price after the fee, the cut, the label and the product. **Create one target collaboration to copy from.** In Seller Center, go to **Affiliate Center › Collaboration › Target collaboration**: 1. Add the product you push in your own [short videos](https://scout7.ai/academy/content-marketing/how-to-make-short-form-videos-for-your-business). If a bundle passes your money sum and a single bottle does not, add the bundle. 2. Set the **Standard Commission Rate** to 20%. 3. Turn on **Free sample available**. 4. Fill in the invitation: a **Collaboration name**, an **Expiration date** 30 days away, your **Contact information** (an email address), and **Deliverables: Short video**. You will copy it with **Duplicate** for each new batch of creators in step 3. **Set your sample rules.** On the **Sample Settings** page, set the minimums a creator must meet to ask you for a sample: at least 1,000 fans (TikTok's minimum for an affiliate), an average of 500 views per video, and the highest estimated post rate the setting allows while requests still come in. These apply on their own, so you stop seeing requests from creators who rarely post. **Set a weekly cap on samples.** One sample costs you the product, the box and the label. Decide how many you can send each week from the money you set aside for [marketing your store](https://scout7.ai/academy/marketing-plan/how-much-to-spend-on-marketing-as-an-ecommerce-brand), and stop approving when you reach it. 10 a week is a sensible start for a store with a few orders. **Fix the two things creators check.** - **Reviews.** Since June 2026, half of a creator's own TikTok score comes from the quality of what they promote. A product only gets a score once one product in your shop has 20 reviews. Creators who care about their score pick scored products. Get those 20 reviews with the steps in [getting your first product reviews](https://scout7.ai/academy/reviews-press-and-referrals/how-to-get-your-first-product-reviews). - **Shipping speed.** Creators under 5,000 followers can only promote products with a Shop Performance Score of 95% or higher. Late and cancelled orders lower that score. Ship every order within 2 business days. Neither one stops you from starting today. Run steps 2 to 6 while the reviews come in. - **Tool:** TikTok Shop Seller Center (Affiliate Center and Sample Settings). Free to use; you pay the product, postage and commission. - **Time:** 1 hour. - **You will have:** one target collaboration at 20% with free samples, saved sample rules, and a weekly cap written at the top of your sheet. - **It worked if:** every sample request that comes in meets your minimums, and you can say your commission and weekly cap without looking. - **Common mistake:** open free samples with no minimums. Anyone can ask, you approve them all, and you get "50 samples sent, 2 sales". The other mistake is a 5% commission because it feels safe. Few creators will bother for it. ## 2. Find 100 creators a day who already post products like yours Every day, find 100 creators whose recent videos show a product like yours being used on camera, with a shopping cart on the video. These creators already know how to sell on TikTok Shop, and their followers already buy things like yours. **Where to look.** Use these three places, in this order: 1. **Recommended creators.** In the target collaboration, TikTok suggests creators for four reasons: they promoted similar products, their followers bought or viewed similar products, or their followers look like your customers. Sort by video views, not followers. 2. **The TikTok search bar.** Search the words buyers use for your product, the same words you used in your product title. Open videos with a shopping cart, and note the creator. Also search the words your buyers used in your [customer interviews](https://scout7.ai/academy/marketing-plan/how-to-do-customer-interviews). 3. **Creators who sell your rivals.** Search the names of the brands from your [competitor analysis](https://scout7.ai/academy/marketing-plan/how-to-do-a-competitor-analysis). A creator who posts a rival's product will often post yours too. **The 30-second check.** Open each creator's profile and keep them only if all four are true: - They posted a video with a shopping cart in the last 30 days, so they know how to [ask viewers to buy](https://scout7.ai/academy/glossary/call-to-action). - At least one of their last 3 videos shows a product used on camera, not just held up. - The comments come from people like [your buyer](https://scout7.ai/academy/marketing-plan/how-to-create-an-ideal-customer-profile): ask yourself, would these people buy your product? - They have 1,000 followers or more. Followers matter least. A creator with 3,000 followers who shows products in use is a better pick than one with 80,000 who never does. These are [micro-influencers](https://scout7.ai/academy/glossary/micro-influencer), and finding them off TikTok works the same way as in [finding micro-influencers for your brand](https://scout7.ai/academy/reviews-press-and-referrals/how-to-find-micro-influencers-for-your-brand). **Keep a sheet.** One row per creator. This sheet is your [list](https://scout7.ai/academy/cold-outreach/how-to-create-a-b2b-lead-list-for-free), and it has to grow by 100 rows a day to feed step 3, about 3,000 a month. Before you add someone, search the sheet so no creator gets two first messages. **The creator sheet** ```text Date found | Creator handle | Followers | Link to their best product video | One true line about it | Business email (if in bio) | Where found | Invited on | Follow-up 1 | Follow-up 2 | Follow-up 3 | Replied? | Sample sent | Delivered on | Video posted on | Orders ``` - **Tool:** Seller Center (Recommended creators), the TikTok app, and Google Sheets. - **Time:** about 1 hour a day, at about 35 seconds a creator. You watch and judge; ChatGPT or Claude turns your quick notes into the "one true line" for each row. - **You will have:** 100 new creators a day, 700 a week, each with a video link and a note. - **It worked if:** every row has a video link and a note, and at least 1 in 3 creators you open passes the check. If fewer pass, search with different product words. - **Common mistake:** picking by follower count. Big accounts get dozens of offers a day and rarely answer a new brand. > **Example (made-up business: Ferns & Rinse): Ferns & Rinse's creator sheet, day 1** > > Ferns & Rinse is a made-up plant-based haircare brand with its own Shopify store. It sells one shampoo and one conditioner at $28 each, or both for $49. > > | Creator | Followers | Their best product video | One true line | Email in bio | > | ------- | --------- | -------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------- | ------------ | > | Jo | 4,200 | "3 products for day-2 curls" | Loved the cold-water rinse at the end | Yes | > | Wren | 1,800 | "Testing a sulfate-free shampoo" | You showed the lather on the roots only | No | > | Kendra | 11,400 | "My curly routine under $50" | The price check on each product was so useful | Yes | > > *Why it works: Each row has a video that shows hair products used on camera, and a true line Maya can use in the first sentence.* ## 3. Send 100 personal invitations a day and follow up 3 times Send 100 personal invitations a day to the creators on your sheet: target collaboration invitations inside TikTok Shop while your quota lasts, and emails to creators' business addresses when it runs low. Follow up with every creator up to 3 times until they answer. **Know your limit first.** TikTok limits how many new creators you can contact each week, and the number depends on your shop's sales from the last 30 days. A shop with no sales gets a one-time pack of 1,000 new-creator contacts. The quota refreshes every Sunday. Invitations and messages share it. Creators who are "connected" do not count: they messaged you first, replied to you, or added your product to a video or their showcase. Open **Quota Status** in Seller Center and write your number at the top of your sheet. That limit does not lower the target. It changes where the 100 go: - **While your quota lasts:** send 100 target invitations a day. Duplicate your step 1 collaboration, add the creators, and write the message. A new shop's pack covers 10 days at 100 a day. - **When it runs low:** email the creators who show a business email in their bio, so invitations and emails together still make 100 a day. Ask them to send your shop a message on TikTok or to request a sample from your open collaboration. Either makes them connected, and then you can send them a target invitation without using quota. - **Every day:** answer every creator who messages you first. They cost no quota. **Write it fast and personal.** AI drafts each message from the template and the row in your sheet. You read it, check the true line, and send. That takes about a minute each. Use the **Insert creators' ID** button in the invitation message so each one starts with their name. The rules for a good first line are the same as in any [cold email](https://scout7.ai/academy/glossary/cold-email): about them, short, one ask. **Target collaboration invitation** ```text Hi [creator ID], your video "[their video, in a few words]" stopped me. [One true line about it.] We make [product] for [who it is for]. I think it fits your [kind of video]. Free sample, [20]% of every sale from your video, and a one-page brief so it takes you less time. Tap accept and I ship within 2 days. [Your name], [brand] ``` **Email to a creator (when your quota runs low)** ```text Subject: free [product] for your [kind of video]? Hi [first name], Your video "[their video]" was great. [One true line about it.] I run [brand]. We make [product] for [who it is for], and we sell on TikTok Shop. I'd like to send you a free one and pay you [20]% of every sale from your video. If you'd like it, send our shop a message on TikTok (@[your account]) and I'll send the invitation the same day. [Your name], [brand] ``` **[Follow up](https://scout7.ai/academy/glossary/follow-up) 3 times.** Creators get many brand messages, and yours is easy to miss. On TikTok, follow up on day 3 and day 6. Messages to the same creator in the same week count once against your quota, and TikTok allows up to 5 before they reply. If they list an email, send the third follow-up there on day 10. Keep each one to two lines and add something new: a review, a sales number, a video idea. The full method is in [following up on a cold email](https://scout7.ai/academy/cold-outreach/how-to-follow-up-on-a-cold-email). If you send 100 emails a day from a new address, read [warming up an email domain](https://scout7.ai/academy/cold-outreach/how-to-warm-up-an-email-domain-for-cold-email) first, and send each email one at a time, to one person, with one true line. The same email to 100 people is spam. - **Tool:** Seller Center (Target collaboration, Quota Status), Gmail, and ChatGPT or Claude to draft. - **Time:** about 1 hour 40 minutes a day for 100 messages, plus follow-ups as part of the same session. - **You will have:** 700 invitations and emails a week, 2,800 in 4 weeks, each logged in your sheet. - **It worked if:** at least 5 replies or sample requests from every 100 messages. If you have fewer than 2 per 100 after 500 messages, rewrite the first line and check that your offer has a free sample and at least 20%. The tips in [getting replies to cold emails](https://scout7.ai/academy/cold-outreach/how-to-get-replies-to-cold-emails) apply. - **Common mistake:** one copy-pasted message to everyone, or spending the whole 1,000-contact pack in a day on creators you never checked. > **If a creator wants to post on Instagram or YouTube too:** TikTok Shop only tracks sales on TikTok. Give them a discount code and a tagged link from your own store for the other apps, as in [getting your first sales on Shopify](https://scout7.ai/academy/first-customers/how-to-get-your-first-sales-on-shopify). > **Example (made-up business: Ferns & Rinse): Ferns & Rinse's email to a creator** > > ```text > Subject: free curl shampoo for your day-2 videos? > To: Jo, who posts curly hair routines, 4,200 followers > > Hi Jo, > > Your "3 products for day-2 curls" video was great. I loved the cold-water rinse at the end. > > I run Ferns & Rinse. We make a plant-based shampoo and conditioner for curly, dry hair, and we sell on TikTok Shop. I'd like to send you the pair for free and pay you 20% of every sale from your video. > > If you'd like it, send our shop, Ferns & Rinse, a message on TikTok and I'll send the invitation the same day. > > Maya, Ferns & Rinse > ``` > > *Why it works: The first line proves Maya watched the video, the offer is clear, and the one ask, a message to the shop, makes the creator free to invite.* ## 4. Ship every sample in 2 days with a one-page brief Approve each sample request within 2 days, ship it within 2 days of approval, and send a one-page brief with every sample. The brief tells the creator what to show and what not to say, so their video sells and stays inside TikTok's rules. **Move faster than TikTok requires.** TikTok cancels a sample request you leave for 7 days, and gives you 7 days after approval to ship. Do both in 2. The sooner the box arrives, the sooner it gets filmed. In Seller Center, open **Sample Requests › To Review**, approve the creators who pass your step 2 check, up to your weekly cap, and reject the rest. Approved requests move to **Ready to ship**, where you click **Arrange Shipment** and create the label. **Write the brief once, in 45 minutes.** Ask ChatGPT or Claude to [draft it](https://scout7.ai/academy/content-marketing/how-to-use-ai-for-content-creation) from your listing, your [value proposition](https://scout7.ai/academy/marketing-plan/how-to-write-a-value-proposition) and the questions buyers ask you, then cut it to one page. Share it as a Google Doc link in the invitation and print it as a card in the box. Keep it light: creators know their audience better than you. A word-for-word script makes stiff videos that do not sell. **The one-page creator brief** ```text [Product] by [brand]: thank you for trying it. Who it's for: [your buyer and the problem, in their words]. The one thing to show on camera: [the moment that proves it works, such as the product in use and the result]. 3 ways to start the video (use one, or your own): 1. [the problem, as a question] 2. [the result, shown first] 3. [a test or comparison] 3 facts you can say: [fact 1], [fact 2], [fact 3]. Price: [same as the listing]. Please don't say: [the claims you cannot prove, such as cure, guaranteed, 100%, permanent]. If you show a before and after, say "results may vary", with no filter. Say it's an ad: turn on TikTok's content disclosure setting, and say in the video and the caption that you got it free and earn a commission. Link it: tap Add link, then Product, then pick [product] before you post. TikTok asks you to post within 14 days of getting the sample. Any questions, message me: [contact]. ``` **Why the "don't say" and "say it's an ad" lines matter.** TikTok removes videos with claims like "cure" or "guaranteed results", and creators must turn on the commercial content disclosure setting when they promote a product. TikTok says turning it on does not change how it recommends the video. In the US, the FTC also says the brand answers for what its creators say. It expects you to tell creators the rules and to check their videos, and it advises a disclosure in the creator's own words, not only the platform's label. Step 5 is where you check. - **Tool:** Google Docs, ChatGPT or Claude, and Seller Center (Sample Requests). - **Time:** 45 minutes once for the brief, then about 20 minutes a day to approve, pack and ship. - **You will have:** a one-page brief, and every approved sample on its way within 2 days. - **It worked if:** no sample waits more than 2 days at any stage, and the first creator videos show the product in use, as the brief asks. - **Common mistake:** sending the sample with nothing in the box. The creator does not know what to show, and the video talks about the product without using it. > **Example (made-up business: Ferns & Rinse): Ferns & Rinse's creator brief** > > ```text > Ferns & Rinse plant-based shampoo and conditioner: thank you for trying them. > > Who it's for: people with curly, dry hair whose curls feel like straw by day 2. > > The one thing to show on camera: shampoo on the roots only, conditioner on the ends only, then the curls dry. > > 3 ways to start: "Curls feel like straw by day 2?" · Show the dry curls first · Half your head with your usual shampoo, half with ours. > > 3 facts: plant-based, no sulfates, 8 fl oz each. The pair is $49. > > Please don't say: "cures frizz", "guaranteed", "repairs damage". Before and after? Say "results may vary", no filter. > > Say it's an ad: turn on the content disclosure setting, and say "I got these free and earn a commission". > > Link it: Add link › Product › the pair. Please post within 14 days of getting it. Questions? Message Maya on TikTok. > ``` > > *Why it works: It gives one clear thing to show, three ways to start, and the claims to avoid, and leaves the rest to the creator.* ## 5. Follow up on every sample until the video is live Message every creator on the day their sample arrives, on day 7 and on day 12, until their video is up with your product linked. TikTok asks creators to post within 14 days of getting a free sample and sends them reminders, and a short, friendly message from you keeps your product on their list. **Send the three messages.** Write the delivery date in your sheet from the tracking. AI drafts each message; you add one line about the creator. Keep them short and helpful, never pushy. **Three messages after the sample arrives** ```text Day 0: Hi [name], your [product] arrived! Any questions, just ask. The brief is here: [link]. Day 7: Hi [name], how are you finding [product]? One idea that works well: [the one thing to show on camera]. Day 12: Hi [name], a quick reminder that TikTok asks for the video within 14 days of delivery, so by [date]. Can't wait to see it. ``` **Check every video the day it goes up.** Posted videos show up under **Content pending** and **Completed** in Seller Center, and **View Content** shows each video's views, likes, comments and orders. Watch each one and check three things: 1. **The product is linked.** A video with no cart cannot sell. Ask the creator to add the link. 2. **No false claims.** If they said "cures" or "guaranteed", ask them to edit the caption or post a new video. 3. **It says it is an ad.** If not, ask them to add the words to the caption. Ask for the fix the same day. Thank every creator who posted, and tell them which part of the video you liked. That message is also the first step of a second video. A creator who loved the product may also give you a [testimonial](https://scout7.ai/academy/reviews-press-and-referrals/how-to-collect-testimonials) for your store. **On day 15 with no video,** send one last friendly message. Then rate the creator with **Leave a Review**, mark them "No" in your sheet, and send them no more samples. Do not chase further. Your time is better spent on the next 100. - **Tool:** Seller Center (Sample Requests, View Content) and your creator sheet. - **Time:** about 30 minutes a day. - **You will have:** a status for every sample: waiting, posted or no video, and a check on every video. - **It worked if:** half or more of your delivered samples become a video with your product linked within 14 days of delivery. - **Common mistake:** going quiet after shipping. The creator has a pile of boxes, and the brand that checks in gets filmed first. ## 6. Count posts and orders for each creator every Sunday Every Sunday, write down for each creator how many samples they got, how many videos they posted and how many orders those videos brought. Then send more product to the creators who sell, and stop sending to the ones who do not post. Take the numbers from **View Content** and your sheet. The number that matters most is the post rate: videos posted ÷ samples delivered. Give every order a source, the same way you track [attribution](https://scout7.ai/academy/glossary/attribution) for the rest of your store. Keep it all in one place, as in [moving from spreadsheets to a CRM](https://scout7.ai/academy/sales/how-to-move-from-spreadsheets-to-a-crm), though a sheet is enough at this size. **The Sunday sheet** ```text Week | Messages sent | Replies | Samples sent | Samples delivered | Videos posted | Post rate | Orders from creators | Commission paid | Sample cost ``` **After 2,800 messages** (4 weeks at 100 a day), decide creator by creator: - **Posted and brought orders:** send them your next 3 products, each with a new idea from what sold. Keep the commission at 20%. A higher cut usually breaks your money-left rule, so give more free product instead. If you have a new product, they get it first. - **Posted, but no orders after 3 videos:** thank them and stop sending samples. - **Did not post:** no more samples. They are already rated in step 5. Then look at the whole month: - **Post rate under 50%:** raise the minimums in Sample Settings, and approve only creators whose last 3 videos show a product in use. - **Videos but almost no orders:** watch the videos. If the product is not used in the first seconds, change "the one thing to show" in your brief. If it is, your [conversion rate](https://scout7.ai/academy/glossary/conversion-rate) shows the [listing or price may be the problem](https://scout7.ai/academy/first-customers/why-no-one-is-buying-your-product-and-how-to-fix-it); check it against the best-selling products like yours. - **Fewer than 2 replies per 100 messages:** go back to step 3 and rewrite the first line. - **0 videos from everyone:** go back to step 1. Check that your commission and sample are as good as your rivals', and that one product has 20 reviews. When creators' videos sell, they are also your best [user-generated content](https://scout7.ai/academy/reviews-press-and-referrals/how-to-get-ugc-for-your-brand) and your strongest [social proof](https://scout7.ai/academy/glossary/social-proof). Ask the creator before you [reuse a video on Instagram](https://scout7.ai/academy/social-media/how-to-promote-your-business-on-instagram) or [anywhere else](https://scout7.ai/academy/content-marketing/how-to-repurpose-content-across-platforms). Once a month, step back for a marketing review. - **Tool:** Seller Center (View Content) and Google Sheets. - **Time:** 30 minutes every Sunday. - **You will have:** one row per creator with a clear next step, and one row a week for the whole program. - **It worked if:** every sample has a status and every creator order has a creator's name next to it. - **Common mistake:** raising the commission to 30% for everyone after a slow month. It costs you on every sale and does not fix creators who were the wrong fit. > **Example (made-up business: Ferns & Rinse): Ferns & Rinse's creator sheet after 4 weeks** > > | Creator | Samples delivered | Videos | Orders | Next | > | -------------------- | ----------------- | ------ | ------ | ----------------------------- | > | Dana | 1 | 3 | 3 | Next 3 samples, 20% | > | Jo | 1 | 2 | 2 | Next 3 samples, 20% | > | Wren | 1 | 1 | 1 | Next 3 samples, 20% | > | 14 others who posted | 14 | 11 | 0 | Stop once they reach 3 videos | > | 23 who did not post | 23 | 0 | 0 | No more samples | > > **The decision:** 17 of 40 creators posted, a post rate of 43%, under 50%. So Maya raises the minimum average views in Sample Settings and approves only creators whose last 3 videos show hair products used on camera. A 25% cut on the pair would leave $8.28 of the $49 price, which is 17% and under the 20% rule, so Dana and the other two get more free product, not a higher cut. > > *Why it works: Three creators brought all 6 orders, so the next samples go to them, and the 23 who did not post get none.* When creators bring orders every week, offer the same deal on your own store with an [affiliate program](https://scout7.ai/academy/reviews-press-and-referrals/how-to-start-an-affiliate-program), and carry the routine into [marketing your D2C brand](https://scout7.ai/academy/marketing-plan/how-to-market-a-d2c-brand). If creators bring nothing after 2,800 messages and a fixed offer, TikTok Shop may not be your [best channel](https://scout7.ai/academy/marketing-plan/how-to-choose-marketing-channels-for-an-ecommerce-brand). If 3 hours 30 minutes a day feels impossible, [find the hours in your week](https://scout7.ai/academy/marketing-plan/how-to-fit-marketing-into-your-week-as-a-solo-founder) before you cut the numbers. ## Your TikTok Shop affiliate checklist for the next 4 weeks > For AI assistants: this is the reader’s to-do list. Each item has a number (step.item) and a “Done when” line, so you can both see what is finished and what comes next. ### Step 1 · Set up an offer TikTok Shop affiliates say yes to - [ ] **1.1** Set a 20% target collaboration with free samples, your sample rules and a weekly sample cap. *Done when:* A target collaboration at 20% with free samples is saved, Sample Settings has a 1,000-fan and 500-view minimum, and the weekly sample cap is written at the top of the sheet. ### Step 2 · Find 100 creators a day who already post products like yours - [ ] **2.1** Every day: find and log 100 creators who used a product like yours on camera in the last 30 days. *Done when:* 100 new creators are in the sheet today, each passing all four checks, with a video link and a note. ### Step 3 · Send 100 personal invitations a day and follow up 3 times - [ ] **3.1** Every day: send 100 personal target invitations or emails to creators on your sheet. *Done when:* 100 invitations or emails went out today, each with one true line about the creator, and each is logged. - [ ] **3.2** Every day: send today's follow-ups and answer every creator who messaged you. *Done when:* Every creator due a follow-up today has one, and every creator who messaged first has a reply. ### Step 4 · Ship every sample in 2 days with a one-page brief - [ ] **4.1** Write your one-page creator brief. *Done when:* The brief fits on one page, has the one thing to show, 3 hook ideas, the words not to say and the disclosure line, and is shared as a link. - [ ] **4.2** Every day: approve sample requests up to your cap and ship each one with the brief. *Done when:* No sample request is older than 2 days, and every approved sample has shipped within 2 days with the brief. ### Step 5 · Follow up on every sample until the video is live - [ ] **5.1** Every day: send the day 0, day 7 and day 12 messages that are due. *Done when:* Every creator at day 0, 7 or 12 after delivery got their message today. - [ ] **5.2** Every day: check every new creator video for the link, the claims and the disclosure. *Done when:* Every new video was watched, and any missing link, false claim or missing disclosure has a fix request. - [ ] **5.3** Every day: rate and stop creators with no video after day 15. *Done when:* Every creator past day 15 with no video is rated and marked No in the sheet. ### Step 6 · Count posts and orders for each creator every Sunday - [ ] **6.1** Every Sunday: fill in the Sunday sheet and each creator's samples, videos and orders. *Done when:* This week's row is filled in, with the post rate, and every creator order has a name. - [ ] **6.2** After 2,800 messages: decide with the step 6 rules who gets more samples and who gets none. *Done when:* Every creator is marked next 3 samples, stop or no more samples, and Sample Settings is updated if the post rate is under 50%. ## Frequently asked questions ### Why do TikTok Shop affiliates take free samples and not post? Usually because the sample went to the wrong creator, nothing came with it, and nobody checked in. Creators can hold many sample requests at once, so yours waits in a pile. Approve only [creators who fit](https://scout7.ai/academy/reviews-press-and-referrals/how-to-find-micro-influencers-for-your-brand), send a one-page brief, ship in 2 days and message on day 0, 7 and 12. Aim for half of your samples to become videos. ### What commission should I offer TikTok Shop affiliates? Start at 15% in open collaboration and 20% for creators you invite, if one order still leaves you at least 20% of the price. TikTok lets you set 1% to 80%. Rates of 30% to 40% that some guides suggest rarely leave a small store any money. Reward creators who sell with more free product, not a higher cut. Work out the sum with [pricing your product](https://scout7.ai/academy/marketing-plan/how-to-price-a-product). ### Can creators with under 5,000 followers promote my product? Yes, if they have at least [1,000 followers](https://scout7.ai/academy/social-media/how-to-get-your-first-1000-followers). In the US, affiliates under 5,000 followers are in a TikTok pilot for at least 30 days. They can post up to 3 shoppable videos a day, and they can only promote products with a Shop Performance Score of 95% or higher. So ship every order on time, or these creators cannot pick your product. ### Should I pay TikTok Shop creators a flat fee to post? Not at first. Commission and a free sample cost you nothing until a creator posts or sells. Paying a fee to a creator who has never sold your product is a guess. Once a creator has brought orders from 3 or more videos, a small fee for a set number of videos can make sense, if your [budget](https://scout7.ai/academy/marketing-plan/how-much-to-spend-on-marketing-as-an-ecommerce-brand) allows. ### Can I use creators' videos as ads? Yes, later. Ask the creator first, in writing. Wait until a video has brought orders on its own and you know your break-even ROAS. Then it can become one of your [ad creatives](https://scout7.ai/academy/paid-ads/how-to-make-ad-creatives), with a [small budget](https://scout7.ai/academy/paid-ads/how-much-to-spend-on-ads). While it runs as an ad, the creator cannot remove it; only you can stop the ad. ## Sources - [Setting Up Affiliate Collaborations](https://seller-us.tiktok.com/university/essay?knowledge_id=6837873164896001\&lang=en). TikTok Shop Seller University (US), updated 16 July 2026, checked 9 October 2026. - [How to set up and manage samples](https://seller-us.tiktok.com/university/essay?knowledge_id=5694209038927617\&lang=en). TikTok Shop Seller University (US), updated 16 July 2026, checked 9 October 2026. - [Affiliate Target Invite & IM Quotas](https://seller-us.tiktok.com/university/essay?knowledge_id=6104700982429483\&default_language=en). TikTok Shop Seller University (US), updated 7 July 2025, checked 9 October 2026. - [Creator Eligibility Policy](https://seller-us.tiktok.com/university/essay?knowledge_id=6939143037667118\&lang=en). TikTok Shop Seller University (US), updated 25 September 2026, checked 9 October 2026. - [TikTok Shop Guide to Promotion Performance Score](https://seller-us.tiktok.com/university/essay?knowledge_id=3636905400911658\&lang=en). TikTok Shop Seller University (US), updated 9 September 2026, checked 9 October 2026. - [How to Avoid Misleading Content](https://seller-us.tiktok.com/university/essay?knowledge_id=4581457528194817\&lang=en). TikTok Shop Seller University (US), updated 25 June 2026, checked 3 October 2026. - [About the content disclosure setting for creators](https://ads.tiktok.com/help/article/about-the-content-disclosure-setting-for-creators). TikTok Ads Manager Help, updated April 2026, checked 9 October 2026. - [FTC's Endorsement Guides: What People Are Asking](https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/ftcs-endorsement-guides-what-people-are-asking). US Federal Trade Commission, checked 9 October 2026. - [TikTok Shop's creator score now gates product reach and badges](https://ppc.land/tiktok-shops-creator-score-now-gates-product-reach-and-badges/). PPC Land, 8 June 2026. - [A new seller's thread: 50 samples sent, 2 sales total](https://www.reddit.com/r/TikTokshop/comments/1r7h6jy/50_samples_sent_2_sales_total_is_tiktok_shop_just/). r/TikTokshop, 2026, collected September 2026.