TikTok’s affiliate program offers a valuable way for creators to monetize their content and for sellers to leverage influencer marketing to drive sales. However, we often hear from affiliate creators who reach out to our clients—whose TikTok pages we manage—asking why they are receiving a lower commission than they once did on their videos.
This highlights a common misunderstanding between standard commissions and ad commissions within TikTok’s affiliate system. Many creators assume they will always receive the same commission rate, regardless of how a sale is generated. However, the way commissions are structured depends on whether a sale happens organically or as a result of paid advertising.
How TikTok’s Affiliate Commission Works
Sellers using TikTok Shop can set commission rates for creators promoting their products. These rates are managed in the TikTok Seller Center and fall into two categories:
Standard TikTok Commission Rate
- This applies to sales made through organic traffic.
- If a customer clicks on an affiliate creator’s product link in a video and makes a purchase without interacting with an ad, the creator receives the standard commission rate set by the seller.
Shop Ads Commission Rate
- This applies to sales that result from paid advertisements featuring affiliate content.
- Sellers can set a lower commission rate for sales that come from ads, since they are already paying for promotion.
- If a seller does not specify a Shop Ads commission rate, the standard commission rate applies by default.
Why Are Some TikTok Creators Seeing Lower Commissions?
Many affiliate creators don’t realize that when their video is used in an ad, the commission may be different. Sellers may adjust their Shop Ads commission rate to balance their costs because they are already paying for ad placements while still paying out commissions on sales.
For some businesses, profit margins are thin, especially for lower-cost or high-competition products. This means they cannot afford to pay the same commission on a sale that was driven by an ad as they do on an organic sale.
This is not a violation of TikTok’s Terms of Service—it is how TikTok’s affiliate system is designed. Understanding these commission structures helps creators avoid confusion and make informed decisions about which affiliate offers to accept.
The Benefit of Ad-Pushed Affiliate Content for Creators
While some creators are frustrated by receiving a lower commission on ad-driven sales, there are major benefits to having your affiliate content promoted by a company’s ad spend:
- You earn commissions on sales that likely wouldn’t have happened otherwise. Without the company running ads, many potential buyers wouldn’t have seen the video in the first place.
- Your content reaches a much larger audience. When a company pays to push your affiliate video through ads, it gets seen by thousands—sometimes millions—of people who wouldn’t have come across your content organically.
- You gain additional exposure and potential new followers. This can lead to more engagement, more affiliate partnerships, and better future opportunities with brands.
Instead of seeing ad-driven sales as a commission reduction, it can be viewed as an extra revenue stream that also helps grow your brand presence.
Target Collaborations vs. Open Collaborations
When working with TikTok Shop affiliate offers, creators will come across two types of partnerships:
Target Collaborations
- These are invite-only offers where a seller handpicks certain creators to promote their products.
- Commission rates in target collaborations are often negotiable, and brands may offer better rates to creators with a strong track record.
Open Collaborations
- These are available to all eligible creators on TikTok Shop.
- Commission rates are pre-set by the seller, and any creator can opt-in.
- While open collaborations offer more opportunities, they also tend to have less room for negotiation on commission rates.
For creators looking to maximize earnings, building relationships with brands and securing target collaborations can lead to better commission rates and long-term partnerships.
- Sellers must carefully balance commission rates with their ad budgets and profit margins to remain sustainable.
- Creators should understand the difference between standard and ad commissions to avoid confusion.
- Affiliate promotions that receive ad spend benefit creators in more ways than just commission—exposure, audience growth, and future opportunities.
By understanding how TikTok’s affiliate commission structures work, both sellers and creators can make smarter decisions and build more profitable partnerships.
