TikTok is absolutely crushing affiliate and influencer marketing in a way that no social network or entertainment platform has ever done before. This could have been Facebook and Instagram a decade ago if they weren’t so obsessed with controlling the entire e-commerce catalog and shopping journey, which they failed miserably at.
Here’s what’s new:
- TikTok launched TikTok Go, a new creator monetization program that lets influencers earn commissions or vouchers from local businesses like hotels and restaurants. To qualify, creators must be 18+ and have at least 1,000 followers on an account in good standing. The program is now available to hotels and creators in the U.S., Indonesia, & Japan.
- TikTok partnered with Booking.com to allow users to select dates, view amenities, read reviews, view prices, and book rooms directly in the app. Each hotel has a dedicated landing page with information about accommodation, things to do nearby, and related TikTok videos about the property. Creators can also tag the hotel in videos. Effectively this is an extension of the TikTok Go program mentioned above, but specific to Booking.com. I imagine in the future there will be multiple hotel aggregators listed, similar to searching on Google.
- CJ Affiliate launched a first-party integration with TikTok that lets publishers promote TikTok Shop products outside of the app. Previously, all links had to be promoted within the app itself, but through the integration, links can be shared across websites, blogs, newsletters, and other owned media. Sellers also gain the ability to track which off-app creators drove clicks and sales.
The last announcement above, about TikTok partnering with CJ Affiliate, is absolutely groundbreaking and a true “watch out” moment for Amazon, which has offered an affiliate program since 1996. Whereas before, TikTok Shop was limited by traffic sent from videos within the app or users browsing the in-app shop directly, now it opens the door for bloggers, newsletter operators, and even influencers on other platforms to drive traffic to TikTok Shop and earn a commission. I’m impressed!
