In short: Brands selling on TikTok Shop can work with creators in two different ways. They can pay for videos (UGC), or they can pay commission when a sale comes through a creator’s link (the Shop affiliate program). The first buys content, the second buys sales, and many brands use both. If you want to run a creator’s post as an ad, TikTok’s Spark Ads need the creator’s permission.
Where TikTok Shop is available
FashionUnited reports that TikTok Shop launched in Germany, France and Italy on March 31, 2025, after launches in the UK, Spain and Ireland the year before. Availability and creator requirements differ by country and change, so check TikTok’s current rules for yours before you plan around it.
Two ways to work with creators
| Question | Paid UGC | Shop affiliate |
|---|---|---|
| The brand pays for | A finished video | A sale via the link |
| Who publishes | Usually the brand | The creator |
| Creator is paid | Per approved video | Only on a sale |
| Brand controls | Brief and placement | Rate and approvals |
| Best for | Ad creative, product pages | Reach, pay for results |
In paid UGC the creator earns a fee for each approved video whether or not it sells, and the brand decides where it runs. In the Shop affiliate program the creator posts on their own account and earns commission only when a sale completes; the brand sets the commission rate and approves which creators take part.
How the Shop affiliate program works
Printify’s seller guide describes it this way:
- The seller sets the commission. In Open Collaboration any TikTok Shop creator can apply to promote your products, and you can set rates for individual items or the whole catalog. In Targeted Collaboration you choose creators and can set rates from 1% to 80%, which override the Open Collaboration rates.
- Samples. Free samples are offered within Targeted Collaborations, and sellers can approve sample requests manually or automatically.
- Payment. The commission is paid automatically from the product’s retail price once a sale is completed through the creator’s link. TikTok also charges platform and transaction fees, which sellers should price in.
Where paid UGC helps a Shop
This part is practical advice, not from a source.
- Fresh videos for your own account. A steady supply of creator-style videos gives your feed variety that product shots do not.
- Test before you pay for reach. A few UGC videos show which hooks and demonstrations hold attention, before you add ad budget or commission offers behind them.
- Proof for hesitant buyers. Texture, fit and size shown by real people answer the questions a product photo cannot.
Running a creator’s post as an ad: Spark Ads
TikTok describes Spark Ads as an ad format that lets advertisers use organic TikTok posts as ads. A brand can do this with posts made by other creators only with the creator’s permission, which is given through an authorization code; TikTok says advertisers can customize how long the authorization lasts. Views, comments, shares and likes earned while the post is boosted are credited to the original post. That makes it a form of whitelisting: the ad runs from the creator’s account, so the duration and price should be agreed separately from the video itself. The equivalents on Meta and YouTube are in partnership ads, Spark Ads and whitelisting.
What to put in a Shop-focused brief
- The product, the one thing to show and who it is for.
- Where the video will run: your account, your product page, ads, or a creator’s account through Spark Ads.
- Whether the offer may be spoken on camera. Offers date a video quickly, so one option is to keep them in the caption.
- The claims the creator may and may not make, and how disclosure will be handled.
- A request for two or three alternative hooks, so you can test.
A starting point is the UGC brief template, and ideas for openings are in UGC video ideas and hooks.
Disclosure and claims
A commission is a financial relationship. The US Federal Trade Commission says that someone who earns commission from links should say so clearly and close to the recommendation, and that for videos the disclosure belongs in the video as well as the description. Cosmetic and personal-care claims still need evidence behind them, whether the video is paid UGC or an affiliate post. See UGC disclosure rules and cosmetic claims in UGC.
For creators: which one pays what
Paid UGC pays for the video whether or not anything sells, so it is the steadier income. Shop affiliate commission pays only when a sale completes, so treat it as a bonus on top, much as with referral income. Neither needs the other. For the wider picture see ways to make money as a UGC creator.
On Usicri
Usicri covers the paid-video side. A brand creates a campaign, sets the payout per video and pays only for the videos it approves; the approved, paid video comes with a license that covers advertising (section 5 of the Terms of Service). Usicri is not connected to TikTok Shop and does not run affiliate commissions. Ads that run through a creator’s own account, as with Spark Ads, are not part of that license and are not handled by Usicri; a brand that wants this has to agree it with the creator separately. See open campaigns.