TikTok has become a popular venue for affiliate marketers to showcase and promote products. Its popularity also makes it an ethical minefield.
Luckily, there are some ways to avoid the pitfalls of affiliate marketing on TikTok. These include staying updated on trends, engaging with your audience by responding to comments and participating in duets.
1. TikTok’s Algorithms Reinforce Oppressive Beliefs
Many of TikTok’s most controversial features are due to its algorithms that determine what content users see, such as with the TikTok Affiliates Club. This is a similar process to how Facebook and Twitter recommend what you should read or view next based on the content you engage with. However, instead of relying on who you follow, TikTok’s algorithm uses engagement with specific content to predict whether you will enjoy new videos it recommends in your ‘For You’ feed.
As a result, the platform’s algorithms can reinforce existing societal biases and prejudices that exist in the general population, especially those stemming from oppressive beliefs. It also makes it easy for these biases to spread as users share or comment on videos, further reinforcing stereotypes.
While TikTok has promised to take greater responsibility for its algorithms, it is not clear whether the company will be able to reverse these trends. It has already been accused of censoring political content that criticizes its Chinese ownership and Beijing’s human rights abuses (Lin 2020). Additionally, it is worth noting that forensic research shows TikTok’s data collection efforts do not appear to be any more invasive than other social media platforms, and that transparency initiatives may simply be a way for the company to deflect criticism and a possible US ban.
Despite the potential risks of the platform, TikTok’s audience remains large and active. Viviana recommends using TikTok as one of multiple channels in an affiliate marketing strategy to grow engaged audiences and direct viewers to other products or services that you sell. Creating engaging content will help you build brand recognition and trust, which will make it easier for your audience to click through your affiliate links. In addition, focusing on content that is relevant to your audience will ensure you’re not seen as an obvious product pusher.
TikTok’s younger demographic is particularly resistant to promotional videos that look too much like hard selling, so it is important to be mindful of this when making your TikTok videos. Additionally, you should always be honest with your audience about the relationship between your video and the product you are promoting. You should also avoid using shady tactics like false click-through rates or “sham” promotions, which can damage your reputation and harm the trust that you have built with your audience.
2. TikTok’s Algorithms Reinforce Oppressive Beliefs
As with other social media platforms, TikTok uses an algorithm to decide what content users see. However, unlike Facebook or Twitter, which prioritizes the people who follow you, TikTok analyzes the kinds of videos and other content you watch, likes, and skips to decide what it delivers to your ‘For You’ feed next. This enables the app to more quickly learn about your interests and deliver more of the same.
In fact, the opacity of the algorithm that determines what TikTok users see is perhaps the most troubling aspect of the platform’s growing presence. For instance, it’s easy for the government of a foreign country to use the platform to send users down a far-right rabbit hole. In addition, the algorithm that drives the platform is based on an ‘interest graph’ rather than a’social graph’. This distinction is critical to understanding how TikTok operates and why it has seized the attention of lawmakers (Saylor 2022).
As such, despite TikTok’s claims about its transparency initiatives, the company’s algorithms seem to reinforce rather than burst filter bubbles. These algorithms keep users glued to the app by delivering more of what they already enjoy watching and avoiding those types of videos that are less likely to engage them.
The lack of transparency around TikTok’s algorithms is a major part of why many politicians are pushing for bans of the app in their countries. But, a careful examination of these proposals reveal that they are motivated by overblown security concerns, and a desire to leverage TikTok’s popularity into economic advantage against China (Gray 2020).
To make the most of the platform, affiliate marketers need to create engaging content that leaves a positive lasting impression on viewers. This will earn viewers’ trust and encourage them to click on your dedicated links. These will redirect them to the brand or product page where they can make a purchase and earn you a commission when they do so. Limiting link placement, short content lifespans, and limited in-video linking means that it can be difficult to direct viewers to the products you promote on TikTok. In some cases, a third party known as an affiliate network serves as the middleman between brands and creators to streamline this process.
3. TikTok’s Algorithms Reinforce Oppressive Beliefs
With over a billion downloads and growing, TikTok has emerged as one of the world’s most popular apps. It’s also a powerful platform for affiliate marketers to drive traffic and sales to their digital products. But like any other digital platform, TikTok poses its own ethical challenges that can be difficult to navigate.
First and foremost, TikTok’s algorithms reinforce oppressive beliefs. The platform’s “For You” feed surfaces content based on the app’s unique algorithm, which observes how users interact with different videos and other content. This approach is similar to how Spotify and Netflix observe which songs and movies users listen to and watch to decide which new content to recommend.
As a result, users are nearly equally likely to see videos from major TikTok influencers with millions of followers as they are from smaller accounts with hundreds or thousands of followers. This democratized content distribution levels the playing field for creators of all sizes, and it also promotes the spread of information and ideas at a rate that would be impossible to match on other social media platforms.
Moreover, TikTok’s algorithms are highly personalized, and they tend to favor content that is both entertaining and educational. This individualized experience can create a “filter bubble” where users are exposed to content that is agreeable to them and avoids challenging opinions or ideas that they find disagreeable. This can exacerbate feelings of bias and prejudice, which in turn may foster sentiment.
Finally, TikTok’s advertising system is based on a silent auction, where advertisers bid to have their ads appear in users’ For You feed. This approach allows the platform to serve targeted ads to users based on their demographics and psychographics, which can lead to higher click-through rates than traditional social media advertising methods.
While TikTok is a powerful affiliate marketing tool, it’s important to use the platform wisely and not rely solely on it for traffic and revenue. Instead, focus on building a brand within your target niche and promoting products that your audience is likely to spend their disposable income on. This includes consumer mass products such as clothing, food, and electronic gadgets, as well as B2B products such as office supplies, health equipment, and online courses.
4. TikTok’s Algorithms Reinforce Oppressive Beliefs
Social media platform officials and spokespeople are quick to emphasize that their algorithms are a valuable public good. These efforts are driven by the belief that, if they can prove that their AI is unbiased and objective, they can convince policymakers and the general public of their value. But the fact is, these algorithms are biased—and they reinforce oppressive beliefs and ideologies.
A recent study published in the journal PLOS ONE found that TikTok’s algorithm promotes “conservative ideas” in videos, particularly those related to gender and religion. The research used a crowdsourced model to analyze videos uploaded to the platform in the US and UK. They were analyzed for keywords and content, with an emphasis on topics that are likely to trigger prejudices. The researchers discovered that the algorithm tended to favor conservative ideas, while excluding liberal and progressive ideas from recommendation feeds. The researchers also found that the algorithm’s preference for conservative ideas correlated with its tendency to promote anti-immigration and anti-Muslim content
But despite the problems with the app’s algorithm, there are ways to monetize on TikTok. The platform offers a number of tools to help creators promote and sell their content, including shoppable ads and direct product links in videos. Its algorithmic reach and high engagement rates (58.4 minutes per day) present a sizable opportunity for affiliate marketers to attract and earn a following on the platform.
To maximize the impact of your affiliate marketing on TikTok, focus on creating content that is engaging and memorable. Choosing a niche that is relevant to your audience and providing valuable information will allow you to stand out from the competition and generate more organic growth. Identifying trends early and leveraging collaborations can also help you to grow your audience quickly.
