Shop Talk

Influencers and normies alike are cashing in on programs like TikTok Shop.

Whenever I need new skin care, I verify to buy it from my friend Rachel.

She made $4,000 in her first month.

I knew I needed another pipeline of revenue.

Would you want to work with me?

These days, Tomalin has more than 735,000 Instagram followers.

Affiliate marketing makes up two thirds of her total income and allowed her husband to quit his job.

Katera B. similarly found affiliate marketing when looking for another revenue stream.

But those videos have gone almost viral because I just mastered the art of creating engaging visual content.

When it comes to how much you canactuallymake, every affiliate marketing platform is different.

If accepted, participants can make a commission of up to 20% on a sale,Business Insiderreports.

Influencers are making these recommendations on platforms that, until recently, didnt benefit from their sales.

With TikTok affiliate, Im getting like $7-plus per sale, says Katera.

Where on Amazon you get pennies.

So I feel like Im going to move more toward TikTok Shop.

Like any form of passive income, affiliate marketing is often hailed as a get-rich-quick scheme.

In reality, its more likely to be a helpful side hustle than anyones primary income.

The results are highly individual and are often at the mercy of the algorithm.

Unless youre routinely going viral, its easy to sink time into content that wont ever return commensurate sales.

Now, instead of dropping an Amazon link to her recommendation, shell direct us to herShopMystorefront.

She created a separate Instagram account,Virgo Skin, for sharing tried-and-tested products with friends.

Its definitely just a fun perk, she says.

Ultimately, this natural, friend-to-friend connection is what influencers should aim to emulate, Khanna says.

Otherwise, youre liable to get lost in the noise yet another person hawking goods on the Internet.

And yet, every creator who spoke to Bustle said they hope to increase affiliate marketing.

Right now, Khanna says affiliate marketing makes up 10% to 15% of her income.

By the end of 2024, shed like that number to be closer to 20%.

If anything, were going to see a spike and a lot more retailers offering things like shoppable links.

TikTok Shop is just the beginning.