Key Points:

• Understand different creator account types
• Learn the benefits of becoming a TikTok Shop creator
• Check eligibility requirements and verification steps

Different Types of Creators

Have you ever wondered how some creators can put product links in their videos or add a product showcase to their LIVE? They are TikTok Shop creators! Here's a breakdown of everything you need to know about TikTok Shop creators and how they differ from other types of creators on TikTok.

TikTok Creator

Anyone can be a TikTok creator! A TikTok creator is anyone that posts or shares videos that are not intended to promote or sell products.Post a video or do a livestream to take your first step as a TikTok creator.

Official Shop Creator

An official shop creator is a creator account that has an official creator bind to a seller account. This allows TikTok Shop sellers to promote products directly from their bound TikTok Shop. Official shop creator accounts will share the same name as their bound TikTok Shop.

Marketing Creator

Marketing creators represent specific brands on TikTok. They will be closely tied to a brand's TikTok Shop through a marketing creator bind but also have the flexibility to promote other brands' products from the TikTok Shop Product Marketplace. They do not need to have the same account name as their bound TikTok Shop.

Affiliate Creator

An affiliate creator uses their TikTok channel to promote products in videos or livestreams.When you create content or promote products in a video, you are taking the first step towards monetizing your content as an affiliate creator. There are eligibility requirements (see TikTok Shop Creator Eligibility section) to become an affiliate creator.Once you become an affiliate creator, you can quickly collaborate with sellers and earn commissions from orders you generate using the features below:If you are ready to take the next step and become a TikTok Shop creator, you can convert your existing TikTok creator account into an affiliate account on your mobile device here: Convert your account.

TikTok Shop Creator Perks

As a TikTok Shop creator, you have exclusive access to:

• Shoppable Video Hub: Best practices, AI tools and templates, and insights to make creating engaging videos a breeze.
• Affiliate creator programs: Browse the TikTok Shop Product Marketplace and curate your catalog in Product Showcase. Qualify for campaigns and enjoy enhanced reach and better ads performance with an eligible Promotion Performance Score.
• Monetization: Team up with your favourite brands and earn commissions for orders made through your TikTok Shop product promotions. Find out more about collaborations and commissions.
  

TikTok Shop Creator Eligibility

All TikTok creators can apply to become a TikTok Shop creator if they meet all of the following requirements:

General Eligibility Requirements

• Must be at least 18 years old
• Must be based in the United States
• Must not be a Government, Politician, or Political Party Account (GPPPA) as defined here
• Must not share the same or similar login information with TikTok Shop accounts with high violations
• Have no prior record of having e-commerce permissions revoked by TikTok Shop
• Must pass the Creator Identity Verification process (Not applicable to Official Shop creators and Marketing creators without e-commerce permission)
• Comply with our TikTok Shop Content Policy, TikTok Community Guidelines, Creator Code of Conduct, and all other TikTok Shop policies

Follower Requirements by Creator Account Type

Affiliate Creator

• Must have at least 1,000 followers

Official Account

• No minimum follower requirement to bind with TikTok Shop
• Can only self-sell, meaning you can promote products from your own TikTok Shop
• Cannot access the TikTok Shop product marketplace

Marketing Account

• No minimum follower requirement to bind with TikTok Shop for self-selling
• To promote products from other sellers via the TikTok Shop product marketplace, the account must have at least 5,000 followers

Note: You can submit a request for access in TikTok Shop Toolkit → Manage Your Account → Affiliate Permissions

Age Confirmation

If you are an Affiliate or Marketing creator, you will be asked to verify your age upon registering for access to the TikTok Shop Product Marketplace. You must confirm your age within 2 months of registration.
You are given up to 15 attempts, depending on your chosen method of confirmation. This includes:

• In-app recognition: Up to 3 attempts
• Credit card authorization: Up to 6 attempts
• Uploading a real-time ID and selfie photo: Up to 6 attempts.
  • Take Photos of your Government Issued ID
  • Take 3 real-time selfies with your head turned.

Identity Verification

This section applies to Affiliate and Marketing creators who meet any of the following scenarios:

• Registered for e-commerce permissions starting July 2025.
• Have not completed your identity verification before July 2025.

You may be asked to submit your personal identity information and provide identification documents to verify your eligibility after earning your first commission. These include:

• Your Full Name
• Date of birth
• Address
• Front and back images of a valid government-issued identity document (up to 10 attempts), such as:
  • U.S. driver's license
  • U.S. state-issued identity
  • Passport (Personal details page only)

Note:Identity verification may take a few minutes to complete. While verification is in progress, product links may be hidden from viewers. Once successfully verified, you will be able to access TikTok Shop features, including commission withdrawals.
To promote products from the TikTok Shop Product Marketplace and earn commissions, creators must complete the identity verification process. If you are bound to a TikTok Shop as an official creator, you may promote products from that shop without completing creator identity verification.

Creator Pilot Program

If you're an Affiliate creator or Marketing creator who applied for affiliate permission, you will begin a 30-day Creator Pilot Program* as a new TikTok Shop creator if you have fewer than 5,000 followers. During this time, you can explore promoting products from the TikTok Shop Product Marketplace with some limited capabilities, such as:

• Access to products with shop performance of at least 95% on TikTok Shop Product Marketplace
• Posting limit of maximum of 5 product promotion videos and 3 LIVEs per week

Changes to these scheduled videos with the "pending" status count towards the quota, including:

• Changing privacy settings for the video from public to private
• Deleting the video due to personal reasons or TikTok Shop policy
• Edits made to the shoppable link in the video

• Not eligible to join campaigns

Shoppable video content frequency limits

Situations where frequency is deducted:

• Any posted shoppable videos, including those viewable only to you, will count towards your limit
• Scheduled shoppable videos will count towards your limit the moment they're scheduled, not at the time they're scheduled to post
• If you delete a posted shoppable video, it will still be counted towards your limit that week
• If a shoppable video is removed due to a violation, it will still count towards your limit
• If you add a product link to a previously posted video, it becomes a shoppable video and counts towards your limit

Situations where frequency is not deducted:

• Shoppable content that was not successfully published (including those saved, in draft status, or that failed to publish) will not have the posting frequency deducted
• Regular short videos with no product link added

How do I graduate from the Creator Pilot Program?

Unlock TikTok Shop's full capabilities when you graduate from the program. To do so, focus on maintaining a clean record with a minimum of 176 points in your Creator Health Rating. Demonstrate that you are an active creator by fulfilling one of the following requirements:

• Published 6 or more shoppable videos, each at least 8 seconds long
• Promoted TikTok Shop products in at least 1 livestream that is at least 5 minutes long
• Generated 10 orders in your shoppable content

After this time, you will be invited to take our probation quiz. Pass the quiz and meet all of the above requirements to complete your to get full access to TikTok Shop Product Marketplace access, shoppable LIVEs, and campaigns! If you surpass 5,000 followers, these limits will also be lifted.
*This does not apply to creators who were verified before April 7, 2025.Continue to grow your affiliate success to the 5,000-follower milestone to gain full access to post unlimited shoppable videos. Note that creators must continue to comply with our platform policies or face enforcements that include but are not limited to extended shoppable video content frequency limits. If you have under 5,000 followers, your shoppable posts quota refreshes every Monday at midnight PST. View your posting quota in the app by going to Creator Center > Settings > Creator Pilot Program.

High-Impact Violations

This section will update with new developments and evolving best practices on a regular basis. To stay aligned with the latest guidance, please bookmark this page and revisit this section frequently.

Content Editing Tactics to Avoid:

Any attempts to mask or hide policy-violating content through video editing will result in enforcement actions, including content removal or account penalties.
⚠️Such behavior can significantly impact your Creator Health Rating (CHR) and may lead to permanent loss of EC (E-Commerce) permissions. Common violations include:

• Hiding prohibited products, content or claims within edited video frames
• Using deceptive transitions or frame manipulation to bypass detection
• Re-uploading previously removed violating content in disguised formats

Let’s work together to maintain a safe and compliant platform environment

Take the Next Step as a TikTok Shop Creator

Ready to turn your creativity into opportunity? Becoming a TikTok Shop Creator opens the door to monetization, brand collaborations, and access to powerful creator tools—all while doing what you love. If you still have questions or need help getting started, please contact us here.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Do I apply or wait to be invited to the TikTok Shop creator program?

You will need to submit an application for review.

If you meet the above criteria, you may apply to be a TikTok Shop Creator on your TikTok profile page:

• Step 1: Select TikTok Studio
• Step 2: Under the Monetization tab, select TikTok Shop for Creator > Join now
  

How many creator accounts can I have?

One ID can be used to verify up to five TikTok Shop creator accounts. Creators who fail to complete the identity verification process will not be granted e-commerce permissions on TikTok Shop.

Do I need to verify my identity when binding multiple accounts on TikTok Shop?

Yes, every creator account must go through identity verification.

Does the name of my marketing creator account need to be the same as the TikTok Shop?

No, the name of your marketing creator account does not need to be the same as the name of your TikTok Shop. This only applies to the official creator account that is bound to the TikTok Shop.

How can I earn commissions as a creator?

You earn commission when a viewer makes an order through your shoppable videos or LIVEs, or sharable affiliate links. TikTok Shop creators with less than 5,000 followers can only post 5 shoppable videos per week. Get started by creating your commission account.

How are commissions calculated?

To know how much you can earn from each purchase made through your content, you may check the estimated commission amount on the product detail page when you select from the product list. Check out more FAQs on commissions here.

How long does it take for my TikTok Shop creator account to be verified?

It only takes a few minutes. You can also check your TikTok inbox or TikTok Shop Creator Center inbox to check the latest identity verification status.

• TikTok > Inbox > System
• TikTok > Creator tools > TikTok Shop for Creator > Top Right notification Center

What can I do if my TikTok Shop creator account was not approved?

If identity verification is unsuccessful on the first try, click "Add Information" to proceed with additional verification steps. This may involve submitting a valid U.S. government issued ID.

If your identity verification fails, you will have the option to appeal. You can appeal by clicking "Appeal" on the rejection page and submitting the relevant documentation.

Is the TikTok Shop creator account the same as a commission account?

No, a commission account requires your personal and tax information. You will see a prompt to set up your commission account after you have generated commissions as a TikTok Shop creator. Get a headstart and set up your commission account now.

Can I appeal to be part of the TikTok Shop creator pilot program?

No, creators with a minimum of 1,000 followers who are not redirected to the sign-up page are not part of the pilot program, and this decision cannot be appealed.

I have graduated from the Creator Pilot Program. Why is there still a limitation on the number of shoppable videos that I can post?

Check your Creator Health Rating (CHR) page for unresolved violations. Creators must continue to comply with our platform policies or face enforcements that include but are not limited to extended shoppable video content frequency limits. All shoppable videos that were published—even those that were made private or deleted after publishing—will count towards your posting limit. Shoppable videos that were not published, i.e. currently still saved in your drafts or failed to publish, will not be included in the posting limit.

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For more information, please refer to our Creator Eligibility Policy.