We continue our series detailing affiliate marketing from the ground up, and today, the focus is on TikTok. We will break down how to register accounts, bypass moderation, drive traffic, use effective bundles, circumvent shadow bans, and more.
1. Current Methods for Account Registration and Moderation Bypass
It is important to start by noting that every stage of working with the platform—from account creation to creative selection—is unique to each device. TikTok’s anti-fraud system deeply analyzes every parameter. To find the optimal traffic driving method, you must test every parameter for algorithmic moderation success. Therefore, a universal method for creating and running accounts does not exist. For example, if you precisely replicate every step of another affiliate marketer’s successful method, there is no guarantee it will show the same results on your device.
Account Registration: The Geo-Shift Method
The strictness of content moderation algorithms varies by GEO. Creatives that are blocked in Tier-1 countries have a higher chance of passing moderation in Tier-2 countries. Affiliate marketers, noticing this feature, found a way to profit from it and dubbed it the “GEO shift” method.
The method involves registering accounts in GEOs where content moderation is relaxed. Accounts are most often created for Georgia, Bulgaria, or Ukraine. This works because the moderation algorithms are tied to the GEO of registration. After registration, you can drive traffic from any GEO.
Principles of Account Operation
If you use the registration method described above, you will initially encounter an error when attempting to log in. Recently, TikTok has only allowed access to an account from the same GEO where it was registered. Consequently, you must connect to an IP from that GEO to log in without issues.
Regarding account operations, there are a few key points. TikTok’s anti-fraud currently allows for differentiation between the GEO used for traffic generation (uploading) and the GEO of registration, which is what enables the “GEO shift” method. Previously, you could only upload content from the registration GEO; otherwise, it would result in an instant ban. Now, you can change the traffic generation GEO as often as you like. The only requirement is to delete the videos published from the previous GEO.
Account Warm-up
Many affiliate marketers coming to TikTok from other sources mistakenly believe that TikTok’s algorithms require account warm-up and rest periods (“otlega”). Let’s clarify the reality:
Warm-up: There is a misconception among affiliates that before uploading promotional creatives, an account must be “warmed up” with non-spam content to increase its trust in the eyes of the algorithm. This is false—TikTok accounts do not require a warm-up period.
Rest Period (“Otlega”): A rest period does have some basis. Two days after the first videos are published, there is a chance that all subsequent videos will receive 1.5–2 times more traffic. However, this is a questionable strategy, as the average lifespan of an account is only 2–3 days after the creative is uploaded.
2. Current Traffic Funnels to the Offer
Two main funnels are popular for traffic transfer on TikTok: driving traffic to Instagram and funneling to a cloaked link. Both funnels require a “bait” to encourage users to click the link. Without it, most users will not reach the link and, consequently, will not convert into leads.
Types of Funnels
The Instagram Funnel
This is the best solution if the offer chosen is in the OnlyFans niche. The profile is styled like a model’s personal account, which increases audience trust. The link is placed in the profile bio.
The core idea is for the user, redirected from TikTok, to immediately see the link. You should only direct traffic to a private (closed) Instagram account. Most users will click the link. Those who only follow the profile can be further nurtured using stories.
This method is beneficial because it simultaneously drives traffic to the OnlyFans offer while growing the Instagram account. Once the account gathers several thousand real followers, it can be used as an additional traffic source.
The Link Funnel (Cloaking)
In this case, traffic from spam accounts is redirected to a buffer account where a cloaked link to the offer is placed.
There are two ways to redirect traffic to the buffer account:
Bait via Comment: The buffer account is tagged in a comment beneath the spam video. The advantage is that the probability of the spam account being banned is minimal. The disadvantage is a certain percentage of traffic loss.
Mention in Bio: The buffer account is tagged in the spam account’s profile description. Traffic loss is minimal, but the probability of the spam account being banned is high.
The main drawback of this funnel is that the accounts containing the link are often subject to mass bans. If the buffer account is banned, all traffic volume from the spam accounts will fail to reach the final offer.
Audience Bait Methods
The foundation of any successful TikTok strategy (svyazka) is a well-designed bait that prompts users to navigate to where the link is placed. The most common method currently is the audio call-to-action (CTA).
You can use any text-to-speech service to create the audio CTA. The process for integrating the audio track into TikTok is as follows:
Create a new account.
Publish any video on it with the voiceover CTA.
Then, from the spam accounts that will drive traffic, search for the new account with the CTA video.
Add the audio track to your favorites.
Depending on where the link is located, there are two types of audio CTAs:
Bait to Profile: Text — “If you want to see more of my photos, go to my profile.”
Bait to Comments: Text — “If you want to see more of my photos, go to my profile in the comments.”
- In addition to the audio CTA, if the link is in the bio, you can also use a profile avatar styled to look like a live stream to encourage clicks.
3. Principles of Building a Working Strategy (Svyazka)
In TikTok, a “svyazka” (strategy or bundle) refers to the combination of the creative, the hashtags, and the call-to-action methods. We won’t dwell on creative content selection, as no criteria can predict how effective a creative will be; conclusions can only be drawn from testing. If you work with a modeling agency, the question of content sourcing becomes secondary, as models usually have material shot for all major traffic sources.
If you are driving traffic to Dating offers, there’s a solution to simplify creative discovery. Upload 4-6 trending videos of a dancing girl to a new account. After a couple of hours, TikTok’s algorithms will analyze the content and generate a list of similar videos. To find them, go to the Creator Tools, scroll down, select Recommendations, and click the “Similar posts” button.
This allows you to find accounts run by other affiliate marketers and see what creatives they are uploading.
Using Hashtags to Target the Right Audience
Unlike other free traffic sources where hashtags play a supporting role, in TikTok, a correctly chosen set of hashtags is the key element of any successful strategy. Hashtags allow you to pinpoint the gender and age of your target audience (TA), potentially excluding undesirable segments, such as women.
The method for selecting hashtags is built on understanding the interests of your target audience, and the hashtags should correspond to those interests. For example, hashtags like watch or car will push videos into the recommendation feed of men aged 30+.
By testing different sets of hashtags based on user interests, you can collect data and analyze which set corresponds to a specific audience. If you manage to find a set of hashtags that no one else is using yet, a good flow of leads is virtually guaranteed.
4. How to Bypass a Shadow Ban
A shadow ban can be imposed on an account for several reasons:
The creative failed the moderation algorithm check.
The IP address used to publish the videos landed in a spam database.
The IP address used to register the account was already in a spam database.
The device was hardware-banned.
The creative lacked sufficient uniqueness.
Here’s how to address these points:
Creative Failed Check: TikTok has a built-in function to find the reason for a creative block. Go to the Creator Tools and click “Check Account.” The reason for the ban will be displayed there.
Spam IP: If the IP used to register the account was already in a spam database, you won’t be able to lift the shadow ban. For the IP used for publishing, simply changing the VPN protocol in your settings can often help lift the ban.
Hardware Ban: After a certain number of accounts have been uploaded, the device itself is often hardware-banned. If attempts to bypass the shadow ban are unsuccessful, you should delete TikTok and let the phone rest for 2-3 days.
5. Conclusion
TikTok has been subjected to frequent algorithmic “storms” lately. But despite this, it is still considered the best source of free (unpaid) traffic and stands out for its ability to generate traffic instantly. It is no surprise that many affiliate marketers started their careers in the industry with TikTok.
