84 Days as a TikTok Shop Affiliate, and Here's What's Happening!

First of all, welcome! If you are here, you must have seen one of my TikTok videos announcing this new blog, or maybe you've just come across it organically. In case you didn't know, I'm a writer—I dare say a much better writer than I am an orator, but I digress...

Let's get to it! Even as I type this, my phone is at my right hand so I can stay on after posting, to engage for 20-30 minutes in order to please the TikTok algorithm gods—show them I'm a loyal creator so they push my content more. Some creators say you don't have to stay on. They even recommend the opposite—closing out of the app for 20-30 minutes so that TikTok will push your video more and you will get more notifications that, in theory, will bring you back to the app. I have found either way, it does not matter. I do it anyway.

I have posted every single day, at least once, sometimes as many as five times a day since I started. I haven't been punished or rewarded for either. Posting times, do not matter. Good content matters. Period.

I have made over 200 videos for a handful of products and 95% of my earnings come from three videos that I made in the first week of starting my shop.

You cannot speak with a human being if you get a violation. I have had five with only one successful appeal. When you appeal a violation it loops right back to the algorithm. They say they have a "team" that will review it, but I think that's bullshit because a couple of my appeals were denied within seconds of my submission. All of my violations were for "misleading, false or exaggerated claims" for the wild yam cream that has been my best seller by far. Be super careful what you say when promoting natural or herbal supplements! 

Because of all of my violations, my account is not in good standing which has lead to traffic suppression and a drastic drop in sales. I applied to the number one Agency for creators on TikTok (in the hopes of having them remove my violation points), was accepted into the program and then ghosted by the talent agent. I reached out to the very popular TikTok Shop creator who links this Agency in her Stan Store and she has also not answered me. The violation points supposedly drop off after 90 days, which puts me into July before I'm back in good standing, which means I have to be so, so careful of my content so my account doesn't get banned. It also means I can't make the kind of content that my products deserve because I'm afraid of saying something to trigger another violation. The algorithm pays extra close attention to accounts that are not in good standing, so be aware and don't violate community guidelines!!

Anyway, that's enough for tonight. I have so much more to talk about—how I got started, why I got started, faceless TikTok, hashtags, hooks, picking products, free samples, why TikTok Shop pushes new accounts, don't believe everything you see and hear from big creators (even me! Do your own research!), digital marketing, The Roadmap Course and so much more!! 

Feel free to drop any questions in the comments!!  

Peace 💖