TikTok Shop gives you two commission tools: one open rate for everyone and higher targeted rates for specific creators. Knowing when to use each is how you recruit efficiently without overpaying.
Quick answer
An open commission is a single rate any approved creator earns, and it sets the floor that shows in the TikTok Shop affiliate marketplace. A targeted commission is a higher rate you offer specific creators to win them individually. Use a competitive open rate to attract volume and fill your program, and use targeted commissions to land the high-GMV creators worth paying more for. Most successful programs run both at once.
When to lean on open commission
Your open rate does the broad recruiting. It has to be competitive enough in your category that creators browsing the marketplace choose your product, but not so high it erases your margin across every sale. Think of it as the baseline that keeps a steady flow of mid-tier creators applying and posting without individual negotiation.
When to use targeted commission
Targeted commissions are for the specific creators you most want: the ones already driving real GMV in your category. Paying an extra few points to the handful of creators who move serious volume is almost always worth it, because their sales dwarf the rate difference. This is how you compete for the creators every brand is chasing.
Running both without losing track
Once you have an open rate plus dozens of targeted deals, keeping straight who is on what and whether it pays back gets messy fast. Hubfluence's affiliate CRM holds every creator, their commission, and the GMV they drive in one place, so you can see which targeted rates earn their premium and adjust the rest.
Trying to balance an open rate with targeted deals for your best creators? Book a demo and we'll show you how to track every commission against real GMV so you know which rates pay back.