Hey,

If your brand is big on Amazon, you know how sales happen there.

People search. Your listing shows up. They buy.

TikTok Shop works a different way. People don't search first, they scroll.

On TikTok Shop, a creator's video is your shelf space.

So the big question isn't "What keyword?" It's "How do we get creators to keep posting?"

Brands keep asking me: "Commission-only creators don't post. Should we pay retainers, per video, or commission?"

One 8-figure brand owner told me commission-only creators just weren't posting for them.

Another worried about the other side: "My only concern with retainer would be motivation."

They're both right.

• Commission only: creators get the upside, but nothing pays them to show up.
• Retainer only: creators get paid to show up, but nothing pushes them to sell.

So pay for both. We use what we call the Hudson Method. It's how the biggest brands on TikTok Shop do it.

1. Seed lots of small creators.​
Hundreds of small creators, not five famous ones. Small creators are hungry, and their fans trust them. Each one is a lottery ticket.

2. Pay per video plus commission.​
Per-video pay gets the posts made. Commission gives them a reason to sell. Add volume bonuses on top, so posting more pays more.

3. Keep paying them when their video becomes an ad.​
Winning videos get boosted with Spark Ads and GMV Max. Most brands stop paying the creator once ad money takes over. Don't. When creators earn from the ads their videos power, they keep making videos.

4. Give retainers last.​
A retainer is a reward, not an ideal starting point in most cases. Only creators who already post and already sell get one. Our playbook says it simply: performance should lead the deal.

Why this matters

TikTok Shop is a volume game. Most videos do a little. A few win big. Nobody knows which ones ahead of time.

So you need a lot of posts. And you need the creators who make the winners to stay.

Your best creator leaving is one of the most expensive things that can happen. Competitors poach good creators. A fair retainer on top of commission helps keep them.

Here's the flywheel:
Creators post a lot. Posts find winners. Winners become ads. Ads make sales. Sales pay creators. Creators post more.

Pay the wrong way, and the wheel never starts.

For context, our team has driven 1B+ views and built a network of 39,000+ creators.

Want your TikTok Shop math done for you?

Book a free discovery call with my team. We'll look at your hero products, your margins, and what an affiliate army would cost you, all in.

You'll get a straight answer on whether TikTok Shop fits your brand right now.

​Book your free discovery call →​

Quick one: "We tried creators before and it flopped."

I hear this a lot. Usually it's not the creators. It's the system.

The same mistakes show up again and again:

• Too many products at once.
• No tracking of who got samples.
• No follow-up after the sample ships.
• No system for getting Spark Codes.
• Waiting too long to push winners.

One more: contests that only reward posting.

Most clear the video gate, then chase the sales gate. You get a flood of posts, and payouts stay a small slice of sales.

Want your TikTok Shop math done for you?

Book a free discovery call with my team. We'll look at your hero products, your margins, and what an affiliate army would cost you, all in.

You'll get a straight answer on whether TikTok Shop fits your brand right now.

​Book your free discovery call →​

Hit reply and tell me the one question your team keeps asking about TikTok Shop. It might be a future issue.

Talk soon,

Noah

Noah Frydberg
CEO & Founder, Maverick Creative
TikTok Shop for Brands

P.S. Disclosure: Most brands that sell on TikTok Shop, including established 8-figure brands, never reach $200,000 a month in GMV, and the chance that any one brand gets there is extremely low. Results shared here are examples of what has worked for some past Maverick Creative clients, not typical results, income claims, or guarantees, and your results will vary. This content is for education only, not financial, legal, or tax advice.