Free Sample Guide for Creators

This article will teach you everything you need to know about Free Samples. We will cover how to request Free Samples from Sellers and how to fulfill the requirements needed once you receive Free Samples from Sellers.
Before we dive into the process of applying for Free Samples, let's introduce Free Samples first!

What are Free Samples?

Free Samples are products that Creators can request from Sellers to use in their content, may it be for Short Videos or LIVE Sessions. These contents are aligned with the Seller's requirements and help you, as a Creator, receive more commission from your fulfilled content.
You get to market the product and showcase how useful or nice it is with your own creative spin! With this in mind, we want to show you the possible benefits from using Free Samples in your content:

Requesting Free Samples in Product Marketplace

Free Samples can be requested from the TikTok App, follow the steps below to request your first Free Sample:
Step 5: Once the free sample request is approved, the seller will send it to your address and you will need to create a short video or go LIVE using the free sample to promote the product. Don't forget to also add the product link to the sample accordingly within a certain time limit:
❗️Free Samples shipped by either TikTok Shop or Seller will both need 14 Days for Creators to fulfill the request.
❗️Starting September 20, 2023, Free Samples shipped by either TikTok Shop or Seller will both need 14 Days for Creators to fulfill the request.
Withdrawing your Free Sample Request

Getting Free Samples from Seller Invitations

If you have received an invite from a Seller to collaborate, they may include an added benefit of providing a free sample to help with your content. These free samples may possibly only be available to invited Creators like yourself.

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Multi-SKU Sampling

Benefits

How it Works

1. Hop back into “Get Sample”: If you’re eligible and you’ve gotten this product before, you’ll still see the Get Sample entry (and you can jump to Manage samples from the order details).
2. Quick heads-up (one time): The first time you enter Get Sample, you may see a short pop-up about the change. You can tap Do not show again to hide it next time.
3. Request what you need: You’ll see the SKU(s) you already received, and you can request a new SKU (new color/size) or even the same SKU again.
4. Small guardrails: If that same SKU is still in progress (like to review / ready to ship / shipped / in-progress), you’ll be asked to finish that cycle first before requesting it again.
5. Already got it? You’ll know: SKUs you’ve gotten before (free, refundable, or platform campaigns) will be marked so it’s easy to spot what’s new.

Target Collaboration (batch selection)

1. In Target Collaboration, you can select more than one SKU in a batch, just not the same SKU twice.
2. Pick your first SKU, then go back and tap Select again to add another.
3. SKUs you already picked will be greyed out (tap to see why).
4. You’ll also see how many SKUs you’ve selected, with a dropdown to review them.

Tips

• Be thoughtful with SKU choice: When choosing your samples, think about the range you need to create the most engaging, diverse content.
• Strategize your posting: Remember, you should be posting content for every SKU to manage your sample score. Plan your content to feature each variation prominently. This keeps your feed fresh and gives you more high-quality content to post.
• Build an undeniable track record: By delivering content for every unique SKU, you're showing sellers clear, specific sales data for their entire product line. This positions you as an invaluable partner for future collaborations.
• Check your quota: If you see a pop-up saying you've reached your free sample limit, it means you have content pending! Post your video or LIVE for the free samples you already received on time before requesting new ones.
• About 100% approval: If you see 100% approval, you can grab one sample via auto-approval. After your first request, the tag won’t keep showing up again.

FAQs

1. How many SKUs can I request at once? You can only select one SKU per visit to the "Get sample" page, but you can simply return to that page to select another SKU for the same product (PID) until the seller's stock runs out or your sample quota is met.
2. Do I have to post content for every variation I receive? Yes! The content requirement is now tied to the unique SKU. This means if you sample two colors of a shoe, you must create two separate pieces of content to help manage your sample score.
3. If I've already posted content for a product, can I request a new color that the seller just released? Yes! If the seller launches a new variation (SKU) against a product you've already sampled and promoted, you can absolutely request that new variation to create fresh, relevant content.
4. Does this apply to both free samples and refundable samples? Yep, it does! You can use the multi-SKU request process whether you're requesting a free sample or purchasing a refundable sample. This gives you maximum flexibility to grab all the product variations you need.
5. How does requesting multiple SKUs affect my sample quota? Your quota is now based on the total number of unique sample applications that are pending content. Requesting multiple SKUs against one product means you have more content requirements to fulfill, but it doesn't automatically hit your limit like a request for a whole new product ID would have before. It’s all about creating and posting that content!

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Free Sample Approval from SellersOnce you have accepted the invitation, you can freely choose any of the provided products for Free Sample request. Some invitations might have automatic approval and some will need confirmation from the Sellers to accept.
If the Invitation has Auto Approval: If the Invitation has Manual Approval:

Reapplying for Free Samples

Creators can opt to reapply a Free Sample request for the same product if the following conditions are met:

• Creator's Free Sample Request expired
  • Creators can reapply to the same product link after 30 days
• Seller rejected the Creator's Free Sample request
  • Creators can reapply to the same product link after 30 days
• Creator has withdrawn their Free Sample request
  • Creators can reapply instantly

In these cases, the system will allow the Creator to reset the Creator's free sample limit and provide the option to apply again.

• Reapplying is not limited to the same product where the Creator got rejected or withdrew their request. Creators can freely choose another product for reapplication.

How do I use Free Samples in my Content?

Requested Free Samples will need to be featured in either of these two types of Content. Depending on your talks with the Seller, you might be required to use the Free Sample as what the Seller instructed:

Short Videos

LIVE Sessions

❗ To complete the Free Sample post requirement for LIVE Sessions, the Creator must accomplish all of the requirements listed:

• The total LIVE duration should be more than 10 minutes
• The product link of the Free Sample must be pinned during the LIVE Session.
  

To pin a product link during your LIVE, simply go to your Product list and tap on "Pin"

Managing your Free Sample Requests

The Manage Samples page is your one-stop center for all your Free Sample requests. You can check the current progress of all your Free Sample tasks.

• You can access the Manage Samples page by going to your account -> tap on the Showcase button -> tap on TikTok Shop -> Scroll down to the TikTok Shop toolkit on the TikTok Shop Creator Center.

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Order Center Access

• Additionally, you can also access the Manage Samples page through the Order Center as shown below:

Rating of your Free Sample Contents

Sellers can review all sample requests coming from Open Collaboration or Target Collaboration with the following criteria:
Sellers will not be able to review sample requests that you cancelled or were incomplete due to issues in your shop such as product delisted, received violations, is out of stock or were not delivered. Collaborations that are campaign-funded or sponsored by TikTok Shop are also not eligible for seller ratings or reviews.
Your rating will be on a scale of 1 (lowest) to 5 (highest). Sellers will evaluate your performance across specific areas:

• Overall experience: This is a required rating and reflects their satisfaction with the entire collaboration.
• Content quality: This is optional and is based on how well your content showcased their product.
• Communication & professionalism: This is also optional and reflects how responsive, clear, and easy you were to work with.

Your average rating is calculated across all your eligible sample collaborations. Furthermore, all ratings are calculated using a rolling 90-day window, which means your recent performance carries the most weight, giving you the opportunity to improve it over time.
Just like ratings, reviews are tied to each sample application. Sellers can leave one review per sample collaboration.

• Reviews are optional for sellers to leave.
• Sellers have the option to post anonymously.
• Reviews are permanent and remain linked to the specific sample application.
• They can edit or delete a review for up to 30 days after the review window opens. After 30 days, the rating and review will be finalized and can no longer be edited.

To learn more about how a seller can review your sample content, check out this guide.

FAQ

1. What if I'm unable to create content for my free sample due to the product being suddenly unavailable?
   • It depends on case to case. Please refer to this separate guide on different scenarios that may happen and how they can be resolved.
2. What will happen if I fail to create the content after receiving the free sample?
   1. It will affect your sample fulfillment score and reduce your chances of receiving samples in the future. Sample fulfillment is one of creator's criteria that is shown to seller when searching for potential creators. Creator with high sample fulfillment rate would be categorized as "Top Collaborator" on Creator Ranking List, a feature for sellers to find high performing creators. Seller can also search for compliant creators using the reliable with sample filter on Creator Marketplace.