Talon Krebs built a six-figure TikTok Shop affiliate business

By Daniel Okafor

Talon Krebs earned six figures last year as a full-time TikTok Shop affiliate, according to a 1099 form reviewed by Business Insider. The 23-year-old started his first business at 14, Business Insider reported. He began earning money through TikTok Shop while he was a student at the University of Nebraska.

Krebs promotes products on the app and earns a commission when shoppers buy through his links. His business depends on stopping a user's scroll, which makes the opening seconds a test of attention, product fit and the possibility of a sale. He told Business Insider that success requires volume and persistence rather than one dependable product.

What makes a hook work?

For Krebs, a hook is the opening moments of a video, designed to grab attention, identify a problem or create enough curiosity to keep someone watching. He said the best hooks either create curiosity or show how a product solves a problem.

Krebs used a deliberately sweeping claim in one of his most successful videos, which promoted a digital business card: "Business cards are officially a thing of the past." He told Business Insider that the statement was somewhat controversial, but it got viewers' attention. He then demonstrated the product and explained how he used it as an entrepreneur.

Another of Krebs's videos has 8.5 million views. It opens with: "Want to win Father's Day this year? Get him a spinning whiskey glass." The opening names the holiday, the desired result and a specific product in one sentence, giving viewers a reason to keep watching before the full demonstration.

A hook may get someone to watch, but Krebs said it will not necessarily lead to a sale. A video must show how a product solves a real problem for the viewer and must feel genuine, he said. Connecting with an audience is more difficult through a video on an app than in person, Krebs said. Promoting products he already uses or believes in makes that task easier.

How does a view become a sale?

Krebs generally keeps videos short, typically between 30 and 50 seconds. He treats each video as a loop with three functions:

• Hook: Opens the video and captures attention.
• Middle: Explains or demonstrates the product.
• Call to action: Closes the video.

Krebs's sequence gives the hook a defined commercial job: it opens the video, the middle supplies evidence through explanation or demonstration, and the call to action closes the loop. The structure matters because attention alone does not establish that the product solves the viewer's problem, Krebs said.

What does the model require?

Krebs calls TikTok Shop "one of the most profitable business models" he has seen. He got started with less than $500. Business Insider noted that startup costs can be low, especially for someone who already has products available through the platform and a phone capable of filming video.

Success on the platform requires volume and persistence, Krebs said. He posts up to 30 videos a day across three accounts. One account is devoted, in his words, to "throwing stuff at the wall, trying things."

Some products that look promising do not sell, and some videos go nowhere. Krebs described the reset this way: "I've had high hopes for a lot of products, I post it, and it just doesn't work. I just have to humble myself, and onto the next."

Rather than focus on daily views or earnings, Krebs concentrates on work he controls. His list of controllable inputs includes:

• Researching products.
• Studying successful video formats.
• Filming and editing.
• Posting consistently.

According to Krebs, results from that work often arrive weeks later. He calls the approach a numbers game because one post may offset many failures.

He put the economics plainly: "You have to pay into the game to get paid from the game." He added: "You're going to make videos on products that aren't going to make you money. But then one video could make you a yearly salary."

Krebs's next test is whether daily volume can keep producing the rare breakout that covers failed products. His method gives him many shots at that outcome, but each still depends on finding a genuine product fit and a hook that earns the next second of attention.