How TikTok affiliate Talon Krebs turns video hooks into sales

One of Krebs’s successful videos promoted a digital business card with the claim, “Business cards are officially a thing of the past.” He said the somewhat controversial opening caught viewers’ attention before he showed the product and explained how he used it as an entrepreneur. Another video, viewed 8.5 million times, began: “Want to win Father’s Day this year? Get him a spinning whiskey glass.”

A hook can win a view without making a sale, Krebs said. The video also has to show how a product addresses a real problem and come across as genuine. He finds that easier when he promotes items he already uses or believes in. His typical videos run 30 to 50 seconds: the hook opens, the middle explains or demonstrates the product, and a call to action closes.

Krebs started making money through TikTok Shop while studying at the University of Nebraska. He calls it “one of the most profitable business models” he has seen. Startup costs can be low for creators who already have products available through the platform and a phone to record with; Krebs said he began with less than $500.

His strategy relies on volume and persistence. He posts up to 30 videos a day across three accounts, including one for testing ideas. Some products and videos fail, he said, so he concentrates on work he can control: researching products, studying successful formats, filming, editing and posting consistently. Results may take weeks to come, in his view.

“You have to pay into the game to get paid from the game,” Krebs said. Some videos earn nothing, he added, while one successful post could bring in a yearly salary.