Stop guessing if your affiliate advertising content will convert.
The Ad Bench scores your affiliate advertising content against the same rubric top-earning TikTok-Shop, Reels (LTK / Amazon Live), and YouTube Shorts creators are already winning with — hook rate, FTC disclosure, code clarity, save-bait potential (TikTok + Reels), pinned-comment link (Shorts), and a per-piece GMV projection. Drop in a link, file, or script.
// WHY_AFFILIATES_LEAK_REVENUE
Affiliate ads die in five specific ways. We catch all five.
Buried product
The product doesn't appear in frame until 8+ seconds. You lost 73% of viewers before they saw what you're selling.
Code mentioned, not shown
You said the code out loud but didn't put it on screen. Viewers can't pause and copy. That's a 40% click-through tax for nothing.
Missing FTC disclosure
No #ad in the first 3 seconds. Algorithm penalty risk + audience trust loss + potential FTC enforcement. We flag it.
Studio-polished
If it looks like a commercial, viewers scroll. Affiliate ads especially need handheld, ambient sound, no-makeup energy.
Vague CTA
"Check it out" converts 4x worse than "save this post and I’ll DM you the link when it restocks." Specificity drives action.
Save-bait absent
TikTok's algorithm weights saves heavily for shopping content. If your advertising content doesn't earn a save, the algo won't push it to high-intent buyers.
// AFFILIATE_RUBRIC
Eight checks calibrated to actual top-earning affiliate ads.
Product-first hook (3s)
Highest weightDid the product appear in frame within the first 3 seconds, or did you spend that time on a creator-first intro? Affiliate buyers need the visual answer fast.
FTC disclosure
Compliance checkWas #ad / Paid Partnership / 'I get a small commission' visible in the first 3 seconds — not just buried in caption hashtags? We flag missing or hidden disclosure.
Code / link clarity
Conversion-criticalIf you mentioned a code, was it also on screen long enough to read? Was 'link in bio' specific about what the link is for? Vague CTAs leak conversion.
Native execution
Algorithm fitStudio polish reads as 'ad' to TikTok viewers and to the algorithm. Handheld, ambient sound, no-makeup energy. We score against actual native-looking top performers.
Save-bait potential
Algo distributionTikTok's algorithm weights saves heavily for shopping content. We check whether your advertising content gives viewers a reason to save (gift idea, restock alert, comparison reference).
Comment-bait CTA
Compounding distributionDM-me-the-code, ask-in-comments, or 'name a brand that' CTAs drive comment volume — and comment volume drives algo distribution to other shopping-intent viewers.
Pacing for retention
Hold rateCuts every 1–2 seconds in the first 6, then 2–3 second beats for the demo, then a 2-second hold on the result frame. We score your actual rhythm against this.
Vertical fit
Category-specificBeauty wins on close-ups + sound-on. Tech wins on hands + functional demo. Fashion wins on GRWM / OOTD. We score against the category your product is in.
// REVENUE_PROJECTION
Every report comes with a dollar number, not just a score.
We multiply the predicted hook rate by realistic CTR / conversion / AOV / commission inputs to project the GMV your advertising content should drive at 10K, 100K, and 1M views. Then we show what that number becomes if you implement the top fixes. Concrete dollars instead of vague advice.
10K views
After top fixes
100K views
After top fixes
1M views
After top fixes
Example shown for a $40 AOV product at 12% commission with conservative click-through assumptions. Your numbers will differ — the projector uses your actual rubric scores.
// WHO_THIS_IS_FOR
Built for the creators actually moving product.
TikTok Shop
Affiliates earning 5–30% commission
Tag products directly in-video. Best for impulse buys $10–$80. Hook + save score is your conversion engine. Comment-bait CTAs ('DM me LINK') drive comment volume — the #2 TikTok algorithm signal.
Reels · LTK / Amazon Live
IG affiliates with Story-share lift
Saves are the #1 IG algorithm signal — weight save-bait CTAs heaviest. Bio-link routing through LTK or Amazon Live; pinned product tags surface natively. Aesthetic polish ceiling is higher than TikTok.
Shorts · YT Partner
Pinned-comment + Subscribe lift
Pinned-comment link beats description-line link for conversion. Subscribe-prompt CTAs carry ~10x algorithmic weight (Shorts → long-form funnel). Higher brand-safety bar than long-form YouTube.
// PER_PLATFORM_PLAYBOOK
The same rubric, three different affiliate flows.
The 8 checks above apply to every short-form affiliate advertising content. The mechanics underneath — which CTA primitive wins, which algorithm signal dominates, what kind of polish reads native — shift per platform. Here's how to think about each surface.
// TIKTOK_SHOP
TikTok
Hook rate ≥30% strong, ≥40% breakout
Algorithm signals
Saves + comments are the dominant signals — comment-bait CTAs ('DM me CODE') compound algo distribution because comments are TikTok's #2 engagement signal after saves.
CTA primitive
Comment-bait + code clarity. The on-screen code paired with a comment-bait CTA hits the algorithm twice: comment volume drives distribution, code recall drives conversion.
Platform policy
TikTok Shop product tags surface natively on tagged videos. Spark Ads boost organic posts — but can't use most trending sounds (licensing). AI voice clones require the AIGC label.
Compliance
FTC disclosure in voiceover + on-screen text by frame 1. #ad in caption — buried-in-hashtag-list doesn't count.
// REELS · LTK · AMAZON_LIVE
Instagram Reels
Hook rate ≥35% strong, ≥45% breakout
Algorithm signals
Saves are the #1 IG algorithm signal — heavier than likes or comments. Story-shares are #2 (free distribution when followers pin you to their Stories). Sound-on is ~40% (higher than TikTok); voiceover quality matters more.
CTA primitive
Save-bait. 'Save this for next time you're shopping for X.' Layer on bio-link routing (LTK / Amazon Live / brand affiliate). Pinned-comment links work but less commonly than on Shorts.
Platform policy
Reels caps at 90s. Organic IG music library is OFF-LIMITS for ads — use commercial-cleared Sound Collection or upload licensed audio. March 2026 safe zone: keep critical text out of top 14% / bottom 20-35% / sides 6%.
Compliance
FTC: same first-3-seconds rule. Branded-Content tag is the IG-native disclosure; use it in addition to on-screen + verbal.
// SHORTS · AMAZON_INFLUENCER · YT_PARTNER
YouTube Shorts
Hook rate ≥40% strong, ≥55% breakout
Algorithm signals
Repeat-views are the #1 algorithm signal — Shorts that loop seamlessly outperform. Subscribe-lift is high-value (Shorts→long-form funnel earns ~10x algorithmic weight). Sound-on is ~75% — voiceover quality is closer to equal weight with text.
CTA primitive
Subscribe-prompt + pinned-comment link. The pinned top comment is the YouTube affiliate convention — viewers tap the comment icon, copy the link. Higher conversion than the description-line link because it's visible without expanding.
Platform policy
60s hard cap, optimal 25-50s. Brand-safety bar is HIGHER than long-form (content monetizable as a video can be demonetized as a Short). Fake comment/like overlays = ad rejection (deceptive ad behavior). Non-original Shorts (reuploaded clips) are demonetized.
Compliance
FTC: same. YouTube's own paid-promotion disclosure toggle should also be enabled — it's belt-and-suspenders.
// FAQ
Common questions.
What's an affiliate ad in The Ad Bench?
Any short-form video ad where you earn commission on attributed sales — TikTok Shop product tags, Instagram Reels with LTK / Amazon Live / Shopify links, YouTube Shorts with pinned-comment affiliate links or YouTube Partner Program monetization, plus brand-specific discount codes and direct DTC affiliate links on any platform. The rubric weights are different than for brand-direct ads (CTA, code clarity, and FTC disclosure are scored higher).
Does this work for Reels and Shorts, not just TikTok?
Yes. As of 2026 The Ad Bench is multi-platform: paste a TikTok / Instagram Reels / YouTube Shorts URL, drop a video file from any platform, or upload an image. Detection runs automatically (you can override with the platform chip if it guesses wrong). The same 6-axis rubric scores all three, with per-platform calibration — hook-rate thresholds, completion-rate bars, audio-on prevalence, and algorithm signals shift per platform. See /learn/platform-rules for the full breakdown.
Does the FTC disclosure check actually catch problems?
Yes. We check both the visual (on-screen text or branded-content tag visible in the first 3 seconds) and the audio (verbal disclosure). Caption-only disclosure does not count — the FTC has stated that material connection must be 'clear and conspicuous'. We flag the ad if disclosure is missing, late, or hidden. FTC enforcement was up ~340% in 2025 vs 2021; the agency issued over 150 warning letters to creators last year. We surface the risk before you ship.
Will my hook score predict actual conversion?
Hook rate predicts the percent of viewers who watch past 3 seconds — that's the population that even has a chance to click your link. Multiply hook rate × CTR × conversion rate × AOV × commission to get your projected affiliate revenue. We do that math for you in the GMV projection card. (Today the projector is calibrated for TikTok-Shop economics; per-platform commerce math for Reels (LTK / Amazon Live) and Shorts (Amazon Influencer / YouTube Partner) is coming.)
Do I need a TikTok Shop account?
No. The Ad Bench works on any short-form affiliate ad regardless of platform or monetization method — Shop tags, LTK, Amazon Influencer, YouTube Partner Program, discount codes, or direct affiliate links. Drop in a video, image, URL, or script.
Is it actually free?
Free plan is live — a free account gets 3 Quick Checks + 1 Deep Dive a day (1 Quick Check/day without an account). Pro ($49/mo) and Agency ($199/mo) unlock 10+ reports/day plus the workbench tools. Subscribe at /pricing.
How long does it take?
Quick Check returns in about 60 seconds. Deep Dive runs longer — it pulls in predicted performance metrics, hook rewrites, and more. Both modes apply the affiliate-aware checks if the ad shows affiliate signals (codes, link-in-bio language, FTC disclosure markers, etc).
Free plan available. Drop in a link, file, or script.
Re-shoot before you ship the wrong cut. Or post and find out 24 hours later your code didn't convert.
REVIEW MY AFFILIATE AD