How to write a TikTok creator invite that gets accepted
By Collabrun. Published 1 October 2026.
A TikTok Shop creator gets invitations from many sellers. The card shows your products, commission and samples; your message decides whether they stop to look. Here is what to put in it, three example invites, and how to follow up when nothing happens.
What the creator sees
A TikTok target collaboration reaches the creator as an invitation card: your products, your commission and, if you offer them, free samples. Your message goes with it. The card answers "what is the deal"; the message has to answer "why should I care, and why me". Do not spend the message repeating the card. Use it for what the card cannot say.
Remember too that one invitation group can go to up to 50 creators with the same message. Write it for the group you are inviting, not for one person you have in mind.
1. Use the creator's name
Open with the creator's name. TikTok has its own variable for it: type {{creators username}}, exactly like that, where the name should go, and TikTok fills in each creator's name when the invitation arrives. "Hi {{creators username}}," at the top is enough. A message that opens with a name reads as written to someone; one that opens with "Hi there" reads as a mass mailing, which it is.
2. Say why them
One sentence on why this creator fits. Because the same message goes to the whole group, make it true of everyone in it: the kind of content they make, or the audience they speak to. If you searched for creators who review kitchen gadgets, say that their kitchen videos are why you are writing. Never invent a compliment about a specific video; it is easy to spot, and it costs you trust.
3. The product, and what makes it sell
Name the product and give one or two concrete reasons it does well on video: what it does that people want to see, a problem it solves, something that is satisfying to show. Facts a creator can use in a video beat adjectives. "Folds flat to fit in a bag" is more useful than "amazing quality".
4. Commission and samples, in plain words
The card shows the commission, but say it in the message too, so the creator does not have to go looking for it. If you offer a free sample, say so, and say what you hope for in return, usually a video once they have tried it. Keep it relaxed: ask for a video, do not demand one before the sample has even arrived.
5. One clear ask
Finish with the one thing you want them to do next: tap the card to take up the invitation, or request a sample. One action. A message that asks for a reply, a follow, a sample request and a video all at once gets none of them.
6. Short, plain, and finished
- Short: two to four sentences. It is read on a phone, between other messages.
- Plain: no hype, no "guaranteed", no sales figures you cannot back up, no deadlines you do not mean.
- Finished: if you started from a template, replace every note in square brackets. TikTok sends the text exactly as written, so a forgotten "[product name]" reaches every creator in the group.
Three example invites
These are examples, written for made-up products, not taken from any real shop. Change the product, the commission and the sample terms to your own.
Hi {{creators username}}, your kitchen videos are exactly what our customers watch before they buy.
We make a collapsible lunch box that folds flat into a bag, and it is very satisfying to show on camera. The invite above has 15% commission and a free sample.
Tap the card to take it up, and request the sample if you would like to try one first.
Hi {{creators username}}, we would like to send you a free phone tripod and pay you 20% on every sale you drive.
It sets up in seconds and holds a phone steady for hands-free filming, so it is easy to show in use.
The details are on the card above. Request the sample to get started.
Hi {{creators username}}, we are a small shop making handmade desk organisers, and we are looking for creators to grow with.
Your workspace videos are a natural fit. The invite above has the products, the commission and a free sample if you want one.
Have a look, and tap the card if it suits you.
Following up
TikTok does not tell sellers when a creator accepts an invitation. What it does report is whether creators have made videos and added the product to their showcase. So the useful question is not "did they accept" but "has anything happened yet".
- Wait a few days before following up. A sample takes time to arrive, and a video takes time to make.
- Keep it to one or two sentences, worded differently from the first message. A friendly nudge, not a reminder of what they owe you.
- Stop as soon as there is a video or a showcase add.
- Prefer a direct message to a second invitation. A message costs none of your weekly allowance; another invitation does. See TikTok affiliate invite limits.
Hi {{creators username}}, just checking the invite reached you. The sample offer is still open if you would like to try the lunch box.
How Collabrun helps
- A message on every campaign. Each invite campaign carries its own message, sent with the invitation card to every creator it invites. TikTok's
{{creators username}}variable goes through as it is, so every creator sees their own name. - Drafts written for you. Pick a style, The Fit Pitch, The Offer Lead or The Brand Story, and Collabrun drafts the message with AI from the campaign's own facts: your shop's name, its products, the commission and whether a sample is offered. It is told to invent nothing, and you edit the draft before it is saved.
- No unfinished messages. A message that still holds a note in square brackets cannot be saved, because it would reach every creator exactly as written.
- Follow-ups that watch for activity. When an invitation shows no video and no showcase add after the days you choose, Collabrun follows up by direct message or with a second invitation. A sequence can have up to four follow-ups, each with its own message and wait, and each can be drafted with AI too. Follow-ups stop as soon as a video or a showcase add appears.
- The right creators to write to. Find them with TikTok creator search, then see what each one earns you on profit per creator.
Not sure whether an invitation is the right tool at all? Read open vs target collaborations.
Questions
How do I put the creator's name in a TikTok invite?
Type TikTok's name variable, {{creators username}}, exactly as written, where the name should go. TikTok fills in each creator's name when the invitation arrives, so one message works for a whole group.
How long should an invite message be?
Short enough to read on a phone in a few seconds: two to four sentences. The invitation card already shows the products, the commission and any free samples, so the message only needs to say why this creator, and what to do next.
Does TikTok tell me when a creator accepts my invite?
No. TikTok does not report a yes or no from each creator. What you can see is whether creators have made videos or added the product to their showcase, so base follow-ups on that.
Should I follow up or invite the creator again?
Follow up first. A short direct message reaches the creator without spending your weekly invite allowance. Save a second invitation for creators you still want after a follow-up.