What converts on TikTok isn't "Click here"

• —Code CTA. A short alphanumeric code (e.g. SAM20) the viewer enters at checkout for a discount. Survives the screenshot path: viewer screenshots the ad, comes back later, applies the code without needing the link.
• —Comment-bait. "Comment 'LINK' and I'll send it to you." Drives comment volume → comments are the strongest engagement signal the algo reads → distribution compounds. Cost: the seller has to actually DM each commenter.
• —Save-bait."Save this so you don't forget." Saves are the highest-signal algorithm input on shopping-intent content. Ads that earn saves get pushed to similar shopping audiences automatically.
• —Link-in-bio framing. Pointing viewers off-platform via the bio link. Lower conversion ceiling than the other three (TikTok deprioritizes outbound clicks) but the only path for non-Shop / non-Spark affiliate creators.

The rubric scores codes on three axes: where in the runtime the code appears, whether it's sticky on-screen long enough to be memorized or screenshot-readable, and whether the savings are quantified next to it.

Strong code presentation: code shown in big high-contrast text on frame 4–5 (after the hook lands), held on-screen for 3+ seconds, paired with the savings explicitly ("use SAM20 for 20% off"). Weak: code spoken in voiceover only, never shown on-screen, or flashed on-screen for half a second.

For TikTok Shop and most affiliate creators, asking for a save beats asking for a link click — even though the link click is the actual conversion. Two reasons:

• —The algo rewards saves with deeper FYP distribution. More saves → more views → more conversions, even at the same per-view conversion rate.
• —A save is a low-friction commit. The viewer doesn't have to context-switch out of TikTok. They'll come back later with shopping intent already established.

The pattern: save-bait first (in the first 5 seconds), link mention later (after the value prop has landed). Don't flip the order — link-first reads as transactional and tanks hold rate.

Comment-bait works because comments are the algo's second-favorite signal after saves, and because every commenter who DMs you is self-selecting as high-intent. The cost is your time: you have to actually reply to each one with the link.

Worth it for: high-AOV products where the conversion rate from a DM'd link is 5–10× higher than from a bio link. Not worth it for: low-AOV TikTok Shop SKUs where a 2× conversion bump doesn't cover an hour of DMs.

Strong CTA architecture lands the ask twice — once mid-roll (~10 seconds in, after the engaged viewer has committed) and once on the closing frame. The mid-roll catches the viewer at peak attention; the closer catches the patient one who watches through.

Single-CTA ads usually score lower in this category. The patient viewer needs the explicit close; the impatient one missed the mid-roll. Two asks isn't pushy when each is one-line and earned.