Meta has announced that both Instagram and Facebook will allow creators to tag affiliate links directly in their content, eliminating the need for third party tools like LTK and ShopMy, which have long served as the backbone of creator commerce. The announcement was made at the Shoptalk 2026 conference and marks one of the most significant shifts in Meta’s approach to creator monetization.
How It Works on Each Platform
The feature works slightly differently across the two apps. On Instagram, eligible creators, those aged at least 18 with a minimum of 1,000 followers, can add up to 30 shoppable products inside a single Reel, pasting affiliate links directly as long as the product is already listed in Meta’s commerce catalog. On Facebook, creators can connect their affiliate accounts to brands and tag products in both Reels and photos, with approved products appearing as clickable bubbles overlaid on the content.
The End of Link in Bio Workarounds
For years, creators have had to route affiliate commissions through comments, bio links, or platforms like ShopMy and LTK, a friction that costs both creators and brands meaningful conversions. The new Meta integration removes that detour entirely, letting a viewer tap a product tag mid Reel and land directly on the product page to complete a purchase. Facebook’s affiliate partnerships program is launching first with Amazon for U.S. creators, and Shopee for select Asian markets, with Temu, eBay, and Mercado Libre set to follow. Brands also retain control, setting their own commission rates and removing affiliate links if the content is not an appropriate fit.
What This Means for Brands and Retailers
For fashion, beauty, and lifestyle brands in particular, this update opens a direct performance based channel inside the most watched content format on both platforms. Rather than negotiating flat fee influencer deals with uncertain ROI, brands can now structure commission based partnerships that tie creator payouts directly to sales. Meta is also adding new creator insights tools that surface which posts are generating clicks and sales, giving both creators and brand partners clearer performance data without leaving the app.
The move puts Meta in direct competition with TikTok Shop, which has already normalized native affiliate commerce inside short form video. With the feature rolling out across both Instagram and Facebook simultaneously, the scale of potential affiliate reach is far larger than anything TikTok currently offers in most markets.
