Gemini · Google · TikTok · YouTube · GPT · ChatGPT · Decrypt
How to Make Product Ads With AI for TikTok and YouTube—For (Almost) Free
Compiled by KHAO Editorial — aggregated from 1 source. See llms.txt for citation guidance.
★ Tier-1 Source
TikTok Shop, the ecommerce platform that allows users to buy and sell things directly on TikTok, moved $64.3 billion in merchandise in 2025, nearly doubling from the year before.
Key facts
- The animated, word-by-word caption styles that dominate TikTok sit behind CapCut Pro, which runs about $7.99 a month or $59.99 a year, and the free tier caps automatic captions
- Pick vertical 9:16 for TikTok, Reels, and Shorts, or horizontal 16:9 for standard YouTube videos and pre-roll ads
- Promoting other people's products as an affiliate requires 1,000 followers to apply, and full access takes 5,000 followers plus 30 days in the program
- YouTube dropped the barrier even lower: In March, its Shopping Affiliate program opened to Partner Program creators with 500 subscribers across 12 countries, including the U.S. and Brazil
Summary
TikTok Shop generated $64.3 billion in global sales in 2025, nearly doubling year-over-year, and sellers can open a store with zero followers. A complete AI ad—virtual model, scripted dialogue, 10-second video—can be produced with GPT Image 2, ChatGPT, and Google Flow's Gemini Omni for roughly a dollar of compute or less. CapCut handles the final trim and subtitles, and YouTube's Shopping affiliate program now opens at 500 subscribers. Those videos used to require a person, a phone, decent lighting, and several takes.