Self-promoting your catalog products in videos
Tag your own catalog products in videos for a prominent Buy-now button — same workflow as creators, zero commission.
Be your own creator
Creators in the affiliate program tag other people's products in their videos and earn commission on sales. That tagging mechanism is the same one you can use to tag your own catalog products in your own videos.
The difference: you don't pay yourself a commission. The full platform-fee-less sale goes to your wallet. You get the more prominent video tag that catalog products earn, without losing any margin.
This is one of the most underused features in the verified-seller toolkit. This guide explains how to use it.
What "self-promoted" means
Two kinds of product tags can appear on a video:
| Tag type | Who can use | Visual | Commission |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic product tag | Any seller | Small tag, tap → product page | None |
| Catalog product tag (self-promoted) | Verified seller, own catalog products | Prominent "Buy now" tile + sticky button while video plays | None (still 0 — it's your own product) |
The catalog tag is bigger, more visible, and converts better. A buyer scrolling past your video sees the Buy-now tile instantly without tapping anything.
What you need
- Verified status. ✓
- At least one catalog product (self-listed or affiliate-listed — doesn't matter; either works for self-promotion).
- A video featuring that product.
If you haven't submitted a catalog product yet, see Self-list in the catalog first.
How to tag a catalog product in a video
From the video upload flow
- Upload your video as normal (see Recording and uploading your first video for the basics).
- On the upload screen, scroll to Tag products.
- Tap + Add tag.
- You'll see two tabs: - My shop products — basic products in your shop. - My catalog products — your catalog products (this is the new one for verified sellers).
- Tap My catalog products and pick up to 3 catalog products that appear in the video.
- Tap Done.
The video uploads with catalog tags attached.
From an existing video
You can also add catalog tags to a video you've already posted:
- Open the video → three-dot menu → Edit.
- Tap Tag products.
- Add the catalog product(s) from your list.
- Tap Save.
The tag appears on the video within a few minutes.
What buyers see
When a buyer watches a video with a tagged catalog product:
- A floating Buy-now tile appears at the bottom of the video, showing the product thumbnail, name, and price.
- Tapping the tile opens the product page.
- A small "Buy" button persists in the corner of the screen for the whole video duration.
- After the video ends, the Buy-now option stays visible until they swipe to the next video.
This is much more prominent than a basic tag. Basic tags only appear as a small icon you have to tap to expand.
When to use it
Some scenarios where self-promote tagging works well:
Showcasing a new arrival
You just got new stock of a kitenge dress. Film a 20-second video of you wearing it, walking outdoors, the fabric catching light. Tag the catalog product. Buyers see the video, see the Buy-now tile, tap, buy.
Driving traffic to a flash sale
A catalog product is on flash sale for 24 hours. Film a quick video ("Last day for the burgundy wrap — link below"). Tag the product with the sale price showing. Conversions usually spike on flash sale videos with prominent tags.
Showing how a product is used
A boda spare part. Film a 60-second walkthrough showing where it goes on the bike. Tag the catalog product. Boda mechanics watching the video tap to buy.
A customer's review on camera
If a happy customer agrees to be on video saying nice things about a product, that's social proof. Film the testimonial, tag the catalog product, post it. Authenticity beats polish.
Mixing self-promoted catalog tags with affiliate tags
If you've also enrolled some products in the affiliate program (you let creators promote them), here's how that interacts with self-tag:
- Your own video can tag a product you've also made affiliate-eligible. You get the sale; no commission goes to anyone.
- Creators tagging the same product in THEIR videos earn the commission you set.
- Buyers don't see whether a video is by you or a creator — they just see the product tag.
So having a product in the affiliate program AND tagging it yourself gives you both flows: you can self-promote, and creators can promote on top of that. Win-win.
How catalog tags affect the algorithm
Videos with catalog tags get a small algorithm boost over untagged videos. Why: tagged videos convert better, and the algorithm prefers content that drives marketplace activity.
So even if you don't think a video really needs a tag, tagging it with a relevant catalog product can lift the video's reach.
That said: don't tag irrelevant products. If your video is about your home life and you tag a kitenge dress, buyers ignore the tag (or worse, find the mismatch jarring). The boost is real but small; don't trade authenticity for it.
Tagging multiple products in one video
Up to 3 catalog products can be tagged on a single video. If your video shows several items (an outfit, say — dress + shoes + bag), tagging all three makes sense.
The Buy-now tile cycles through the tagged products — every few seconds it shows a different one. Buyers can swipe through the tile to see all of them.
Don't pad with unrelated products to fill the 3 slots. A focused video with 1 tag converts better than a noisy one with 3 tags for unrelated items.
A few advanced tips
Refresh tags on old videos
If you've been on the app a while and have many videos posted before you had catalog products, go back and edit tags on the best performers. Adding a catalog tag to a video that's already getting views is the highest-leverage move you can make this week.
Use sales videos to drive other sales
A video about your flash sale on Product A can include a tag for Product B (in the same category, regular price). Buyers who watch the flash sale video might tap through to B too.
Track which videos convert
Seller Hub → Insights → Tagged video conversions. Shows you which videos drove the most sales on their tagged products. Use this to learn what kind of video works for you, then make more like it.
Common questions
Can I tag a catalog product I don't own?
No — only your own catalog products. (Tagging other sellers' catalog products is the affiliate-creator flow; that requires being an approved creator.)
Can I un-tag a product later?
Yes. Open the video → Edit → Tag products → remove. Updates immediately.
My tag disappeared from the video.
Most common cause: the catalog product was removed (out of stock too long, you deleted it, or it was removed by admin). Tags pointing to removed products are auto-hidden.
Re-add the tag once the product is back.
Why don't basic shop products get the same prominent Buy-now tile?
The tile is a catalog feature — it's tied to the catalog's structured product schema (variants, brand, class). Basic shop products don't have all those fields, so they get a simpler tag.
If a basic product is getting tagged a lot and would benefit from the bigger tile, submit it to the catalog (see Self-list in the catalog).
Are tagged videos counted differently in my insights?
Yes — Insights shows tagged-video metrics separately from untagged videos. You'll see:
- Tag impressions — how many times the Buy-now tile was shown.
- Tag taps — how many people tapped through to the product.
- Tag conversions — how many of those taps became orders.
The tap-to-conversion rate is the metric to optimize. A high rate means your tagged products match what your video viewers want.
Can I A/B test different tags on the same video?
Not directly — you can't run two versions of one video. But you can test by uploading two similar videos with different tags and comparing performance. Crude but effective.
What's next
- Wallet and payouts — taking out the money the tags drove.
- Self-list in the catalog — more catalog products to tag.