Overview
UTM parameters are small tags appended to a URL (source, medium, campaign, and more) that tell analytics tools where a click originated. When a visitor arrives through a tagged link, the analytics platform records those labels.
They are the standard way to distinguish traffic sources: which creator, post, channel, or campaign sent each visitor and, ultimately, each sale.
How it works
A brand builds a link with UTM tags (for example, source=creatorname, medium=tiktok, campaign=spring-launch) and gives that link to a specific creator or channel. Analytics then groups sessions and conversions by those tags.
This lets a brand compare performance across creators and channels using consistent, self-defined labels.
Why it matters
UTMs give brands source-level truth for off-platform traffic, especially useful when driving creators to a Shopify store or an Amazon listing where the platform's own reporting is limited.
Consistent UTM naming is what makes creator performance comparable. Sloppy or inconsistent tags produce messy, unusable data.
How brands use it
Brands assign each creator or channel a consistent UTM scheme, then read analytics by source to see which creators drive not just clicks but conversions, and reallocate effort accordingly.
How Hubfluence supports this workflow
Hubfluence attributes GMV back to individual creators, complementing UTM-based tracking so brands get a creator-level performance picture across the platforms they run.
Learn more about Hubfluence Analytics, or book a demo to see how Hubfluence runs your TikTok Shop creator program end to end.
