One day in late June, a conference room on the first floor of the Hyatt Regency in Anaheim, California, was transformed into a TikTok galaxy. Although there were no windows, the place glowed with neon signs, a fake starry sky, and hot lamps warming up the vegan tacos. This was all part of the company's latest attempt to wow creators at its annual VidCon Anaheim conference, the largest gathering dedicated to social media stars. But in general, creators weren't as raving about the free Nature Valley bars or TikTok's logo hats. In fact, there was constant talk about TikTok's new Creativity Program Beta (CPB), which rewards users for publishing videos longer than 60 seconds.
“This is pretty awesome,” Cassie Sorensen (SmallBizCassie on TikTok) says of CPB, nestled between the giant glowing touchscreen TikTok placards that serve as the main light source for TikTok Galaxy. “So the fact that they are rewarding long-form content on their platform is encouraging.”
TikTokers like Sorensen, both famous and unknown, make up a large portion of the creativity program's beta participants, and they are central to TikTok's strategy to attract users with long-form content and attract advertising dollars. . For many, it's not so shocking that the platform that defined short-form videos is such a hit, but rather that TikTok has (so far) designed a program that meaningfully compensates creators.
Creators interviewed luck They report earning thousands of dollars a month from CPB alone. One TikToker talked about paying off his mortgage with CPB payments. Another is to quit your 9-to-5 job and work on TikTok full-time. Still another called the payment “life-changing.”
People who spoke with these creators and others luck Alternatively, people who have shared their opinions about the program on the Internet report that they are making thousands of dollars a month with this program. The program launched in February of this year as an invite-only test and was open to all creators in the United States who are 18 years of age or older. User with at least 10,000 followers and he has 100,000 views as of early May.
“This has had a big impact on the positive view people have of this platform, which it definitely was for me,” said John Hopper, who goes by Blue_ThunderGaming on social. . luck. “So many people moved to participate.” [CPB] If you're posting a video that's longer than 1 minute, give it priority. It's fully functional and certainly attracts creators. ”
Hopper said she plans to quit her corporate job within two months because CPB makes her about $5,000 a month. Another TikToker named Dalton Brock, who goes by the handle EsportsCenter, said he makes between $3,000 and $6,000 a month with the program. This is significant in its own right, but it's especially notable since TikTok's last major effort to pay creators, who previously earned up to $500 a month. It's called the Creators Fund. (If a TikToker registers for his CPB, the creator will no longer be eligible for his fund.) A creator active at GhostGaming, he has 380,000 followers on TiKTok I posted a screenshot He posted on Twitter that he made $408 from one video and called the program “life-changing.”another user report Posting 41 TikTok videos in 30 days will earn you over $5,200 on the platform. He echoes his GhostGaming opinion, characterizing CPB as “pretty game-changing.”
These payments, and the excitement they bring to creators, represent a break from the confusion that has defined TikTok's relationship with creators. Many creators feel the need to join TikTok to gather an audience, but the Bytedance-owned platform has never compensated content creators well. The $2 billion Creator Fund distributed only a small amount to creators during its three-year lifespan. His TikTok Pulse, an ad revenue sharing program that closely mimics YouTube's AdSense (famous for discovering high-paid creators), netted participants just 1 cent in profit. The company also launched subscriber-only content and direct monetization mechanisms from fans. These commitments, which changed regularly, were difficult to follow and never offered better compensation than the big-star brand deals.
response to luckIn response to questions about the company's history with paying creators, TikTok spokesperson Maria Jung said that payments from CPB provide creators with higher average gross revenue for eligible video views. He pointed out that this could earn up to 20 times the amount Creator Fund was previously offering.
“Since launching the TikTok Creator Fund in 2020, we have listened to the creator community to better understand their needs and improve our program,” said TikTok’s Jung. say. “The Creativity program is designed to encourage creators to create high-quality, original content, generate higher earning potential, and open the door to more exciting real-world opportunities.” We offer higher cash incentives.”
How exactly payments will be determined remains unclear. Hopper noted that in his experience, CPM-based payments are a source of frustration because they fluctuate for no reason.when luck A TikTok spokesperson asked for clarification on the payout structure, but said, “Rewards are calculated by the video's performance as it occurs based on average gross revenue and qualifying views, and if the video continues to perform well. , more rewards will accumulate.”
As more individuals pursue careers in social content creation, compensation for creators from social platforms has become an increasingly important aspect of the $250 billion creator economy (according to Goldman Sachs). But despite this demand, the programs by which social giants like Google, Meta, and ByteDance compensate creators for their labor remain in constant flux, defined by sudden pivots and red tape. Masu.
YouTube recently started paying creators for short videos, which makes sense for top creators like Alan Chicken Chow, who has made “millions” and a decent amount. It's irrelevant to small influencers who make a lot of money. Meta, the Reels bonus program that pays creators sometimes mean and sometimes confusing payments for short videos, has a spotty track record of ending the program without notice over the winter. (and a reworked version will return in June). Meanwhile, Snap's Story His program pays creators handsomely for instant content, some of whom post around 200 pieces of content per day to generate income. . Amid this turmoil, creators often have to pursue deals with brands to support themselves.
“When you look at the creator economy, which creators are the most powerful in terms of brand partnerships, who can create change, YouTube is always number one. The reason is YouTubers. They are 25 You create a minute video or a 15 minute video. Content is what matters most, he says. “The longer TikTok can acquire content, the more it can do from a brand partner and monetization standpoint.”
The idea that TikTok is opening up its vaults to creators in hopes of attracting more ad dollars suggests the platform is stepping up its game in competition with YouTube. Gagliese said CPB believes he's at the vanguard of TikTok changing its skippable pre-roll ad format. “The problem is, if you have a 15-second video, it's very difficult to put a mid-roll or pre-roll into it, because it goes against the psychology and the whole usage of it,” he says.
TikTok allows you to skip pre-roll ads, but YouTube requires it as a prerequisite. If TikTok can make ads unskippable, the company's ad revenue could skyrocket based on viewership.
Still, creators and agencies still have major concerns about TikTok and its Chinese parent company. “This is definitely bad for humanity in general,” said a TikTok CPB member who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation from the platform. “Attention span problems from swiping too quickly, rapid bursts of content, massive amounts of adult content from people promoting adult businesses that are everywhere all the time, whether they're talking about content or not.”
But this creator has made a living from TikTok and has no plans to leave, especially now that he's making thousands of dollars a month from CPB. “Regardless of how malicious or harmful it is to children or humans, this is an absolutely cutting-edge, genius algorithm.”
