- TikTok's popularity has exploded, and some users are looking for ways to make some cash.
- Creators make money using TikTok's built-in monetization tools, brand deals, and song promotions.
- Even if you only have 100 followers, you can earn money on the app by participating in marketing contests.
TikTok has grown dramatically over the past few years, reaching over 1 billion monthly active users in 2021.
Along the way, a new generation of digital stars was born, like Charli D'Amelio and Addison Rae Easterling, who turned their TikTok fame into lucrative business empires.
Creators with a small number of followers can also make money on TikTok.
TikTok creators can earn rewards through live streaming subscriptions and virtual “gifts” once they reach 1,000 followers or more. However, to take advantage of many of TikTok's monetization features, creators must have at least 10,000 followers and 100,000 video views in the past 30 days. This includes the Creators Fund, which has pledged to pay out $1 billion in 2020.
Read more about what TikTokers are saying about Creator Fund payments
From using built-in monetization features to participating in promotional campaigns for brands and music marketers, we'll show you the myriad ways your app's users can earn rewards.
Make money directly from TikTok
TikTok offers built-in monetization tools for influencers, including a creator fund, an ad revenue sharing program, a fund for long-form and augmented reality creators, a tipping feature, subscription features for streamers, and virtual “gift” products. Masu. This allows users to send gifts to creators and convert those gifts into real-world currency.
TikTok requires creators to have a certain number of followers and views to access these features.
- How to join TikTok's Creator Fund: Creators must be at least 18 years old, have at least 10,000 followers, and at least 100,000 video views in the past 30 days.
- How to join the ad revenue sharing program TikTok Pulse: Creators must be 18 years or older, have at least 100,000 followers, and have posted at least 5 videos in the past 30 days.
- To receive subscription income from TikTok Live: Creators must be at least 18 years old and have at least 1,000 followers.
- To receive a virtual “gift” during a live stream: Creators must be at least 18 years old and have at least 1,000 followers.
- How to receive “gifts” from other videos: Creators must be at least 18 years old and have at least 10,000 followers.
- To receive “hints”: Creators must be at least 18 years old and have at least 100,000 followers.
- To participate in TikTok's creative program for videos longer than 1 minute: Creators must have at least 10,000 followers and at least 100,000 video views in the past 30 days. Users may participate in the Creativity Program or the Creator Fund, but not both.
- How to join TikTok's Effect Creator Rewards Program: Augmented reality creators must be 18 years or older, have at least 500,000 TikTok videos published using the effect, and be located in the US, France, UK, Spain, Italy, or Germany.
The amount of money an influencer can earn from each feature is unpredictable.
For payments from TikTok's Creator Fund, the company considers a variety of factors, including the number of video views, video engagement, where the video was viewed, and the total number of participants in the program.
So what does TikTok pay for views?
Some creators who disclosed their TikTok Creator Fund earnings, including Hank Green, who has 7.6 million followers, said they were paid a few cents for every 1,000 views they generated on the app.
Read more about how much MrBeast, Hank Greene, and other creators with millions of followers say they're getting paid from TikTok's Creator Fund
The initial payments from TikTok's ad revenue sharing program Pulse were also overwhelming, creators told Insider.
The eight creators who shared their payment information during Pulse's first two months earned in the range of $6 to $8 per 1,000 video plays (RPM). His first two pay periods for the program often had low monetized views, resulting in payouts ranging from a few pennies to $17.
Read more about what creators are saying about TikTok's Pulse ad payments
TikTok creator Kevin Yatsushiro told Insider about the Creator Fund payout, “Seeing so little money being generated really made me feel less about myself.” “It was a huge blow to my mental health…I didn't want to create content anymore.”
Asked about creators' concerns about being paid less, a TikTok spokesperson said the company “requires our creator community to ensure that their work is recognized and provides valuable feedback to better serve their needs.” “I understand how important it is,” he said. They pointed out other monetization features such as live subscriptions that are available to users.
Learn more about how much TikTok's built-in monetization tools pay creators with 1,000 or more followers.
Learn more about how much creators with approximately 1 million followers or more get paid through TikTok's built-in monetization tools.
Earn money by collaborating with brands, marketers and technology platforms
Even TikTok creators with only a few thousand followers can earn money by working directly with brands.
Jalin Biden, an Instagram and TikTok influencer with about 19,000 followers on TikTok, tells Insider that she makes more than $26,000 from sponsorships, commissioned content from brands, and affiliate marketing. Told.
See how TikTok creators make money from brand deals, sorted by number of followers:
- Waterpark creator Alex Ojeda (approximately 8.3 million followers) shares pricing for sponsored content
- The McFarlands of the TikTok family (approximately 3.8 million followers) talk about how much they make from their brand
- Recipe and lifestyle creator Dana Hasson (approximately 2.9 million followers) shares income from sponsored content
- College football player John Seaton (1.8 million followers) shares proceeds from 18-month brand deal
- Deanna Giulietti (approximately 1.8 million followers) made over $500,000 from brand deals on TikTok and Instagram in 2021
- Harry Raftus (approximately 1.3 million followers) shared his income from song promotions and brand deals
- Basketball creators Brandon (approximately 1.1 million followers) and Jayden Beloti (1.2 million followers) share their monthly income from creator funds and brand deals
- Fashion creator Carolina Freixa (approximately 764,000 followers) talks about income from brand campaigns
- Tejas Hullur (approximately 588,000 followers) said sponsored content starts at $3,000
- Software engineer and creator Matt Upham (approximately 521,000 followers) shares revenue from brand deal
- Naomi Melanie Lineage (approximately 512,000 followers) shares fees and revenue from sponsored content
- Personal finance influencer Erin Confortini (approximately 235,000 followers) talks about the money she makes from brand deals, UGC, and affiliate marketing.
- Symphony Clark (approximately 208,000 followers), who makes videos about thrift shopping, shares revenue from sponsored content.
- Comedy creator Pooja Tripathi (approximately 37,500 followers) reveals how much she makes from sponsored posts
- Lillian Zhang (approximately 33,800 followers) offers sponsored content pricing
- Jalyn Baiden (approximately 21,500 followers) charges approximately $1,000 for sponsored posts
- Salha Aziz (approximately 20,400 followers) charges brands approximately $160 per post
One of the common ways TikTok creators make money is by promoting songs with videos. Music marketers and record labels pay TikTok creators to include tracks in their posts to popularize their songs on the app. Some marketers are even hiring music producers to speed up, slow down, or create remixed versions of their tracks to increase their popularity on TikTok.
Read more about how much money music producers make from remixes and mashups
Even TikTok creators with small followings can earn money by participating in sponsored challenges, an advertising strategy that's especially popular among music marketers. Challenges allow record labels, artists, and brands to post contests on platforms like Pearpop, Preffy, and TikTok itself that ask users to create a video featuring a product or using a specific song. Masu. Non-music brands also regularly participate in challenges.
Rather than offering a single influencer an upfront flat fee, Preffy and Pearpop pay users on a sliding scale based on the number of views and likes on videos featuring their songs and brands. . TikTok is testing its own version of the challenge, dubbed “Brand Mission.” The company told Insider it is experimenting with different payment models and that “increased traffic” would also be considered a form of compensation.
“The first way influencer marketing works is you pay a few people with big followings, but that's like throwing a few big logs into a fire that doesn't exist,” says Co-Founder of Pearpop. one Cole Mason told Insider. “If you have a challenge, there are ways to actually start a fire.”
Learn more about how TikTok creators make money from promoting their songs.
