written by TikTok, a social media network operating since 2017, has quickly amassed many influencers. As a short video app, the social media platform has taken off much faster than others (e.g., Vine et al.) and is expected to reach over 2 billion users in 2024. If you’re just getting started on the platform and see the success of other entrepreneurs, you may wonder how you, too, can effectively build an audience and earn money on TikTok.
How much money do influencers make on TikTok?
Content creator platform has become a lucrative platform for many influencers, making money from brand partners and new sponsors. The earnings of TikTokers depend on their reach and engagement rate; on average, a successful brand partnership can earn them between $50,000 to $150,000.
An example of a successful account is Charli D’Amelio (see below), the second-most followed TikTok user, who reportedly earned $17.5 million in 2023, making her the highest-paid TikToker. With over one billion active monthly TikTok users, and well over three billion downloads as of Q2 2021, TikTok’s user base continues to grow, presenting the chance for more future TikTok influencers. Users spend on average of 95 minutes per day on the app, making it a prime social media platform for influencer marketing.
TikTok has become a hub for viral trends and popular videos, with creators and advertisers alike leveraging the platform’s features to create engaging content. Khabane Lame, the Italian comedian and content creator, has emerged as the most-followed TikToker, with 155 million subscribers as of March 2023. In comparison, the popular dancer Charli D’Amelio, who was the most-followed TikToker for a long time, came in second with 150 million followers, while singer Bella Poarch came in third with 93 million followers. The platform’s most popular TikTok videos include those that play on nostalgia illusions and trends that use popular songs, like “Oh No” by Kreepa, which has been used in more than 13.1 million engaging content clips.
Advertisers have also found success on TikTok, with the most successful TikTok ads directly speaking to the audience. According to TikTok, 33% of the most viewed TikTok ads break the “fourth wall,” a technique that has long been successful in converting consumers and one that has been in practice for influencers across many platforms.
The Washington Post was the first to successfully use this format on TikTok with their “TikTok Guy” Dave; in fact, challenges have become a cornerstone of the platform’s engagement, with the #Raindropchallenge generated nearly 1.1 billion views in 2021 alone, a number that rose to 1.9 billion in 2023.
Can You Get Paid Using TikTok?
You can use several methods to make money on TikTok and share the success of other creators. Some top influencers, like Khaby Lame and Addison Rae, leverage their millions of followers to earn international success, and they are earning hundreds of thousands of dollars monthly.
How Many TikTok Followers Do You Need to Make Money on TikTok?
While achieving a follower count of millions might not initially seem like something that’s super accessible, it’s important to remember that micro-influencers, with as little as 1,000 followers, can find a way to monetize their TikTok accounts. If your followers are 100% organic and regularly engage with your content, you have established yourself as a micro-influencer – time to leverage your TikTok account to earn a small amount. You won’t be making millions from a thousand followers, but you could supplement your income with an extra $100 to $200 per month if you’re using the right social media strategy.
Should You Sell Products or Merch Using TikTok Shopping?
Depending on why you created a TikTok account, you could sell items online using digital products or TikTok video links that go to an e-commerce page. Digital items are top-rated products you can sell; for example, anything from music to creative merchandise (i.e., e-books) are an excellent way to monetize a TikTok account.
Working with print-on-demand services is an excellent way to spread your brand, reach your fans and start TikTok shopping, like T-shirts, pillowcases, coffee mugs, notebooks, stickers and more; as your following grows, so will the demand. Ensure you’re putting out new merchandise so your loyal customers have new products they might be interested in purchasing. Your revenue stream will increase as you get more followers for your page.
Should You Use Patreon to Offer Fan Subscriptions and Exclusive Content?
Subscription-based models also work for TikTok, and they’ll offer an excellent model for income if you’re a specialized sponsored content creator. Adding a subscription fee of $1 per month can be a revenue stream, as can giving followers access to exclusive content they wouldn’t find on the platform, or exclusive videos and TikTok rewards, like discounts on your merchandise.
Audiences will likely increase their donations and subscribers if you offer exclusive, valuable premium content or extra content on your Patreon. Make sure that if you’re using a subscription service, you’re promoting your Patreon page and disclosing its benefits for a subscription. Also, ensure that you’re enticing your fans with rewards and thanking them for their support when they subscribe.
Most TikTok users who add exclusive, engaging content to the platform offer subscriptions at only $1 – $2. Paying subscribers will also have a higher expectation that the creator will be posting quality content. If you’ve got a subscription for your TikTok or off-site content, you will need to keep up with your post schedule and release videos at least once every day or every other day.
The Top Ways to Make Money with TikTok
Suppose you’ve got a sizable following and are not interested in selling digital products or starting a subscription service. In that case, there are more streamlined ways to making money with TikTok.
Tip #1. Join The TikTok Creativity Program
TikTok Creator Next is the next big thing on TikTok and a program designed to help creators monetize their sponsored content as they grow and develop their communities.
The program provides access to several tools and features that allow creators to turn their passion and creativity into a career, whether starting a side hustle or a full-fledged business. Through TikTok Creator Next, creators have numerous opportunities to improve their monetization, including collaborating with brands and creating engaging videos.
One of the key features of TikTok Creator Next is the Creator Fund, which rewards creators for their dedication, ingenuity and spirit by providing monetary compensation for their incredible videos. If you keep making great content, you will see a steady income from this fund.
The program also includes the TikTok Creator Marketplace, which is an official platform for brand and creator collaborations. Brands and agencies can browse the marketplace of creators, across 24 countries, who have joined the TikTok Creator Marketplace. If you have a micro influence, you could start to get listed and have potential brands seek you out.
Other monetization opportunities for creators collect tips from viewers, collecting Diamonds from brand deals for the popularity of their content through Video Gifts and LIVE Gifts (and more). To participate in TikTok Creator Next, creators must meet specific eligibility requirements, including minimum TikTok followers, video views and account standing.
Tip #2. Create In-Feed Ads with TikTok Ad Managers
Other organic marketing opportunities exist with the TikTok ads manager, which shows ads for users in the “for you” feeds. You can create TikTok videos and then target ads from Shopify or other platforms for audiences interested in these products. You can use these in-feed ads with affiliate products or your own unique merch.
Tip #3. Sell with TikTok Shopping
TikTok Shopping is an official shopping feature that allows merchants, brands and TikTok creators to directly display and sell products, just like a TikTok creator marketplace.
This feature, launched in August 2021, adds in-app shopping and streamlined product discovery to the platform, enabling users to shop without leaving the app. This was a serious complaint for many users, and the new feature ensures viewers won’t have to follow eternal links to buy the products they want.
A TikTok Shop is a shopping feature that is accessible directly on the platform, allowing sellers and creators to sell products through in-feed videos, LIVEs and the product showcase tab. The feature is available to four categories of users: sellers, creators, partners and affiliates (each category has specific eligibility requirements before users can access TikTok Shopping).
Tip #4. Go Live and Collect Virtual Gifts
With TikTok’s Live feature, you can stream content in real-time and connect and chat with your audience. TikTok’s live-streaming experience is unique, because followers can send virtual gifts that can be redeemed for payment. These virtual gifts work as a donation for your hard work, and if you regularly go live and engage with users, you can foster relationships and build connections that will often boost your monetization for the page.
Tip #5. Participate In Affiliate Programs
Becoming an affiliate marketer with your TikTok influence is a fantastic way to leverage your followers and earn more money. Plenty of brands use affiliate programs, paying out high commissions for sales. If you find the right affiliate program and place inbound links to these products (or promote the products directly on your TikTok), you could earn 3 to 25% of every sale from your unique referral link. Check TikTok community guidelines to see what TikTok posts can promote you as you are creating content.
Tip #6. Consult with Brands
If you have a more significant following and don’t want to use affiliate networks to source good partners, consider connecting with other brands or creators. The Creator Marketplace Program helps you connect with brands and other influencers with similar networks. Consulting with related brands interested in your target audience of followers could pay you some of the best commission rates. These connections will entitle you to new products that you could get for free as samples for review in real videos from TikTok accounts, too.
Tip #7. Partner with TikTok Influencers
As mentioned, influencers may want to partner with you to grow their following via revenue streams. If you have a following of over 30,000 and a new micro-influencer intends to work with you, they may pay you for a sponsored post. A paid collaboration or sponsored post is another way to leverage your followers and help another TikTok content creator succeed.
If you’re a brand looking to partner with an influencer, it’s important to find the right fit. According to a study by CivicScience, just 8% of Americans have consciously purchased a product or service on a blogger or influencer’s recommendation.
However, in the last six months, nearly 15% of 18-to-24-year-olds have purchased something because an influencer recommended it. Younger people are more trusting of influencers and this can signify a big margin with influencer drive sales and marketing.
When it comes to trust, just 1% of all U.S. adults are confident in social media influencers; however, nearly two-thirds of Americans want brand sponsored posts to always be disclosed, with a slim minority who don’t want any distinction.
As more and more influencers jump into conventional stardom, it’s essential to ensure that sponsored posts are clearly disclosed to maintain consumer trust. When looking for an influencer to partner with, brands should focus on finding someone who aligns with their values and has a genuine connection with their engaged audience. Also, be sure to look closely at their sponsor requirements so that you are eligible for TikTok creator fund.
Tip #8. Sell Digital Products
Digital products are one of the most accessible that you can sell online. They don’t require any warehouse or drop shipping, which is a huge improvement for scaling your business. Creating digital products (e.g., e-books, planners with your custom branding, coloring books or any services, such as a one-on-one call with you) to share your knowledge and then promoting them on TikTok, is a fantastic solution to create a revenue stream. Leveraging these products, rather than selling only physical goods like merch, can keep your costs down and give you multiple sources of revenue from your TikTok account.
Tip #9. Publish Sponsored Posts
Sponsored posts are a natural evolution of affiliate marketing and referral program. When you get finally amass a larger following (over 30 to 40,000), you can likely connect brands to access samples and do sponsored posts promoting your products. TikTok influencers with massive audiences have over 1 million followers and can often get up to $10,000 per post for a sponsored product review or a sponsored post enabling another influencer. Sponsored posts often become the fastest way to make money on any social media platform.
Getting started with sponsored content on TikTok involves finding the right brand partnership and creating free content that will resonate with your audience. To optimize sponsored content, you must first understand your audience’s interests, which will allow you to create material that aligns with their values and pain points. Giving value and providing solid advice to your followers will help deepen your relationship with your audience. It’s also essential to ensure that sponsored content is authentic and fits seamlessly into your overall strategy. Something that is inconsistent with your niche will lose you followers.
By creating sponsored content that is entertaining, engaging and informative, you will build trust with your audience and increase the likelihood of them engaging and taking action that will support you financially.
Tip #10. Promote Songs
Promoting songs and original sounds on TikTok requires creating quality live videos that capture viewers’ attention. TikTok app has become a great platform for music discovery, and the algorithm is designed to promote trending songs and sounds. To increase the reach of a song or sound, creators can use popular hashtags and participate in trending challenges. To capture the audience’s attention or inspire people to use sound to start a new trend, you must create quality videos that are visually appealing and engaging. By using creative editing techniques, adding special effects and incorporating popular TikTok trends, creators can generate videos that are more likely to go viral and attract new followers.
Tip #11. Start a Paid Subscription
TikTok creators can offer paid subscriptions through services – like Patreon or Buy Me a Coffee – allowing them to monetize their content and offer premium benefits and information to their most dedicated fans. Offering premium content can provide a new revenue stream for influencers and creators, enabling them to offer exclusive material, such as behind-the-scenes footage, Q&A sessions, and premium tutorials, that isn’t available to the general public. Research other creators to discover the types of subscription content that sells well via brand partnerships.
By offering paid subscriptions, creators have an opportunity to build a community of loyal fans who are willing to TikTok pay for exclusive content and support their favorite creators. It’s important to ensure that the value of the premium content justifies the subscription fee and that it aligns with the creator’s overall brand and strategy.
People Also Ask
How Many Views Do I Need to Make Money on TikTok?
You’ll need at least 100,000 views in the last 30 days to access money from the Creativity Fund, a TikTok rewards and profit-sharing creativity program for videos. If you’re interested in affiliate marketing, try boosting your posts past 1,000 to 2,000 views. Even 2% of your viewers following an affiliate unique referral link and making a purchase will offer consistent income from these posts.
How Much Does TikTok Pay Per 1000 Views?
Through the current TikTok Creator Fund, the TikTok pays out two to four cents for every thousand views. This doesn’t sound super profitable, but if you have multiple videos, you’ll see consistent earnings.
TikTok Creator Fund earnings vary on the number of views. You can earn more on these views by using affiliate marketing or video merch links to drive sales to your products. Multiple revenue streams are how TikTok creators make the most actual money from their influencer marketing.
How Much Does TikTok Pay For $1 Million Viewers?
The current TikTok Creator Fund will pay between $20 to $40 for a million views, allowing you to leverage more through affiliate marketing or paid promotions. You can make money on TikTok with a combination of the Creator fund, posting sponsored content or brand partnerships as you generate affiliate links.
How Do I Claim My Earnings?
Estimated earnings are on the Creator Fund dashboard three days after they are accrued in video views. You can withdraw after 30 days of accrual; withdrawals are handled through PayPal or Zelle. The dashboard and withdrawal method are also the same for the Creativity Fund in Beta.
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