Stop scrolling and start earning. Here’s how to make money on TikTok.
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Gone are the days when TikTok was just a dance video app. With over one billion active users every month, the social media app covers almost every niche, interest and hobby.
It’s easy to fall down the rabbit hole of flipping through a literally never-ending library of videos. But did you know that you can also make money on TikTok?
We are here to share our best tips for monetizing your TikTok account.
To join the TikTok Creator Fund, you need at least 10,000 followers. However, this is not the only way to make money on TikTok. The TikTok Creator Fund doesn’t pay much anyway. As we explain below, you can start earning without any followers.
One of the great benefits of creating content on TikTok is that every video has the potential to go viral – even if you have zero followers!
When a video is posted on TikTok, it is shown to a small group of people. If they watch and engage with your video, it’s shown to more viewers. The same thing happens over and over again, which makes it possible to reach a huge audience if you create top quality content.
Obviously, it helps if you have followers because your videos will also appear on their For You page (FYP, TikTok’s homepage). But even without followers, your first video could go viral. And when you start collecting views, you can start making money on TikTok.
Get sponsored on TikTok
Sponsored content can be a great earner, especially if you have a large and engaged TikTok following or a track record of viral videos.
For example, you can create TikTok videos about a specific product or service and then post them on your own profile. In this way, the brand you work with gets in front of your audience. But that’s not the only way to work with sponsorships on TikTok.
Since many brands don’t have the resources to create a video, you can too let them use your content for ads on TikTok. This is called creating UGC (User Generated Content). But since it gives them ownership of the content you’ve created, you should get paid a lot more for it compared to just publishing on your own account.
In addition, you can ask for even more money for exclusivity. This essentially means that you cannot work with other brands or competitors for a certain period of time. Depending on how long the brand wants exclusivity, you may charge extra.
Creating content takes a lot of work and experience, so don’t underestimate yourself! This type of work is very valuable to brands, so make sure you get paid what you’re worth.
Join the TikTok Creator Fund
TikTok Creator Fund is a way to make money within the platform. TikTok has put together this fund to reward people for creating quality content on their platform.
Once you’re accepted, you’ll be paid based on the number of views you receive, the authenticity of said views, and the level of engagement with your content.
To join the TikTok Creator Fund, you must meet the following criteria:
- Be at least 18 years old and be based in the UK, USA, Italy, Spain, France or Germany
- Have 10,000 or more followers
- You got 100,000 or more views on your TikTok videos in the last 30 days.
- Read the terms of service and community guidelines for apps
How much does TikTok pay you for a million views?
TikTok usually pays in between 20 – 40 dollars per million views (around £16 – £32 retrospectively). As you will probably agree, this is not much. That’s why it’s much more profitable to focus on other ways to make money on TikTok and see the TikTok Creator Fund as a small bonus.
If you get views, you can get paid for them, but the real money is made elsewhere.
Receive donations through TikTok Live
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Once you reach 1000 followers on TikTok, you will get access to the Live feature. As the name suggests, this allows you to broadcast live to your followers on the app. What you do in the live stream is up to you – from questions and answers to sharing special tips and tricks, the sky’s the limit.
You can make money on TikTok Live by collecting donations from viewers. TikTok has its own built-in gift system where viewers can exchange real money for virtual gifts. These gifts can then be gifted to the live streamer.
To redeem your gifts, you must exchange them for diamonds, which can be exchanged for cash. Diamonds are worth 50% of the value of coins (TikTok keeps the other 50%).
Collect tips on TikTok
Besides receiving donations through the app’s own system on TikTok Live, there are other ways to collect tips from your followers.
You may link to third-party websites in your TikTok bio. There are sites that help creators collect tips, like Ko-Fi or Buy Me a Coffee, but you can also create a PayPal donation link.
The big advantage of this is that there are no or minimal fees. Since TikTok takes a 50% cut of all donations through TikTok Live, you could be missing out on a lot of money.
However, few people check TikTok profiles, so they may not see your links. With TikTok Live, collecting donations is a little easier.
Use affiliate marketing to make money on TikTok
A great way to make money on any social media platform is through affiliate marketing.
Affiliate marketing is when you recommend someone else’s product or service. For example, if someone buys a product through your personal link, you may receive a commission.
Signing up to affiliate networks like Awin and impact.com will give you access to hundreds of brands to promote.
Of course, it’s easiest to promote a service or product that fits your niche. So if you’re on BookTok (book-centric videos on TikTok), you can link to the books you review in your videos.
Since it’s relatively easy to go viral on TikTok (compared to other social media platforms), you could make a lot of sales from a single video. We have a detailed affiliate marketing guide for more information and tips.
Affiliate marketing can also be a very profitable way to make money from your website.
Sell products through TikTok Shop
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You may have seen the TikTok Shop before, but it’s essentially a marketplace for products on the social media app. If you see something you like on a video that’s connected to the TikTok Shop, you can order it home in a few clicks. Super simple!
How can creators benefit from this? If you find products on the TikTok Shop that you like or think your audience would like, there’s a way to make money. Similar to regular affiliate marketing, you can become an affiliate for TikTok stores.
You can then link to products on your videos and TikTok Lives. And since the TikTok Shop button will appear on your video, it’s easy for viewers to order right then and there. You will receive a commission for every sale made through your content.
And, obviously, if you start a business, you can also add your products to the TikTok Shop! To do this you will need to get approved so be sure to read all the terms and conditions first.
Advertise your business or services
If you have your own business or offer freelance services, TikTok could be the perfect marketing tool.
Because there are so many TikTok users and it’s relatively easy to go viral (compared to other social media platforms), one viral video could result in thousands of sales. When it comes to monetization on TikTok, this is one of the best ways to earn extra money.
Follow video trends and popular sounds to use. Some viral video trends are easy to replicate in the CapCut app. They work with TikTok to make it easy to use templates directly from TikTok and upload them to your account.
Become a TikTok consultant
Once you’ve learned how to grow a TikTok account and get viral videos, you can start thinking about sharing your gift with the world. For the right price, of course.
As mentioned in the last point, the chances of going viral on TikTok are much higher than on other platforms. And the more people see the video, the more they will see the product or service the company offers.
If you know how to create quality content that has the potential to go viral, you could help businesses make thousands of sales.
Similarly, you can offer courses for aspiring TikTokers. If you have tips and tricks for growing an account and making money on TikTok, you can help aspiring influencers get started. You can even provide feedback on their current account along with ideas on how to improve.
Earn money from TikTok rewards
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Another way to earn money on TikTok is by referring your friends to the app with TikTok rewards. You can find your unique code by tapping the wrapped gift icon on your TikTok page. The type of reward changes from time to time, but we’ve seen gift cards and real money.
There are several criteria new users must meet to qualify for your reward, including:
- They have never created a TikTok account
- They have never downloaded the TikTok app on their device before
- They meet the age criteria (18+ in the UK)
- They are in the same country as you.
Sell your own merchandise on TikTok
As you start to gather followers on TikTok and your fan base grows, you can eventually create your own merchandise.
For example, you can create merchandise with your brand logo or a catchphrase that you use frequently in your content.
To do this successfully, you will need engaged followers. It can work especially well if you have followers on multiple platforms.
Start a Patreon
Patreon is a separate platform where creators can offer fans paid memberships to access exclusive content. If you’ve managed to build a fan base on TikTok, it’s worth considering expanding to sites like Patreon to increase your income.
On Patreon, you can share platform-exclusive content, which can include special tutorials, vlogs, or Q&As.
Keep in mind that running a Patreon page is a lot of extra work, and you won’t be able to share all the content on your regular TikTok page (otherwise, why would anyone pay extra for it?). But if you have a loyal fan base, you can make quite a bit of extra cash with it!
Repurpose your TikTok on YouTube
Although this is not essentially making money on TikTok, why let the content you created fail on just one platform? Ever since YouTube introduced Shorts, it’s been possible to upload short-form content to the platform.
And similar to TikTok’s Creator Fund, YouTube will pay you for the number of views you get (if you’re part of the YouTube Partner Program).
Make sure you still upload the original video and not the one you download from your TikTok page.
Since TikTok watermarks your video after you post it, it will look much better if you re-upload the original video to YouTube. Adding new music and descriptions may take a few extra minutes, but it will be worth it.
And don’t forget to post them on Instagram too! Although Instagram doesn’t pay you for views, it’s a great way to increase your followers.
The more followers you have, the easier it is to make money from social media and grow your online brand.
