Wanting to earn money on TikTok from the videos you put out is natural. It’s also one of the few things all TikTok creators have in common. But actually figuring out how to make money on TikTok is something else entirely. TikTok has the kind of money-making potential that goes beyond any comparable social media platform.
Every hour of every day, TikTok videos are generating huge sums of cash for millions of creators worldwide. All is well and good, but is it possible for the average TikTok user to make money from their content? Contrary to popular belief, the answer is yes – anyone can make money on TikTok.
Best of all, you don’t need an enormous audience of millions of followers to make things happen. On platforms like TikTok, it’s more about engagement and popularity. The more influence and authority you’re building your niche, the easier it becomes to start profiting from your content.
Can You Make Money on TikTok?
Yes – you can make money on TikTok in a variety of ways. If you apply to join the TikTok Creator Fund, you can make money with sponsored content, and you can sell your own products or merchandise. The key to making money on TikTok lies in figuring out what you do best and doing more of it.
It’s worth remembering that whatever it is you do, you’re competing against hundreds of millions of creators from around the world. Simply churning out generic content on platforms like TikTok is a waste of time. Unless you’re doing something original – or at least doing something better than your competitors – it’s game over.
But while this may appear to be an impossible task on the surface, it’s well within the capabilities of most creators. You simply need to adopt an innovative, creative and strategic approach to your TikTok strategy. Or in other words, you need to approach everything you do mindfully and purposefully.
Posting randomly with no specific aim in mind won’t earn you a penny. If making money is your main goal on TikTok, it’s a goal you need to start working towards right now.
Who Makes the Most Money on TikTok?
As things stand right now, these are the biggest annual earners on TikTok by a clear mile:
- Addison Rae Easterling, $5 million (84.3M followers)
- Charli D’Amelio, $4 million, (124.3M followers)
- Dixie D’Amelio, $2.9 million, (55M followers)
- Loren Gray, $2.6 million, (54M followers)
- Josh Richards, $1.5 million, (25.5M followers)
- Michael Le, $1.2 million, (50.1M followers)
- Spencer X, $1.2 million, (54.7M followers)
The opportunity to transform a simple TikTok profile into a huge personal fortune is real, as demonstrated by the biggest earners on the platform, who rake in massive sums of cash each year doing what they love. It’s the authority and influence you have that will determine how much you can earn.
Famous faces routinely pick up anything from $10,000 to more than $100,000 for a single sponsored post. Not that the average user can expect to pick up paydays like these, but still – an indication of what’s possible (and happening right now) on TikTok.
10 Ways to Make Money on TikTok
Pulling in profits on TikTok is something that can be approached from multiple angles. Many of which can be combined into a unified strategy to maximize potential revenues. Whether starting from scratch or looking to step up your current campaign, these are the ten best ways to start making money on TikTok right now:
1. Join the TikTok Creator Fund
TikTok announced the launch of its $1 billion Creator Fund in July 2020. A scheme that enables eligible creators to earn money based on video views and engagement. In short, anyone who fulfills the following criteria can apply to join the scheme:
- Located in the US, UK, France, Germany, Spain or Italy
- At least 18 years of age
- At least 10,000 followers
- At least 100,000 video views in the last 30 days
- An account that complies with TikTok Community Guidelines and terms of service
Application is free, and you can reapply as many times as you like if your initial application is unsuccessful.
Learn more about joining TikTok Creator Fund here.
2. Selling Your Products to Fans
Selling merchandise (and products in general) via TikTok is also worth considering. If you’re working towards becoming an influencer, you can encourage your viewers to buy your branded merchandise. If you run an online store, you can showcase your products and direct potential customers to your e-commerce website.
TikTok can be the perfect place to generate interest in all types of products and boost sales. However, it’s also a platform where overly-promotional videos and the hard sell should be avoided at all costs. Keep things subtle and let your products/services sell themselves.
3. Partner With Influencers on TikTok
Rather than becoming an influencer, you could instead set your sights on partnering with established TikTok influencers. This can be particularly effective for brands and businesses looking to sell more products or services by harnessing the power of influencer marketing.
4. Collect Virtual Gifts When Going Live
Live streams on TikTok also have the potential to be surprisingly profitable. While broadcasting lives, those tuning into your streams can hand you virtual gifts as shows of appreciation.
These virtual gifts can then be transformed into real money and withdrawn accordingly. The more often you stream live (and the higher the quality of your broadcasts), the more money you stand to make.
The idea is that your reach out to influencers who already produce content that aligns with your brand. You convince them (or pay them) to recommend you to their followers, and the rest takes care of itself. Just a single positive word from an established influencer can carry more weight than all the conventional paid ads on Earth.
5. Create Ads Using TikTok Ads Manager
That said, paid TikTok ads can be great for generating a short-term burst of interest. Strategically positioned ads can help push priceless traffic to your profile page and your content.
Paid ads on TikTok have the potential to generate a generous ROI when presented to the right people. They can also be surprisingly affordable, with options available to suit most budgets.
6. Partner With Brands for Sponsored Posts
Sponsored posts are by far the biggest money-spinners on TikTok. High-profile influencers and famous faces regularly rake in five or six figures for a single sponsored post. Of course, getting to this level is neither quick nor easy. But it’s something that can be achieved with the right approach – and by giving each of the following a try:
Reach Out to Brands You Love
The best brands to approach with paid collaborations in mind of those you are passionate about. You cannot expect to get a brand or business on board if it’s not a brand you’re genuinely into. They won’t take you seriously, and nor will your target audience – if the collaboration goes ahead.
Publish a Few Non-Sponsored Posts
Don’t just tell them you’re the perfect choice to promote their business – show them. Consider putting together a few clips promoting and showcasing them for free and demonstrating exactly what you are capable of. If they like what they see, they’ll almost certainly be willing to pay for more.
Hit the Branded Content Toggle
Partner with brands with sponsored posts in mind, and you need to be completely transparent with your target audience. Posting sponsored content and attempting to pass it off as anything will only land you in trouble – both with your viewers and with TikTok. Hit the Branded Content button when publishing content like this, or face the consequences.
Crowdfund Donations From Your Fans
The alternative to picking up generous payments from a single sponsor is to collect much smaller contributions from as many people as possible. The classic strength in numbers approaches, where every little helps. Setting up a crowdfunding page couldn’t be easier.
After which, you simply need to (kindly) request that those wishing to support your head over and contribute what they can. Just a few of the most popular crowdfunding sites worth checking out right now include the following:
- Kickstarter
- Indiegogo
- Fundable
- Crowdcube
- Crowdfunder
- Mighty Cause
- SeedInvest
Just be mindful of the fact that anyone supporting you this way will want to know what they can expect to get out of the deal. Hence, you need to ensure you’re already creating killer content they can’t get enough of for an initiative like this to work.
7. Collect Tips From Your Fans
An even simpler option is to open an account with a tipping platform. It’s the same basic premise as crowdfunding but is far more casual in nature. You’re essentially setting up the digital equivalent of a traditional tip jar. One that accepts donations of all sizes, which can be withdrawn upon request by the account owner.
Three of the best tipping platforms worth are taking a look at our Tippee, Buy Me a Coffee, and Ko-fi. Include links to your tipping accounts in your content, and chances are, at least some people will throw you a bone.
8. Offer Fan Subscriptions Using Patreon
This is something you can only realistically consider after building a fairly extensive audience of engaged followers. With Patreon, creators can offer subscription options than grant paying subscribers access to exclusive perks and privileges. You can set up as many membership tiers as you like while ensuring those who pay more are incentivized accordingly.
In order for this to work, you need to be producing the kind of content people are willing to pay for. That said, you could offer subscription options starting from as little as $1 per month, which most of your regular viewers will be more than willing to pay.
9. Grow and Sell TikTok Accounts
Last up, growing and selling TikTok accounts can be a surprisingly lucrative venture. This is where you open a TikTok account within a specific niche, organically grow its audience and build it into a high-authority resource. After which, you sell it to a brand, a business, or an influencer within the same niche at an appropriate price.
Flipping social media accounts takes time, effort, and extensive knowledge of the platform. But if making things happen on social media is something you’re naturally good at, it can be a hugely enjoyable way to make good money via TikTok.
Tips For Getting Paid on TikTok
Irrespective of your preferred approach to making money on TikTok, the same basic rules apply. More specifically, successful money-making ventures on TikTok are built upon the same eight essential foundations:
1. Find Your Niche
Choosing the right niche to focus on is the first and most important thing you need to do. Not that doing so should be difficult, as your niche needs to be whatever you are best at and most passionate about.
You cannot expect to engage your target audience or score brand deals by pretending to be into something you’re not. Think about whatever it is you do best and do as much of it as you possibly can.
2. Create and Upload Content Regularly
TikTok recommends publishing 3 to 5 times per week as the sweet spot for most creators. Elsewhere, others report significantly better results when publishing 7 to 10 times per week. It depends entirely on the type of content you publish and who you publish it for.
Either way, keeping things consistent with a steady stream of quality content is essential. Avoid long periods of silence at all costs, which often prove fatal on platforms like TikTok.
Additionally, finding the right time to post is crucial for maximizing your reach and engagement. Experiment with different posting times and observe when your audience is most active to optimize your posting schedule.
3. Be Authentic
Authenticity ties in with choosing the right niche to focus on. The content you publish on TikTok needs to be 100% authentic – aligned with your interests, your experience, your knowledge, your passion, and your personality.
You cannot and will not get by on TikTok by faking an interest in something simply because it’s popular or potentially profitable. Being fake is the worst thing you can do on a platform where authenticity is everything.
4. Be Transparent
Likewise, don’t try to fool your followers into thinking you’re not making money from your posts. If you’re publishing promotional content or paid ads of any kind, be honest about it.
If you’re asking them for their contributions directly, tell them why you need the money (and what you are spending it on). TikTok users don’t like being taken for fools or being condescended by creators who should know better.
5. Grow Your Following
Technically speaking, you don’t need millions of followers to make good money on the world’s biggest social networks. Influence and engagement matter more than the numbers, and so should be your priority.
But at the same time, you can’t expect to start raking in cash with just a dozen or so followers. A bigger audience will always pave the way for bigger profits, so you need to work on growing your following.
6. Engage With Your Audience
Speaking of engagement, the most effective way to generate engagement is (of course) to engage with your audience on a constant basis. Interaction and communication hold the key to building meaningful long-term relationships on platforms like TikTok.
Take every opportunity to join the conversation, watch their videos, share their content, leave comments, reply to comments, follow them, watch their live streams, and so on.
7. Do Regular Videos
Don’t make the mistake of exclusively (or even predominantly) publishing sponsored videos. Doing so will only give the impression you’re in it, for one thing, your own financial gain. Putting out plenty of non-sponsored content is essential for striking the right balance. Show your audience that even if you weren’t getting paid, you’d still be doing what you love.
8. Don′t Give Up
Last up, making money on TikTok takes time, effort, and patience. There are no shortcuts to success, and you have to be prepared to take the rough with the smooth. The truth is, if your only reason for being on TikTok is to make money, it’s probably not going to happen.
Making money on TikTok is something that should happen as a result of you doing whatever it is you are most passionate about. Something you should enjoy doing, irrespective of whether or not you get paid.
Conclusion
There really is no shortage of ways to make money on TikTok. Knowing where to start can be half the battle, particularly when launching a new TikTok campaign from scratch. But what’s important to remember in all instances is that one thing alone will determine the outcome. If the quality of your content is not up to scratch, the rest is inconsequential.
Hence, the first thing you need to do is ensure you’re putting out stellar content on a regular basis. After which, you can work on engaging your target audience, getting more followers on boards, and making money from your TikTok videos.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How Many Followers Do I Need on TikTok to Get Paid?
In order to join the TikTok Creator Fund, you need to have a minimum of 10,000 followers. But you can still make money on TikTok by any of the other nine approaches outlined above with a much smaller audience.
2. How Much Do You Get Paid Per View on TikTok?
If you qualify to join the TikTok Creator Fund, you’ll start earning between 2¢ and 4¢ per thousand views. This doesn’t sound like a lot, but it does mean $20 to $40 for every 1 million views.
3. How Much Money Do TikTokers Make?
The most successful TikTokers routinely earn more than $1 million per year, primarily through paid ads and brand sponsorships. Addison Rae Easterling is currently on the platform’s top earner, pocketing more than $5 million per year.
4. How Many Views Do I Need on TikTok to Get Paid?
You need at least 100,000 video views in the last 30 days to join the TikTok Creator Fund. Though again, there are other ways to make money that are more about engagement than your view count and audience size.
5. Do You Get Paid For Uploading Videos on TikTok?
No, you will not get paid just for uploading videos on TikTok. The only videos you will get paid simply for uploading are sponsored posts. Otherwise, making money is all about stacking up views, boosting engagement, and influencing other TikTok users to take action.
