1. Join TikTok Creator Next

TikTok Creator Next is one of TikTok’s built-in monetization programs for content creators. Creators can apply once they meet the following eligibility requirements:

• They must be at least 18 years old.
• They must have at least 10,000 followers (though this can vary based on region).
• They must have reached at least 1,000 video views in the previous 30 days.
• They must have posted at least three videos in the previous 30 days.
• Their account must be in good standing according to TikTok’s Community Guidelines.
• They must be located in one of the eligible countries (i.e., US, UK, Germany, France, Italy, or Spain).
• They must have a creator account — business accounts are not eligible.

Joining TikTok Creator Next gives you access to a number of TikTok monetization tools, like the Creator Fund, Creator Marketplace, gifts, and tips. Each of these is a monetization strategy in its own right, but let’s dig a little deeper into how you can use these to make money from your TikTok account.

TikTok Creator Fund

The TikTok Creator Fund was designed to ensure TikTok creators are able to bring in an income from the views and engagement their content generates. After all, TikTok wouldn’t be nearly as popular if not for the amazing content its users create.

Eligible users can apply for the Creator Fund from the menu of their TikTok app. Once approved, you’ll start to generate revenue based on the number of views and the engagement rate of your content. The better your TikTok videos perform, the more you make.

According to most TikTok users, the income generated from the Creator Fund is typically not enough to replace a full-time income. But there are a number of other ways to monetize your TikTok account as well.

TikTok Creator Marketplace

The TikTok Creator Marketplace is the ultimate dashboard for brand partnerships. This marketplace enables brands to find creators to work with and allows both parties to manage the entire relationship in one place.

We’re going to talk more about partnering with brands as a way of generating income through your TikTok presence, but the Creator Marketplace is a great starting point.

Gifts

TikTok offers viewers the ability to send their favorite creators virtual gifts that can be exchanged for currency. There are two different types of gifts: live gifts and video gifts. These can be gifted on both regular videos and live videos and are a great way to encourage your favorite creators to keep creating.

Turning this option on for your videos means that a small present icon will appear next to the text box in the comments window. If a viewer clicks on it, this pop-up menu will appear:

Viewers use coins to purchase different gift stickers based on how much they want to send to a creator. They buy these coins by tapping on the Recharge link, then choosing an option from the list below:

Viewers can also give gifts during live videos. The icon appears at the bottom of the screen, again next to the text box for leaving a comment. There are a lot more gift options during a live video, as you can see below:

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Any gifts you receive can be exchanged for real money that you can transfer to your PayPal or other electronic banking app.

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Tips

Finally, the Creator Next program gives users access to tips. Applicable creators can turn this on to add a Tips link in their profile. If a viewer wants to leave a tip for the creator (which the creator receives 100% of), they can easily do so.

Users can tap on Tips to access this dashboard that shows past tips, top supporters, and the button to send a tip.

Keep in mind that tips don’t appear to bring in a lot of revenue. While it can still be a good idea to turn this option on, if you don’t have a hyper-loyal following, you’re not likely to receive many tips.

2. Join the new beta Creativity Program

In February of 2023, TikTok announced a new monetization initiative — the TikTok Creativity Program.

The Creativity Program currently is available only to select US creators by invite as the new program is finalized. TikTok built out this new option based on the feedback received from its Creator Fund, and it should roll out to all US creators soon.

The biggest difference with this program is that creators need to be publishing videos that are over one minute in length to be eligible. 

The two programs exist simultaneously at the moment, though the Creator Fund may eventually transition into this option.

If you haven’t received an invitation yet, keep your eyes peeled for when the doors fully open for applications — as long as you create longer TikTok videos. Once you make the move to the Creativity Program, you can’t switch back to the Creator Fund.

3. Partner with brands

TikTok’s monetization programs can be great options for generating revenue directly from the platform, but once you have a large enough audience, your bread and butter is going to come from sponsored content.

Some TikTok influencers make upward of $1,000 per sponsored video, bringing in thousands of dollars each month just through brand deals and collaborations.

To find your first brand deal, you might consider checking out the Creator Marketplace. However, if you’ve established a large following, post consistently, and have an engaged audience, you can create a media kit and start your own outreach for sponsorship opportunities.

4. Sell your own products via TikTok storefront

Do you have products or merch to sell? Creating physical products is another great way to make money — especially now that you can set up your own TikTok shop.

Chelse Hensley, social media manager at Visme, says, “Take advantage of TikTok’s native ecommerce option. It’s a great way to showcase your products and capture attention quickly without ever having to leave the TikTok app.”

You can link products within your video content to drive sales, making it easy for your followers to make a purchase. Create t-shirts, sweatshirts, tote bags, and other products with your logo, tagline, or other visual elements on them.

5. Create engaging content

If you want to build an audience and generate money from TikTok’s Creator Fund, you need to consistently create engaging content. TikTok recommends posting new videos one to four times per day, especially when testing what your audience likes.

“If you’re featured on a podcast or interview, use a program to break your interview down into 30- or 60-second clips,” says Hensley. “Then add a few cool jump cuts and transitions on the clip in TikTok. Boom — your interview just created 10+ pieces of content that showcases you as an authority on your subject.”

Julia Melvin, senior talent manager at Whalar, also has a few recommendations for the best types of content for growing your TikTok followers, appealing to the algorithm, and increasing revenue from the Creator Fund.

“Content that answers a question, solves a problem, educates, or includes humor and is relatable is the content that I’ve seen soar above the rest,” she says. 

Create engaging TikTok content that’s going to bring in more followers and influencer marketing opportunities.

Read more: How to go viral on TikTok: What works and what doesn't

6. Try affiliate marketing

Affiliate marketing is a great way to generate passive income through TikTok. This money-making strategy involves joining affiliate programs for some of your favorite brands — or at least the ones that make sense for your target audience.

For example, if you’re a lifestyle influencer, it would make sense to join affiliate programs for apparel companies, small businesses with everyday products, and other brands. It also may make sense to join Amazon’s affiliate program so you have access to a wealth of different products. If you focus on the tech industry, software and hardware companies might be your go-to for affiliate links.

With this strategy, you’ll use TikTok as an avenue to promote the different brands and products that you’re affiliated with — and that you believe in. Then, you can include the affiliate links within your bio link. Consider using a link-in-bio tool so you can create a landing page of sorts with your various affiliate products.

Each time someone makes a purchase through your affiliate link, you’ll receive a percentage of that purchase, or a commission. The value you receive varies per company, but this can be a great option for generating revenue through TikTok.

7. Go live

Livestream videos are another great way to generate income. We mentioned live gifts as a way for viewers to pay you directly for your content — and many TikTok creators make a great living that way.

One creator says he made as much as $34,000 in a single month from livestreaming on TikTok, while another says she makes between $20 and $300 every time she goes live. 

Come up with something specific to do each time you go live so that your audience knows what to expect from you. You can also create a video to announce your livestream that will show up on users’ For You page and entice new viewers to join and follow along.

8. Offer premium subscriptions

Another revenue stream for your creative business is premium subscriptions. You could do this both on and off of TikTok — though you can easily use TikTok videos to promote your subscription plan(s).

One TikTok-specific option is to offer a premium live subscription. This offers paying subscribers additional perks, like priority DMs, priority comment responses, shoutouts, and more. You can choose the perks you want to offer your subscribers, and these perks will appear on the subscribe popup, like you see below:

When someone watches your live video, if you have the subscription option turned on, it will appear at the bottom of the screen next to the comment box. Viewers can tap it to see your customized perks, exclusive content offers, custom emotes, subscriber badge, and more benefits that come with being a subscriber.

The current price of the live subscription is $5.99 per month, though TikTok may take after Twitch and allow creators to eventually offer different tiered plans based on the perks they’re interested in. With this being an in-app purchase, Apple or Android will take 30% of the monthly cost, then TikTok takes 35%, leaving you with 35%.

While this is around $2.10 for a $6 fee, it can add up quickly if you’re able to get a large number of subscribers. Offer as many perks as you’re able to in order to make the subscription worth it to your viewers.

9. Refer other users

TikTok actually has a monetary-based rewards program for users who refer other users, and it can add up. The program is called TikTok Rewards and offers monetary rewards for each person you refer to the platform.

The users you refer must have never downloaded or created an account with TikTok before — otherwise the referral won’t work, as they’ll be seen as existing users.

There are other ways to earn rewards as well, and you can check out the rewards page each day to view the other tasks you can complete to accrue even more rewards.

10. Create exclusive content

TikTok recently launched a new feature called TikTok Series, a new way for creators to put together a collection of videos that viewers pay to access. With TikTok Series, creators can build out a collection of up to 80 videos, each up to 20 minutes long, almost like a TV series.

Creators will have a lot of flexibility in how they charge for each series, with available price points ranging from $0.99 to $189.99. These series could be anything from a collection of fitness videos to tutorials to a creative show.

Get your creative juices flowing to figure out how you could make the new TikTok Series feature work for your creative business.

Start generating income through TikTok

Learn how to monetize TikTok and start generating revenue from the social media platform. Create top-notch video content — with help from Descript — to engage your audience, partner with brands, and create your own full-time revenue stream from TikTok.

Monetizing TikTok FAQ

How much does TikTok pay per 1,000 views?

TikTok pays around $0.02 to $0.04 for every 1,000 views, which equates to just about $20 to $40 for one million views. This is why relying exclusively on the Creator Fund isn’t the best idea when trying to generate a full-time income from this social network.

How many followers do you need to monetize TikTok?

This depends on your region, but you typically need more than 10,000 followers to join the Creator Fund. However, for brand deals and other monetization opportunities, you’ll want at least 100,000 followers.

How to monetize TikTok with 1,000 followers?

If you only have 1,000 followers, you may still be able to monetize your account through virtual gifts. Regularly livestream for your audience to increase the amount of money you’re able to bring in.

How many likes do I need to get paid on TikTok?

There’s no set number of likes you need to get paid — instead, it’s based on your number of followers, views, and engagement rate.

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