TikTok’s rapid rise has given savvy creators a golden opportunity to cash in on content. If you take advantage of TikTok's global platform and the different ways to turn a profit, you can become one of the many creators worldwide mastering how to make money on TikTok.
But how do you earn cash from your TikTok videos? Khaby Lame and Kris Collins were unemployed when they started out on the platform, and both of them now pull in millions of dollars. Who knows, you could be next!
Read on to discover how to make money on TikTok. See what it takes to earn passive income from videos, how to reach out to brands and get them to sponsor your content, and find out how to turn your loyal fans into customers.
- How do you make money on TikTok?
- What is TikTok Creator Next?
- Earn money through the TikTok Creator Fund
- How to join the TikTok Creator Fund
- Earn from longer videos with the Creativity Program Beta
- Find brand collaborations through TikTok Creator Marketplace
- How to join TikTok Creator Marketplace
- More ways to make money on TikTok
- Grow on TikTok to boost your earnings
The different ways people make money on TikTok
TikTok gives you easy options for making money from your videos. Mostly because it wants to encourage you to make awesome content on its platform. But, not everyone can start earning right away.
In order to monetize your content, you have to be part of Creator Next. You’ll need to apply to join first, but once you’re in you can start tapping into the different ways to make money below:
- Your followers sending you Gifts and Tips
- Collaborating with brands on sponsored content
- Accessing the Creator Fund and getting paid for your videos
What is TikTok Creator Next?
Creator Next is TikTok's way of rewarding creators who are growing on the platform. However, it’s not open to everyone and there are some requirements before you can join. But once you hit them, you’ll unlock the ability to earn cold hard cash from your content. Here’s what it takes:
- Meet the minimum follower requirement in your country
- 1,000 video views in the last 30 days
- Three videos posted in the last 30 days
- Meeting TikTok’s Community Guidelines
- Be based in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, UK, or the US
Joining Creator Next propels you into the Creator Marketplace. You can find out more below, but it’s where you can rub virtual shoulders with brands and potential collaborators. You’ll also be able to receive Video Gifts, LIVE Gifts, and Tips from your viewers.
TikTok Creator Fund: Earn money from your videos
If you're a creator with more than 10,000 followers, the TikTok Creator Fund is your ticket to making some serious cash. The Creator Fund was set up by TikTok to celebrate and support creators, by paying them for content based on views and engagement.
How to join the TikTok Creator Fund
To start earning money from your videos, the main thing to check off is meeting the TikTok Creator Fund eligibility criteria. To do that, you need to:
- Be at least 18 years old
- Have a minimum of 10,000 authentic followers (so no bots!)
- Have at least 10,000 video views in the last 30 days
- Be based in a country where the fund is available (currently France, Germany, Spain, UK, and the US)
Remember, being accepted onto the Creator Fund doesn't guarantee you’ll start making money. It's still up to you to continue creating engaging content your audience loves. The better your videos do, the more you’ll get paid.
TikTok Creativity Program Beta: Rewarding long-form video on TikTok
TikTok has started rolling out its Creativity Program to reward TikTokers for posting videos longer than a minute. It works like the Creator Fund, but only pays out for videos lasting longer than 60 seconds.
Currently it's only available to creators in Brazil, France and the US, but TikTok is planning to introduce it to more regions. To be eligible to earn from your longer videos through the program, you must:
- Be based in an eligible country (Brazil, France, USA)
- Be at least 18 years old
- Have at least 10k followers
- Have at least 100,000 views over the last 30 days
Once eligible, creators can choose whether they join the Creativity Program instead of the Creator Fund. TikTok has kept tight-lipped about how much money is available for creators on the Creativity Program, but it's the latest step in the platform looking to improve how creators are rewarded.
TikTok Creator Marketplace: Collaborate with brands for cash
If you have a sizable following, one of the best ways you can make money is through the TikTok Creator Marketplace. It’s TikTok's platform for bringing together brands and creators. If there’s a brand looking to get in front of your audience, they can find you through Creator Marketplace and message you about a sponsored collaboration.
These partnerships often involve creating sponsored content promoting a product or service. Like Loren Gray getting Bondi Sands in front of 15 million eyeballs, or justmaiko busting out dance moves inspired by The Sims. These collabs can mean a big pay day, depending on the size of your audience and the brand you're collaborating with.
How to Join TikTok Creator Marketplace
Joining the TikTok Creator Marketplace will open the door to brand partnerships, giving you the opportunity to monetize your TikTok presence further. Here's how to join:
- Open the TikTok app, head to your profile and tap the three-dot menu at the top right of your screen
- Tap on Creator Tools and then select TikTok Creator Marketplace
- You'll be redirected to the marketplace's application page
- Fill out the form with details about your account and content
- Submit your application and wait for TikTok to respond
- Be patient! Approval isn’t instant and may take several weeks
TikTok hasn’t shared what’s required to join the TikTok Creator Marketplace, but it's clear the platform is designed for creators with a large following and lots of engagement.
That’s why growing and engaging with your audience is so important. It can increase your chances of being accepted into the marketplace and make you stand out to potential collaborators. Once in, the sky's the limit for new partnerships and making money from your videos.
More ways to make money from TikTok: Gifts, Tips and more!
Outside the Creator Fund and the Creator Marketplace, there are still plenty of ways you can make money through TikTok. If you’ve built a loyal and engaged audience, make use of TikTok’s features to rack up donations from fans. And you can even sell your own merch!
Receive Live Gifts and Video Gifts
One of the most interactive ways to earn on TikTok is through Live Gifts and Video Gifts. When you host a live session, viewers can show their appreciation by sending you Live Gifts. And for all your other videos, they can send you a Video Gift in the comments section.
Both Gifts are bought by viewers using TikTok coins, which they buy with real money. As a creator, you can convert these gifts into Diamonds, which can be exchanged for cold hard cash.
So what’s the secret to making more through Gifts? Create engaging and entertaining videos your fans love!
Collect Tips from your viewers
TikTok lets you collect tips from your audience, a bit like street performers do. Just like Gifts, these Tips are purchased by fans using TikTok coins and can be converted into Diamonds. Once you’re earning Diamonds, you can cash out.
Don’t be shy about encouraging your loyal followers to Tip you during live sessions as a way of supporting your content. It’s why building a relationship with your followers is important. If you interact with your audience and create a community around your videos, people are more likely to send you tips.
Sell your merch through the TikTok Shop
The TikTok Shop feature makes it easy to sell your products directly through the app. It doesn't matter if you only have a couple of custom t-shirts or MrBeast-levels of merch for people to buy!
The process is straightforward. Simply set up your TikTok Shop account, list your products, and then share them on your TikTok profile. Your followers can then buy them directly from your videos or browse your shop through your profile page.
Remember, the more people love your videos and engage with your content, the more likely they are to buy your products. Don’t take your eye off making awesome videos! But if you can find a way to weave products into your content, there’s money to be made.
TikTok Series: Post exclusive content behind a paywall
TikTok is increasingly encouraging creators to make great long-form content, and its new TikTok Series feature lets you monetize your longer videos. It allows you to create a collection of as many as 80 videos for people to pay to watch.
Simply create a Series and set your price. Once it's passed TikTok’s approval process, you can drop a free preview clip to promote your collection and get people flooding to your Series.
Each piece of Series content can be up to 20 minutes long, which means you’ve got even more scope to get creative with anything from in-depth recipes to full-blown comedy sketches. It’s your chance to think big and create something truly bingeable!
TikTok Pulse: Earn ad revenue from your videos
If you find your videos regularly gracing the For You Page, you might be able to earn revenue from ads through TikTok Pulse. Pulse is TikTok’s way of letting brands show their ads on the For You Page. And it rewards creators appearing alongside these ads with a share of the revenue.
Fair warning, the money you might make is pretty minimal with some creators reporting payouts of less than a dollar. But if you’ve cracked the code to being viral on TikTok, Pulse can help you build up some passive income.
Boost your earning power by growing on TikTok
As you can see, there are plenty of ways to make money on TikTok. The platform's unique blend of addictive content, worldwide community, and different ways to make money from your videos can create a lucrative side hustle. Or even a full-time gig!
Turn your channel into a money-maker by signing up for the Creator Fund. Build your platform so brands want to reach out through the Creator Marketplace and pay you to promote their products. And build an engaged community that can’t get enough of your merch and sending you TikTok Gifts.
Whichever path you choose, you’ll earn more if you have a bigger audience and you’re racking up more views. Check out our guide to how to get more TikTok followers to boost your earning potential.
