12 Ways to Make Money on TikTok

TikTok has taken the internet by storm, amassing hundreds of millions of users in a short period. It has quickly become one of the most popular and widely used social media applications in the world.

As we’ve always seen, wherever a large number of people gather online, there is undoubtedly an opportunity to make money. Like other platforms we have previously discussed, social media is a valuable space that offers numerous ways to earn income online.

Over the past months and years, TikTok has introduced several features that allow users to monetize their presence on the platform.

We won’t take up too much of your time with a lengthy introduction, so let’s dive right in!

How to Make Money on TikTok App

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Before we begin exploring these methods, like any other social media platform, having a larger number of followers significantly increases your chances of making money. Some monetization methods are even impossible to implement without a sizable audience of thousands or even tens of thousands of followers.

1. Creativity Program or Creator Fund

This is one of the ways to earn a good income from TikTok, but it requires meeting specific eligibility criteria. According to the latest data, you need at least 10,000 followers, along with other conditions, to qualify. Additionally, your country must be included in TikTok’s Creator Fund program.

Through this method, TikTok rewards eligible account owners with money based on their engagement levels, such as views, likes, and interactions.

2. Partnerships and Sponsorships

Just like on other social media platforms, such as Instagram, having a large and highly engaged audience increases your chances of securing sponsorship or partnership deals. Companies or brands may reach out to you to promote their products, wear their merchandise, use their services, or mention them in your videos from time to time.

These brands benefit by expanding their reach and reinforcing their brand awareness among your audience, ultimately increasing their sales and visibility. In return, you receive financial compensation, often in the form of a monthly payment or a one-time fee, depending on your agreement with the company.

For instance, you may have noticed that many football players frequently wear outfits from specific global brands in their social media posts. In most cases, this is due to sponsorship deals or brand partnerships.

When considering sponsorships, it’s crucial to accept deals that align with your content and audience and carefully review all terms and conditions before finalizing any agreement.

While partnerships are an excellent way to monetize TikTok, payments typically do not come directly from the platform but rather through external transactions, depending on the agreement with the sponsoring company.

3. Paid Posts and Content

This method is similar to sponsorships, as it involves posting content—such as videos or reels—in exchange for payment over a specific period. Essentially, you are publishing advertisements for your audience to see.

However, if you have an existing sponsorship deal, you may not be able to use this monetization method due to exclusivity agreements with your sponsors.

4. Marketing and Advertising Your Products or Services

Since you are already showcasing yourself through your videos, you can occasionally leverage this exposure to promote your products, provided they align with your audience and content. If you run a business selling products on Amazon, eBay, or your own online store, the vast traffic and user base on TikTok can help drive additional visitors to your store, increasing your chances of making more sales.

The same applies to services. If you offer services on platforms like Fiverr, Upwork, or Khamsat, you can talk about them in your videos or create posts to promote them on your TikTok account.

5. Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing involves promoting products or services and earning a commission or percentage of each sale made through your unique affiliate link. It’s one of the easiest ways to start making money without any initial investment.

Among the best methods for earning through affiliate marketing, three key platforms stand out for generating free traffic to your affiliate product pages: blog, YouTube, and TikTok (which has now established itself alongside the other two).

You can create a dedicated TikTok account for affiliate marketing, select a product to promote (preferably something people need frequently or at least several times a month), and then create engaging videos showcasing it. Make sure to include relevant hashtags, a compelling caption, and your affiliate link in the post.

You can join affiliate programs like Amazon Associates or any other program that suits your niche.

6. Referral Program

If you’re familiar with online money-making methods, you’ve probably heard of referral programs where you earn money by referring people to a website or platform using your unique referral link.

TikTok has its own referral system, allowing you to earn rewards by inviting new users to join the app, whether they’re family, friends, or others.

7. Exclusive Content

One of TikTok’s special monetization features is TikTok Series, which enables creators to offer premium content that is only accessible to paying subscribers.

With this feature, you can create videos ranging from 30 seconds to 20 minutes, with a maximum of 80 videos per series.

However, this feature is only available to accounts with 10,000+ followers. In some cases, users with fewer followers can still access it, but additional requirements must be met.

8. Tips and Donations

Just as people sometimes leave a tip at a restaurant or café to show appreciation for good service, TikTok allows users to do the same. Once an account reaches 100,000 followers, the Tips feature can be activated.

Followers can then send tips to the account owner as a gesture of appreciation or support. This system is similar to YouTube’s “Thanks” feature or the donation systems found on live-streaming platforms.

9. Video Gifts

On platforms like YouTube and Instagram, users can interact with videos by liking or commenting. TikTok offers a similar interaction feature with an extra incentive.

Once an account reaches 10,000 followers (with additional requirements), it becomes eligible for the Video Gifts feature. This allows viewers to send virtual diamonds as a form of appreciation for the content.

These virtual diamonds can be collected and later exchanged for rewards or real money.

10. Live Gifting

Similar to Video Gifts, TikTok also offers Live Gifting for live streams. As with any live-streaming platform, viewers can engage through likes, comments, and emojis.

With Live Gifting, viewers can also send virtual gifts in the form of diamonds to show appreciation or support. At the end of the live stream, the host can see the total number of diamonds received and exchange them for money or virtual rewards.

11. Live Stream Subscriptions

Anyone on TikTok can watch live streams, as long as they are set to public by the creator. However, TikTok also allows creators to restrict access to exclusive live streams.

This means only paying subscribers can watch certain live sessions.

Subscribers who sign up for a monthly subscription get access to exclusive content, subscriber badges, special chat privileges, and more.

You need at least 1,000 followers to host live streams, and revenue is shared between the creator and TikTok.

12. Selling through TikTok store

“TikTok Shop allows sellers to sell products directly on TikTok through in-feed videos, LIVE videos, and the Showcase tab. Showcase is a feature that allows customers to shop directly from a seller’s or a creator’s account by displaying a shopping bag icon on the profile page of a TikTok account.” (Quote from TikTok’s Help Center)

With TikTok Shop, sellers can promote and sell their products seamlessly within the app, whether through video content, live streams, or their profile store tab.

The TikTok Shop feature is not available worldwide and is limited to certain countries. Also, be cautious, as some scams related to TikTok Shop have been reported.

FAQ:

How to make money from TikTok?

If you’re thinking about becoming a TikTok influencer, you have 12 different monetization methods available, as mentioned above. You simply need to meet the platform’s requirements to start earning. If you’re just a regular user, you can still promote your own products, affiliate products, or referrals to generate income.

When do you get money from TikTok?

The time it takes to start earning on TikTok varies depending on the specific monetization program or feature. You can start earning from live subscriptions once you reach 1,000 followers. To join the Creator Fund and earn from video gifts and exclusive content, you need 10,000 followers. Other programs require at least 100,000 followers, except for referral programs, which have no follower requirement.

How much do influencers earn on TikTok?

It’s difficult to specify an exact amount for how much TikTok influencers make, but according to various sources: Influencers with 1,000–50,000 followers can earn $5–$125 per post. Influencers with 50,000–500,000 followers can earn $125–$1,250 per post. Influencers with over 500,000 followers can earn $1,250+ per post.

How much does TikTok pay for 1000 views?

TikTok pays creators based on video views, engagement rates, and region. On average, creators earn between $0.02 and $0.03 per 1,000 views, with some sources indicating that this amount can go up to $0.04 per 1,000 views.

What are the conditions for making a profit from TikTok?

The first requirement is to meet the minimum age requirement, which is 18 or 19 years old, depending on your country. Other requirements vary based on the monetization program: You need to be in certain countries to earn from TikTok Shop. For other monetization methods, you typically need 1,000, 10,000, or 100,000 followers, along with specific video length and content quantity requirements.

* Sources: TikTok Help Center information, RT platform, and rally fan. With additional sources.

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