Hit Record and Hit It Big: 7 Ways to Make Money on TikTok

The TikTok money calculator offered by Influencer Marketing Hub allows you to enter factors such as number of likes, followers, and total videos to see engagement rates and potential earnings per post. It notes that TikTok creators “typically earn $0.40–$1.00 or more per 1,000 views.”

To earn money on TikTok, there are a few things you’ll want to focus on that will help you hit big dollar signs faster. Major monetization factors include:

• Followers: It goes without saying that having more followers is going to boost your TikTok account, thus increasing your earning potential.
• Views: Along with followers, getting people to stop and watch your content is going to play a major part in your success. With the Creator Rewards Program, the more views you get, the more you’ll be paid.
• Engagement: TikTok’s algorithm uses engagement as one of its priorities when recommending videos. When users like, share, or interact with your posts, you’ll have a better chance of landing on a user’s For You page.
• Quality content: Not only do people want to see good content, but TikTok also wants to reward creators for engaging content with great production and editing. 

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1. Creator Rewards Program

TikTok’s Creator Rewards Program is a feature that helps creators monetize their content. To qualify for the program, TikTokers must:

• Have at least 10,000 followers
• Have at least 100,000 views in the 30 days prior to joining the program
• Have a TikTok account that isn’t a business account
• Be in good standing with TikTok’s terms of service and community guidelines
• Reside in one of the current eligible countries: United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, South Korea, France, and Brazil

If you meet those requirements, simply tap the menu button in your TikTok profile, select TikTok Studio > Creator Rewards Program and apply. 

It’s important to know that not all content is eligible for rewards. Here’s what TikTok specifies as qualifying content: 

• Original, high-quality, and at least one minute long
• At least 1,000 views via the For You feed
• Abide by TikTok’s terms of service, community guidelines, creator code of conduct, and copyright policy
• Not a Duet or Stitch, or created with Photo Mode
  

TikTok is really focusing on high-quality content, so it has additional rewards for content that is well-crafted, engaging, and specialized. Keep this in mind to really amp up your earnings, especially if your TikTok focuses on niche content.

2. Affiliate marketing

Affiliate marketing is a partnership between brands and creators. Brands get exposure to a creator’s following, while creators get a commission through sales or referrals. Creators will often have a unique link that tracks purchases or clicks. 

TikTok One is the updated space for creators to connect with brands, making it easy for influencers to find collaborators, organize, and monetize their account. There are two ways to join TikTok One:

• A brand invites you to collaborate on a campaign
• You apply to a brand campaign

3. Series

From podcasts to Substacks, paywalls are a pretty standard way for creators to monetize their content. TikTok offers its own version of paywalled content through Series, which allows creators to gather up to 80 videos ranging from 30 seconds to 20 minutes in length behind a paywall. 

Series might include workout videos, cooking videos specialized for certain types of food, or curated DIY content that users can follow along with as you make something. 

Series may not be as useful if you have a smaller audience, but it can be good to build toward, especially if you’re finding that some content is performing better than others. You can track insights to understand what type of content may be good for Series.

Similar to the Creator Rewards Program, Series requires that you:

• Be at least 18 years old; if you live in South Korea, you must be at least 19 years old
• Have had a public or business account for 30 days or more
• Have three or more public posts in the last 30 days
• Have 10,000+ followers
• Have posts with 1,000+ views in the past 30 days
• Post original content
• Be in good standing of the community guidelines

If you meet those requirements, you can start using Series by going to the TikTok app, then clicking Profile > Menu > TikTok Studio > Series.

4. Merch

An excellent way to monetize your TikTok success is through selling merchandise. Creators have made merch featuring catchphrases, images, or logos and selling everything from shirts and hats to stickers. With a number of print-on-demand companies, you can create products without a big overhead cost. This is a great way to promote your TikTok and make money. Check out TikTok couple @allieandsam, who have created merch based on their authentic personalities that represent their lives.

5. TikTok Shop

To go along with your merch, you could also open a TikTok Shop. TikTok does take a percentage of sales, or what they call “referral fees”—but the ease of in-app purchasing is a great way to pull in sales. If you’re wondering if having a TikTok Shop is worth it, check out Koba Molenaar’s write-up about TikTok Shop fees over at Influencer Marketing Hub.

6. Live gifts

If some of the previous options seem out of reach with your current number of followers or views, you could try going Live, which only requires that you are 18 years or older. When you go Live, you’re recording in real time, so followers can tune in and watch what you’re doing. There is no time limit either, so it could be a great option for gamers, live book narration, or any other long-form content. 

With Live, viewers have the option to send creators gifts with TikTok coins that equate to a penny all the way up to a couple hundred dollars. 

7. Effect Creator Rewards

This is a slightly different way to earn money on TikTok because it doesn’t depend on creating your own video content. Instead, if you’ve found that you love creating effects for other TikTokers to use, Effect Creator Rewards may be a great option. Each effect can earn a maximum of $14,000, which can really pay off if you’ve got an eye for it. To start earning, you’ll need to meet these requirements:

• Be at least 18 years old
• Reside in one of the current eligible countries
• Be a Gold, Platinum, or Diamond Badge creator
• Have a minimum of five effects already published
• Have at least three effects used in 1,000 videos (note that videos only count if they use your effect within 90 days of publication and only one video per user per day counts; that means that if one user creates five videos with your effect in one day, only one of those videos counts toward your 1,000 videos)
• Have your tax and payment details set up

TikTok user @lauragouillon is an AR creator who makes effects and filters on the platform, like this dancing body outline.

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• Be authentic. The best content highlights your strengths. So whether you’re focused on expertise, entertainment, or information, be yourself. A great example of this is TikTok creator @oldscoolkevmo, whose video about his five-year growth depicts how he went from just posting silly videos to focusing on cooking. His videos seem genuine—a feeling that resonates with his followers, who regularly post comments about how relatable he is.

• Find a niche. Is there a way you can present content in a way that sets you apart from other TikTokers? Strive to offer unique value.

• Make high-quality content. This means more than just excellent content in the video—it’s also excellent filming, lighting, and audio. Learn how to prepare, produce, and edit your work in a way that lets it shine.

• Get to know TikTok. TikTok is made for creators, and there are tons of features and benefits that you can explore through its Creator Academy. Understanding TikTok’s algorithm can help you figure out how to go viral.

• Engage and interact. Especially if you’re thinking about using Live, you’ll want to be sure to engage with people who are watching by answering questions or shouting out people when they send gifts.

• Explore your options. Don’t focus too hard on just one strategy. The more you’re able to test different types of content, or even different types of monetization, the more data you’ll have to see what works best for you.

• Be realistic. It’s rare that someone will go from zero followers to 1 million overnight, so don’t bank on instant success. Instead, set smaller, achievable goals, and be persistent.

If you’re interested in building up your portfolio and working with brands, check out our robust content creator jobs page.