TikTok has rapidly evolved from a Gen Z dance craze to a powerful platform for cultural trends, political discourse, and even shopping. With hundreds of millions of active users globally, and a significant portion in the US alone, TikTok represents a massive audience and a vibrant marketplace. If you’re looking to tap into this dynamic environment to build a following and generate income, understanding the various monetization avenues is key. This guide explores 13 effective strategies used by top TikTok creators and savvy marketers to earn money on the platform, ranging from leveraging creator programs to direct sales and beyond.
Making money on TikTok, much like other social media platforms, becomes more attainable when you develop a deep understanding of your target audience. Knowing who you’re creating content for is the foundation upon which successful monetization strategies are built. There isn’t a single, foolproof method for earning on TikTok; rather, the most successful creators often utilize a combination of the platform’s diverse monetization features and innovative approaches.
1. Maximize Earnings with the Creator Rewards Program
Remember the viral sensation of Nathan Apodaca, known as doggface208, skateboarding and enjoying cranberry juice to Fleetwood Mac? That’s the kind of captivating, viral content that TikTok algorithms favor. If you possess the knack for creating engaging videos that resonate and capture attention like Nathan’s, TikTok’s Creator Rewards Program could be your direct route to earning.
This program is specifically designed for creators who produce high-quality, original videos exceeding one minute in length – a duration TikTok has identified as generating the highest levels of user engagement. Participating in the program unlocks boosted rewards based on the originality and overall popularity of your content. While specific earnings can fluctuate, online discussions suggest payouts can range from a few cents to upwards of 15 cents per 1,000 views. Furthermore, program members gain access to an enhanced analytics dashboard, providing valuable insights into video performance and audience engagement.
To be eligible for the Creator Rewards Program, creators must meet certain criteria: a minimum of 10,000 followers and 100,000 video views within the preceding 30 days. Content must be original, longer than 60 seconds, and creators must be at least 18 years old and reside in an eligible country. Joining is straightforward: navigate to your profile, tap “TikTok Studio,” and select “Creator Rewards Program.”
2. Boost Your Brand with Merchandise Sales
A close up shot of a hand holding a smartphone taking a photo of a white sneaker on a wooden floor.
Whether your TikTok channel features captivating dance routines, insightful book reviews, or comedic skits, selling merchandise presents a tangible way to monetize your fanbase. A wide array of print-on-demand (POD) services simplifies the process of creating and selling branded goods. You can easily offer a diverse product range, including t-shirts, tote bags, pillowcases, hats, coffee mugs, stickers, notebooks, and more, all customized to reflect your unique channel aesthetic and brand identity.
Selling print-on-demand products offers benefits that extend beyond direct revenue generation. Merchandise serves as a powerful tool for strengthening the connection between creators and their fans. When followers proudly wear or use your merch, they become walking advertisements, amplifying your channel’s visibility and reach, effectively spreading the word about your content to a wider audience.
3. Engage and Earn with LIVE Gifts
Livestreaming has become a standard feature across most social media platforms, but TikTok distinguishes itself with its virtual gifting system. This unique feature allows viewers to express real-time appreciation by sending virtual gifts during LIVE broadcasts. These gifts can then be converted into actual currency by the creator. LIVE Gifting has emerged as a highly effective monetization tool for TikTok creators who are actively engaging with their audience through livestreaming.
Interactive LIVE sessions are invaluable for fostering stronger relationships with your audience. Followers who feel a personal connection with a creator are more likely to be invested in their success, translating to potential boosts across various monetization streams. For creators who sell products online, TikTok LIVE provides an engaging platform to showcase their offerings. Many e-commerce businesses find that TikTok LIVE generates significantly higher shopper interest and engagement compared to livestreaming on other social media platforms.
Consider the example of Dasha Derkach, founder of the hair accessory business Enchanted Scrunch. After shifting her social media marketing focus from Instagram to TikTok, she witnessed a remarkable surge in sales. “It has significantly boosted our sales,” Dasha explains. “Before TikTok, we received around two orders per week. After starting on TikTok, it jumped to around 100 per week. Now, with daily TikTok LIVEs, we consistently get close to 500 orders weekly!” TikTok continually introduces new features designed to enhance LIVE streams and incorporate engaging, monetized elements. Explore features like the “airdrop” function, a random gift effect enabling viewers to send virtual supplies while you’re live, fostering further interaction and support.
4. Collaborate with Brands on the Creator Marketplace
Two creators are indoors in a brightly lit space, filming content for TikTok with a smartphone on a tripod.
TikTok’s Creator Marketplace stands out as an innovative platform for creators to connect with brands and secure paid collaborations. This marketplace facilitates paid partnerships for sponsored content creation, streamlining the process for both brands and creators.
Brands seeking to launch affiliate marketing campaigns can easily navigate the Creator Marketplace to discover content creators open to collaborations. The platform functions much like an influencer agency, simplifying the often complex and sometimes awkward process of establishing partnerships between brands and influencers. Shopify Collabs provides a similar platform, connecting creators with brands looking to amplify their brand awareness. Utilizing both platforms can significantly expand your opportunities to find relevant sponsorship deals for your TikTok content.
5. Launch Your Own TikTok Shop
Another direct method to monetize your TikTok presence is by establishing a TikTok Shop. TikTok Shop is the platform’s native in-app shopping tool, enabling users with business accounts to create shoppable videos and LIVE streams directly within the TikTok environment.
The primary advantage of TikTok Shop lies in its seamless user experience. It minimizes friction for your audience, allowing them to explore and purchase products without ever leaving the TikTok app. Utilize Shop to tag products directly within your videos, naturally drawing viewers’ attention to items you wish to promote.
TikTok Shop supports selling your own products or promoting items as an affiliate partner. Simply integrate product information and “Buy” buttons into your content to drive traffic and sales for your brand or partner brands. If you manage your product inventory using a Shopify store, seamless integration with TikTok Shop is available, enabling users to browse your product catalog directly within the TikTok app.
Making shopping directly accessible within TikTok has been a crucial element in the viral success of numerous brands. Take Peace Out Skincare, for example. Founded by Enrico Frezza to address his own skincare challenges, the brand gained early traction by partnering with TikTok influencers. This strategy not only built brand authenticity but also significantly boosted sales. These creator collaborations also provided monetization opportunities for the influencers themselves through paid content creation. Enrico shared insights on Peace Out Skincare’s TikTok success through influencer marketing on the Shopify Masters podcast.
To expand your TikTok Shop product offerings easily, consider sourcing relevant items from dropshipping suppliers. Dropshipping allows you to offer a wider product range without managing inventory directly; the supplier handles order fulfillment and shipping.
6. Amplify Reach with In-Feed Ads
While TikTok offers significant organic marketing opportunities, paid advertising can be a powerful tool to expand your content’s reach. TikTok’s Ads Manager enables you to create in-feed ads that seamlessly integrate into users’ “For You” feeds, autoplaying just like organic content. Paid ads ensure your videos reach audiences specifically interested in your products or services, maximizing impact and ROI.
TikTok Ads Manager offers seamless integration with Shopify, streamlining ad creation, audience targeting, and performance tracking directly from your Shopify store dashboard. This integration simplifies the process of launching and managing effective TikTok advertising campaigns.
7. Crowdfund Creative Projects
Your engaged TikTok audience is often willing to support creators whose content they enjoy and value. Providing accessible ways for followers to contribute financially is essential for sustained content creation. Crowdfunding offers a versatile donation method that can be tailored to different funding goals. If you’re seeking startup capital for a specific project, TikTok can be leveraged to rally your followers. Set a clear funding goal and host LIVE fundraising events to encourage contributions and build momentum.
For project-based funding needs, explore established crowdfunding platforms that can facilitate secure and organized donation collection.
8. Collect Tips for Appreciated Content
A woman is indoors, holding a smartphone and using it to record a makeup demonstration in front of a ring light and mirror.
For a straightforward and immediate way to accept donations, consider utilizing a tipping platform. These platforms function like a virtual tip jar; viewers who appreciate your videos can express their gratitude with small, voluntary donations. Tipping is an optional feature for fans, allowing them to donate any amount, at any time, as a token of support.
Depending on your follower count and account standing, you may be eligible to receive tips directly through TikTok’s built-in tipping feature. Alternatively, several reputable third-party tipping platforms can be linked to your TikTok profile, providing viewers with easy and secure donation options.
9. Offer Exclusive Content via Subscriptions
While crowdfunding suits specific projects and tipping offers immediate support, subscriptions provide a more predictable and recurring passive income stream. Subscriptions transform one-time viewers into loyal, long-term supporters. TikTok’s Subscription feature enables fans to pay a recurring monthly fee for exclusive perks, such as subscriber badges, access to subscriber-only LIVE streams, and exclusive video content.
Whether it’s behind-the-scenes content, early access to videos, or personalized interactions, subscriptions offer a way to make your most dedicated fans feel like VIPs. Keep subscription costs accessible to encourage broader adoption. Offering modest rewards with a focus on building a large subscriber base can be more effective than high-priced subscriptions with limited appeal. A $1 subscription, for instance, is an easy commitment for a dedicated fan, and a large volume of these small subscriptions can accumulate into substantial recurring revenue.
You can also promote subscriptions on external platforms like Patreon to your TikTok followers. Patreon specializes in enabling creators and influencers to generate revenue through paid memberships, offering tiered membership levels with progressively valuable exclusive perks for higher-paying supporters.
10. Monetize Premium Content with TikTok Series
TikTok Series offers a direct way to monetize premium content by placing up to 80 videos behind a paywall. Viewers directly compensate you for access to this exclusive content. Series videos can be up to 20 minutes long, allowing for in-depth exploration of your channel’s subject matter. You can package related content into series, such as a multi-day fitness challenge, an episodic narrative, or a comprehensive course of tutorials.
To utilize TikTok Series, creators must meet eligibility requirements: a minimum of 10,000 followers and at least 1,000 views on at least three original posts in the past 30 days. Setting up a Series is done through TikTok Studio, where you’ll find the “Series” option and guided steps for creating and pricing your premium content series.
11. Build and Sell High-Value TikTok Accounts
A less conventional but potentially lucrative approach to making money on TikTok is to cultivate and sell accounts. If you possess a talent for building engaged profiles and a deep understanding of audience growth strategies, you could establish a business centered around developing and selling TikTok channels.
The process involves starting a TikTok account, selecting a popular niche where you can consistently generate engaging content, and dedicating time to building a substantial following and high engagement rates. Once the account has garnered a significant following and strong engagement metrics, it can be sold to businesses or influencers seeking a pre-established audience and platform presence.
Several online marketplaces facilitate the buying and selling of TikTok accounts. When listing an account for sale, emphasize its value by highlighting key metrics such as follower count, engagement rates (likes, comments, shares, views), and demographic data demonstrating the quality and relevance of the channel’s audience.
12. Offer Personalized Shout-Outs
Personalized shout-outs provide a fun and engaging way to connect with your audience, and they also represent a readily monetizable format. Personalized birthday wishes, congratulatory messages for milestones, and custom greetings make followers feel uniquely valued, and many are willing to compensate creators for this personalized interaction.
Platforms like Cameo have popularized the concept of paid personalized shout-outs, enabling influencers to offer custom video messages for a set fee. You can promote a Cameo profile link on your TikTok profile or offer shout-outs directly during LIVE streams in exchange for virtual gifts. Consider encouraging viewers to submit shout-out requests with a suggested virtual gift amount per message to streamline the process.
13. Refer New Users to TikTok
A banner with piles of gold coins and gift boxes on a red background, promoting the TikTok Rewards program.
All active TikTok users who meet the minimum age requirements can participate in TikTok’s referral program. By referring new users to the app, you can earn TikTok Rewards – virtual points awarded for successfully persuading people to join TikTok, engage with videos, and create their own content.
These accumulated rewards points can be converted into small amounts of cash at a rate determined by your geographic location. Earnings can typically be withdrawn to a linked bank account or PayPal account. In some regions, rewards can also be redeemed for alternative benefits like coupons or mobile phone top-up credits.
Check the “Task Rules” page within your TikTok app to see the specific TikTok Rewards points available for different actions and the tasks referred users can complete to earn bonus points for both themselves and the referring user.
To generate a referral code, navigate to your Profile, then tap either “Discover” or “For You.” Locate the TikTok Rewards banner and tap the coin icon in the upper left corner. You should then see your unique referral link and invitation code. For the referral to be successful, the new user must enter the code within 24 hours of signing up to earn invitation reward points. Both the referrer and the new user can earn additional points as the new user watches videos through the “Activity” page. Over time, new users can also accumulate points by posting videos and interacting with content within the TikTok ecosystem.
Understanding Your TikTok Audience
A medium shot of three young adults hanging out by a brick wall, filming a video on a smartphone.
To effectively monetize your TikTok audience, understanding their demographics and preferences is crucial. TikTok’s user base is notably younger, with a significant majority of users under 34 years old, and approximately one-third under the age of 24. However, demographic trends are evolving. Surveys indicate a growing number of millennials are joining the platform, suggesting that catering to older demographics may become increasingly relevant in the coming years.
While there’s no universal approach to TikTok content creation, a solid grasp of your target audience, combined with an awareness of broader platform trends, will position you for sustainable and effective monetization of your TikTok presence.
Content First, Monetization Second
The delicate balance in leveraging social media for monetization is avoiding excessive promotional content. Your audience understands the need for creators to generate income to sustain their content creation efforts. However, users are generally averse to accounts that feel like constant advertisements. This is particularly true on TikTok, a platform built on fostering authentic personal connections with audiences.
Prioritize a “content-first” approach. Instead of starting with a sales pitch and building content around it, focus on creating high-quality, engaging content that resonates with your audience. Let your content naturally inspire your monetization strategies, rather than the other way around.
This content-centric approach has proven successful for brands like Parade, a sustainable underwear company that found significant traction by targeting millennial and Gen Z customers on TikTok. Parade’s growth marketing manager, Darya Dziadzenka, observed that authentic content, prioritizing relevance and humor over overt sales messaging, is the most effective on TikTok. “The key thing to success on TikTok is making the content as organic to the platform as it can be,” Darya emphasizes.
Your TikTok posts should consistently offer value to your audience – whether through entertainment, information, or inspiration – rather than solely focusing on sales. Another compelling example is Partly Sunny Projects, an online plant retailer shipping California-grown greenery nationwide. Founder Sonja Detrinidad started the business as a creative outlet and documented the process on TikTok. Her authentic and engaging personality quickly resonated with TikTok audiences, who fell in love with her plant-related content. Sonja’s success on TikTok stems from her focus on creating content her viewers genuinely enjoy, covering topics related to gardening and plant care, effectively capturing the attention of her target customer base.
Embracing the Creator Economy
Creators today are multifaceted individuals – artists, entrepreneurs, marketers, salespeople, founders, and CEOs, all rolled into one. In the burgeoning creator economy, success is self-made, fueled by creativity, passion, and the drive to build something unique. Time is a valuable asset for creators, and generating income from their art empowers them to dedicate more time to creation. Beyond the financial rewards, the increased time for creative pursuits is often the most significant benefit. TikTok is just one of many platforms offering creators the ability to generate income online. Focus on excelling at what you do best – creating engaging content – and leverage the platform’s monetization opportunities to get paid for your passion.
Explore further resources on how to make money on YouTube and how to make money on Instagram to expand your monetization knowledge across different platforms.
How to Make Money on TikTok FAQ
Can I make money on TikTok?
Yes, anyone can make money on TikTok with the right strategies and tools. Explore the tips outlined in this article to identify the monetization methods best suited to your content and audience.
How do creators make money on TikTok?
Successful TikTok creators typically diversify their income streams, combining methods like sponsorships, crowdfunding, product sales, and accepting tips. Affiliate marketing, where creators promote products via affiliate links for direct brand payments, is also a common strategy.
Do you get paid for uploading videos on TikTok?
TikTok doesn’t directly pay creators for uploading videos in general. However, the TikTok Creator Rewards Program provides funding to eligible creators based on video views, engagement, and content authenticity. Brands may also pay influencers for sponsored video content. However, top earners on TikTok usually rely on multiple income streams for greater financial stability.
How do I get paid on my TikTok account?
Payment methods vary depending on the chosen monetization strategy. Payments are typically processed through the platform used for monetization – whether it’s a tipping service, TikTok’s Creator Rewards Program, a crowdfunding platform, or your e-commerce platform for merchandise sales.
How many TikTok followers do you need to get paid?
The follower count required to earn money on TikTok differs based on the monetization method. The Creator Rewards Program requires at least 10,000 followers, while LIVE gifting is accessible with 1,000 followers. Sponsored content opportunities and TikTok Shop sales don’t have specific follower count minimums, but a larger, engaged audience generally attracts more brand collaborations and sales potential.
