How to make money with TikTok

If you want to know which social platform is best for monetization, TikTok’s user base numbers alone should tell you everything you need to know. With over 1 billion monthly users, TikTok has risen to the top of the social platform leaderboards and has continued to stand out as the “in” social media app, especially if you want to make money while creating content.

So if you’ve been looking for a way to make money on TikTok, you’ve come to the right place. Here are some tips to make money through TikTok.

How to make money on TikTok

Technically, there are several ways to make money on TikTok. However, they all revolve around the same basic principles:

• Audience
• User retention
• Interactivity
• Quality content

If your social media brand embraces these principles, you’re on the right path to success.

Once you become popular (which will be discussed in more detail in a separate topic), you can leverage views on your content to make money. That is how.

TikTok Creator Fund and Creativity Program

If you live in the US, Germany, Italy, France, UK, or Spain, the easiest way to earn passive income from views is through the TikTok Creator Fund. The Fund is provided directly by TikTok, but the details on how the money is distributed among participants are proprietary. TikTok has released statements that the algorithm changes rapidly and takes into account all aspects of viewership and retention. The Creator Fund began in 2021 with a commitment of £231 million over three years.

Creator Fund requirements include users 18+ who have 10,000 followers and 100,000 monthly views. This is how you can enter:

1. Launch TikTok.
   
2. Tap the hamburger icon to access the main menu.
   
3. Select “Creation Tools.”
   
4. Go to “Creator Fund.”
   
5. Press the “Apply” button.
   

TikTok processes new applications to the Fund relatively quickly. If you are not accepted, you may be missing one of the prerequisites.

However, due to the age of the program and its wider spread, the Fund’s earnings could be a bit lackluster. That’s why TikTok has improved its offer with the Creativity Program.

Launched in May 2023, this program aims to motivate creators to continue producing higher quality for the platform. This helps ensure that your followers stay engaged and that any ads posted on the platform receive significant traffic. In return, TikTok pays creators well for the work they do.

The Creator Program differs from the Fund in one key way: videos must be longer than one minute. In light of TikTok videos becoming longer (with the limit increased from three to 10 minutes), the new metric aims to inspire users to create content that audiences resonate with better.

1. Launch the TikTok app and go to your profile.
   
2. Go to settings.
   
3. Select “Creation Tools.”
   
4. Select “Beta Creativity Program.”
   
5. Use the “Apply” button.
   

TikTok automatically runs its verification process when you apply for the program. If you are not eligible, you will not be able to access the Apply button. The following list outlines the eligibility requirements:

• You should have built a notable audience of at least 10,000 followers.
• Your Tiktok account should have recorded at least 100,000 views in the last 30 days.
• You must be at least 18 years old.
• There should be no reports on your Tiktok account and all posts on your account must follow community guidelines. What you should aim to achieve is a good overall reputation for your Tiktok account.

Brand partnerships and sponsorships

Creator Marketplace is a place to effectively “sell” yourself to brands and get affiliate marketing deals. Creator Marketplace borrows the influencer agency model, except it does most of the work for you.

Many brands are starting to realize the value of influencer marketing and this can only mean more money for you. But, even if the income is attractive, it is advisable that you align yourself with companies with which you share the same brand value and with whom you align yourself.

Create a press kit for your TikTok account

This will help you sell yourself as a brand. You should include your contact information, testimonials, brands you have worked with, achievements, and photographs in the press kit. Follow the steps below to create the kit:

• Conduct extensive research on the creative market.
• Collect accurate data that can adequately show your drive and commitments to the project.
• Create a detailed outline for your press kit.
• Find a template to use in creating your press kit.

Create non-sponsored content and market small businesses

This will help show your momentum and influence in the market. Over time, bigger brands will notice you and want to partner with you.

Build Trust and Create a Niche

With audience metrics growing every day, brands have realized that the top earners may not be the best fit to promote their offering. Micro-influencers (users with between 10,000 and 50,000 followers) offer the best combination of user retention and value for a brand, with conversion rates up to 60% higher than regular digital marketing. If you can establish a good relationship with your user base as a micro-influencer, you will position yourself as a niche influencer and could get sponsorship offers.

Apply the branded content toggle

This TikTok feature helps foster transparency for businesses, brands, and creators. Your audience should know if the post is sponsored or not. That’s why you should only align yourself with brands you truly love and not just have money as the end goal. Here’s how you can enable the Branded Content option on Tiktok:

1. While posting, go to “More options”.
   
2. Select “Branded Content.”
   
3. Turn on the lever.
   

You don’t need to follow all of these steps if you’re on the Creator Marketplace, as branding is automatically applied if you’ve set up a sponsorship. Please note that TikTok may flag and delete your post if you are creating sponsored content and do not use the branded content option.

Go to live

You can benefit from the stream every time users donate while they are on your stream. Follow the steps below to share your live stream on Tiktok:

1. Open your profile.
2. Go to settings and tap “Live.”
   
3. Tap “Live Event” on the “Your LIVE Events” page.
   
4. Press the Share icon represented by the arrow button located at the top right of your screen.
   
5. Copy the link to your live event and share it on your preferred platforms to generate views.
   

As long as you have interactive and relatable content, donations should follow. However, do not ask for donations from people because you could be banned from the platform.

For businesses: Use TikTok Ads Manager

On the other side of the coin, if you run a business, you can leverage the user base and get better traffic from ads. TikTok ads will help promote your products and services to a wider reach. You have to spend money to make money and this is one way to do it. Here’s how you can set up TikTok ads:

1. Set up an account in “TikTok Ad Manager”.
   
2. Set up a “Web Event” to create a pixel for your account.
   
3. Click the “Campaign” tab.
   
4. Choose “Create” in the campaign window.
   
5. Create the ad.
   

TikTok in-feed ads are more profitable compared to running ads on other platforms because your target audience is generated organically. You can also link ads to the eCommerce platform where you sell your products to easily track performance. Please note that having a TikTok account requires setting up a business account.

Hit that jackpot with TikTok

The creator economy is booming and there’s no better time to take advantage of TikTok than now. With a wide reach of over 1 billion daily active users, it offers great marketing and influence potential for businesses looking to increase their revenue. TikTok has become a full-time job for many users. But like everything, it requires perseverance and dedication.