Over the past two years, TikTok has grown to become one of the most popular and influential social media platforms. With over one billion users worldwide, TikTok has allowed for the birth of a new generation of content creators that are eager to grow their brands and connect with new audiences. Equally, the app’s growth has encouraged many businesses to collaborate with TikTok content creators to engage with a greater number of customers. The practicality and versatility of the app has allowed for various methods for content creators to make money, some of which include: joining the TikTok Creator Fund; selling merchandise; creating sponsored content; and becoming a brand ambassador.
How can content creators make money on TikTok?
One of the largest sources of TikTok income for content creators is through TikTok’s Creator Fund. The Creator Fund was designed by TikTok to reward high-level content creators and allow them to grow their audience base. Unlike ad revenue sharing programs, the Creator Fund is comprised of money that TikTok has specifically allocated to content creators that meet the program’s requirements. If those requirements are met, creators earn revenue sourced directly from the fund. Importantly, however, the Creator Fund is not available to everybody with a TikTok account, but is instead aimed at content creators that have already amassed a substantial fanbase on the app. As of March 2021, to be eligible for the Creator Fund, a TikTok user must: be based in the US, UK, France, Germany, Spain, or Italy; be at least 18 years old; have at least 10,000 followers; have at least 100,000 video views in the last 30 days; and have an account that corresponds with the TikTok Community Guidelines and terms of service. If the requirements are met, TikTok users may join the Creator Fund by navigating to the Settings menu and selecting the “TikTok Creator Fund” option.
Another popular source of income on TikTok is through the sale of personalized merchandise. Many high-profile content creators have dedicated webstores through which they sell specially-designed clothing, works of art, and other merchandise designed around their brand. Clothing is by far the most popular example of merchandise sold by TikTok users, with many famous creators designing t-shirts and sweaters featuring their logo or a popular catchphrase of theirs.
TikTok users with a large number of followers may also benefit from sponsored content and advertisement opportunities. Given the popularity of TikTok amongst teenagers and young adults, many brands have decided to partner with high-profile content creators to help expand their brands to new demographics. Sponsored content is particularly popular with content creators that focus on a specific type of subject for their videos. For example, many videogame streamers have TikTok accounts with hundreds of thousands of followers. As a result, they often partner with gaming brands such as Twitch and Steam to promote new products being offered by the platforms or to inform their followers of upcoming sales and special deals.
Similar to sponsored content opportunities, becoming a brand ambassador is a wonderful revenue option for high-profile TikTok users. Large brands are constantly looking for popular social media influencers that they may work with to promote their products. Brand ambassadors work to boost a brand’s presence on social media by creating content designed around that brand and encouraging their followers to purchase those products.
