How Do You Make Money on TikTok? 4 Smart Ideas to Explore

How do you make money on TikTok?

There are 4 main ways you can make money on TikTok: the TikTok Creator Fund, brand deals, affiliate marketing, and selling your own products and services.

TikTok can be a real money pot if you do it right.

You might have been scrolling the social platform to see creators show off the latest trendy dance or whip up their version of oven-baked feta tomato pasta.

Have you ever wondered how they have the time to create videos or respond to comments?

They get paid for it!

Not all creators make money but many of them do earn a paycheck for creating content on the short-form video platform.

In this article, we're going to explore how you can make money on TikTok. You'll learn about:

• How much TikTok creators make
• 4 ways to make money on TikTok
• How TikTok pays
• How much money do you make on TikTok per view
• Common questions about making money on TikTok

Let's go!

How do you make money on TikTok?

You can explore 1 or more of these paths to monetize your TikTok account. Whether you want to explore passive income opportunities or work one-on-one with your favorite companies, you're not limited here.

1. TikTok Creator Fund

The TikTok Creator Fund pays eligible TikTok users for the views their TikTok videos receive (and you may be surprised how much TikTok pays per 1 million views). It's a concept that more social media platforms are getting behind, rewarding users for creating content.

• Pinterest recently launched their Pinterest Creator Fund
• Snapchat has had Snapchat Spotlight for over a year
• YouTube offers the YouTube Shorts Fund (and you can dive into YouTube shorts monetization here)
• Facebook is offering Facebook reels bonuses to eligible creators

This is a huge passive income opportunity for creators.

How do you make money on TikTok with the Creator Fund?

You get paid for creating TikTok videos!

After you sign up to join the Creator Fund, you don't need to do anything else other than create videos you're publishing anyway!

The requirements are:

• Be based in the U.S., UK, France, Germany, Spain, or Italy
• Have at least 10,000 followers
• Be at least 18 years old
• Have at least 100,000 video views in the last 30 days
• Have a TikTok account that meets the TikTok Community Guidelines and Terms of Service

You can check your TikTok account to see if you're eligible. If you are, you can apply to join and you'll be notified on your TikTok account if you got in.

Then, you'll be able to monitor your balance in the TikTok Creator Fund to see how much money you earn from your video views every day.

How much can you make from the TikTok Creator Fund?

The TikTok Creator Fund is probably the lowest-paying income stream you'll earn as a TikTok creator but, it's passive income, which is great.

To give you an idea about earning potential, you can read about personal finance creator  Preston Seo who made $1,664 in the first 5 months of 2021 from the Creator Fund. To put it into context how low-paying the Creator Fund is, creators at his size on TikTok can earn up to $22,000 per sponsored post, according to this sponsored post calculator.

2. Brand deals

Brand deals or sponsorships happen when companies partner with creators in a collaboration. The company wants to expose its products to the creator's audience and the creator gets compensated for this exposure.

Compensation can range from:

• Gifted product
• Money
• A combination of the 2

Gifted product examples could include a 12-month membership to an app or subscription, and free merchandise like a small appliance, bed, or other furniture or electronics.

Receiving money for brand deals is usually the preference of creators and the amount you earn will vary based on many factors.

For TikTok brand deals, companies usually negotiate 1 or more sponsored TikTok videos that the TikTok creator will make, sharing the company with their fans.

An example of a sponsored post campaign package might be:

• 3 TikTok videos
• A link in bio for 1 month

How do you make money on TikTok from brand deals?

You'll partner with companies that align with your TikTok account and audience. These companies will pay you to create TikTok videos about them and publish them on your account so you can share them with your fans.

How much can TikTok creators earn from brand deals?

Brand deals are one of the most lucrative ways to earn as a TikTok creator:

• Brandon Edelman reports making up to $10,500 per month from the Creator Fund and brand deals
• Symphony Clarke charges $350 to $600 per sponsored post
• Deanna Giulietti made over $500,000 in 2021 from brand deals across TikTok and Instagram

Check out our post that talks about how to get sponsors for your blog. You can use the same strategy for getting TikTok sponsors.

What is the TikTok Creator Marketplace?

The TikTok Creator Marketplace is a hub where companies and TikTokers can collaborate to partner on brand deals.

TikTok creators that are eligible to join the Creator Marketplace will have additional exposure to brands that may want to work with them.

If a brand is interested, they will reach out to a creator through the TikTok Creator Marketplace and start talks about the brand deal.

3. Affiliate marketing

Affiliate marketing earns you commission income when you refer a product that results in a sale (learn all about TikTok affiliate marketing here).

For example, if you refer to a brand of body wash on your TikTok account and your fans buy, using your affiliate link, then you'll earn a commission on each sale.

Consider if you had similar performance on 10 or more affiliate products.

How do you make money on TikTok from affiliate marketing?

Choose a niche for your TikTok account and refer affiliate products in that niche to your audience. Use your link in your bio to share your affiliate link(s).

For example, a lot of personal finance TikTokers have affiliate links to investing and finance platforms like Public or Webull, budgeting apps like Mint, and others. These affiliates align well with their niche on TikTok.

How much can you make from TikTok affiliate marketing?

The affiliate commissions can add up and that's how some affiliate marketers are making a full-time income.

To make money with affiliate marketing on TikTok, you'll want to study the best TikTok ads and make smart use of your bio . Your bio is where you can share a link to just about anything you want to promote:

• Your online store
• Latest YouTube video
• Email list signup
• eBook sales page

Your bio can only hold 1 link so using a linktree type of tool like Linktree, Beacons, or Stan (check out more Linktree alternatives) is a smart way to share multiple links with your audience using the space in your bio.

3. Selling products and services

Selling your products and services can be a lucrative path to pursue on TikTok. You can create or source products and then sell them to your audience.

Examples of physical products you can sell:

• Sweatshirts
• Socks
• Candles
• Coffee mugs

Examples of digital products you can sell:

• Online courses
• Ebooks
• Templates

How do you make money on TikTok with products and services?

If you're a skilled expert in a field like accounting, business, landscaping, design, illustration, or another industry, TikTok can be an excellent place to find clients.

You can create TikTok videos to draw in your audience and then funnel them to your sales page where you can sell your services.

Examples of services you can sell:

• Business coaching
• Consulting
• Auditing
• Accounting/tax services

How to sell products on TikTok

To sell your products, you can link to your online store or sales page in your bio. This is a smart idea if you sell your courses on a platform like Shopify.

You can also link to marketplaces like Gumroad (check out our Gumroad review to learn more), Amazon, Etsy, and others.

How much does TikTok pay?

TikTok pays you through the TikTok Creator Fund. You earn money based on the number of views your videos receive.

This is a passive income opportunity that can make you money 24/7, well after your TikTok video has been published.

How much money do you make on TikTok per view?

Many sources like this one share that the Creator Fund pays 2 cents to 4 cents per thousand views.

Most TikTokers make the most money from brand deals or sponsored posts, between up to $2,000 to $20,000 per post, or more.

How much money do TikTokers make?

According to Business Insider, TikTokers can make up to $500,000+ per year. Creators can earn a full-time income creating content for TikTok. This can be directly or indirectly, through the income paths shared above:

• TikTok Creator Fund
• Affiliate marketing
• Brand deals
• Selling products and services

Can you make money on TikTok?

Yes, you can make money on TikTok. There are many different income streams you can pursue and the creators that earn the most usually tap into 2 or more of these income streams to earn money from TikTok.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some common questions you might have about how to make money on TikTok.

1. How do you get paid on TikTok?

You can get paid on TikTok through:

• The TikTok Creator Fund
• Affiliate marketing
• Brand deals
• Selling your products and services

The TikTok Creator Fund pays you directly through deposit, like PayPal.

With affiliate marketing, you will earn money from each affiliate partner you're working with.

Brand deals are negotiated with each company you partner with and the payment terms will vary. Some brands may pay you via wire transfer while others might pay via Venmo or PayPal, or direct deposit.

Lastly, earning through selling your products and services will pay you based on the selling provider you're using, like Shopify Gumroad, or the best Gumroad alternatives. How you get paid will vary and can include PayPal, direct deposit, and other options.

2. How many followers do you need to make money on TikTok?

You need a minimum of 10,000 followers to make money through the TikTok Creator Fund, plus be eligible based on other criteria. But, the other income opportunities are available to you at any follower count.

But, the sky's the limit with earning from affiliate marketing and selling products and services.

The engagement of your audience is more important than the size. Creators with 2,000 followers have claimed to earn as much as $10,000/month in income from being a social media creator.

So, you don't need a huge following to make money on TikTok and even smaller creators are making a full-time income (in fact, we made a full guide on how to make money on TikTok without followers).

3. How to get free TikTok money

You can get free TikTok money with passive income. One way to earn passive income is through TikTok's Creator Fund.

Once you've joined, you earn money on the number of views your videos get. This happens automatically and the only thing you need to do is create TikTok videos, which you're doing anyway and you make money.

Other passive income ideas include selling digital products and pursuing affiliate marketing (check out more digital marketing business ideas here).

You could sell digital goods like an eBook or course, linking to your products in your TikTok bio so sales can happen anytime, 24/7.

This is the perfect example of how you can make money in your sleep. This is passive because after you create your eBook, you can sell an unlimited number of copies on autopilot using a digital products host like Gumroad which will collect payments for you and handle the e-delivery to your buyers.

Affiliate marketing can be passive in the same way.

4. What are some tips to grow your TikTok account?

When thinking about how you make money on TikTok, account growth is an important consideration.

Growing your TikTok account is important because generally, the larger your account, the more money you can make (and if you ever have trouble – we also created a guide for how to get your TikTok account unbanned). Here are some tips for growing your account:

• Pick a niche
• Be authentic
• Have fun

Picking a niche

A niche is a topic you'll build your TikTok account around. Some examples are:

• Food
• Travel
• Making money
• Product reviews

Top Online Finds on TikTok created their brand on TikTok around Amazon reviews.

Erika Kullberg creates content on TikTok about money and finance.

The Work at Home Woman makes TikTok videos about working from home and remote careers.

There are successful TikTokers that don't have a niche. They post whatever they want and still get views, engagement, and account growth so, if you're leaning toward not having a niche, success can still happen.

But, I think it's easier to run a niche TikTok account and you'll be able to hone in on your target audience a little better too.

When thinking about choosing your niche, consider your:

• Passions
• Interests
• Expertise and knowledge

I have seen TikTok accounts in a variety of different niches you might not think would be successful but, it just goes to show that there's an audience for almost anything, including MS Excel tips and tricks, finding the perfect bra for women, building a stockpile, and how to care for fish tanks.

Being authentic

Being authentic is so important on TikTok. You're online and people have a limited perception of who you are and what you do. Building trust and loyalty can be challenging so, authenticity helps out a lot here.

This means, be real, don't be fake.

There's a balance and as long as you stay true to yourself and remain authentic, you'll be able to find that balance while maintaining and growing your account on TikTok.

Have fun

Lastly, have fun!

You're serving your audience on Tik Tok but, they're following you for a reason. They are drawn to your personality and video style. They like what you have to say and they follow you for that.

It's social media, after all, so have fun with it!

How to make more money on TikTok

To make more money on TikTok, explore multiple income streams. You don't have to monetize your TikTok account in all the ways shared in this article but if you pick 2+ of your favorites to pursue, that's the best way to make the most money using TikTok.

And, continue creating great content on your TikTok account.

Here are some other best practices for making more money on TikTok:

• Post content consistently
• Engage with your fans
• Run your account like a business
• Outreach

Post videos consistently

The more consistent you are with video production, publishing new videos, and reaching your audience, the more likely your account will grow, and generally, larger TikTok accounts can earn more than smaller TikTok accounts.

Fan engagement

Engaging with your fans is important because it adds credibility to your account, showing you're a real person behind your TikTok account.

It can also help create a more loyal and engaged audience which can lead to higher engagement rates. That translates to more money earned.

Treat your TikTok account like a business

Running your TikTok account like a business means you take it seriously. You might create a content schedule/calendar or create a backlog of video drafts to make sure you always have content ready on hand to be published.

And, don't forget to consider the implications of making money online, primarily taxes. Consider filing a business form and keeping track of your income and expenses so it's easy to file for taxes when it's time.

Pursue outreach

Lastly, outreach is a great way for you to grow your audience and make money. You can contact other creators and collaborate in a mutually beneficial partnership. You can also reach out to brands for sponsored partnerships.

I hope this answered your question on, “how do you make money on TikTok.”

Social media platforms like TikTok are ripe with opportunities to make money (check out the easiest social media to make money here). If you're a content creator, don't miss your chance at making money on TikTok.

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