How to Make Money on TikTok: Guide for Content Creators
With over 1 billion monthly active users, TikTok has become one of the hottest platforms for influencer marketing and monetization opportunities. By consistently posting engaging videos, creators can build a loyal audience and earn money through TikTok’s Creator Fund, brand sponsorships, affiliate marketing, and more.
This in-depth guide covers the top strategies for how to make money on TikTok and maximize your income as a creator.
Table of Contents
TikTok Money-Making Options for Creators
Here are the main ways TikTok creators can monetize their accounts and content:
# TikTok Creator Fund
The TikTok Creator Fund pays creators for views on their top-performing original videos. To qualify, you need at least 10,000 authentic followers and 100K video views in the last 30 days. Earnings start at $0.02 per view once approved.
Top creators like @charlidamelio with over 150 million followers can earn hundreds of thousands per month through the fund.
# Livestreams and Gifting
Fans can purchase and send virtual gifts to show support during TikTok Live streams, with prices ranging from $0.50 to $500. Gifts convert to diamonds that creators can cash out after reaching a certain threshold. Going live regularly helps build followers and gifting revenue.
# Sponsored Brand Partnerships
One of the most lucrative ways for influencers to earn money is through paid brand sponsorships and partnerships. Brands pay you to create TikTok videos featuring their products. Rates range from a few hundred to several thousand based on your follower count and niche.
# Affiliate Marketing
You can earn commissions from businesses by promoting their products through affiliate links. Recommend products you genuinely like in a natural way.
# Selling Merchandise
Design custom apparel, phone cases, art prints or other products and sell them through your TikTok profile. Promote new merchandise launches to your audience. A popular strategy is making merch with your channel’s funny quotes or inside jokes.
Optimizing Your Channel for Maximum Earnings
Growing a large, engaged audience on TikTok is crucial for unlocking more money-making opportunities. Here are some best practices:
# Post Engaging Content Consistently
Post daily if possible to stay top of mind. Use trending audios, effects, hashtags, and hooks in your captions to increase visibility.
Comedy creator @khaby.lame who has over 160M followers gained traction using meme trends in his silent, humorous videos.
# Interact with Followers
Reply to comments, ask questions in captions, and go live regularly. This helps build loyal followers who feel connected. Do collabs and shoutouts with microinfluencers in your niche too.
# Include Links and Contact Info
Add links to your other socials, website, online shop, email etc. in your TikTok bio so fans can discover more about you and your business endeavors.
# Analyze Performance Metrics
See which videos get the most engagement and views. Make more content that your audience responds well to. Watch follower growth and engagement rates to track growth. Use TikTok’s Creator Portal insights.
Pitch Brand Partnerships and Promote Yourself
Once you build an audience, you can start making money through brand sponsorships.
# Pitch Brands a Good Fit
Email brands that align with your content style and audience. Highlight your follower count, engagement metrics and ideas for sponsored posts or videos. Reach out to smaller brands first to gain experience.
# Negotiate Favorable Rates and Terms
When negotiating brand deals, clarify payment amount and terms, usage rights, and deliverables in a contract. Ask for a percentage upfront and the rest upon delivering finished content. Start with smaller deals, then increase rates as you prove your value.
# Promote Yourself
Invest in professional channel branding like intros, logos and channel art. Run TikTok and Instagram ads showcasing your content to gain more followers. Network and collaborate with similar creators.
Additional Ways to Diversify Your Revenue
Leverage your audience to make money outside of TikTok sponsorships too:
- Sell merch featuring your brand and channel’s funny quotes or meme designs. Promote new launches to your followers.
- Create online courses teaching others your skills like editing, comedy writing, etc.
- Write and sell an ebook expanding on your niche topic expertise.
- Start a Patreon offering exclusive content, community access, shoutouts, etc. to monthly subscribers.
- Host paid live events or workshops.
- Launch a YouTube channel expanding on your TikTok content.
Diversify your income streams while continuously providing value to your loyal audience.
Track Metrics and Set Goals
Monitor your channel’s growth regularly:
- Review follower count, engagement rates, video views and watch time.
- Analyze top-performing content formats and topics.
- Check TikTok Creator Fund earnings.
- Set goals to steadily increase views, followers and revenue month over month.
With strategic optimization and persistence, you can turn TikTok into a full-time income. But focus on value first, money second. By consistently creating content your audience loves, the monetization and collaborations will follow.
