TikTok creators have now turned their passion into profit. This has seen creators make a decent living, and would-be creators now seem to flock to the platform. However, not many of them know how TikTok monetization works, and you often find them asking: how exactly does TikTok compensate its legion of content creators?
Answering this question can help both aspiring and established creators understand the inner workings of TikTok’s monetization system. This exploration looks deep by unraveling the multifaceted approaches through which creativity meets compensation on the TikTok platform.
How does TikTok pay content creators?
TikTok provides creators with a number of monetization techniques depending on user preference. TikTok itself pays users directly depending on which program the creator chooses. And if creators don’t qualify for direct earnings from TikTok, they can still make money via other monetization means.
To earn money from TikTok directly, here are the monetization options available:
1. Creator Fund
The Creator Fund serves as TikTok’s direct monetization program for content creators. TikTok allocates a portion of its advertising revenue to this fund, which is distributed among participating creators based on various engagement metrics. This fund helps creators and encourages more people to use TikTok. Once a creator meets the eligibility criteria, they can opt into the Creator Fund.
Payments from the Creator Fund are typically structured on a performance-based model, rewarding creators for the performance of their content within a specific time frame. The Creator Fund earnings are around $0.02 to $0.03 for every thousand views. Payment amounts can vary widely based on the creator’s audience size, engagement rates, and the overall fund’s allocation.
If you qualify and participate in the Creator Fund monetization technique, your earnings will show up in your Creator Fund Dashboard about three days after your video gets views. Creators can take out the money ( with a minimum withdrawal requirement of at least $10) 30 days after the month they earned it. Creator Fund earnings are transferable to your PayPal or Zelle.
Currently, creators in the U.S., UK, Germany, Italy, France, and Spain can use the Creator Fund. However, TikTok plans to stop the Creator Fund in the U.S., U.K., France, and Germany on December 16, 2023. They’re bringing in the Creativity Program instead. Creators who can switch to the new program. For now, though, the Creator Fund will still be around for users in Italy and Spain.
2. Creativity Program Beta
TikTok introduced the Creativity Program Beta in late February 2023 to financially reward creators in a new way. This program addresses complaints about low payouts from the original Creator Fund. TikTok says creators might earn 20 times more through the Creativity Program than from the Creator Fund.
To join, creators need to:
- Be at least 18 years old.
- Have 10,000 followers.
- Get at least 100,000 valid video views in the last 30 days.
- Use a personal account that follows TikTok’s rules.
- Live in a region where the Creativity Program Beta is available.
TikTok started the Creativity Program Beta for eligible U.S. creators in May 2023. And in September 2023, TikTok expanded the program to include regions like Brazil, France, Germany, Japan, Korea, and the U.K.
The Creativity Program rewards creators based on how many views qualify and RPM. A creator’s RPM might change based on how much people engage with their video, how genuine the content is, where viewers are from, and if they follow the rules. To be eligible, creators’ videos should be quality, unique, and last more than one minute. To qualify for rewards, a video needs to meet these criteria:
- It should get a minimum of 1,000 views.
- It must not be a Duet or Stitch video.
- Photo Mode videos don’t qualify.
- It shouldn’t be an ad, paid promotion, or sponsored content.
- It must follow the rules of the Creativity Program Beta, Terms of Service, Community Guidelines, and Copyright Policy.
3. TikTok Series
TikTok creators can also get paid by leveraging the feature called Series, which is part of TikTok’s creator tools, giving you more ways to make money. With Series, creators can share exclusive content and charge a price for people to access it.
Here’s what creators can do with TikTok Series:
- Create and upload up to 80 videos, each up to 20 minutes long, on TikTok.com/series.
- You can even offer a free introductory video.
- Set a price between $0.99 and $189.99 for your Series.
- After a safety and music review, your followers can buy your Series using a link in your videos or your profile.
- Once purchased, your Series can be viewed anytime by those who bought it.
The TikTok Series feature aims to help creators share their expertise and valuable content while offering their audience something special they can access for a price. Aside from earning money, creators also benefit by connecting better with their followers, building trust, and adding value to their content.
To Summarize
TikTok’s payment methods for content creators encompass various avenues, including the Creator Fund and the innovative Series feature. These avenues offer diverse opportunities for creators to monetize their content based on engagement, partnerships, and direct sales. Aside from these methods, creators can make money via brand partnerships, livestream rewards, merchandise sales, affiliate marketing, and others.