How Creators Are Earning Big on TikTok in 2025

So you've mastered the Renegade and can't stop humming along with the latest viral song. You are nearly conversant in TikTok slang. But can you turn those likes and views into cash?

Absolutely! TikTok is no longer only about dance crazes and hilarious pet videos (though we certainly enjoy those). It's a goldmine of opportunity for intelligent creators trying to monetize their hobbies and launch a successful online business. Consider TikTok to be your own digital storefront, with your content serving as eye-catching merchandise. With a little technique and a lot of ingenuity, you can convert those scrolling thumbs into devoted consumers. Are you ready to turn your TikTok feed into a source of income? Let's look at the top five ways to generate money on TikTok right now.

Can You Really Make Money on TikTok?

What's the short answer? Absolutely!

Here's why TikTok is a goldmine for creators.

• TikTok has more than 1 billion monthly active users, surpassing Twitter and Snapchat combined. That's a lot of potential followers (and customers!) at your disposal.
• TikTok users spend an average of 95 minutes each day on the app, with 75% citing TikTok as a source for purchases. That level of engagement outperforms other social media networks.

TikTok offers a level playing field, allowing anyone with a smartphone and imagination to go popular. It's a place where authenticity reigns supreme, and micro-influencers with specific audiences can have incredible success. So, how do you capitalize on this digital gold rush? Let's look at the finest tactics for converting everyday TikTokers into successful entrepreneurs.

5 Proven Ways to Earn Money on TikTok in 2024

1. Partner with brands and become a TikTok influencer.

Remember how TikTok users spend an average of 95 minutes every day on the app? That's 95 minutes spent navigating through their "For You" pages, absorbing content and interacting with creators they enjoy. For brands, this translates into a captive audience full of potential clients. It's no wonder that influencer marketing is booming, with firms expected to spend more than $17 billion on it by 2024. TikTok, with its unprecedented engagement rates and original, creator-driven content, is leading the way.

Why are brands flocking to TikTok influencers?

• TikTok prioritizes authentic interactions and relatable content. Users are more likely to believe suggestions from creators they recognize and who share their values.
• TikTok's average engagement rate for influencer marketing is 5.96%, greater than Instagram's (1.22%) and YouTube's (0.38%). This means that brands are getting more bang for their buck with TikTok.
• TikTok's short video format promotes creative storytelling and novel ad structures. From catchy dance challenges to amusing skits, marketers are discovering new and interesting ways to connect with TikTok users.

Ready to become a popular TikTok influencer? Here's the game plan:

• Identify your passions and become the go-to expert in your niche. What makes you unique? Identifying your specialty is similar to selecting a signature color palette for your content; it allows you to stand out from the crowd and acquire a loyal audience who resonates with your style. Think beyond broad categories such as fashion or games. Consider sub-niches such as ethical fashion, novice mobile gaming, or low-cost DIY home decor. The more narrow your niche, the easier it will be to establish your authority and build a dedicated audience.
• Developing a loyal following requires more than just creating high-quality content. To fully flourish as an influencer, you must build a community around your work. Engage with your followers like you would with friends. Respond to comments, pose questions, conduct surveys, and hold live Q&A sessions. The more invested your audience is, the more likely they will stick around and support your brand collaborations.
• Make a compelling case to brands that match your values and aesthetic. Remember that you're not simply asking for a handout; you're providing a valuable service: access to your engaged and targeted audience. Create a polished media kit that highlights your:
  • average engagement rates (likes, comments, shares, and view time).
  • followers' age, gender, region, and interests.
  • distinct voice and content pillars.

Types of Brand Partnerships to Consider:

• Sponsored posts allow you to seamlessly include a brand's message into your characteristic skits, lessons, or product reviews. A beauty influencer, for example, could develop a makeup tutorial using items from a certain company.
• Company Ambassadorships: Become a long-term champion for a favorite company through sponsored postings and campaigns. This could include attending events, producing exclusive content, or even launching a co-branded product line.
• Collaborate with a brand to design an engaging hashtag challenge that promotes user-generated content and raises brand exposure. Remember the #RenegadeChallenge? That one challenge received more than 2.2 billion views on TikTok, demonstrating the format's viral potential.

Tip: Join the TikTok Creator Marketplace to connect with brands looking for collaborations. It's similar to a dating app for influencers and brands, making it easier than ever to locate your ideal match. The Creator Marketplace is a centralized platform where companies can find creators based on their niche, audience demographics, and previous performance.

To join TikTok Creator Marketplace:

• Minimum of 10,000 followers.
• 100,000 video views in the past 30 days.

2. TikTok's Creator Fund

In July 2020, TikTok launched the TikTok Creator Fund to support its creator community financially. This ambitious program, which was initially funded with $200 million (and then increased to a cool $1 billion), is intended to reward artists for their contributions to the platform's success. Consider it TikTok's way of saying, "Keep creating great content, and we'll keep the lights on!"

Here's how the Creator Fund operates:

To become a TikTok creator and earn directly from the platform, you must complete the following requirements:

• Be at least 18 years old (sorry, teen sensations, you will have to wait!).
• Reside in a nation that offers the Creator Fund (currently the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, South Korea, France, and Brazil).
• Have at least 10,000 followers (since TikTok requires a certain level of audience).
• Have at least 100,000 authentic video views in the last 30 days (excellent material is essential!).
• Follow TikTok's Community Guidelines and Terms of Service (no spamming, scamming, or other fraudulent activity permitted).

TikTok's algorithm analyzes content and determines earnings depending on several parameters.

• Increase video views for better results. TikTok compensates producers for accumulating views.
• Your overall engagement score, which includes likes, comments, shares, and watch time, significantly impacts your earnings.
• TikTok's algorithm prioritizes authentic content that connects with real users. So, instead of using clickbait, focus on developing material that reflects your unique voice and hobbies.

The Million-Dollar Question: How Much Can You Really Earn?

Ah, the million-dollar question (maybe an exaggeration). While TikTok does not reveal the specific payout methodology, producers generally estimate that profits vary between 2 and 4 cents per 1,000 views. So, if you're continuously getting millions of views, the Creator Fund can provide a nice little boost. However, you must keep your expectations realistic.

Pro Tip: Don't rely solely on the Creator Fund as a source of income. It's a great motivation to continue creating. Imagine it as the icing on top of your TikTok monetization sundae. Concentrate on generating a diverse income stream through brand collaborations, affiliate marketing, and selling your own items or services.

3. Become an affiliate marketer.

How does this work?

Imagine you're scrolling through your favorite creator's TikTok feed and come across a video demonstrating a must-have device that addresses a problem you didn't even realize you had or have been attempting to solve for a long time. The creator's excitement is contagious, and before you realize it, you're clicking the link in their bio and about to make a buy. This, my friend, is the power of affiliate marketing in action.

Affiliate marketing benefits both creators and brands. Creators earn a reward for promoting products or services they enjoy, while marketers benefit from the influencer's trusted relationship with their audience. Here's how you can become a TikTok affiliate marketing expert:

• Choose Your Partners Wisely: Alignment is Everything Before plastering affiliate links on your material, consider your audience. What kind of items or services are they actually interested in? Look for affiliate programs that match your niche and values. For example, if you're a fitness influencer, collaborating with a sportswear brand or a healthy food delivery service would be an obvious choice.
• Signing up for affiliate programs is the next step after identifying possible partners. Most brands have separate affiliate program sections on their websites where you can apply. Once approved (yeah!), you'll be given individual affiliate links for any product or service you choose to market. These links function as tracking codes, so the brand knows to credit you for any sales that result from your recommendations.
• To be effective with affiliate marketing, it's important to weave recommendations into your content without being overly salesy. Don't just put an affiliate link on a random product and call it quits. Instead, be inventive! Consider how you can highlight the product's benefits in a way that is both authentic to your brand and engaging to your target audience. Here are some ideas:
  • Create a lesson or demonstration to show your followers how to utilize the product and emphasize its important features.
  • Share your personal experience by telling a story about how the product helped you or solved an issue.
  • Provide a discount or special offer: Everyone appreciates a good deal! Partner with the brand to provide your followers with a unique discount or promotion.
• Use thorough dashboards provided by most affiliate networks to track performance and success. You'll be able to track how many hits your links receive, how many of those clicks convert to sales, and how much commission you earn. Use this information to fine-tune your strategy, experiment with new items or promotional methods, and ultimately increase your affiliate income.

Pro Tip: Ensure transparency in affiliate marketing. Clearly disclose your affiliate affiliations to your viewers by including hashtags such as #affiliate or #sponsored in your captions. This not only retains their trust, but also guarantees you are following FTC requirements.

4. Sell your own products or services.

Why promote someone else's items when you can run your own TikTok empire? TikTok is more than simply an entertainment platform; it's also a strong tool for increasing revenue and developing a loyal consumer base. In fact, a recent research indicated that 75% of TikTok users bought something after seeing it on the app. This is a remarkable statistic that demonstrates the enormous potential for creators to monetise their passions. Here's how you can turn your TikTok followers into paying customers:

Unleash your inner entrepreneur by identifying your unique skills, talents, or goods to offer your target audience. Think beyond the apparent. Here are some suggestions to start your creative juices flowing:

• Are you an expert in crafting, fashion design, or cooking? Sell your handcrafted jewelry, clothing line, art prints, or even homemade goodies directly to TikTok followers.
• Create digital products that showcase your skills and expertise, such as e-books, online courses, templates, presets, or personalized coaching programs. Digital products are incredibly scalable and have low costs, making them a profitable option for creators.
• Services: Do you excel at social media marketing, graphic design, or photography? Offer your services as a freelancer or consultant to companies and individuals in your niche.

Create a compelling sales pitch in your TikTok videos to make a strong first impression and convince viewers that your items or services are worth their money. Here's how to create a sales proposal that converts.

• Showcase Your Products in Action: Don't just talk about them, show them in use! Create engaging videos that highlight their features, benefits, and practical applications.
• Share Customer Testimonials: Let your pleased customers speak for you. Include testimonials and reviews in your videos to increase trust and trustworthiness.
• Create a sense of urgency by offering limited-time discounts, exclusive packages, or pre-order choices.

To increase traffic to your shop, make it easy for viewers to find and purchase your products or services. Here's how you may improve your TikTok profile for sales:

• Include a link in your TikTok bio, as it is great real estate. Use it to route traffic to your online store, website, or landing page.
• TikTok producers may add clickable link stickers to their videos, enabling viewers to make purchases without leaving the app.
• Use video captions to promote your products and services. Use relevant keywords and hashtags to help consumers looking for such products discover you.

Tip: Use TikTok's live shopping tools to engage with potential customers in real-time. Host live streams to exhibit your products, answer inquiries, provide exclusive offers, and create a fun and interactive shopping experience.

5. Allow Your Fans to Support You: Crowdfunding and Tipping.

You've cultivated a devoted audience that eagerly consumes your work, showers you with likes, and left intelligent comments on each piece. These aren't just followers; they're your biggest supporters, cheerleaders, and virtual family. And many of them are delighted to pay support the creator who provides them joy, entertainment, or useful knowledge. Crowdfunding and tipping allow creators to monetize their audience's love and gratitude.

Crowdfunding Platforms: Building a Community of Patrons

Crowdfunding sites such as Patreon, Ko-fi, and Buy Me a Coffee have transformed the creator economy, allowing fans to directly support their favorite creators through recurring subscriptions or one-time donations. This is how it works.

• Select Your Platform: Each platform has distinct features, cost structures, and audience demographics. Research and select the platform that best meets your needs and goals.
• Offer membership tiers with different levels of access and special benefits. Consider providing behind-the-scenes content, early access to videos, special Q&A sessions, or even personalized shoutouts.
• Promote your crowdfunding page on TikTok and encourage fans to become patrons. Highlight the exclusive benefits they'll receive and underline how their support allows you to continue developing the material they enjoy.

Tipping Features: Expressing Appreciation in Real-Time

TikTok has a built-in tipping feature that allows viewers to send you virtual gifts while live streaming. These presents, purchased using TikTok coins (which customers buy with actual money), may be changed into real currency, giving your fans a direct method to express their gratitude and support for your work. Here's how to make use of TikTok's tipping feature:

• Interact with your audience during live streaming by answering questions and providing a fun and engaging experience. The more engaged your audience is, the more likely they are to express their gratitude via tipping.
• Acknowledge and appreciate viewers who send you presents. This personal touch goes a long way toward developing relationships and fostering future support.
• Set tipping goals for live streams and offer bonuses when they are attained. For example, you may provide a special challenge, reveal a preview of upcoming content, or even hold a contest.

Pro Tip: Be innovative with your offerings. Don't be scared to venture outside the box and provide unique benefits and rewards tailored to your audience's interests. The more personalized and interesting your offers are, the more likely you are to attract and keep loyal customers.

Who is cashing in? The Big Earners on TikTok

While most TikTokers are still figuring out how to convert their likes into lattes, a select few are making millions. These TikTok stars have cracked the game, garnering large followings and landing hefty sponsorship deals that would make Hollywood A-listers jealous. According to Exploding Topics' 2024 data, TikTok's highest-paid stars earn the following:

TikToker	Estimated Earnings per Post	Net Worth	Total Followers
Charli D’Amelio	$105,770	$20 million.	154.6M
Khabane Lame	$92,270	$5 million.	162.4M
Bella Poarch	$66,829	$2 million.	94.5M
Addison Rae	$65,194	$15 million.	88.9M
Will Smith	$53,741	$300 million.	74.6M
Kimberly Loaiza	$47,374	$8 million.	81.2M

These eye- popping sums may appear out of reach, yet they reflect only one end of the TikTok earning spectrum. What about the average creator?

The majority of TikTokers, who have a few thousand to tens of thousands of followers, make far less. Here is a more realistic analysis.

• Nano-influencers (1,000-10,000 followers) can make $5–25 each sponsored video.
• Micro-influencers (10,000-50,000 followers) can earn $25-125 for sponsored videos.

Don't forget about the TikTok Creator Fund, which rewards eligible creators based on video views and engagement. The actual payout mechanism is unknown, but authors should expect to earn between $0.02 and $0.04 per 1,000 views. So, while becoming a TikTok millionaire requires a perfect storm of virality, financial acumen, and a dash of luck, there is plenty of room on the platform for creators of all sizes to make real money. Whether you're looking for brand collaborations, affiliate marketing, or simply supplementing your income with the Creator Fund, TikTok provides a plethora of opportunities for those willing to put in the time and ingenuity. Your TikTok earning journey starts now.

Building a strong TikTok presence requires time, effort, and a bit of TikTok magic. However, with the appropriate methods, a dedication to creating compelling material, and a dash of entrepreneurial spirit, you may transform your passion for short-form video into a lucrative and rewarding job.

Now it's your turn.

That tingle of exhilaration you feel? Your enterprising passion is igniting. It's the excitement of possibilities. Do not let those sentiments evaporate. Do not let fear or self-doubt keep you back. The world of TikTok is looking for your distinct voice, infectious enthusiasm, and one-of-a-kind talent. So go ahead and dream large, create courageously, and watch your passion turn into a rewarding and prosperous journey. The moment to start is now. Your future TikTok empire awaits.