How Do Gifts Work on TikTok? (Open to Find Out)

For creators, there are limited ways to earn income directly from followers. The most popular monetization methods today are brand deals and platform payouts, which are dependent on — you guessed it — brands and platforms.

That said, there are ways to open virtual tip jars that let fans and followers pay you directly for your work. On TikTok, one way to do that is to enable Gifts.

What are Gifts on TikTok? 🎁

TikTok Gifts (including Video Gifts and LIVE Gifts) are virtual items that convert into Diamonds, and later, rewards or cash.

Users can buy gifts with TikTok Coins and send them to creators while scrolling through their feed or watching a TikTok LIVE. It’s just one way to show support for creators they like.

If you’re wondering what they look like, they’re kind of like emojis, but specific to TikTok.

Each Gift requires a different number of TikTok Coins to activate. When a user runs out of Coins, they can “recharge” by paying in the app. 

The Rose and Panda have been around for a while and cost one and five Coins respectively (about $0.01 and $0.07). The most expensive and sought-after Gift around is TikTok Universe, which requires thousands of Coins to buy ($500+), and leads to a fun animation:

So, what’s all this about Diamonds? 💎

TikTok Diamonds are another virtual item that users can collect. TikTok uses Diamonds (amongst other things) to determine how popular a user’s content is. 

There is no conversion rate for TikTok Diamonds to cash, and unfortunately, Diamonds don’t automatically entitle users to receive Rewards, including payouts. 😔

I did some research (checked Reddit, like all good modern scholars) to figure out what payouts for Gifts and Diamonds are actually like. In r/TikTokGossip, one user said:

“I received 337 diamonds once, and that came out to $1.68. Another time, I received 3486 diamonds, and it paid out to $17.43.” 

Another user said, “Just went live and gifted myself the finger holding a heart thing (which cost five coins), it transferred into five diamonds, which gave me $0.02.”

I did some math based on these examples and figured out that you’d need between 200 and 250 Diamonds to earn $1. (But I can’t guarantee that conversion rate will hold for everyone.)

How to Turn On TikTok Gifts

To be eligible for Gifts, you must:

• Live in a location where they’re available.
• Be 18 years of age or older (19 in South Korea).
• Have a Personal TikTok account that’s at least 30 days old.
• Have at least 10,000 followers.
• Have published a public video in the last 30 days.

Your account also needs to be in good standing and adhere to TikTok’s Community Guidelines and Terms of Service.

If you meet those requirements, here’s how to turn on Gifts:

1. Open the TikTok app and tap Profile at the bottom.
2. Tap Menu ☰, then select TikTok Studio.
3. Under Monetization, tap Video Gifts.
4. Turn the Gifts setting on, review the eligibility requirements, and tap Turn on Gifts.

Other Ways to Monetize on TikTok

While Gifts aren’t going to pay the bills, there are plenty of other ways you can monetize as a creator. We’ve got a whole guide to TikTok monetization, so check that out, and we’ll cover some of the basics here:

The TikTok Creator Rewards Program

The Creator Rewards Program is TikTok’s primary platform payout system for creators. The eligibility requirements to join look a lot like those for Gifts.

If you’re accepted into the program, you earn rewards based on qualified views. But again, there is no exact conversion rate, and payouts vary from creator to creator.

You can apply for the Creator Rewards Program through TikTok Studio. Follow the instructions above for turning on Gifts, but click Creator Rewards Program instead of Video Gifts:

TikTok Shop

Both brands and creators can use TikTok Shop to sell products. Creators can sell their own goods or promote a brand’s products (affiliate marketing style).

If a video you make featuring a TikTok Shop product goes viral, you can earn thousands of dollars. For the full scoop from two creators who crush it on TikTok Shop, check out How Creators Are Making Real Money on TikTok Shop. 

Brand deals and partnerships

Brand deals are one of the most established (and lucrative) ways creators make money on TikTok. Instead of earning through platform payouts, you’re getting paid directly by a brand to promote a product or service — either on your own channel or theirs. Partnerships are usually negotiated through TikTok DMs, email, or the TikTok Creator Marketplace.

Read this later: How to Land Your First Brand Deal (And Keep ‘Em Coming)

UGC (user-generated content) is one example of what a brand collaboration can lead to. With UGC deals, you don’t usually have to post anything on your own account. Instead, the brand will pay you to create a TikTok-style video they can publish on their own channel or run as ads. The benefit here is that your audience isn’t overwhelmed by promotional posts, and you still earn money from your content.

TikTok Series

The TikTok Series feature lets eligible creators put premium content behind a paywall. You can bundle up to 80 videos (anywhere from 30 seconds to 20 minutes each) into a Series that viewers purchase directly through your profile or in-video links.

Creators set their own price (from $1 up to $190), post the Series through TikTok Studio, and keep the revenue. If your content is episodic in nature — tutorials, deep dives, story times — Series is a good option to explore.

Go Get That Bread 🥖

Recap: Gifts are one way you can earn money on TikTok, but there are other monetization strategies you should use as well. Figure out what works for you and your content, and get that bread. 

And when your next TikTok Shop product review video gets 5,241 comments, you know what to do: Sign up for Manychat. We’re an official TikTok Business Partner, after all.