So, you want to make money on TikTok, eh? It’s the dream for a lot of people these days, and I get why: You just need your phone and some good lighting to get to work. But before you close this tab and start recording, let’s talk about how much money creators actually make on TikTok today, so you don’t quit your day job without a solid plan.
5 TikTok Monetization Methods and How Much Creators Make From Them
Psst, we’ve written a whole guide on how to monetize on TikTok that’s worth checking out. This article is about the numbers — what each TikTok monetization method pays out according to real people.
Here’s the gist: You can make good money from some of TikTok’s native monetization methods, like TikTok Shop and TikTok Series. That said, not every monetization avenue is worth pursuing, especially for smaller creators.
Let’s talk about your options.
1. The TikTok Creator Rewards Program
TikTok discontinued the Creator Fund in 2023 and replaced it with the Creator Rewards Program, which rewards users for posting creative, original content. To participate in the Creator Rewards program, you need to meet a handful of requirements, including having at least 10,000 followers and 100,000 video views in the last 30 days.
Once you’re in, your eligible videos will start to collect rewards as soon as they reach 1,000 qualified For You feed views, but the rate at which they earn will be different for each video.
Creator Madeleine Hiu recently did one of her signature ‘financial transparency time’ TikToks about her experience with the Creator Rewards Program. She said that you earn a standard award and a potential additional award based on the videos you make after acceptance into the program.
“What was surprising to me is that you don’t get to make any money off of the videos you made before acceptance to the program, even if they continue to accrue views and engagement,” says Madeleine.
She also mentioned that you can’t cash out until you earn $100 and that the standard rate you earn per video will vary. In one example, a video she made that had 7.5k qualified views earned about $5.
Madeleine says, “This just re-emphasized what I already knew, which is that small creators cannot make a living off the Creator Rewards Program and the payout is very minimal.”
The good news: Madeleine mentioned that affiliate links and brand deals can help creators achieve financial security. And on the topic of affiliate links…
2. TikTok Shop
TikTok Shop is the platform’s built-in shopping feature. Brands and creators can sell products through videos, LIVE streams, and a dedicated profile tab. Creators can also make money through affiliate marketing on TikTok Shop.
Unlike the Creator Rewards Program, you can make significant money from TikTok Shop. Sarah Gavilla, Manychat’s social media manager, interviewed Chelsea Leigh Smith and Aprille Franks, both of whom have made thousands from TikTok Shop about how it works.
Aprille shared that when she started focusing on TikTok Shop, her monthly earnings went from $25 in March 2024 to $4,600 in May 2024. Just to be clear, that’s thousands of dollars in one month. Similarly, when one of Chelsea’s TikTok Shop videos went viral, she earned $3,000 from that one post.
In general, TikTok Shop is one of the best ways for creators to make money. It pays more than the Creator Rewards Program, and you can make fun, simple content and be successful with it:
@aprilleunfiltered Replying to @Securely’s TikTok Shop Same! You’ll have that phone stand for years! #coopercases #phonestand #phoneholder #tiktokshop
♬ original sound – aprilleunfiltered
Just keep in mind that you should only promote TikTok Shop products that you’d actually use yourself; if you promote something that sucks, people will lose trust in you (and therefore, the products you’re recommending).
More on this in Affiliate Marketing: The Modern QVC, including how some TikTokers make their production promotion fit their values.
3. TikTok Gifts
TikTok Gifts are virtual items that convert into TikTok Diamonds and, later, into rewards or cash. Users buy TikTok Gifts with TikTok Coins and send them to creators while scrolling through their feed or watching a TikTok LIVE.
As a creator, you can’t really rely on TikTok Gifts for income because it requires a follower or scroller to decide to send you one. Plus, you’d need to earn a lot of Gifts to make any money off of them. I did some research on conversion rates for TikTok Gifts in the past and found these examples:
“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.”
“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.”
Based on these examples, you likely need between 200 and 250 TikTok Diamonds to earn $1. So, it’s not the best monetization method around.
Honorary Mention: TikTok Tips
Like Gifts, users can send TikTok Tips directly to creators on the platform. Unlike Gifts, Tips don’t convert into Diamonds — they’re just straight-up cash that gets paid out to you. According to TikTok’s help center, you get paid in full, but you might be subject to processing fees from the third-party tool they use to facilitate Tips (Stripe). You also need 100k followers to earn tips, which excludes many smaller creators from this monetization option.
4. TikTok Series
With TikTok Series, you can post a collection of content behind a paywall. Your Series can include up to 80 videos, each ranging from 30 seconds to 20 minutes.
Creators set their own price for each Series; anywhere between $0.99 and $189.99. Viewers access Series by clicking on in-video links or visiting the creator’s profile and paying to unlock the content.
How much you make off a Series depends on the price you set and the number of people who pay, but the good news is that creators get to keep 100% of Series earnings after processing fees.
One Series I found in the wild: Treasure House from @chloeisag. Chloe bought a house with all the stuff inside for $97,000. She documented the process of going through the house and discovering treasure, thus: Treasure House.
Chloe’s second video — the one where the paywall starts — has over 2M views. So, even if she only charges $.99 for Treasure House, she’s still making good money, and TikTok Series seems to be one of the better options for monetizing on the platform.
5. Brand Partnerships
Brand deals are a solid way to make money as a creator because they’re less dependent on the TikTok platform. Even so, Manychat’s influencer marketing manager, Jacob Andary, says that there aren’t really standard rates for brand deals.
What you’ll earn will depend on a few things, including your following size and niche, as well as the specifics of the agreement (like how much and what kind of sponsored content you’ll post).
If you have a niche, post consistently, and get good engagement, brand deals are worth exploring. To get started, read How to Negotiate Brand Deals Like a Pro (Even If You’re New).
The Recap: Top TikTok Monetization Methods and Next Steps
TikTok Shop, TikTok Series, and brand deals are the best options for creators looking to monetize their content.
…but you could also just haul off and make your own income stream, which is what a lot of people are doing these days.
Start with offering something simple, like a Substack newsletter (hey, we have one of those!), an e-book, or an hourly service. Then, use TikTok to share about it and Manychat to send it — literally.
BIG NEWS 🚨Manychat x TikTok: The Future of Creator Conversations is Finally Here (Now Live in the U.S.)
