TikTok’s highly engaged global audience are increasingly using the app to made purchase decisions. In fact, the hashtag #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt has 70 billion views and counting. Savvy creators, marketers, and retailers are leveraging this trend to sell products, promote brands, and monetize their communities. This is incredibly enticing but most people aren’t sure how to make money on TikTok.
Here are eight proven strategies, and our top tips for maximizing your earnings.
How to Make Money on TikTok: Eight of the Best Tried and True Strategies
1. Promote Your Business
Perhaps the most obvious way to make money on TikTok is to use the platform as a marketing tool. Whether you’re a singer-songwriter trying to promote your music, a personal trainer with an online course, or a brick-and-mortar retailer looking to attract more foot traffic, you can use TikTok to:
- drive traffic to your website
- find new clients
- grow your brand
- makes sales
@dunkin TikTok made me buy it. #CharliDunkinRemix #CharliColdFoam @charlidamelio
TikTok marketing strategies include:
- Organic content. Check out how Duolingo’s videos featuring their mascot, Duo, have helped the brand gain exposure.
- User generated content. Guess, for example, has run several hashtag campaigns including #inmydenim which saw creators showing off their Guess jeans.
- Paid TikTok ads. This case study demonstrates how Ray-Ban leveraged TikTok ads to increase conversions by 47%.
- Partnerships with TikTok influencers. Dunkin’, for example, partners with Charli D’Amelio, one of TikTok’s highest earners (see video above).
2. Join the TikTok Creator Rewards Program
@dogdogcatcatnoodle How much I earned from the Creator Rewards Program for my viral 13 million view video #payoffdebt #trend #viral #teamwork
Best for: Creators with high-quality content and lots of views
Creators who join the TikTok Creator Rewards Program can earn money based on the performance of their content. It doesn’t matter what you post about. If your content is popular and original, TikTok will pay you for it. This program replaces the Creator Fund and the Creativity Program.
How Much Can You Earn With the Creator Rewards Program?
Creators report earning between 30 cents and $1 per 1k video views with the Creator Rewards Program. So if you generate around 1.5 million monthly views, you could earn something like $1k per month. Your income will depend on how many followers you have, your views and engagement, and how regularly you post.
Who Is Eligible?
To join the program you must:
- Have a personal account
- Be at least 18 years old
- Have at least 10k followers
- Have at least 100k video views in the last 30 days
- Abide by the community guidelines
How to Maximize Your Rewards
To earn rewards, you must create engaging videos that are at least one minute long and original – i.e. no clips copied from other creators or copyrighted music. TikTok only rewards qualified video views. This excludes paid views, disliked views, and views with less than 5 seconds of watch time.
Your RPM (average rewards collected per 1k qualified views) depends on factors like your location, engagement, and average watch time. You can improve your RPM by focusing on:
- originality
- maximizing watch time and finish rate
- encouraging engagement through comments, likes, and shares
- aligning with popular search terms (which you can find using Creator Search Insights)
2. Sell on TikTok Shop
Best for: Ecommerce brands and creators in “shoppable” niches like beauty and fashion
TikTok has over 1 billion monthly active users and 70% of TikTok users discover new products on the app. TikTok Shop is an in-app shopping service that capitalizes on these numbers by allowing merchants to sell products directly to TikTok users.
Once you sign up as a TikTok seller, you can:
- List your products in your own in-app shop.
- Tag your products in your videos.
- Host LIVE shopping events to engage with your audience in real time.
- Allow users to find your products in their shopping tab.
You can also promote your products by creating TikTok ads or partnering with other content creators.
How Much Can I Earn on TikTok Shop?
One experienced ecommerce retailer claims to profit around $8k per month, but potential earnings depend on your margins and how many units you sell.
Signing up for TikTok Shop is free but the platform charges commission of 1.8% for the first 90 days and 5% thereafter, depending on your location.
How To Make Money on TikTok Shop
If you have a strong brand and engaged audience, you can create branded merchandise – like these popular bumper stickers from weratedogs. Print-on-demand services make it easy to produce and sell branded products like mugs and T-shirts which double as ongoing promotion for your brand after they’re sold.
All sorts of products can do well on TikTok, but many successful products follow this recipe:
- Selling price: $10-30
- Sourcing price: <$5
- Size and weight: No more than a coffee cup
As you can see from TikTok’s shipping fee calculator, the size and weight of your product impacts the cost of shipping, which impacts your margins.
These parameters allow you to earn a sizeable markup per item while keeping your products affordable enough to capture impulse purchases.
Another attribute to consider is viral potential. The Chomchom pet hair removal roller, for example, solves a common problem and lends itself to satisfying “before-and-after videos” as well as dog-related content, which are both popular.
@paramedicalyssa Had to go more in depth and really show off my new ChomChom roller! #chomchomroller #amazonfinds #tiktokmademebuyit #productreview
3. Become an Affiliate Marketer
Best for: Influencers and creators who post regularly
Earning potential: One of TikTok’s most successful affiliates apparently rakes in over $500k – but that’s definitely not average!
Affiliate marketing is about promoting products or services on behalf of brands in return for a commission. Affiliates are equipped with a trackable affiliate link to a brand’s website or social media profile. They use content to encourage their fans and followers to click on the link. When someone uses the link to, say, make a purchase or sign up for a service, the affiliate receives a fee.
Third Party Affiliate Programs
Lots of companies offer affiliate programs. For example, if you are a fitness influencer with a sizeable following, you could sign up to the Lululemon affiliate program to promote their athletic wear. If you want to promote various different products, affiliate programs from companies like Walmart or Target might be better choices. There are also affiliate networks like Impact and CJ Affiliate which allow affiliates to promote multiple brands through a centralized platform.
The TikTok Shop Affiliate Program
Sellers with products on TikTok Shop can partner with affiliates directly through the platform. To become a TikTok Shop affiliate:
- Identify products your audience would like (or wait for a seller to reach out to you).
- Get permission from the seller to promote them.
- Add your contact deals.
- Showcase the products
- Wait for TikTok to pay out your commission.
What Are the Best Affiliate Programs?
Among the best affiliate marketing programs are networks like Affiliaxe, Rakuten, and Impact, and retailers like Lululemon, Walmart, Nike, and Sephora.
There is also the TikTok for Business Affiliate Program which allows affiliates to earn a flat fee for every person they direct to sign up for TikTok for Business.
Before you join an affiliate program, study the commission rates and terms and conditions. The most important thing is to choose a brand that will appeal to your existing online audience so you can maximize your conversions and nurture your own brand.
6 Affiliate Content Ideas for TikTok
1. Product reviews and unboxing.
TikTok users value authenticity so give them your honest opinion. Unboxing a new product adds a sense of excitement which can help drive sales. Remember to showcase specific product features.
@mouseonfeet My honest thoughts on the @Nike Book 1 #devinbooker #nike #sneakers #basketballshoes #review
2. Demos and tutorials.
You can add value to your community by teaching them something. Demos and tutorials are a great way to highlight your skills and personality without losing any authenticity. Users are more likely to watch these videos all the way through or even save them because they want to practice the skill demonstrated.
@tartecosmetics Tag someone who needs to see this #wingliner #eyelinertutorial #eyeliner #liquidliner #eyeliner101 #beginnermakeup #summerschool #tiktokmademebuyit
3. Hauls and Unboxings.
Unpacking a big bag of goodies always feels like a birthday or holiday. Hauls and unboxing are fun and give viewers an opportunity to hear your review of products from their favorite brands and brands that they’ve never heard of. It’s also an opportunity to demonstrate how to style and combine different garments or accessories.
@ab61e h&m new in haul 🤍✨ #hmxme #fashiontiktok
4. Relatable content.
As a creator, if you can express a feeling, experience, or thought that your followers have had before, it can make them feel “seen”. Social media users love to share content with friends or family that expresses something relatable to them both. Some of the most successful posts on TikTok are just users telling personal stories because authenticity is absolutely essential.
@mycosyprojector i’d literally melt if someone gets me this for christmas 🥺🥺 #projector #netfli #tiktokmademebuyit #yourpage #cosyprojector #homecinem #viralproducts #chritsmas
5. “Shop With Me” videos.
These videos make followers feel like they have a personal shopping buddy. You can create an entertaining, immersive experience while building a relationship with your followers and offering practical shopping tips. Videos that show a creator in a store also act as social proof.
@theskimaskbarbie Self care shopping at target 🛒🧼🚿✨ #target #targetvlog #shoppingvlog #selfcare #selfcareshopping
6. Trending formats.
You may have seen formats like “prototype vs product” or “letting the gen z colleagues write the marketing script”. Trending formats like these are tried and tested and easy to replicate. Trends like these also make users feel like part of a TikTok community.
@ntcks Really makes a difference🤩 #tiktokmademebuyit #fyp #viral #batterypack #phone #phonecase #accessories #powercase
How Much Commission Can I Earn as an Affiliate?
TikTok Shop sellers set their own affiliate commission rates but 5-20% is common. Here are some examples of commission rates for third-party affiliate programs. Note: Rates may vary by region and product.
- Shein (10-20%)
- Temu (up to 20%)
- Urban Outfitters (15%)
- Sweaty Betty (up to 12%)
- Amazon (up to 12%)
- Nike (up to 11%)
- PUMA (up to 10%)
- Columbia Sportswear (up to 10%)
- NET-A-PORTER (up to 6%)
- Lululemon (from 5%)
- Walmart (1-4%)
It’s worth noting that higher-value items (like designer bags on NET-A-PORTER) tend to offer lower commission and conversion rates compared to lower-value items (like cheap clothing from Temu or SHEIN).
4. Partner With a Brand
Best for: Influencers in a ‘shoppable niche’ (e.g. pets, beauty, interiors).
Earning potential: An average $2.7k per sponsored video
There are two ways that creators can work directly with a brand:
- a traditional brand partnership
- sponsored content arrangements
In a traditional brand partnership, a creator is given free products or cash to feature a brand in their content. This is sometimes also called user generated content. For example, if you make popular videos of your dog, a dog food brand might send you a free supply of dog food or pay you to review a dog toy. In these arrangements, the creator retains full creative control and usage rights of the content.
Sponsored content is very similar to a traditional brand partnership but in this case the brand directly sponsors content which is tailored to their brand. They may have set guidelines in terms of text and hashtags or ask to pre-approve a script or the video itself. Sponsored TikTok videos will feel less organic and authentic and more like TikTok ads.
How Much Can I Earn From Brand Partnerships?
Unlike affiliate marketing, your earnings from brand partnerships do not rely on conversions. Instead, your rate will depend on the size of your following and could range from, say, a free bag of dog food to a sizeable fee. Common rates are as follows.
- 1–10k followers: $5 to $25 per post
- 10–100k followers: $25 to $125 per post
- 100–500k followers: $125 to $1,2k per post
- 500k–1 million followers: $1.2k to $2.5k per post
- 1 million+ followers: $2.5k+ per post
How Much Can I Earn From Sponsored Content
According to one source, the average price for a sponsored TikTok video is $2.7k. Sponsored content is typically more expensive than other brand partnership deals because it involves brand-specific requirements and sometimes exclusivity arrangements or more extensive usage rights.
TikTok’s Creator Marketplace
TikTok has made brand-creator connections easier with TikTok Creator Marketplace. Creators can sign up through the app to make their audience demographics, engagement metrics, and minimum fee visible to brands.
Brands can set up campaigns and invite creators to collaborate. Creators are then free to reject, accept, or negotiate the terms outlined. Once the deal is agreed, the creator makes and uploads the video for the brand to review. When the brand is satisfied (they may ask for revisions), the video is posted and the creator receives payment via the app.
How to Set Your Rates on Creator Marketplace
In addition to the size of your audience, here are some questions to consider when setting and negotiating your rates on TikTok Creator Marketplace (according to TikTok’s Creator Academy).
- What are the deliverables? Make sure you’ll be properly compensated for your time. You might consider offering small “bundling discounts” for multiple videos or including a set number of revisions in your base rate.
- When do they want it done? If the brand has an urgent deadline, you could charge a premium rate.
- What are the usage rights? Will the campaign appear on other platforms? Will it target a local or global audience? How long will it run? Broader usage rights should command a higher price.
- Does the brand expect exclusivity? If the brand requires you not to work with competitors, this should factor into your rate. Longer exclusivity periods should command a higher rate.
- Does the brand match your personal brand? Working with a brand your followers love could be valuable even if the rate is a little low. Working with a brand your followers dislike, might not be worth it, no matter the rate.
5. Earn Virtual Gifts
Best for: Influencers with a loyal, engaged community.
Fans can reward their favorite TikTok creator’s content by sending them virtual gifts in reaction to their posts and LIVE videos. These gifts are essentially animated emojis that pop up on the creator’s screen and can be purchased with in-app currency. If you earn enough gifts, TikTok will award you with Diamonds which can be cashed in for real money or virtual items.
How Much Can You Earn From Virtual Gifts?
Let’s do the math.
Here is what it costs to send virtual gifts available on TikTok.
Each Diamond is apparently worth 50% of the value of the coins. So a high value gift like a Drama Queen is worth 2,500 Diamonds (while a low value gift like a Panda is worth just 2.5 Diamonds).
According to this TikTok Diamond calculator, the exchange rate for Diamonds is currently 1 Diamond = 0.0005 USD, so you can earn $12.50 for every Drama Queen you receive.
Bear in mind that (at a rate of $0.01 per coin) a Drama Queen would set your fan back $50.
Who Can Receive Gifts on TikTok LIVE?
To go LIVE and receive gifts, users must be at least 18 years old and have at least 1k TikTok followers (this varies by region). You’ll also need to live in a location where this feature is available (though you might be able to use a VPN).
How to Receive Gifts
- To navigate to the LIVE screen on the TikTok app, tap the Add post + button then tap LIVE at the bottom.
- Tap Settings and turn the LIVE Gifts setting on.
- Add a title, adjust your settings, and tap Go LIVE to start your stream.
How To Attract More Gifts
To make the most of your fanbase and earn more gifts, you can:
- Do more LIVE time. Top TikTok creators reportedly do at least 15 LIVE hours per month.
- Create events and a schedule so your audience can make sure they’re available.
- Make it engaging. Ask and respond to questions, acknowledge comments in the chat, use polls, or create content based on fan suggestions.
- Make it personal. Sharing personal stories can help strengthen your relationship with your fans.
- Offer rewards. You can offer personalized messages or promise to reveal a surprise when you hit 100 gifts. Simply acknowledging a gift is a form of reward.
- Remind your audience to gift. Some of your viewers may not have considered gifting or may need a nudge.
6. Create Paid Content
Best for: Creators who can offer premium content.
Earning potential: $0.99 to $189.99 per video series
If you’re a fitness instructor, chef, or makeup artist, to name a few ideas, you could create an instructional video series that your audience is willing to pay for. You can offer this pay-walled content via TikTok’s Series feature.
Series allows creators to post up to 80 videos, each between 30 seconds and 20 minutes long. Viewers can purchase access to this content through in-video links or the creator’s profile.
Who Is Eligible for Series?
You must:
- be 18 or older
- have a personal or business account that is at least a month old
- have posted three or more times in the last month
- have at least 10k followers (or apply for an exemption)
- have at least 1k views in the last month
- post original content
7. Collect Tips
Best for: Creators with a loyal community – especially those aligned with a cause.
In the past, if you wanted to collect tips from your fans on TikTok, you had to direct them to a third-party service like Buy Me a Coffee or Ko-Fi. Now, TikTok has a digital tip jar of its own, and it does not charge fees for this service (although you may need to pay transaction fees to process payments).
To receive tips you must:
- Have a personal TikTok account
- Be at least 18 years old
- Have 100k followers or more
- Have an account with Stripe (TikTok’s payment provider)
Unfortunately, tipping is not available in all regions.
@jera.bean ✨TIKTOK NEWS AND UPDATES✨ the TIP feature: more info! #tiktokupdates2021 #tiktokupdates #tiktoknewfeature
8. Build and Sell TikTok Accounts
Best for: Hustlers who understand how to build an audience.
Earning potential: Accounts for sale on this brokerage site range from around $120 (for an account with 2k followers) to around $15k (for an account with 1.3m followers).
A TikTok account with plenty of engaged subscribers can be monetized in countless ways – from sponsored content to virtual gifts, merch sales and more. But building up an audience is time-consuming and difficult. There are plenty of brands that would love to skip the hard part and buy a TikTok account with a ready-made audience that matches their target customer.
If you’re really good at growing an engaged audience, you could make a business out of building up TikTok accounts and selling them to a suitable brand once you’ve racked up plenty of followers.
Tips for Building a Sellable TikTok Account
Think about a niche that has commercial value. An account that focuses on golfing, for example, could be valuable to all kinds of golf brands, from golfing resorts and tournaments to sports retailers. An account that posts funny videos of people falling over, on the other hand, may be tough to market.
Be cautious about building an account that relies on your face and identity. If you’re planning to sell the account, you may want to hand it off to your buyer’s marketing team so it needs to work without you.
Tips for Maximizing Your Earnings on TikTok
No matter which strategy you choose, you’ll want to maximize your followers, views, likes, and watch time to reach as many users as possible. Here are our top tips for creating successful content that will help you make money on TikTok.
- Visit the TikTok Creative Center for useful tips and tools.
- Understand your target audience.
- Be yourself (cliched but still good advice!).
- Post regularly (1-4 times per day).
- Post at the right time (4-5 pm midweek is best according to Buffer, but check the chart below for more details).
- Use narrative storytelling
- Use strong hooks (the first 3 seconds are vital).
- Include a strong call to action e.g. “Click the link in my bio now”.
- Leverage viral TikTok trends.
- Use trending music, keywords, and hashtags.
- Study other creators in your niche.
- Collaborate with other creators.
How to Calculate Your Potential TikTok Earnings
It’s impossible to calculate exactly how much you’ll earn on TikTok but you can make an estimate based on factors like your likes, comments and followers. If you’ve got an existing audience and you’d like to make money on TikTok, try our TikTok Calculator for Influencers to gauge your potential ROI.
What’s the Right Strategy for You?
If you’re wondering how to make money on TikTok, the best strategy depends on your skills, goals, and audience. For example, popular influencers are best placed to collect gifts and tips and capitalize on strategies like affiliate marketing, while ecommerce retailers might benefit more from using TikTok Shop and paid ads. Whatever strategy you pick, track your data, iterate and improve, and keep on top of TikTok’s latest tools and trends to maximize your earnings.