We all have to make money to survive — but to make money, we have to actually work. But the money-making world looks very different than it did for our parents and grandparents, and the definition of a job has expanded over time. Instead of working a 9-to-5 office job, now you can make a living from the comfort of your own home. If you’re not interested in a traditional job — or you’re looking for supplemental income on the side — you can do anything from documenting your travels to showing off your creations online. People have, of course, been doing this on YouTube for years, but the newest platform everyone is monetizing is TikTok.
But what are the secrets for taking this fun hobby to the next level? Does the number of likes, views, or followers you have matter? Do you have to do ads or sponsored content? With or without the TikTok Creator Fund or showing your face, here’s how to make money on TikTok, according to influencers.
Step One: Start Making videos
Don’t be fooled: your TikTok fame may skyrocket overnight, but your monetization definitely won’t. Before you can even think about making money, you need to decide what kind of content you want to produce and start flooding the FYP with it. Do you want to be a lifestyle account? There’s a community. Do you like books? There’s a huge community for that, too! Chances are if there’s an interest you have, there’s a market for it on TikTok. Pick your topic, plan your video, grab a trending sound, and get to filming.
Do you have to show your face?
The short answer: nope! You can totally have a successful TikTok account without showing your face. Creators like Corpse Husband on YouTube have made it part of their brand to be anonymous and others, such as TRIXXIE on TikTok, began their career anonymously and have since revealed their face.
If you want to make videos without showing your face, you have a ton of options, like filming food videos or shopping hauls. No matter how you choose to create, the most important thing about TikTok is just starting.
Tips and Tricks to make the most out of your TikTok account
Post consistently — whatever that means for you.
When it comes to creating a successful TikTok account, posting consistently is important. Some people may tell you that you need to post multiple times a day, but you can still create a following just by staying on a specific schedule. “I think that the key is to just pick a schedule and stick to it,” Katie Clark, blogger at Clarks Condensed, tells Her Campus.
Consider finding a niche and sticking to it while you grow a following.
“I don’t think you necessarily need to niche down to make money,” Tiffany Yu, CEO and founder of Diversability, tells Her Campus. “It’s helpful to niche down if you want to grow your following, though.”
Yu, who can be found at her TikTok account @iamtiffanyyu, began her TikTok journey by making disability content. After growing her following, she expanded to making vlog, lifestyle, travel, and dating content. By starting with a niche, you’re able to grow your platform and have a set of followers who are loyal to you and interactive. Once you’ve solidified your following, you can always switch things up.
That being said, it’s totally up to you whether you want to niche down or not. It can help you grow your following faster, but your people will find you with time no matter what.
Making Money With The Creator fund
What feels like the most expected and easiest way to make money on TikTok is through the Creator Fund. Not just anyone can join the Creator Fund, though; in order to apply, you have to be 18 years old, have at least 10,000 followers, and have 100,000 collective video views in the last 30 days. That may not sound too difficult, but unless your account goes viral, the chances of reaching 10,000 followers quickly may be slim to none.
If you do happen to meet that criteria, yay! You can apply for the creator fund through your profile on the TikTok app. However, keep in mind that even if you are accepted, you may not see much money from it. Gigi Robinson, creator of her own ‘It’s Gigi’ brand, has been making TikToks since fall 2018 and says that she’s only made about $250 since she joined the fund.
So, if not with the Creator Fund, how do you make money on TikTok?
Making money without the creator fund
Outside of the Creator Fund, there are a handful of ways to make money on TikTok, but all of them require consistency, dedication, and a somewhat creative mind.
Brand deals and sponsorships
If you have a solid niche and a loyal follower base, you may be able to land brand deals or sponsorships. “I landed my first brand deal in 2019 when I had about 2,000 followers on TikTok,” Robinson says. “I have seen people land deals with less and certainly way more.”
To help land sponsorships, you should consider putting a business email in your TikTok bio. This allows companies who are interested in working with you to contact you. If you don’t have businesses reaching out to you, you can always reach out and send them a media kit, which is essentially a resume for your social media accounts and tells brands why they should work with you.
Making money through ads or driving traffic to your own website
There are a handful of ways to make money through ads. The first kind of ad is a dark ad, which Robinson says is where “a company pays you to shoot content for them, then they promote it through their platform.”
Other ads include videos that you make for brand deals and sponsorships that companies have the ability to use for as long as they see fit. Robinson suggests reading your contracts super carefully, because sometimes you’re able to get more money from these partnerships if the company includes usage rights for the videos you make. This is particularly important if there’s a “perpetuity” clause in the contract, which Robinson says means “the brand will own your content forever.”
A final way that you can make money through ads is by creating ads for your own product and website. If you have a website with a blog, products you sell, or even affiliate links, your TikTok account is a fantastic way to drive traffic to the thing that already makes you some money.
Making money through ‘live gifts’
Once you’ve reached 1,000 followers and are at least 16 years old, you’re able to go live on TikTok. For some account holders at least 18 years old or over, users who watch their lives can contribute ‘live gifts.’ According to Clark, ‘live gifts’ are graphic-like images that TikTok users can buy for their favorite TikTokers. TikTokers can then turn these gifts into diamonds and exchange them for real money.
As with all other social media platforms, don’t go into this expecting to make hundreds, let alone thousands, of dollars. But not being able to monetize right away, or even at all, doesn’t mean that TikTok isn’t worth your time or has no benefits. For one, your TikTok status can change overnight. Aside from that, though, by building a loyal following and finding the right niche, you have people who are ready to support your non-TikTok projects. The reality is that with the right mindset and strategy, you can be where you want to be in no time. And, aside from making money, it can be a ton of fun.
Follow Katie on Twitter.