Social media advertising campaigns are an excellent source of income not only for marketing agencies but also for online creatives. With the passage of time and with the development of technology, of course, the tools and channels of communication are changing. Undoubtedly, one of the latest trends is TikTok. The Chinese platform is making a real splash in the world of marketing and advertising, so it should come as no surprise that it is also increasingly supporting product sales and promotional activities. Wondering how to use it to make money? Here are some of the most popular and proven ways to make money on TikTok.
How does TikTok work?
TikTok is a social media platform and mobile app created by Chinese company ByteDance in 2016. Unlike many other services of this type, it is based exclusively on short videos that can be subjected to extensive editing. Thanks to this, every user of the app can simultaneously become a creator of attractive content.
The app quickly gained enormous popularity. According to Statista.com, it is actively used by as many as one billion users each month all over the world. As indicated by the Gemius report, over 15 million people in the UK have had contact with TikTok. The TikTok phenomenon is particularly noticeable among the representatives of generation Z (people born between 1996 and 2012), but it is also more and more often found in the phones of older Internet users. What do the users appreciate most? Most of them – 13.9% – indicate having fun improving their mood, 11.8% creativity of materials, 10.7% providing entertainment and 9.9% trends. Of course, TikTok gives a lot of space for advertising activities. In doing so, various formats can be used. 37.5% of respondents said that they prefer TikTok’s advertising formats, while 62.5% rely on ads in influencer footage.
How much do tiktokers earn?
Earning on TikTok is certainly one of the factors that attract new users to the platform. Of course, the amount of earnings depends on many factors, including the number of followers. It is based on the number of followers which is crucial from the perspective of advertisers who want to promote their products on the Internet. It is worthwhile to check at the very beginning how much are the most popular tiktokers earning.
Influencer MarketingHub estimates Charli D’Amelio’s annual earnings at $17.5 million. In total, she has 141.7 million followers worldwide and nearly 11 billion views on her videos. Her sister Dixie has slightly worse results. Dixie’s 57.3 million followers allow her to make about $10 million in annual earnings. The podium is closed by Addison Rae. In her case, 87.9 million followers translate into $8.5 million in profit.
Of course, a beginner tiktoker can not count on earning such sums. However, this shows how huge the scale of possibilities is. Quite a lot can be gained, even as a beginner in TikTok.
How do I start earning? Ways to get paid on TikTok
With the platform’s extensive features, making money on TikTok can be based on different workflows. Whether you’re a novice creator or a tiktoker whose videos have hundreds of thousands of views, you can choose a strategy to make real money. Here are some proven ways to make money on TikTok:
Product promotion
Many influencers choose to monetize their TikTok accounts with ads. However, this does not always have to take the form of a traditional TV commercial. On the contrary: the product or service offer of a given company is often skillfully integrated into the video prepared by the influencer. Of course, the most popular creators can count on the highest earnings. However, the possibility of earning money is also available for micro- or even nano influencers. What kind of earnings can tiktokers count on? For a fledgling account, it could be barter – for example, getting a product in exchange for promoting it – or a more modest salary. As reach grows, so does money. Typically, a single video on TikTok can get you several thousand. Of course, even higher rates can be earned by celebrities with huge reach.
Earning from live streaming
TikTok is not only the ability to send pre-recorded videos that are visible to other app users. The TikTok LIVE feature allows you to broadcast live and interact directly with interested viewers. People over the age of 16 can start a Live session, while users of legal age can enable earning and send and receive gifts. This role uses previously acquired point packs. 100 points have a value of $1.29. After collecting 10 000 points, the tiktoker has the opportunity to make a withdrawal (and earn real money) – after deducting the commission it translates into a transfer of about $110. Of course, the most successful creators gain in this way many thousands of points even during one Live session.
Affiliate programs
Especially novice creators, just building their image on TikTok, may be interested in affiliate programs. They make it much easier to get in touch with companies that are looking for accounts to promote themselves. In many cases, you’ll find that you don’t have to have many followers to start making money. On the other hand, it will also not be a viable option to make high profits.
Account management and social media marketing
Social media marketing is growing at a very fast pace. It is also using completely new channels. Increasingly, in addition to well-known portals such as Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, candidates are also expected to have a good knowledge of TikTok. What counts in the case of such recruitment? Undoubtedly, it will be important to be able to create your own attractive materials, build relationships with your audience and consistently create an account. Many times it may also involve collaboration with an influencer present on the platform. If you want to earn more, it is worth betting on additional competencies. One of them is the ability to manage TikTok Ads campaigns, which is an advertising system provided on TikTok for business users. A good argument during a recruitment interview will certainly be a profile on this platform. By itself, it can act as a portfolio. Many people also choose to provide services on a freelancing basis – you can then work with many brands that are looking for support in this area. On the other hand, if you are able to take care of not only TikTok, but also Instagram and other social media, you can earn really considerable amounts of money.
Account selling
Selling your account is another way to make money on TikTok. Keep in mind that the final earnings – as in any other case – also depend on the number of viewers who regularly visit your profile and are engaged with the work presented on it. Of course, you do not have to limit yourself to one account only. The more profiles you manage to promote and achieve a large number of followers, the more you will earn from tiktok.
Want to make money with TikTok? Keep these rules in mind
Those just figuring out how to make money with TikToku, especially those who are new to the platform, should learn more about how the app works and some of the practices adopted on TikToku.
- Please read the policy: There are rules on TikTok as with any other social networking site. These include rules about the content that can be published on the app and rules for behaviour and contact with other users. If you break them, you can even lose your account.
- Shape your image: you need to take care of not only your profile but also your image. A common mistake made by people who want to become influencers is a lack of consistency, which is not only not conducive to earning money but can also permanently hinder career development.
- Acquire fans organically: on the surface, it may seem like the answer to the question of how to make money on TikTok comes down to getting as many followers as possible. However, that’s not quite the case. While it’s true that earning on TikToku depends on your reach, the number of followers doesn’t always reflect it. Buying more followers, although the Internet is full of such offers, will not make your job easier. On the contrary, it can damage your image.
- Remember about formal obligations: Do you want to make money on the Internet? Remember that from the point of view of state institutions it is no different from other forms of activity. In order to earn legally, you have to settle accounts with your business partners according to the law. Influencers usually choose individual business activities which give the possibility to earn money legally and to classify many expenses as tax deductible.
- Match the product to your followers: The services and products you choose to advertise should be tailored to your target audience and their expectations. If you want to make money and enjoy a growing income, approach your next collaborations carefully and put credibility and quality content above all else.
- Secure your account: in the case of professional tiktokers, the account is used not only for fun but above all for earning. So losing access to the service involves losing the fruits of often years of work. So choose the most advanced methods of securing your applications and the devices you use. Also, use special online security measures.
