Despite launching internationally only in 2017, TikTok has become the authority on what’s hot in culture, politics, fashion, and beyond.
TikTok is a force, growing rapidly year over year, and is expected to reach two billion users by 2024. The short form video app has attracted a sizable Gen Z user base, and for entrepreneurs, that’s a lot of marketing potential.
If you want to leverage TikTok’s massive user base in building your audience, here’s a look at the strategies of some of the social media platform’s top creators and marketers. Get tips on how to make money on TikTok, from fan merch sales to paid subscriptions.
8 ways to make money on TikTok
Join the TikTok Creativity Program
Sell merch
Go live for virtual gifts
Affiliate partnerships
Create in-feed ads
Crowdfund projects
Collect tips
Patreon subscriptions
Deciding how to monetize TikTok users becomes easier once you’ve gained a deeper understanding of your target audience. There’s no single approach to monetization, but the highest earners usually maintain a number of complementary income streams. From sponsored content to organic marketing, the opportunities with TikTok are virtually endless.
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8 ways to start making money on TikTok
1. Join the TikTok Creativity Program
Users who’ve built up a substantial following might consider making money through the TikTok Creativity Program. Announced in February 2023 and launched in May, this program replaces the TikTok Creator Fund.
US-based creators with at least 10,000 followers and 100,000 authentic video views within the past 30 days are eligible to join this program, which, as of May 2023, is still in beta. The program should be available to more users in the coming months.
Eligibility:
Users must be at least 18 years old to sign up
Users must meet the minimum follower and video view requirements
User accounts need to be in good standing
Creators already enrolled in the TikTok Creator Fund can upgrade to the Creativity Program
2. Sell merch
A person takes a photo of a sneaker with a mobile phone
Selling your own products on TikTok is great for monetizing nearly any type of content. Creators—whether they’re a dancer, a singer, or a comedian—can make and sell merch to their most loyal fans.
And with a wide variety of print-on-demand companies on the market, there’s a ton of merchandise to choose from. You might sell t-shirts, tote bags, pillow cases, hats, coffee mugs, stickers, notebooks, or any combination of products.
Selling print-on-demand products even has benefits beyond revenue. Owning branded merch gives your fans a deeper connection to your personal brand, and every follower who wears your merch spreads the word about your business.
💡 Learn more: TikTok Merch: How To Make and Sell It on TikTok
3. Go live for virtual gifts
LIVE Gifting is one of TikTok’s most useful features for creators looking to monetize their content through livestreaming.
Most social networks have a livestreaming feature, but what makes TikTok unique is that it allows followers to show their appreciation in real time by sending virtual gifts, which can be redeemed for payment.
Engaging with users in real time is great for building valuable relationships with your fans. Audiences that have a strong connection to a creator tend to develop a personal stake in their success, which means going live can help boost other monetization streams as well.
If you create or sell products online, livestreaming is an opportunity to showcase your items. Many ecommerce retailers have found that TikTok LIVE generates more interest from shoppers than live features on other social media apps.
For example, Dasha Derkach, founder of hair scrunchie business Enchanted Scrunch, saw a significant increase in sales after switching her social media marketing efforts from Instagram to TikTok.
“It has significantly boosted our sales,” she says. “Before TikTok, we got around two orders a week, then once we started, around 100 a week. Now we also do TikTok Lives nearly every day and get almost 500 orders a week!”
4. Affiliate partnerships
Two influencers create TikTok content
One of the most innovative ways TikTok allows its creators to make money is through its Creator Marketplace.
The Creator Marketplace helps connect the right brands to the right influencers, facilitating partnerships in a way that’s fast and easy for both parties. TikTok makes it incredibly easy to create valuable sponsored content.
Brands looking to run an affiliate marketing campaign can browse the marketplace and quickly shuffle through content made by creators they know are open to collaboration.
The Creator Marketplace acts as an influencer agency, letting both sides indicate their willingness to work with one another. That relieves some of the awkwardness of approaching influencers, which marketers may have experienced with influencer marketing on other platforms.
TikTok Shop
Another way to make money on TikTok using affiliate links is through TikTok Shop. Shop is TikTok’s tool for in-app shopping, allowing users with business accounts to create shoppable videos and livestreams.
Using TikTok shop, you can tag products when they feature in your videos. It’s a natural way to draw your viewers’ attention to an item that you want to promote.
You can also add product information and Buy buttons to your content to drive traffic to your affiliate partner. If you run your affiliate business through a Shopify store, you can integrate directly with TikTok Shop to let users scroll through items from within the app.
TikTok Shop features reduce friction for your audience. Now, they don’t need to leave TikTok to find out more about your (or your affiliate partner’s) products.
