Sometimes things that are mundane can suddenly become valuable - like the bicentennial quarter, which is most often found in circulation and has only its face value, but in rare cases brings its owners hundreds or even thousands of dollars. TikTok is a bit like this coin: most users perceive it as a platform for entertainment, but the ones who understand its potential can turn an account into a real source of income. And here you need to know how and where to look for its value.
But how to develop the right strategy and pick the right tools? For example, numismatists can easily solve the task of identifying and determining the value of any coins with the Coin ID Scanner app but what should ticktockers, especially beginners, rely on? So today we are going to talk more about what ways to monetize TikTok exist and what you should pay attention to, so that your content gets both views and money.
Monetizing TikTok Right: What to Pay Attention to
Step 1: Work on Personal Brand Development
Before you can think about monetization, you need to build a recognizable personal brand. The more unique your style and subject matter, the higher the chances of attracting audiences and advertisers.
How to create a strong personal brand in TikTok? First of all, you should decide on a niche. Remember that TikTok is not only dancing and challenging games, but also a huge range of interesting topics. Thus, choose a topic that is in demand among viewers and enjoys you personally, because narrow specialization will help you stand out faster. You can come up with something of your own or choose from several options below:
Humor and memes: Viral content spreads quickly and attracts a huge audience.
Education and lifehacks: Useful content gains a lot of views and is valued by advertisers.
Traveling: Collaborations with hotels, airlines and travel services are lucrative.
Beauty and fashion: Brands are willing to pay to promote cosmetics and clothing.
After that, develop a brand identity and decide on the content format: short clips (up to 60 seconds for dynamic content, for example, “5 mistakes newbies make in investing”); stories and narratives (work well for educational content and success stories); challenges and trends (allow you to quickly gain subscribers, but require constant participation in the new movements of the platform). Also, do not forget about the visual elements of your content: brand colors, shooting style, editing, and music. The more recognizable your style, the more likely viewers will remember you.
Tip: Find your unique “twist”. It can be a special presentation of material, a charismatic voice, unconventional humor or even your appearance. The main thing is to be memorable to the audience.
Step 2: Understand the Ways of Monetizing TikTok
TikTok is quite a real source of income, where there are several main ways of monetization. And, as practice shows, the most successful authors combine them to maximize earnings. Below in the table you will find the main methods of earning, their requirements and potential income.
Main monetization methods and their conditions
Monetization method | Description | Requirements | Potential income |
TikTok Creator Fund | Pays money for views. Small amounts, better as supplemental income. | 10,000 subscribers, 100,000 views in 30 days | $0.02-$0.04 per 1000 views |
Advertising integrations | Brands pay bloggers for advertising. The higher the engagement, the higher the income. | High engagement of subscribers | $50-$10,000+ per post |
Affiliate programs | Earnings on referral links. Percentage from each sale. Find them through TikTok Creator Marketplace, as well as on specialized services such as Upfluence or AspireIQ. | Selling products through links | % of sales |
Selling your own products | Income from sales of merch, digital products, courses and checklists. | Own audience | No limits |
Donations in live broadcasts | Viewers send virtual gifts converted into money. | 1000+ subscribers to access live streams | Depends on viewer activity |
Interesting fact: Popular ticktockers with an audience of over 1 million subscribers can earn anywhere from $2,000 to $20,000 per ad. Not bad, right? But to be successful, you should not rely on just one way of earning money. The more sources of income you combine, the more stable and higher your earnings will be. Do your research and try out the methods on your own content, because practice makes perfect.
Step 3: Sell Goods or Services through TikTok Shop
TikTok Shop is a handy tool for those who want to make money from it. Since the launch of TikTok Shop in 2021, users have gained the ability to sell their goods directly through the platform. It opens up new possibilities for monetization and enables you to turn content into a business.
If you have your own merchandise or business ideas, TikTok Shop is a great opportunity to promote them. You can sell merch with your logos, original t-shirts, mugs or even smartphone accessories. Such merchandise can be easily integrated into content, for example through video reviews or unboxings, which will further increase the credibility of the product.
Additionally, TikTok is a great platform for selling digital products. If you have expert knowledge or unique skills, you can offer courses, ebooks, guides or checklists to your audience. Digital products often become a source of steady income (especially if they solve specific problems for your target audience).
Step 4: Increase Audience and Reach
For successful monetization on TikTok, it is important to create not only quality content but constantly expand your audience. And the main concept here is the more people see your videos, the more likely you are to attract subscribers and earn money.
Here are a few ways to accelerate your audience growth and reach:
Follow trends. TikTok lives by trends, and participating in them is one of the fastest ways to get to the top. Join topical Challenges, use popular hashtags, and adapt them to your niche. For example, if you are creating content about fashion, use trends related to the new season.
Collaborations with other bloggers. Team up with other ticktockers for collaborative projects. This can range from simple video sharing to more complex collaborative challenges. Due to collaborations you may receive the opportunity to reach new audiences and attract subscribers who previously did not know about you.
Optimize your content. To get your videos shown in recommendations more often, use relevant hashtags, add keywords to the description, and keep in mind the quality of your videos. TikTok algorithms love activity: likes, comments and reposts from viewers all increase the chance of getting recommended.
Interesting fact: Short videos (up to 15 seconds) get 1.5 times more views than longer videos. So if you want to grab attention quickly - try to be short and bright!
From Idea to Income
TikTok is more than just a place for entertainment. This platform can be also usued as a unique opportunity for anyone who is ready to invest in their content and develop a personal brand. The main thing is creativity, persistence and your desire to adapt to changing trends.