Were you aware that Charli D’Amelio was able to make $23 million and become the top-earning TikTok celebrity of 2023 through learning how to make money on TikTok?
With the Creator Rewards program that TikTok now offers, you’re doing 20 times as good as what you got paid from the old TikTok Creator Fund (assuming your content is legit).
To qualify for TikTok Creator and Reward programs, you must be aged 18 years, have 10,000+ followers (Fans), and 100k+ video views in the last 30 days.
TikTok creators with a large following can assume to earn anywhere in the range of $0.02- $0.15 per 1000 views of their videos, depending on the quality of the videos that they have created.
In this new article, I want to share with you the easiest ways to make money on TikTok 2025, so you move away from being just a user to making some regular income.
Step 1: Build a TikTok presence that pays off
A profitable TikTok strategy starts with planning and not simply throwing out videos at random.
Many creators are consumed by follower counts; however, monetizing efficiently greatly relies on many factors that have nothing to do with numbers.
Pick a Niche & Stay Consistent
Niche content is key to standing out on TikTok’s over-saturated platform.
Rather than making general content, you can make a specific subsection of a large market. This also helps influencers who want to know how to make money on Amazon.
For example, instead of making content on food in general, you can choose vegetarian food content.
The right niche in TikTok content allows you to:
- Gain more visibility in the algorithm
- Grow your audience faster
- Improve brand recognition
- Create better collaboration opportunities
The most successful TikTok niches lie in the sweet spot of your passion, your expertise, and the market. Additionally, certain niches, such as finance and technology, will earn you a higher advertising budget, which converts to better earnings potential.
Consistency is important too! TikTok’s algorithm prioritizes accounts that post consistently, with studies showing that creators who post 4-6 times a week receive a higher average engagement rate of 3.30%.
Businesses that use a content calendar report have a 60% better chance of being successful on TikTok!
Understand TikTok Monetization Requirements
In order to be eligible for TikTok’s Creator Rewards Program, you must fulfill the following criteria:
- 18 years or olderApply for an ISA now!
- You need to have 10k real followers.
- You need to have 100,000 video views in the past 30 days.
- You also need to be in good standing with TikTok’s community guidelines.
The program evaluates videos based on engagement metrics and compensates creators based on that.
Importantly, the Creativity Program pays creators as much as 20 times more than the previous Creator Fund.
How to Make Money on TikTok with 1,000 Followers
Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need a significant amount of followers to start making money on TikTok!
With just 1,000 followers, you can:
- Go Live and earn gifts. Once you reach 1,000 followers, you can host a Live, and your followers can send you gifts, and these gifts can be converted into real cash.
- Do affiliate marketing. You can promote products that resonate with your audience, using affiliate links given to you by brands to earn a commission from each sale made through your link. There are many brands that care more about engagement than follower count, which is perfect for small creators.
- Get micro sponsorships. Sometimes, brands value smaller creators, or micro-influencers (1,000-10,000). If you’re interested in how to make money as an influencer, we have a complete guide for you to read.
- Sell your own products. If you have products, digital products, or services, you can use your audience to promote and sell your products!
Small Tips
Use this reminder of follower count as an example of how it is typically usable with a much smaller audience. Overall, follower count should not matter as much as your engagement rate, or how many likes and comments you get.
This is also the same for YouTube if you’re wondering how to make money on YouTube.
Even having a low number of followers, if you get people to engage, and show that you have a fanbase base normally willing to engage, you can show brands that you are worth enough to partner with, or even earn income as an affiliate.
This is what makes TikTok monetization possible, no matter the size of your account!
Step 2: Join TikTok’s Creator Rewards Program
The Creator Rewards Program is TikTok’s best monetization tool.
The Creator Rewards Program has replaced the older Creator Fund, and now it has dramatically improved earnings potential, so if you’ve already gained your audience and built a loyal following, this is a very straightforward way for you to monetize your views and to make money on TikTok.
Eligibility & setup
There are some specific requirements to be part of the Creator Rewards Program, including what we mentioned before, but here they are again:
- You must be at least 18 years of age
- You must have at least 10,000 authentic followers
- You must have had at least 100,000 video views in the previous 30 days
- Maintain a TikTok account in good standing
- You must be in an eligible country (currently available in the US, UK, France, Germany, and other limited countries)
Getting set up is pretty easy. To start, you can check to see if you are eligible by opening TikTok and pressing Profile, then Creator tools/Creator center, and finding the button labeled “Creator Rewards“.
If you are eligible, follow the prompts to complete connecting your payment method (PayPal or direct deposit) and agree to the terms of the program.
How Much You Can Earn
The Creator Rewards Program uses view count, engagement metrics, and originality to calculate earnings.
Most creators say they make between $0.02 and $0.04 per 1,000 views, so this is a variable amount for sure.
As we said, some videos may make far more based on originality and engagement. For example, a video that receives 100K views is going to earn $2-$4, while viral videos that receive millions of views will earn hundreds of dollars.
There are several factors that will directly impact your earnings:
- Video length: Videos longer than one minute tend to earn more
- Engagement quality: Comments and shares contribute more to revenue than ‘likes’
- Content originality: Original content earns exponentially more than remixes of trending content
- Audience retention: videos that are watched all the way to the end earn at a higher rate
Payments typically process monthly after reaching the $10 payout threshold. Paid earnings will appear in your connected payment account within (7- 14) business days.
Tips to Increase Your Video Views
Since the Creator Rewards Program pays per view, enhancing visibility will directly impact your earnings:
- Improve posting times: publish at the best times for engagement, typically during 6:00 – 9:00 PM during the work week, and afternoons on weekends. TikTok Analytics will help you discover when your audience is active.
- Using a solid hook: In the first three seconds of your video, you need to engage your viewer. An excellent way to open strong is by using declarative statements or attention-grabbing visuals that will attract viewers to stop scrolling and view your video.
- Use trending sounds/Music: TikTok’s algorithm will generally favor videos that use trending audio at the time. Check the Discover page every day for trending sounds within your niche.
- Use good hashtags strategically: Use trending hashtags alongside niche-associated hashtags. Use 3-5 hashtags in your videos, and do not overload with inappropriate tags.
- Call for engagement: Always ask questions, and create “comment to see part 2”. The algorithm promotes videos with higher engagement ratios.
- Create episodic Content: Dissecting information into parts can keep your viewers watching all videos on your channel, which can increase views across all video content.
Increase in views is exciting, but don’t forget, the Creator Rewards Program is only a piece of your overall TikTok monetization strategy.
You should be looking to create additional sources of income and build a system for consistent income, which will be further discussed within the upcoming sections.
Step 3: Use TikTok LIVE to Earn Gifts & Tips
One of the more immediate ways to monetize your content is through TikTok LIVE.
With TikTok LIVE, you can interact with your audience, and viewers have the opportunity to make virtual gifts as a way to say thanks for your content.
Live streaming, in general, creates an immediate connection with your audience, and you can generate income while doing that.
How to Go Live & Collect Gifts
To go live on TikTok, you must meet specific eligibility requirements: You have to:
- Be 18 years old (19 in South Korea)
- Have at least 1,000 followers
- Have an account in good standing, consisting of content abiding by TikTok’s Community Guidelines
Once you’ve verified that you’re eligible to go live and you want to enable LIVE Gifts, it is a simple process:
1. Open the TikTok app, select your profile
2. Click the three-line menu in the corner
3. Select “Creator Tools,” then click “LIVE Gifts.“
4. Switch the live gifts feature on and follow any remaining prompts
To start your live stream:
1. Click the “+” button in TikTok
2. Swipe to “LIVE” at the bottom of the screen
3. Make a creative title for your stream
4. Click “Go LIVE” to start streaming
While viewing your stream, viewers will be able to purchase and send virtual gifts, which will appear on your screen.
Depending on how well your stream does with responses, you will be awarded Diamonds representing those gifts.
In the end, these diamonds can be exchanged for money (wherever people pay for the gift, for instance, PayPal).
Encouraging Tips from Your Audience
Viewer engagement is key to your TikTok LIVE earnings. So let’s maximize our potential gifts using proven engagement methods:
Thank the gift senders as soon as you see they sent something by name. An acknowledgment encourages others to send a gift.
Statistics reveal that streamers who thank their contributors on a person-by-person basis tend to garner more gifts when the whole stream is reviewed from beginning to end.
Do interactive things that engage your audience. Do challenging things, Q&As, polls, things to get the audience involved, etc. Another suggestion is to develop a gift reward system, to possibly give shout-outs or exclusive content if they are a top gifter.
Make sure you are doing it authentically and posting on a consistent schedule. Mostly, building a loyal audience that comes back regularly to your streams is what will provide a reliable source of gifts.
How to Make Money on TikTok by Watching Videos
Did you know that you don’t always have to create content to earn from TikTok? You can make money simply as a viewer in various ways.
TikTok has its Benefits and Rewards that pay eligible users for “regular video watching tasks.”
You can find it on the activity page. Users can earn rewards simply by viewing, engaging, and just being part of the TikTok ecosystem.
Third-party apps are also available, such as Swagbucks and Coinbase, which allow you to earn from watching TikTok videos. Although the earnings may be small, over time they will add up.
One way to make money watching videos is the official TikTok referral program. It makes money from both TikTok Rewards and third-party apps. Both new users and you as the referrer will earn based on the other’s activity and engagement.
So while watching videos will not make you rich overnight, it is a passive income that requires very little work on your part. You can use watching videos to build passive income for additional creator earnings or start to make money on TikTok.
Step 4: Sell Products Through TikTok Shop
TikTok Shop turns your account into a digital storefront that allows you to sell products to viewers directly without them ever leaving the app.
In fact, consumer spending on TikTok has reached over $2.50 billion worldwide, creating a great opportunity for you to make money on TikTok without complicated integration with your content.
How to Set Up Your TikTok Shop
Opening a TikTok Shop is as simple as following these steps:
- Go to the TikTok Seller Center and choose your region
- Create an account with TikTok or sign up for a business account
- Verify your identity and provide the necessary documents for your business
- Connect your bank account to receive payments
- Linking your TikTok Shop to your TikTok profile
For creators who have an online store, TikTok integrates with online stores such as Shopify and WooCommerce.
Your products will sync automatically, then you can create campaigns and see performance all from the platform you want.
Selling Merch with Print-on-Demand
Print-on-demand services are risk-free ways to sell your custom merchandise and do it without worrying about inventory! Services like Printify and Printful offer to connect directly to your TikTok Shop, allowing you to:
First, design your products with easy-to-use tools; no design ability necessary.
Second, list your custom apparel, mugs, and tote bags without having to spend money first.
Finally, once you sell products, the orders will be automatically fulfilled with print-on-demand services handling the production, shipping, and customer service.
Print-on-demand services work well for creators of all sizes, but mostly they are risk-free because you only pay for products after they sell, which is pretty amazing.
Better yet, print on demand takes care of production, shipping, and customer service, which allows you to make the content that converts.
Using Shoppable Videos to Boost Sales
Shoppable videos deliver the best conversion rates for TikTok Shop. To produce good shoppable videos:
- When you upload your videos, tag your products directly in them, and tap “Add Link” before you publish, select “Shopping” and choose your products in your catalog. Viewers can tap the shopping bag icon to purchase during playback and don’t have to leave the video.
- Showcase your products in action with step-by-step demonstrations. These videos should answer the question, “How do I use this?” before your viewers can even ask. This builds trust while viewing the benefits of your products.
- You have three seconds to get their attention. This is arguably the most important part of the video. After that, get zoom-in multi-angle product footage to show features in action, and add calls-to-action like “Tap the bag to get yours,” that have context in the video. Not only will this create sales, but get you more flow to get you views in the TikTok algorithm, which then leads to a cycle of growth and producer revenue.
Step 5: Four Other Monetization Methods to Look At
On top of leveraging TikTok’s native tools to make money, more business-savvy performers can turn to alternative ways for potential income streams.
Work with Brands & Affiliates
Working with brands. Working with affiliates, the income that a creator may generate from either option is massive! If we are talking about TikTok, the TikTok Creator Marketplace provides brands with an opportunity to comb through its marketplace to find a creator to endorse their product.
To be eligible, your account must be in good standing. Always enable the content disclosure when posting sponsored content, and include the account designation on your post, if available (choose either ‘Paid partnership‘ or ‘Promotional content‘ to LEGALLY disclose which type of sponsorship exists).
AlgoRift
If you’re interested in earning more money with your TikTok account, you can consider using affiliate marketing, as you can start affiliate marketing with no money.
There are many affiliate programs you can use to start your affiliate program, and AlgoRift is one of the top choices.
You can use it to contact many sellers across the built-in platform of AlgoRift and gain access to many advanced tools to improve your content and TikTok account based on real-time data and strategy.
Offer Exclusive Content via Subscriptions
Subscriptions allow creators to provide exclusive benefits to their most committed fans in exchange for a monthly fee of $2.99 to $99.99.
Subscribers receive a special opportunity to access exclusive videos, subscriber-only LIVES, a custom badge, and custom stickers.
Eligible creators have 2 opportunities to earn more in addition to subscriber fees via 2 incentive programs (1- create 10 videos/subscriber or 10 LIVES in 30 days to earn a 20% bonus, 2- earn up to a 15% bonus based on the number of subscribers).
Create a TikTok Series for Premium Content
TikTok series lets creators sell collections of more premium content behind a paywall.
In one collection, you can have up to 80 videos, each lasting between 30 seconds and 20 minutes!
You must have the following eligibility requirements: 10,000+ followers, 1,000+ views in the last 30 days, and be at least 18 years old.
Sell Shoutouts or Grow & Sell Accounts
If you’re looking for direct income, sell shoutouts to other creators or businesses, with some creators reporting earnings around $700 over about 2-3 months through sites like Fiverr.
Another option would be to develop a TikTok account and then sell it on marketplaces like Flippa, Fameswap, and PlayerUp.
How to Make Money on TikTok without Followers
You don’t require a large audience to make money on TikTok; one influential video, or the right service offer, could deliver clients and sales.
This section covers follower–free, high–probability paths only and provides actionable first steps so you can start making money on TikTok as soon as you start.
Sell UGC for Brands
Make short user-generated content, organic native product videos that brands can purchase and use as organic posts or paid ads. Brands are buying quality and authenticity, not the number of followers.
You are paid per video, per campaign, or retainer. Starter fees are typically between $50-300 per clip, depending on how it is used.
How to get started:
Create 3 demo clips (30-45s) of you pitching/reviewing a product and put them in a simple portfolio link, then pitch brands or list your services on UGC marketplaces. A lot of UGC marketplaces accept new creators who do not have follower minimums.
TikTok Services: Editing, captions, Ad Creative, Strategy
Provide video editing, creative ad production, caption writing, or TikTok ads setup to businesses that need content. Your clients pay for results, not how many followers you have.
You’ll get paid per project, hourly, or retainer.
Step one:
Create a “before/after” editing sample (30s) and either list a gig on Fiverr/Upwork/Collabstr or pitch a local business directly.
Increase Your Income with TikTok
It’s never been easier to monetize TikTok and make money on the app, thanks to a massive increase in ad revenue since 2023!
You need to have a niche community. But with the Creator Rewards Program. The money you’re able to earn is very lucrative, and when you add in the combined streams of income!
TikTok LIVE pays you in gifts, and you can claim LIVE gifts when you reach 1,000 followers! You have a TikTok Shop to sell your products.
But there are also brand partnerships, affiliate opportunities, account selling, subscriptions to content, premium, and Series.
To grow, you must consistently create, post, engage with follow-up content, have a strategy for adaptation, and grow and learn!
Questions You Need an Answer for
1. How much does TikTok pay per 1000 views?
Most creators say they make between $0.02 and $0.04 per 1,000 views, so this is a variable amount for sure, but it all depends on many things, including your content quality.
2. Is TikTok still a viable platform for content creators in 2025?
Yes, TikTok is still a viable option in 2025 for content creators. The platform provides monetization opportunities as it advances into 2025. TikTok will provide plenty of opportunities to earn money by using the many monetization methods previously screened, such as the Creator Rewards Program, TikTok Shop, and business partnerships! However, while TikTok is sustainable, one is still expected to provide consistency and skill imaginable as TikTok still changes.
3. What do I need to get started to make money on TikTok?
The minimum requirements to unlock most monetization options are to be 18 years old, have 10,000 followers, and have 100,000 video views in the last 30 days. There are some monetization options or incentives, such as receiving TikTok LIVE gifts, that require a minimum of 1,000 followers.
4. Can I sell products on TikTok?
Yes, you can sell products on TikTok with TikTok Shop. TikTok Shop gives you more power and options to build a digital storefront in TikTok. This means your viewers can buy products without leaving TikTok, reached from a TikTok video. Shoppable video has plenty of options to help increase sales with product tags placed in your content.