12 Top Ways To Make Money On TikTok 2025

Introduction to 12 Ways to Make Money on TikTok

Stop scrolling and start earning. Here’s how you can make money on TikTok.

Gone are the days when TikTok was just an app for dance videos. With over a billion active users every month, the social media platform covers virtually every niche, interest, and hobby. It’s easy to fall down the rabbit hole by scrolling through the seemingly endless library of videos. But did you know you can also make money with TikTok?

We’re here to share our best tips for monetizing your TikTok account.

To join the TikTok Creator Fund, you need at least 10,000 followers. However, this isn’t the only ways to make money on TikTok. The TikTok Creator Fund doesn’t pay much anyway. As we explain below, you can start making money without any followers. One of the great benefits of creating content on TikTok is that each video has the potential to go viral—even if you have no followers!

When a video is posted on TikTok, it is shown to a small group of people. If they watch the video and interact with it, it will be shown to more viewers. This cycle repeats itself, allowing you to reach a wide audience if you create top-quality content.

Also read: Beyond 9 to 5: How to Start a Profitable Home Business

Obviously, it helps if you have followers, as your videos will also appear on their For You page (FYP). But even without followers, your first video could go viral. And once you start accumulating views, you can start making money on TikTok.

Get Sponsorships on TikTok

Sponsored content can be a great source of income, especially if you have a large, engaged following on TikTok or a history of viral videos. For example, you can create TikTok videos featuring a certain product or service and post them on your own profile. This way, the brand you’re working with gets exposure to your audience. But this isn’t the only way to work with sponsorships on TikTok. Since many brands lack the resources to create videos themselves, you can also allow them to use your content for ads on TikTok. This is called creating UGC (User Generated Content).

Since this gives them ownership of the content you created, you should be paid much more for it than if you simply posted it on your own account. Plus, you can ask for even more money for exclusivity. This means you can’t work with other brands or competitors for a certain period. Depending on how long the brand wants exclusivity, you can charge an extra fee. Creating content takes a lot of work and experience, so don’t undersell yourself! This type of work is highly valuable for brands, so make sure you’re paid what you’re worth.

Join the TikTok Creator Fund

The TikTok Creator Fund is a built-in way to make money. TikTok created this fund to reward people who create quality content on the platform. Once accepted, you’ll be paid based on the number of views, the authenticity of those views, and the level of engagement with your content. To join the TikTok Creator Fund, you need to meet the following criteria:

Be at least 18 years old and based in the UK, US, Italy, Spain, France, or Germany
Have at least 10,000 followers
Have received at least 100,000 views on your TikTok videos in the last 30 days
Follow the app’s terms of service and community guidelines

How much does TikTok pay for a million views? TikTok typically pays between $20 – $40 for a million views (approximately £16 to £32). As you can probably tell, that’s not much. That’s why it’s far more lucrative to focus on other ways to make money on TikTok and consider the Creator Fund as a small bonus. If you’re getting views, you might as well get paid for them, but the real money is made elsewhere.

Receive Donations via TikTok Live

Credit: Nikkimeel – Shutterstock Once you have at least 1,000 followers on TikTok, you’ll have access to the Live feature. As the name suggests, it allows you to broadcast live to your followers on the app. What you do during the live broadcast is up to you: from Q&As to sharing special tips and tricks, there are no limits.

You can make money on TikTok Live by collecting donations from viewers. TikTok has its own built-in gift system, where viewers can exchange real money for virtual gifts. These gifts can then be given to the person who is broadcasting live. To cash out your gifts, you need to exchange them for Diamonds, which can be converted into cash. Diamonds are worth 50% of the value of coins (TikTok keeps the other 50%).

Collect Tips on TikTok

In addition to receiving donations via TikTok’s own system on TikTok Live, there are other ways to collect tips from your followers. You can create links to third-party websites in your TikTok bio. There are websites that help creators collect tips, like Ko-Fi or Buy Me a Coffee, but you can also create a PayPal donation link. A great benefit of this is that there are no fees or minimal fees. Since TikTok takes 50% of all donations via TikTok Live, you could be missing out on a lot of money. However, few people check TikTok profiles, so they might not see your links. With TikTok Live, it’s a bit easier to collect donations.

Use Affiliate Marketing to Make Money on TikTok

Affiliate marketing is a great way to make money on any social media platform. Affiliate marketing involves recommending someone else’s product or service. For example, if someone buys a product via your personal link, you might receive a commission. By signing up for affiliate networks like Awin and impact.com, you’ll gain access to hundreds of brands to promote.

Of course, it’s easier to promote a product or service that fits your niche. So, if you’re on BookTok (TikTok videos focused on books), you can create links to the books you review in your videos. Since it’s relatively easy to go viral on TikTok (compared to other social media platforms), you could make a lot of sales from just one video. We have a detailed guide on affiliate marketing for more information and tips. Affiliate marketing can also be a very profitable way to make money through your website.

Sell Products Through the TikTok Shop

Credit: Billions of photos – Shutterstock You may have already seen TikTok Shop, but it’s essentially a product marketplace on the social media app. If you see something you like in a video that’s linked to TikTok Shop, you can order it straight to your home with just a few clicks. Super easy! So, how can creators benefit? If you find products on TikTok Shop that you like or think your audience will like, there’s a way to make money.

Similar to classic affiliate marketing, you can become an affiliate for shops on TikTok. You can then create links to the products in your videos and TikTok Lives. Since the TikTok Shop button will appear on your video, it’s easy for viewers to order it on the spot. For every sale made through your content, you’ll receive a commission. And, of course, if you start a business, you can also add your products to TikTok Shop! To do this, you’ll need to get approved, so make sure you read all the terms and conditions first.

Market Your Business or Services

If you have your own business or offer freelance services, TikTok could be the ideal marketing tool. With so many TikTok users and it being relatively easy to go viral (compared to other social media platforms), a viral video could generate thousands of sales.

When it comes to monetizing on TikTok, this is one of the best ways to make extra money. Keep track of video trends and popular sounds to use. Some viral video trends are easy to replicate on the CapCut app. They’ve partnered with TikTok to make it easier to use templates directly from TikTok and upload them to your account.

Become a TikTok Consultant

Once you’ve mastered the TikTok culture and are getting viral videos, you can start thinking about sharing your gift with the world. For the right price, of course. As mentioned in the last point, the chances of going viral on TikTok are much higher than on other platforms. And the more people see a video, the more they’ll see the product or service a company has to offer.

If you know how to create quality content that is likely to go viral, you could help businesses make thousands of sales. Similarly, you can offer coaching sessions to aspiring TikTokers. If you have the tips and tricks to grow an account and make money on TikTok, you can help future influencers get started. You can even give feedback on their current account and offer ideas on how to improve it.

Make Money with TikTok Rewards

Credit: Kaspars Grinvalds – Shutterstock Another way to make money on TikTok is by referring friends to the app with TikTok Rewards. You can find your unique code by tapping the wrapped gift icon on your TikTok page. The type of reward changes from time to time, but we’ve seen gift cards and real money. There are a few criteria that new users must meet for you to claim your reward, including:

They’ve never created a TikTok account
They’ve never downloaded the TikTok app on their device before
They meet the age criteria (18+ in the UK)
They are in the same country as you.

Sell Your Own Merchandise on TikTok

As you start gaining followers on TikTok and your fan base grows, you can eventually create your own merchandise. For example, you can create products with your brand’s logo or a slogan you use frequently in your content. To do this successfully, you’ll need an engaged audience. This can work especially well if you have followers on multiple platforms.

Start a Patreon

Patreon is a separate platform where creators can offer paid subscriptions to fans for exclusive content. If you’ve successfully built a fanbase on TikTok, it’s worth considering expanding to platforms like Patreon to increase your income. On Patreon, you can share exclusive content, which may include special tutorials, vlogs, or Q&A sessions.

Keep in mind that running a Patreon page requires a lot of extra work, and you won’t be able to share all the content on your regular TikTok page (otherwise, why would anyone pay extra for it?). But if you have a loyal fanbase, you can make a decent extra income!

Repurpose Your TikToks on YouTube

Even though it doesn’t directly make money on TikTok, why let the content you’ve created go to waste on just one platform? Since YouTube introduced Shorts, it’s possible to upload short-form content on the platform. And just like TikTok’s Creator Fund, YouTube will pay you for the number of views you get (if you’re part of the YouTube Partner Program).

Just make sure to upload the original video, not the one you download from your TikTok page. Since TikTok adds a watermark to your video after posting, it will look much better if you re-upload the original video to YouTube. Adding new music and subtitles helps too.

Conclusion

TikTok is more than just an entertainment platform—it’s a lucrative space for creators willing to explore its many monetization opportunities. Whether you’re leveraging affiliate marketing, creating UGC, or building your own business, the potential to earn is enormous. So stop scrolling and start creating content that can lead to financial rewards!

Frequently Asked Questions

How much can you earn on TikTok?

Earnings vary widely based on your content strategy. While the Creator Fund offers modest payouts, sponsored content and affiliate marketing can be far more lucrative.

Do I need followers to make money on TikTok?

No! Even new accounts can earn through UGC creation or affiliate marketing. However, having followers increases your earning potential.

How do I get started with affiliate marketing on TikTok?

What’s the best way to attract brand deals?

Focus on creating high-quality, engaging content that aligns with a specific niche. Brands prefer creators with a clear audience and consistent video performance.

How many followers do I need to start earning on TikTok?

While some programs like the Creator Fund require at least 10,000 followers, other monetization methods, such as affiliate marketing or sponsored content, can be pursued with fewer followers if you have high engagement and niche relevance.

How much does TikTok pay per view?

Earnings from the Creator Fund are relatively low, often ranging between $0.002 to $0.004 per view. Therefore, alternative income streams are recommended for substantial earnings.

Can I monetize my TikTok account without showing my face?

Yes, many creators produce content without appearing on camera, focusing on niches like tutorials, animations, or product showcases.

Is TikTok’s Creator Fund available worldwide?

The Creator Fund is available in select countries. Check TikTok’s official guidelines to see if it’s accessible in your region.

How do I increase engagement on my TikTok videos?

Consistently posting high-quality, relevant content, utilizing trending sounds and hashtags, and engaging with your audience through comments and collaborations can boost engagement.