How to Make Money on TikTok: 20 Ways to Earn in 2024

TikTok has more than 1 billion active users. With such a massive and highly engaged audience, TikTok is one of the best social media platforms to use to create monetized content as a side hustle.

Here, we’ll take a look at some of TikTok’s monetization features that allow you to make money from within the TikTok platform.

1. TikTok Creator Rewards program

Formerly known as the TikTok Creator Fund (and then briefly as the TikTok Creativity Program Beta or Creator Fund 2.0), the TikTok Creator Rewards Program is TikTok’s way of rewarding creators. It’s the first option you should consider if you’re looking for ways to make money on TikTok.

This new version of creator payment scheme offers higher TikTok pay rates than previous versions, with some users claiming to make up to $2.25 for every thousand views they get. This may not be the most lucrative option, but it’s certainly the easiest way to monetize your TikTok account, as long as you qualify.

Sadly, you can only get paid for videos you post after joining the program. Qualifying videos must feature original content, be at least 1 minute long, and be nonpromotional material. In order for your views to qualify for payment, a user must be watching your video for the first time and watch for at least 5 seconds.

Eligibility criteria: You must be 18 years old, live in a qualifying country (the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, South Korea, France, or Brazil), have at least 10,000 followers, and have at least 100,000 video views from the last 30 days.

2. TikTok Gifts and Diamonds

One other way to make money on TikTok is by receiving TikTok Gifts from fans. Gifts get converted into Diamonds, which you can exchange for cash. It used to be the case that you could only get Gifts on TikTok LIVE, but you can now get both LIVE Gifts as well as Video Gifts on your ordinary TikTok videos.

It’s worth noting that you’re not allowed to ask for Gifts or incentivize users to give them to you. You’ll need to reach 2,000 Diamonds (equal to $10) before you can exchange them for cash. At that point, TikTok will pay the balance into your bank or PayPal account.

Eligibility requirements: You must be at least 18 years old and live in an eligible location. For LIVE Gifts, you must have at least 1,000 followers. For Video Gifts, you must have at least 10,000 followers and have an account that’s at least 30 days old with a TikTok video posted in the last 30 days.

3. TikTok Subscription

TikTok offers creators the option to post subscriber-only videos through the TikTok Subscription program. This program was initially invite-only and available on TikTok LIVE, but now it’s a monetization feature available to all TikTok creators.

When your supporters sign up for your subscription, they’ll pay a monthly subscription fee. The default subscription fee is $5.99 per month, but you have the freedom to set your own price anywhere in the range of $2.99–$99.99 per month.

Naturally, some of these funds will eventually end up in your bank account. TikTok doesn’t specify exactly how much of the revenue you’ll actually get, but they do make it clear that they may keep the majority of the payout, stating that creators get to keep up to 50% of subscription earnings.

On top of the subscription revenue, this program also comes with two potential bonuses that allowing you to earn even more:

• Video creator bonus: Get a 20% bonus on your subscription payout if you have at least 10,000 followers and at least 1,000,000 video views from the past month.
• Growth bonus: Get a bonus of up to a 15% on your monthly subscription payout for growing your number of subscribers.

To make it worthwhile for your followers, you’ll need to produce exclusive content that only they can access, such as member-only videos or access to exclusive LIVE streams. You can also give other incentives to subscription members, such as distinctive badges or personalized emoticons and stickers.

4. TikTok Series

TikTok Series is similar to TikTok Subscription in that it’s one other way to offer premium content to your followers for an extra fee. The main difference is that rather than paying a monthly subscription fee, your supporters will get access to a specific selection of videos for a one-time fee.

TikTok has several requirements that you’ll need to meet to use this feature:

• Have a personal TikTok account
• Be at least 18 years old
• Be an active TikTok user for 30 days or more
• Have at least three posts from the past month
• Have 1,000 views or more from the past 30 days

Some users also have to show a sample of premium videos they’ve created for other platforms. If you qualify, this is a great opportunity to generate passive revenue. Once approved, you’ll need to create a collection of exclusive content. Add a price between $0.99 and $189.99, and then publish.

Eligibility requirements: You must have 10,000 followers and 1,000 views from the last 30 days.

5. TikTok Shop

If you don’t have a website of your own, TikTok Shop is a good way to make money by selling physical goods. Even if you have your own site for selling products, you can take advantage of this in-app feature as it gives your followers flexibility in terms of when and where they buy from you.

When you activate this feature, a shopping tab will appear on your profile. Users can use this tab to browse and buy your products (as well as affiliate products). However, the best way to make money from this feature is to create promotional and instructional content around certain products.

For instance, if you make candles, you could publish a series of videos on how to create different scents. Even if it’s not outright promotional, a link to the shop would give followers an easy way to buy relevant products.

Eligibility requirements: You must be at least 18 years old, have a Social Security number, and show proof that you have a United States passport or driver’s license.

6. TikTok Creator Marketplace

The TikTok Creator Marketplace is a program that connects TikTok influencers with top brands. If you have a large base of engaged followers, this is the main way to become an influencer on TikTok and attract brands who are looking to start a paid collaboration.

One of the benefits of using the Creator Marketplace over handling your own brand partnerships is that you’ll have the security and convenience of getting paid through a secure payment system, TikTok Creator Marketplace Pay.

Some creators receive a TikTok invite to the Creator Marketplace, but you can also apply on your own from within the app once you meet the eligibility criteria.

Eligibility: You must be at least 18 years old. Other requirements vary, but you must have a certain number of followers, videos posted in the past 28 days, and video likes from the past 28 days.

7. TikTok Creative Challenge

TikTok Creative Challenge is a way to make money on TikTok from user-generated content (UGC). For this TikTok money-making approach, you create advertisements for a product or service from a consumer’s perspective for the brand to use in their marketing campaign.

Here’s a rundown of how it works. Companies with their own TikTok accounts often need actors and actresses to star in their videos, and they’ll pay good money for people who know how to perform behind the camera. These people are known as UGC creators.

We spoke to TikToker James Brady, who specifically recommended UGC creation as a great way to make money on TikTok these days. “I’ve made a lot of my income by doing this type of work,” he told us.

UGC collaborations differ from brand sponsorships and influencer marketing in that you don’t post the video to your own TikTok account—instead, you send the video to the company you’re working with, and they post it to the business’s TikTok account.

The TikTok Creative Challenge allows you to browse projects posted by brands, including their requirements or specifications. You can then submit your work for consideration. If your video is chosen for the brand’s media campaign, you’ll get paid a commission based on how well your ad performs.

Eligibility: You must be at least 18 years old, be a US creator, and have a minimum of 50,000 followers.

8. Work With Artists / SoundOn

TikTok introduced the SoundOn platform to allow musicians and labels to earn money from their music on TikTok. If you write your own tunes, then SoundOn allows you to earn royalties each time a creator uses one of your songs in their videos.

But it’s not just musical artists who can earn. TikTok also launched the Work With Artists program to reward other TikTok creators for using SoundOn music in their videos. While they don’t specify how much you can earn, it seems that creators receive rewards for adding sounds from TikTok artists to their videos.

In addition to these direct earnings, SoundOn allows you to reach a wider audience and promote your music.

Eligibility: All TikTok users can participate.

9. Effect Creator Rewards

The Effect Creator Rewards program is a TikTok monetization option exclusively for effects designers. You create video effects and get paid when your effects are used by other TikTok creators.

Notably, you’re only paid based on the number of videos your effect appears in during the first 90 days after you’ve created it. You’ll get paid $700 for the first 500,000 unique videos that use your effect and then get an additional $140 for every 100,000 videos after that.

Eligibility: You must be at least 18 years old, have a qualifying badge (Gold, Platinum, or Diamond), have at least 5 effects published, and have at least 3 effects used in 1,000 qualified videos each.

10. TikTok referral program

The TikTok Rewards program is one of the least-restrictive and easiest ways to make money on TikTok. All TikTok users are eligible to join, but there are some restrictions based on where you live.

To participate, go to your TikTok account and grab your invitation code. Share it with friends, acquaintances, and anyone else you want to bring over to TikTok.

You’ll earn rewards points whenever your referrals download the app using your code. You can also earn points for other activities they perform, like watching videos. As you start accruing referrals, you can convert your rewards points into cash.

Eligibility criteria: Open to all TikTok users.

TikTok’s monetization features aren’t the only ways that TikTokers make money. Many of TikTok’s top earners use outside strategies as well, which are often even more lucrative than TikTok’s built-in options.

Here’s a rundown of all the other ways to earn on TikTok and monetize your TikTok account all on your own, without help from TikTok’s creator tools.

11. Set up a tip jar outside of TikTok

TikTok offers the option to include links to external apps to collect tips from avid fans.

Here are a couple of popular examples:

• Buy Me a Coffee
• Tipeee
• Venmo

You can’t actively ask people to leave you a tip, but you can add a link or URL to your TikTok bio or videos directing viewers to your external tip jar.

However, Brady, who provides coaching and consultancy services for other TikTok users, warned about one potential drawback to this approach: “TikTok experts say that the TikTok algorithm hates it when you try to drive traffic from TikTok to a third-party site. So there’s a chance your video won’t get many views if you’re typing out third-party links for tip collection in your video descriptions.”

To minimize the risk of this happening, he recommends typing out the link or handle in a comment or quickly showing a screenshot in your video. While this doesn’t guarantee that TikTok won’t penalize you, he says it might be a safer approach.

Eligibility criteria: You must have a personal account with at least 1,000 followers or a business account to attach a clickable link (URLs can be added by any user).

12. Sell subscriptions off TikTok

Another way to keep your content on TikTok free while earning money is to set up a subscription plan. You can use a platform like Stan Store or Patreon to create a low-cost monthly subscription for followers who want more.

You’ll need to include some kind of upgrade in your subscription plan. Here are a few you might consider:

• Exclusive content (videos, blog posts, ebooks, etc.)
• One-on-one calls
• Free consultations
• Community access
• Swag

Subscriptions are particularly effective if you’re a TikTok creator in the consultation or coaching spaces. You can use TikTok to offer high-level tips and tricks and then give subscribers more in-depth guidance and personal time with you.

Eligibility criteria: Open to all TikTok users.

13. Generate income through affiliate marketing

Affiliate marketing is a type of content marketing where a third-party company or brand pays you for sending business their way. Considering that TikTok users are 1.5-times more likely to buy something they saw on the platform, this is a great place to do it.

This option is simplified by TikTok’s Storefronts feature, which allows you to display a product catalogue of your affiliate products and earn money each time you sell a product through your TikTok account.

To get started, you have to follow three basic steps:

1. Register as an affiliate with the company
2. Promote their services or products in your content
3. Include your unique affiliate link or referral code

When someone buys something via your link, the company pays you a portion of the sale. This is a good way to make money off of TikTok if your content strategy revolves around product reviews, unboxing videos, and so on.

Note: When doing affiliate marketing, you must disclose your affiliation with the company. You can do this by adding the #ad hashtag to your post.

Eligibility criteria: Open to all TikTok users.

14. Sell merch to your fans

If you’ve created a unique TikTok brand, consider making merchandise for it. You can add catchphrases, inspirational quotes, mascots, custom designs, and more to all kinds of merchandise. Here are just a few examples:

• Clothing
• Coffee cups
• Water bottles
• Beer koozies
• Notebooks
• Tote bags
• Pens and pencils

Print-on-demand companies like Printful and Shutterfly can help you create this merch. You can also get creative and add your branding to objects that tie directly into your TikTok channel. For instance, let’s say you have a cooking channel. You could sell branded cutlery or glassware to your fans.

The key is thinking of your followers when deciding what to sell. Brady told us that if he could go back in time and give his earlier self one piece of advice, it would be that “the best way to make money on TikTok is to offer products and services that there’s a market for.” When he first gained a decent following, he started trying to sell “useless merchandise,” which he quickly discovered his viewers had no interest in buying.

Eligibility criteria: Open to all TikTok users.

15. Use TikTok to promote your other side hustles

You don’t have to be an influencer or sell products to start making money on TikTok. TikTok is one of the best social media platforms out there for getting attention, and you’ll attract genuine interest from viewers by creating organic (unpaid) content and posting videos inspired by your passion for the work you do outside of social media. According to Brady, this is the most profitable way to make money on TikTok.

For instance, let’s say you’re working a side hustle as a makeup artist or stylist. You could create tutorials that are helpful, friendly, and funny. By mentioning the studio where you work, you can increase your income by attracting new customers.

The key to getting new clients or business this way is to post fun and truly informative videos. At the end of it, your followers should be thinking, “That’s awesome, but I really don’t want to do that myself. How do I reach out to this person?”

Brady’s number one tip for driving traffic from TikTok to another site, such as an online store, is to grab the viewer’s attention early on with a strong hook. “The hooks should grab attention and show people that the video will offer them value,” he said. If you’re selling a product, he recommends finding a way to frame the product as a solution, tip, or life hack and incorporate lots of visually appealing shots of the product being used.

Using TikTok ads to drive traffic to your business site

If you’re using TikTok as an advertising strategy to promote your other side hustles, then you may want to consider using TikTok’s ad tools, which can help you quickly broaden your reach. You can advertise through TikTok Promote or TikTok Ads Manager.

Brady says that TikTok Promote and Ads Manager work in essentially the same way. The key differences are that “any TikTok user can use the TikTok Promote feature,” whereas “Ads Manager is more complicated, requires more steps, and has a higher minimum budget.” With that said, TikTok Ads Manager is also more comprehensive and gives businesses more advanced tools for targeting audiences to meet their business objectives.

16. Build TikTok accounts

Building and selling TikTok accounts is a lot like flipping houses. You’re creating value by putting in the work to build a top-notch TikTok account so somebody else doesn’t have to.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Create a TikTok account
2. Set up your profile
3. Create and publish content regularly
4. Target the content to a specific audience
5. Grow the account’s followers—to at least tens of thousands
6. Sell the account to someone who’s looking to buy one that’s already well established

You can see how this works on sites like UseViral and SidesMedia. This works best for accounts that are topical as opposed to influencer-focused or creator-focused. For example, you could build accounts that target news stories, politics, cute animals, or quotes.

You’ll have to invest time in building the account and growing its audience. You may also have to spend money on ads to increase the account’s reach. However, that’s a minimal investment compared to what you’ll make for selling a high-performing account.

17. Contribute to someone else’s TikTok account

You don’t need to be a creator to make money from TikTok. You can also get paid to contribute in other ways:

• Graphic design: Create custom cover graphics for a TikTok account.
• Animation: Design on-brand cartoons or animations as needed.
• Photography: Take photographs for brands, or sell them as stock imagery.
• Video editing: Handle postproduction processes and ensure every video is pixel-perfect.
• Scriptwriting: Come up with basic concepts, scripts, or routines for videos.
• Content marketing: Plan and schedule posts, run ads, respond to followers, monitor analytics, and more.
• Consulting: Advise established creators on how to improve their performance.

High-quality TikTok creation requires a lot of work. While a single creator can manage most of this alone in the beginning, they won’t be able to as their account grows. That’s where your skills can come in.

To find clients, Brady recommends creating profiles on freelancing platforms. “I think that freelancing platforms are great because the clients on those platforms are already looking to hire people, so you generally don’t have to go through the trouble of cold calling and making pitches,” he added.

Alternatively, he says you could create a TikTok account where you post videos about your work and offer tips or advice. Potential clients will then be able to discover you through TikTok.

18. Become a brand ambassador

Brand partnerships and sponsorships can be harder to come by than affiliate partnerships, but the earning potential makes it well worth the effort. With TikTok brand partnerships, a company pays you a fee or commission based on the business you bring in or gives you free products and services.

Brands are excited to partner with talented creators and influencers. While the size and reach of your TikTok account matters, some companies look for creators who have found a way to successfully connect with a niche community.

When it comes to securing brand partnerships, you have two options. One is to find them yourself. If you have brands you really love and are passionate about, send them a pitch. The other option is to use the Creator Marketplace and let top brands find you. However, only some creators are eligible to join.

Note: You have to announce branded content on TikTok. Use the “paid partnership” setting to do this.

19. Partner with an influencer

Brand partnerships aren’t the only ones that can be lucrative. TikTok creators can also collaborate with influencers. There are different types of influencers and influencer tiers on TikTok:

• Nano: 1,000–10,000 followers.
• Micro: 10,000–100,000 followers.
• Macro: 100,000–1,000,000 followers.
• Mega: 1,000,000+ followers.

If eligible, you can use the Creator Marketplace to connect with influencers. You’ll want to start off with a well-established account and a clear concept for collaboration.

You can also try reaching out to influencers on your own on TikTok or via their agent. If the influencer is on the same level as you in terms of followers, they’ll be more likely to respond positively to your offer.

Note: Depending on how popular the influencer is, you might spend anywhere from a couple hundred dollars to more than $5,000 per collaboration.

20. Become a UGC creator on TikTok

Joining the TikTok Creative Challenge isn’t the only way to become a successful UGC creator on TikTok. According to Brady, there are three other ways to land paid UGC deals:

1. Post testimonial-style videos (or other videos that a brand might want to use) on your personal TikTok account and hope to get the brand’s attention
2. Create a UGC portfolio and promote your services on freelancing platforms
3. Create a UGC portfolio and regularly reach out to brands via email or direct messages to pitch your UGC services

Although working as a UGC creator can be a good way to make money, be wary of companies that aim to mislead or deceive consumers. For example, steer clear of a brand that asks you to videotape a fake review that they can post to their TikTok account.

What you need to start making money on TikTok depends on which monetization methods you pursue. Broadly speaking, anyone can make money on TikTok, as long as they have an active TikTok account.

How many followers do you need to get paid?

You don’t need any followers at all if you plan to use TikTok as a money-making tool. However, if you want to get paid by TikTok, most of its monetization features require you to have between 1,000 and 100,000 followers.

However, according to Brady, a TikToker’s follower count is gradually becoming less relevant to their estimated earnings, at least from brand sponsorships. Instead, he said, “What really matters is the type of audience the influencer has and how much authority/trust that influencer has built up.”

How many video views do you need to get paid on TikTok?

Instead of just looking at your total accumulated number of video views, TikTok takes into account how many views your page has had in the last 30 days. Depending on how you’re planning to earn money on TikTok, you need between 1,000 and 100,000 views.

If you’re excited about turning TikTok into a side hustle, here are some tips to help you grow your audience and earn the most money possible.

Choose a theme

Coming up with a theme for your TikTok account is important for establishing yourself on the platform. Below are a few examples of popular niches you could explore:

• Cute puppy videos
• Home ownership how-tos
• Beauty hacks
• Dad jokes and quotes
• Fitness routines

Consistency in terms of the type of videos you upload is key for building a following and bringing other TikTok users back for more.

Build a strong brand identity

Branding for an influencer or social media content creator isn’t all that different from branding for a company. You want to craft an identity that’s memorable and relatable. This includes everything from your physical appearance to the style of videos you create.

Branding is all about your style and tone. This isn’t just the way you talk—your brand shines through in various ways when you post TikTok videos. Your decisions related to these features are particularly important for establishing a clear brand identity:

• Account name
• Profile photo
• Video cover graphics
• Visual style (yours and your videos)
• Speaking style
• Content tone
• Hashtags

Although Brady encourages TikTokers to experiment with different types of videos and formats, he also adds that “it’s 100% possible to diversify your content and experiment while maintaining a clear identity.” The key isn’t producing a bunch of similar videos—rather, it’s making sure that the videos you post work together to establish a brand identity that’s relatable, memorable, and authentic. This will help you build credibility with your audience.

“I think that the best way to have a clear identity and produce high-quality content that your followers will engage with is to always remember what your objectives are and who your audience is,” he told us. “Who are you trying to help? What are their pain points? What are their goals? What do they need? By keeping these questions in mind, you’ll be able to create content that resonates with your target audience.”

Most importantly, authenticity is key. By staying true to who you are, you’ll have a much easier time drawing in followers and creating content that connects with them. Also, when you respond to and engage with your users, you’ll be able to create a stronger bond with them.

Leverage multiple revenue streams

There are so many TikTok monetization methods you can use. If you qualify for them, take advantage of as many as you can. Not only that—you should also diversify your income streams.

Try one of these off-platform money-making strategies:

• Adding a tip jar
• Selling merch
• Promoting your products or services
• Doing affiliate marketing
• Selling premium content subscriptions
• Running ads for your business

Diversifying your revenue is valuable for several reasons. For starters, when you’re new to TikTok, you won’t have access to all those TikTok features. You could work for free, but why do that when there are other ways to make money in the meantime?

Plus, there’s no guarantee that an algorithm shift won’t suddenly drop your view count below the eligibility line, making it impossible to make money directly from TikTok. There’s also no guarantee that brands you once worked with before will come back for more campaigns. Using a combination of strategies will help keep the money coming in.

Stay consistent

Unless you’re a celebrity, there is no such thing as overnight success on TikTok. So you need to be willing to commit yourself to creating high-quality content on a regular schedule.

Consistency in content creation will help you build an audience. For example, a consistent look and feel will strengthen your brand identity, giving random passersby motivation to follow someone they can relate to.

Following a consistent and predictable content creation timetable will also improve your trustworthiness and attractiveness as a creator. TikTok users want to follow people who provide ongoing value, entertainment, education, and so on.

In addition to audience-building, the TikTok algorithm will reward you for consistency. Much like how TikTok is selective about which creators get to monetize their content, they’re also selective when it comes to who they show on the highly coveted “For You” page.

Know your audience

Get to know the kind of people who watch the videos you’re going to create. What are the top accounts in this space? Who are the people who gravitate toward these posts? Which videos do they engage with most?

While it may be tempting to only post videos on topics you’re interested in, considering your viewers and what they want to see is absolutely essential if you want to make money on TikTok.

Brush up on TikTok’s Community Guidelines

TikTok has strict community guidelines. In addition to meeting age, follower, and video view requirements for certain monetization features, you need to ensure your account remains in good standing if you want to make money as a TikTok creator.

For example, it may go without saying, but avoid posting videos that contain anything that could be construed as hate speech or bullying. Violent or sexual content is also a no-go. But even if you’re not breaking any rules, it’s important to understand how TikTok might filter your videos based on their content so they’re only shown to particular audiences.

For example, if your TikTok videos contain “mature or complex themes,” they won’t be shown to users in Restricted Mode. 1 These users are most often minors, but considering more than one-third of TikTok users are 14 years old or younger, they may be an important demographic to reach.

Produce high-quality content

Your TikTok videos should be easy to watch. Avoid hard-to-read captions, unattractive visual elements, and unclear audio. To give your videos a professional polish, try using video editing tools like the ones below:

• TikTok Video Editor
• Canva
• Movavi
• CapCut

Also pay attention to the quality of your content. It should be unique, authentic, on-brand, and engaging.

Engage with your followers

Read through and respond to comments. Let your followers know you’re listening. Ask for suggestions on what to post next, and then follow through on it. You can also host live streams and offer premium one-on-one or group sessions.

Really getting to know your followers and fans will help you establish trust and grow your TikTok audience, which in turn can help you increase your earnings.

Analyze performance and adjust your strategy

Log in at least once a week and review TikTok analytics. Here, you’ll find tons of valuable information that will tell you how well you’re doing on TikTok. For instance, you can analyze your performance based on the following metrics:

• Profile views
• Video views
• Likes
• Comments
• Shares
• Average watch time
• Follower growth

Analytics tracking will do so much more than just give you an idea of how your page is performing overall. You can also find out which posts are most and least popular, when your audience tends to engage with your content, the monetization strategies that have the highest ROI, and the kinds of followers that appreciate your content most.

It will also give you the confidence to create more of what your users like. You can spend less time stressing over how the content will perform and more time on making it look and sound as good as possible.

You can also learn more about the people watching your videos, including their age, gender, and place of residence. If your posts aren’t reaching the right people, or they are and users simply aren’t engaging with them, then you’ll know your strategy isn’t working. Don’t be afraid to adjust your approach—this is key for optimizing your TikTok account.

Cross-promote your content

To maximize your reach, share your TikToks on other social media platforms. You can use the in-app “share” feature to cross-share. You can also download each video using the “save video” option. Next, you can upload the video to other platforms like Instagram or Twitter to connect with users there.

However, Brady warns that each time you download or share a video from TikTok, it retains the TikTok logo. He says that many TikTok users report that this watermark causes their videos to perform poorly on other platforms, so you’re best off removing it before you share a video.

He recommends using an app like SaveTik to repurpose the video so it can be uploaded to another platform. Alternatively, you can take the following steps to crop the video:

1. Save your video as a live photo
2. Save the live photo as a video
3. Crop the video so that the tiny TikTok logo at the bottom isn’t visible
4. Obtain the original video audio by screen recording in the TikTok app
5. Edit the audio and video together in a third-party video editing app

In 2022, TikTok was the most-downloaded app in the world, and its popularity continues to rise. While long-standing social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook have undergone quite a bit of turmoil, TikTok remains a strong base for a side hustle.

In addition to its skyrocketing growth, TikTok is accessible to anybody with a device that supports the app, and it offers plenty of unique and creative ways to make money, both through active marketing and selling and through passive earning methods. With that said, not everybody can become a highly paid TikTok star.

Brady’s opinion is that anybody can make money on TikTok, but it’s not a good side hustle for people who give up easily. “It requires work,” he added. “It’s not a get-rich-quick scheme. It requires patience and the willingness to learn as you go. I think the people who are best suited for a TikTok side hustle are people who can commit to working on their craft almost every day.”

How much do TikTokers make?

According to Influencer Marketing Hub, 2023’s top earner on TikTok is Charli D’Amelio. 2 With more than 148 million followers and 47 billion views, she’s earned an estimated $17.5 million from the platform.

Other top earners also make millions of dollars from their TikTok accounts every year. Some of the top TikTok influencers make tens of thousands of dollars from a single TikTok post. Arishfa Khan, for instance, has almost 29 million followers and over 1 billion likes and earns an estimated $24,000 per post. However, not all posts earn money, and a lot of their earnings come from sponsors.

Starting out, join the Creator Rewards program, add affiliate links and codes to your content, and sell merch. You won’t earn much at first, but you can use those startup funds to fuel your side hustle, produce better videos, and devote time to consistently posting on TikTok.

Potential challenges of making money on TikTok

The biggest obstacle to making money on TikTok is the limited access to monetization features. While TikTok does a good job supporting popular creators, smaller accounts have to do a lot of work on their own.

If this is your side hustle, you might not have enough time or energy to devote to filming, editing, and publishing your videos on top of growing and engaging with your audience.

That said, consistency is key. If you’re willing to play the long game and stay on top of video trends, there is money to be made.

Why TikTok is a good place to make money

TikTok has over a billion users. If you get to know the platform and its users, that’s a massive market to tap into. Even if you start small, there will always be room to expand your earnings.

Plus, TikTok is fun. While other platforms require you to summarize your thoughts in around 100 characters or choose from a limited set of photo filters, TikTok offers so much more potential—there’s plenty you can do with video content.

Lastly, you can get creative about how you monetize your content. Even if TikTok doesn’t pay you directly, your affiliate partners might, as will the clients that discover you on TikTok and the people dying to get their hands on your merch. Once you understand all the ways you can put TikTok to work for you, you’ll be able to start making money from it.

Where to download the TikTok app

The Apple Store Google Play