Symphony Clarke
- TikTok has created a new generation of digital stars who have built massive audiences on the app.
- But many creators are still experimenting with how to make money.
- Here's how much TikTokers earn from brand deals, song promotions, livestreams, and its Creator Fund.
- See more stories on Insider's business page.
TikTok ushered in a new generation of digital stars. But for many creators, it can be difficult to make money from TikTok alone.
Unlike YouTube or Facebook, which split a percentage of ad revenue with qualifying users, TikTok doesn't share ad dollars with influencers. Instead, it has several built-in monetization tools like virtual "gifts," as well as a Creator Fund to pay users with at least 10,000 followers and 100,000 views in a 30-day period for their videos.
While Creator Fund payments aren't calculated based on just views, the effective payouts for videos have amounted to a few pennies for every one thousand video plays, some TikTokers told Insider.
Personal finance influencer Preston Seo, who now has 2.1 million TikTok followers, earned a total of about $1,664 from the Creator Fund between January 2021 to May 2021, according to documentation he shared with Insider. His TikTok account earns between $9 to $38 a day on average.
The Creator Fund isn't the only in-app monetization tool for TikTok creators.
Some TikTokers also make money by receiving virtual "gifts" during livestreams, which can be converted into cash. ASMR content creator Lucy Davis told Insider she earns between $20 and $300 each time she goes live, for example. (The company recently began testing its gifts feature in other parts of the app.)
Read more about how much TikTokers make from the TikTok Creator Fund and other in-app monetization features:
- Vi Luong (about 1 million followers) shares her monthly earnings from the Creator Fund and brand deals
- ASMR creator Lucy Davis (over 500,000 followers) discusses how much she earns from TikTok livestreams
- 3 TikTok creators told Insider how much they've earned from the Creator Fund
- Personal finance influencer Preston Seo (around 2 million followers) on Creator Fund earnings, affiliate revenue, and sponsorships
- Lifestyle influencer Victoria Paris (over 1 million followers) discloses her monthly Creator Fund earnings from February to December 2021
Because Creator Fund payments don't pay the bills on their own, many influencers work on brand deals and song promotions to earn money from TikTok.
Seo said he charges about $600 per sponsored post on TikTok.
Symphony Clarke, an Atlanta-based TikTok creator, told Insider that she charged between $350 and $600 for a sponsored post.
Read more about how TikTok creators make money from brand sponsorships:
- College influencer Harry Raftus (about 1.3 million followers) explains how much he earns from song promos and alcohol-related brand deals
- Symphony Clarke (about 200,000 followers), who makes videos about thrift shopping, shares her rates for brand sponsorships
- Fashion creator Carolina Freixa (around 500,000 followers) tells us how much money she makes from brand campaigns
- A TikTok influencer house shares the media kit that it uses to get brand deals
- How skincare influencer Young Yuh (about 1.5 million followers) calculates his pay rate
- Dana Hasson (over 2 million followers), who posts recipes and lifestyle videos, explains how much she makes from brand deals
- TikTok family The McFarlands (nearly 3 million followers) on much they make from brand deals
And one of the most popular ways to earn money as a TikToker is by promoting songs in videos. Music marketers and record labels regularly pay TikTok users to post on the app in an attempt to make a new track go viral.
TikTok creator trio Nicole, Natalie, and Nika Taylor, who have over 10 million followers on the app, told Insider they charge $750 to promote a song in a single video, $1,400 for two videos, and $2,000 for three videos.
For micro influencers with fewer followers, rates are more variable, but can fall anywhere from $20 to $150, said Austin Georgas, a senior account manager focused on music marketing at the Gen-Z media company Flighthouse.
Read more about how TikTok creators make money from song promotions:
- Creators and marketers share how much song promotions cost on TikTok
- Why creators who make hydraulic press videos and DIY slime posts are getting paid to post songs
- Why TikTok music marketers are hiring micro influencers over superstars
- 2 music marketers discuss how much TikTok influencers can earn from song promotions
source https://www.businessinsider.com/how-much-money-tiktokers-make-real-creator-examples-2021-7