Written by, Bojana Atanasovska
Updated April, 28, 2023
Looking to monetise your TikTok presence? You are in the right place!
In this blog post, we will tell you how you can make money with your TikTok videos and give you answers to questions like ‘how much does TikTok pay for 1 million views’, ‘how can you boost your follower count’ and ‘how much do TikTok’s biggest earners make’
TikTok pays between 2 and 4 cents per every 1,000 views. So, if you have a million views, you can expect to make somewhere between $40 and $50 (or around £35 to £43).
If you have 20 million views on TikTok, the money would go up to $800 or $1,000 (£693–£866)
This is just an estimate, though, as TikTok pays creators based on a variety of factors, including:
1 million views on TikTok is not a lot of money, especially when compared to how much other video-sharing platforms pay. For instance, YouTube pays between $2,000 and $4,000 (roughly £1,700 to £3,500) for a million views, with top UK YouTubers making £12.2 million a year and more.
However, TikTok is one of the fastest-growing social media networks in the world, giving content creators plenty of opportunities to grow their income and presence on the platform.
There are several ways to make money on TikTok. These are just some of them.
In 2021, TikTok launched the Creator Fund giving content creators in the UK, Germany, Italy, France and Spain the chance to earn money from their videos.
TikTok has made $70 million (around £54 million) available through the program in an effort to encourage original and inspiring content from TikTokers.
To qualify, though, you need to:
Your content must also follow TikTok’s Community Guidelines.
The platform expects to increase funds in the Creator Fund to $300 million (around £231 million) and expand to other European countries.
How much you make when you join the Creator Fund depends on how many followers you have, your engagement rate and how frequently you post.
That said, it is estimated that TikTokers make around $9 to $38 a day. Personal finance influencer Preston Seo for instance, recently stated that he earned $1,664 from the Creator Fund in the first six months of last year, which is more or less on par with how much 1 million views on TikTok get you in real money.
TikTok influencers with a huge number of viewers can make up to $100,000 per post.
TikTok has massive reach—a quarter of Brits use it every month-—so brands are more than happy to pay influencers, especially ones that release content related to the product or service provided by their company.
The cost of a sponsored post can range from $0.01 to $0.02 per view or around $10,000 to $20,000 per million views. This, again, depends on the creator’s popularity and posting frequency.
For example, nano influencers like Jalyn Baiden (20,000 followers) charge around $1,000 for a sponsored video, whereas TikTokers with a huge fan base like Alex Ojeda, who boasts 8 million TikTok followers, have a starting rate of $20,000. Influencers with bigger accounts might earn an incredible $500,000 per post.
Social media stars in the UK are also paid well—nano influencers get around £3 to £15 per sponsored post, whereas mega-influencers can earn £2,000 or more per video.
In addition to huge endorsement deals with some of the world’s biggest brands, content creators on TikTok can also turn a profit by attending sponsored functions or cash in on meet-and-greet events. Top TikToker Charli D’Amelio, for example, charged fans $100 just to meet her in person.
When TikTokers do live streams, their followers can reward them with coins or virtual gifts that can later be converted to cash. According to Insider, content creator, Lucy Davis makes between $20 and $300 each time she goes live, while Australian TikToker Jakey Boehm reportedly earned a whopping $34,000 in donations from TikTok Live in just one month.
Live streams can also help you build a more valuable relationship with your fans, providing you with more loyal followers and the chance to monetise other streams as well.
To be able to broadcast live, you need a minimum of 1,000 followers, be 16 years or older, and have collected at least $100 in donations.
Thanks to TikTok’s shopping feature, content creators can easily link to the store in their profile and turn followers into customers. In addition to products, influencers can sell personalised merchandise as well. So, coffee mugs, hats, T-shirts—anything goes if you have loyal fans willing to pay.
One successful example is Miss Excel. This TikToker, who has more than 800,000 followers, posts education content on Microsoft Excel and markets her online courses in the process, raking in between $250,000 and $300,000 a month.
Many TikTokers partner with creator-based subscription platforms and charge subscribers for exclusive content. This would require an initial investment, though—you would want to start off with low subscriptions and plenty of rewards to entice viewers, so it might take a while before your platform starts actually making money.
To get a better idea of how much you can make on TikTok, take a look at the list of the highest earners on the platform.
Highest TikTok Earners Globally | ||
Influencer | Earnings | Followers |
Charli D’ Amelio | $17.5 million | 133 million |
Dixie D’ Amelio | $10 million | 57 million |
Addison Rae | $8.5 million | 86 million |
Bella Poarch | $5 million | 87 million |
Josh Richards | $5 million | 26 million |
Kris Collins | $4.75 million | 42 million |
Avani Gregg | $4.75 million | 39 million |
These are the highest earning content creators on the app in 2022.
Highest TikTok Earners in the UK | |
influencer | Earnings |
GeorgeNotFound | £20,500 |
Tilly Ramsay | £12,300 |
CONNOR | £12,300 |
Joel M | £8,200 |
menwiththepot | £8,200 |
Liana | £8,200 |
woodyandkleiny | £8,200 |
Since the biggest deciding factor in how much 1 million views on TikTok gets you in real money is the number of followers and views, here are a few tips to help you boost your user base.
TikTok users tend to be younger and female—in the UK, 24% of users were in the 15 to 25 age range, and almost two-thirds are women.
However, it is not just about the demographic. Unlike Instagram, where most posts are all about visual appeal, TikTok users prefer content that is authentic, engaging and amusing.
What else sets TikTok apart from Instagram? You can find out more here.
Another thing to keep in mind is the content your followers like and share. If you notice that your make-up tutorials are getting more traction than your yoga clips, it might be worth it to create more make-up-related content, as well as repost other people’s similar content.
If you want your videos to show in users For You feeds, you need to post frequently and regularly. Try to publish content at least 3 times a week, but post at the right time and without compromising on quality.
While some might say that hashtags are a thing of the past, they can still be useful, especially if you choose specific hashtags rather than generic ones.
Interact with followers, comment and share content from other users—all of this gives your profile exposure to a wider audience. Also, explore current trends and try to find ways to incorporate them into your video. This includes getting involved in TikTok challenges or starting your own.
If you use one social media, it is highly likely you have accounts on other platforms as well. You can use other networks like Facebook and Instagram to promote your TikTok content and vice versa.
For instance, you can share a few seconds of your TikTok video on your Instagram story or upload the entire clip on your Youtube channel. This opens up your content to a wider audience, which in turn will expand your reach.
At $20 to $40 per million views, TikTok is not one of the highest-paying platforms out there. However, the app gives users plenty of chances to monetise their presence—from sponsored videos to affiliate marketing, all you need is more than 10,00 followers, and you could be well on your way to earning thousands and maybe even millions.
Bojana is my name and writing is my game. I am a content writer from Bitola who is always interested in the latest research in almost all areas of life. I have a Bachelor’s degree in English literature and a perfectionist character, both of which help me find the most accurate data and information available. Although I have my head stuck in studies and reports most of the time, I still have a bit of free time during which I enjoy knitting and watching classic 90’s Disney movies.