Some people may consider their TikTok account to be a “subscription” to the social media platform. That’s not really accurate.
Subscriptions generally involve an exchange of money (or something else of value) in return for a membership. There’s no cost to sign up for and use TikTok, although some people might consider their email address or other personal information “something of value.” That could make it a subscription in their eyes.
In reality, however, the term “TikTok subscription” is used to describe something very different than just having an account on the app.
The subscriber feature was first introduced in 2022. It allowed content creators to offer monthly subscriptions to exclusive shows on TikTok Live; subscribers also received other perks like special badges and stickers.
In 2024, the subscriber option was expanded. Creators can now upload exclusive TikTok content that is only visible to their subscribers, and run exclusive channels for direct communication with their subscribers via chats and DMs. The range of other special perks has been expanded as well, and some creators offer subscribers discounts in their TikTok Stores.
Content creators who offer subscriptions will have a “Subscribe” link available for surfers on their profile page.
Influencers and creators looking for ways to boost the size and importance of their TikTok communities have latched onto the idea of building a large subscriber base. More importantly, though, they’ve found that attracting subscribers is another very attractive way to generate reliable income streams on the app.
How Can TikTok Users Earn Money from Subscriptions?
First of all, creators must meet basic requirements before they’re eligible to accept subscriptions.
- They must be at least 18 years old.
- They must have at least 10,000 followers before they can offer subscription packages.
- They must have had 100,000 TikTok video views or have streamed on TikTok Live for at least 30 minutes in the previous month.
- Their TikTok account must be in good standing.
Qualifying creators can apply for permission to offer subscriptions in the “Monetization” area of the TikTok Studio, accessible from their TikTok profile menu. If approved, they receive instructions on how to set up their subscriber service.
Creators choose the monthly price they want to charge, ranging from $2.99 to $99.99 per month. It’s important that they decide on a subscription price that aligns with the amount of content that subscribers will receive, of course, or their pricing model will fail to gain traction.
The creators don’t get to keep all of that revenue, though. TikTok and its partners (Google and Apple) always take a large commission for any services (like TikTok Live gifts) provided on the platform, and creators get to keep no more than 50% of the total earnings generated by subscriptions. More often, they’ll receive about 35% of the gross revenue.
Even so, accepting subscriptions can add up to a nice chunk of change for content creators. And since subscriptions renew automatically every month (unless the subscribers cancel), TikTok subscriptions can comprise a large segment of the income that popular TikTok creators earn from their work.
About the Author
Peter Hasselworth is a contributor at iDigic, sharing valuable insights about Instagram growth and social media marketing strategies.