How Many Followers On TikTok To Get Paid?

Most TikTok users sign up for the app so they can watch entertaining or informative videos. Some, however, have their eyes on a prize: industry data shows that the average TikTok influencer makes $131,875 per year.

Since that’s just an average, lots of people make far less than that. However, even a small extra income from a presence on the social media platform can mean a lot — and you don’t need to have millions of fans to start bringing in a decent amount of money.

How Large a Fan Base Do You Need to Get Paid on TikTok?

You’ll need at least 10,000 followers to earn money from the platform’s Creativity Program, but you can begin earning money with just 1,000 fans — and a lot of work.

Here’s how TikTok accounts can be monetized.

TikTok Live Donations

Once you’ve reached the 1,000-follower mark (and met a few other qualifications) you’re able to originate TikTok Live streams for your fans. During those sessions, participants can show their appreciation to the creator running the stream by making donations; those tips come in the form of “virtual gifts” that can be converted into cash by the recipient.

Users buy virtual icons with TikTok coins, sold both in the stream and the app. There are more than 100 gift options, and many are just small tokens of appreciation like roses and penguins worth between one and ten cents. Some are pricey, though, like the Lion (worth about $400) and the TikTok Universe ($562). Creators get half that value, and TikTok takes the other half.

However, reaching 1,000 followers and running TikTok Lives is no guarantee that you’ll start earning money. You have to create great content and stage entertaining and enjoyable Live shows if you want to convince your followers to attend the streams and reward you for your hard work. (You’re not able to receive gifts until you’re 18 years old.)

TikTok Creativity Program

You’re eligible to sign up for the app’s Creativity Program (previously called the Creator Fund) once you reach 10,000 TikTok followers and satisfy the program’s other qualifications. 

• You must live in the US, UK, France, Italy, Germany, or Spain. (Other regions may soon be added.)
• You must be at least 18.
• Perhaps most challenging: you must have received at least 100,000 video views in the last 30 days.

Once you’re accepted, you’re paid on a sliding scale for engagement with your posts. Payouts typically range between four cents and a dollar for every 1,000 views, depending on engagement rate, how long people watch the videos, and several other factors. Viral videos can bring in very good money, needless to say.

Collaborations, Affiliate Program, and Sales

There are varying hurdles to clear if you want to earn money through these approaches, but as you’d expect, the larger your TikTok follower count and viewership, the more successful you should be.

• Collaborations and Sponsorships: Companies often want to partner with TikTok influencers, even if they have smaller but very engaged fan bases. The biggest celebrities on the app earn millions of dollars from these deals, but even those with 1,000 to 10,000 fans (and possibly even fewer) can make anywhere from $25 to $300 per sponsored post.
• Affiliate Program: You can sign up for the TikTok Shop affiliate program with 5,000 followers, and you’re then paid a commission for the sales you generate.
• Sales: You can’t place clickable links in your posts, but those who market their own products can promote them in videos and generate exposure that boosts sales.

Generally speaking, the more followers you have, the more you can earn on TikTok. To supercharge growth in your fan base, iDigic’s inexpensive TikTok follower packages can trigger organic growth and help you maximize the revenue you earn on the platform.