The Holy Grail For TikTok Influencers: Getting Sponsored

Many would-be TikTok influencers, when dreaming about making big bucks by posting on the social media platform, think about building a huge fan base and then getting paid a fixed amount per 1,000 views.

That’s not really how it works anymore — and it’s not how the biggest TikTok celebrities earn millions of dollars a year.

The app’s Creator Rewards Program (which replaced the old Creator Fund) does indeed pay members based on viewership, but the payouts also depend on quality, originality, and how much engagement the content creators’ videos generate. Some influencers may earn around $1,000 for every million views their TikTok videos attract.

That’s not enough to pay the mortgage on multi-million-dollar houses and have enough left over to buy yachts, though.

TikTok creators earn money on the app in other ways, too, including selling merch in the TikTok Store, joining affiliate programs and sending customers, and receiving gifts in their TikTok Lives.

The huge paychecks that popular influencers receive usually come from another source, however. The biggest celebrities can earn well into six figures for every sponsored TikTok post they create; Khaby Lame currently holds the record, making $750,000 for a single sponsored video.

You may not make that kind of money just yet, but you don’t have to have tens of millions of followers to find sponsors.

Let’s learn more.

Types of Influencers

The social media industry generally categorizes influencers into four groups.

• Nano-influencers have 1,000 to 10,000 followers. Some of them can find sponsors that pay them between $5 and $25 per TikTok post.
• Micro-influencers (10,000-100,000 TikTok followers) earn an average of $25-$125 per sponsored post.
• Macro-influencers (100,000-1,000,000 followers) are usually paid anywhere from $125-$1,200 per post by their sponsors.
• Macro-influencers (1,000,000+ TikTok fans) can earn $2,500 and up for their sponsored posts.

Naturally, those payouts vary significantly depending on the sponsor, the content niche, and many other factors. Even so, finding the right sponsor can earn influencers good money even without eye-popping audiences.

Where do you find those sponsors?

How to Get Sponsored on TikTok

The app’s most popular celebrities don’t usually have to go out looking for sponsors; companies come to their agents (yes, they have agents) proposing deals. Other influencers with outsized importance in a particular niche may also find themselves approached by companies offering lucrative sponsorship deals.

For everyone else, there are several ways to find and land the sponsors that will let them make a good living on TikTok.

One caution, though. Sponsorship deals for some influencers, particularly nano- and micro-influencers, may not involve receiving regular, fixed-amount direct deposits to their bank accounts for “X” number of posts per month. Some sponsors will pay in the form of affiliate commissions, while others structure payments according to specific metrics and benchmarks.

To put it simply, the more impressive your TikTok presence is, the better the deals you can find. Here’s where and how to look.

The TikTok Creator Marketplace

This approach probably won’t let you find the holy grail, but it’s a good place to start.

Brands and influencers are always seeking good sponsorship possibilities in the Marketplace. To sign up, though, you have to meet certain criteria and show certain levels of TikTok popularity:

• Have a TikTok account in good standing.
• Be at least 18 years old (19 in South Korea).
• Have at least 10,000 followers (50,000 in South Korea).
• Have published at least three posts in the last month.
• Have at least 1,000 post views in the last month.

To sign up for the Creator Marketplace and search for sponsors, go to your TikTok profile, open the menu (the icon is three horizontal lines in the upper-right corner of the screen), and choose “TikTok Studio” on the popup window. Then go to Monetization > Creator Marketplace > Check eligibility. If you meet the requirements, you’ll be able to join and get started.

Once you’re in, you need to set up and optimize a profile. Provide as much information as possible about your content niche and approach, audience demographics, and account metrics. Beyond that, be creative and sell yourself! Potential sponsors will reach out if they’re interested in sponsoring you; then it’s time for selling yourself even more and negotiating a good deal.

Most content creators find that the best deals are to be found elsewhere, however, so once you’re confident about your worth and your ability to work with sponsors, it may be time to broaden your sponsorship search.

Reach Out to Potential Sponsors

The best candidates for sponsorship deals have built a powerful presence on the app and a reputation within their chosen content niche. That allows them to research companies and brands that sponsor similar accounts, prepare a strong “pitch,” and reach out with a proposal.

Since the ideal way to build a large following on TikTok is to focus on one topic that you love and are knowledgeable about, there’s a good chance that you already have some brands in mind. Being a dedicated customer and a popular influencer gives you an advantage when speaking with potential sponsors; you’re very familiar with their products and their target market.

Don’t simply contact a brand to ask “Hey, interested in sponsoring me?” They’re approached like that all the time, and you’ll seem no different than all the other wannabes. Provide them with a package that sells you as a brand marketer, possibly including ideas for sponsored posts or even videos directly tailored to their brand.

The best way to make them see that you can sell their products is to sell yourself. Do it well, and the doors will open to lucrative sponsorships.

Do Everything Right, and Wait

There’s no guarantee that the perfect sponsor will find you on their own, but they might. Many brands and companies do pay attention to TikTok accounts and influencers who are making noise on the app, and approach ones that they think would be a good fit.

Continue building your fan base by producing engaging, high-quality content focused on your niche. Post regularly to demonstrate dependability and a mature business sense. If you do have smaller sponsors (possibly from the Creator Marketplace), create effective posts and campaigns that will impress bigger sponsors.

And be ready to professionally and convincingly pitch any brands that show interest in sponsoring you. That will show potential partners that you’re serious and ready to work to promote their interests. Good luck!

Pro tip: If you’re having difficulty building your TikTok follower count quickly and powerfully, consider reaching out to learn more about iDigic’s TikTok followers and other growth services. Many influencers depend on iDigic to help them grow; we can help you, too.