TikTok is one of the biggest social media platforms out there, with over 1 billion users. And many TikTok creators manage to make millions off the platform, from Charli d’Amelio and Kris Collins to Addison Rae and Bella Poarch.
But how exactly do you make money on TikTok? And how much does it pay for 1 million views, likes, and followers?
The short answers? The TikTok Creativity Program, and around $500 per million views.
That said, let’s dive a little deeper.
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How can you make money on TikTok?
Starting in 2020, users could get paid for their viral TikTok videos through the TikTok Creator Fund. It promised to pay out $1 billion over three years.
However, earnings were typically low, with people earning only $30 to $40 per million views. That made it almost impossible for content creators to generate a steady on-platform income, especially with TikTok’s notoriously unpredictable algorithm.
Instead, successful TikTokers relied on other monetization strategies to boost their earnings, like:
- brand deals and influencer marketing (via the TikTok Creator Marketplace)
- affiliate marketing
- donations (via tipping platforms)
- virtual gifts in TikTok Live (“diamonds” you can convert into real money)
- merchandise sales like mugs and t-shirts
In November 2023, TikTok announced that it would be shutting down the Creator Fund after its three-year run. In its place, the platform launched the TikTok Creativity Program.
Latasha James on the Creator Funds’ shutdown – and its improved replacement.
What is the TikTok Creativity Program?
The Creativity Program was first launched as a beta in February 2023. It’s a new way of monetizing TikTok content. Under this program, creator’s earnings depend on the amount of content, number of views, engagement rate, and other metrics.
To join the TikTok Creativity Program beta, you have to meet five eligibility criteria.
You need to:
- have a TikTok account in the U.S., U.K., Brazil, France, Germany, Japan, or Korea
- be over 18 years old
- have over 10,000 followers
- have more than 100,000 video views in the last 30 days
- adhere to the TikTok community guidelines
If you’re already part of the Creator Fund, you can easily switch over to the Creativity Program in your TikTok profile. That applies to creators in the US, UK, Germany, and France.
Once you’ve joined, you get access to new features, including analytics and a dashboard with an earnings estimate.
One big change in the Creativity Program: To earn, you need to make videos that are longer than 1 minute. That’s a major shift for TikTok – many viral videos on the platform are typically short.
However, TikTok has revealed that 50% of viewers now spend their time on the platform looking at 1+ minute content. It also promises that creators who join the Creativity Program can earn up to 20 times more.
But how much is that exactly?
How much does TikTok pay for 1 million views?
Since the Creativity Program launched, creators have been comparing notes online. And one thing is clear: The Creativity Program does pay better than the earlier Creator Fund.
Creators have reported that TikTok pays between $100 and $600 per million views in the Creativity Program. Most earnings estimates seem to hover around $500 per million views. However, some creators report maxing out at over $1,000 per million views!
Joe Sbiti breaks down the qualified views and earnings on a TikTok page he works on.
It’s not entirely clear what the exact factors are that determine how much you earn per million views. People have speculated that it depends on hashtags and niches, the location of viewers, and engagement.
TikTok spokesperson Zachary Kizer has said that the payout is not a fixed ad revenue share (unlike at YouTube). However, it does depend on the company’s own RPM – that is, on what TikTok earns per 1,000 video views.
One thing that’s clear, though, is that TikTok is very particular about what counts as a qualified view and what videos can earn money under the Creativity Program.
For you to be able to monetize a video under the Creativity Program, it has to:
- be 1+ minute long
- be uploaded after you joined the program
- have over 1,000 views
- avoid advertisements, links, sponsored content, or promotions (including Creator Marketplace works!)
- be free of misinformation
- comply with TikTok’s policies (copyright, terms of service, community guidelines…)
- be original content (no stitch videos, copied content, reactions, or slideshows)
TikTok Live streaming does count.
As for qualified views, they are a way for TikTok to avoid attempts at manipulating video popularity. The platform has internal metrics to measure the authenticity of view and engagement metrics. How exactly that works isn’t clear, and the details will likely stay under wraps to make it harder for people to try and game the system.
Bottom Line: The TikTok Creativity Program and How Much It Pays for 1 Million Views
As more creators join the Creativity Program, we’ll learn more about what factors determine exactly how much TikTok pays per million views.
What we do know is that TikTok is pushing longer, original, well-edited videos with this program.
For the moment, you can operate on the estimate that you’ll earn around $500 for a million views, though with a considerable margin of error in both directions.
FAQs
In the new Creativity Program, TikTok pays approximately $500 per million views, though creators have reported earnings between $100 and over $1,000.
Now that TikTok has scrapped the Creator Fund, you need to join its new Creativity Program to directly monetize your content. In addition, you have the option to earn virtual gifts during live streams, count on influencer marketing, get brand deals, sell merchandise, and join affiliate programs.
To join the Creativity Program, you need to have at least 10,000 followers and 100,000 views within the last 30 days. Other monetization strategies – like merchandise sales and donations – are open to you no matter how many followers you have.
Now that TikTok has scrapped the Creator Fund, you need to join its new Creativity Program to monetize your content. In addition, you have the option to earn virtual gifts during live streams, count on influencer marketing, get brand deals, sell merchandise, and join affiliate programs.
In the new Creativity Program, TikTok pays approximately $500 per million views, though creators have reported earnings between $100 and over $1,000.
