Let’s be real: money is a huge part of the appeal of content creation. A viral moment on a social media platform like TikTok can pay off in dividends but making money from your content might be more complicated than you think, no matter how entertaining it might be.
The good news is TikTok does pay users for content that performs exceptionally well but that doesn’t mean you’re necessarily getting paid for a video that hits over 1 million views. TikTok recently axed its Creator Fund which paid creators who meet certain criteria (read: those with a sizable following) in favor of its Creativity Program, which is beta testing in several regions.
The program appears to be only different in name as the requirements needed to be in the program are roughly the same. Sadly, uploading a video that gets over 1 million views isn’t enough to get paid by TikTok but, if your account is eligible, you can apply for the Creativity Program.
If you meet the requirements, don’t rush to quit your day job just yet: you can get paid but don’t expect too much. TikTok is vague about how much it pays users but the consensus across the internet is that you’ll get somewhere between $.02 and $.04 for every 1000 views. Assuming that pay range, you could make $20 to $40 for a video watched 1 million times.
That number might seem disappointingly low but even that could be too high of an estimate according to creators. The Creator Fund was often a subject of complaint but reactions to the Creativity Program are mixed. A simple search on the app shows some creators successfully make thousands a month while others complain of lower views so your mileage may vary. Note that TikTok can be a good opportunity to make some money on the side but earning a living through the app alone can be a challenge.