In 2025, TikTok is not a platform for trend dances; it’s a marketplace where creators are turning their passion into profit. With over 1.04 billion monthly active users, the chances of earning money from your content are great.
Whether you’re an experienced creator or just starting your journey, knowing how to make money on TikTok can help you build a proper income. That is why in this guide, we’ll talk about 13 proven ways to earn money on TikTok, from opening your own shop to exploring affiliate marketing.
Top Tactics to Make Money on TikTok: 2025 Update
If you want to make money on TikTok in 2025, you need more than just creativity; you need strategy. The key to success is knowing which method works for you now and staying consistent.
Now, it’s time to talk about 13 proven methods to earn from TikTok, for all of which you will need the trending TikTok hashtags to grow your account.
Join the TikTok Creator Rewards Program
The TikTok Creator Rewards Program is one of the best ways for you to start earring money from your videos. If you regularly post original content that’s over one minute long and gets people’s attention a lot, TikTok rewards you for it.
To start your journey, you’ll need at least 10,000 followers and 100,000 views in the last 30 days. Once you are in, you can start making money depending on how many people watch and interact with your videos. Many creators report earning between 2¢ and 15¢ per 1,000 views.
Based on this info, if you want to know how many likes you need on TikTok to get paid, you should know that it’s more about the engagement and originality, and less about your likes.
Open Your Own TikTok Shop
One of the easiest ways to turn your content into real income is to open your own TikTok Shop. By having your TikTok shop, you can sell your products directly through your videos and livestreams, meaning your audience buys from you without ever leaving the app.
In this method, you can easily sell your own products or promote affiliate items and make money. All you need to do is to talk about the product and tag them in your videos, and add a “Buy” button.
Many creators are already earning good money from their TikTok shop and this proves that how much TikTok pays often depends on how you use its tools. Plus, if you have a Shopify store, you can connect it to your TikTok Shop to boost your sales.
Create Sponsored Brand Content
Another way you should try is creating sponsored brand content on TikTok. It’s a smart method even if you don’t have a lot of followers. Many brands look for creators with authentic engagement to partner with, and that could be you.
All you need to do is create natural videos and talk about the brand’s product or service, and then post them on your profile. If your video performs well, brands might ask you for more posts or an ongoing partnership.
It’s one of the easiest ways to make money on TikTok with a small count of followers, because people would rather work with micro-influencers who have the right audience.
Earn Through Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing on TikTok can be one of the most low-effort but profitable ways to earn money, even if you’re just starting out. The great thing about this method is that you don’t need to create your own products.
Instead, you promote other brands’ items and earn a commission whenever someone buys through your link. The important part is that you have to choose products that feel natural to your content and your audience.
Here’s how to get started:
- Find products you genuinely like: You have to find products you are interested in, so it would be easier for you to promote.
- Create short & engaging videos: You should share real videos about the product and talk about the benefits it has or even use them on camera if you can, so people don’t feel you are just advertising.
- Add your affiliate link in your bio, or share a discount code in your caption or comments.
- Track your performance: At the end of the day, you have to know which products are selling better and your followers love the most.
The more real your content feels, the better your sales will be. Remember, even with a small but loyal following, you can make money on TikTok with this method. You can also use affiliate marketing to make money on YouTube, as well.
If you want to see how people are doing affiliate marketing on TikTok, I suggest you check out these creators: @mikaylanogueira & @cookingwithshereen.
Go Live and Collect Virtual Gifts
Going live on TikTok is another great way to make money and connect with your audience in real time. When you host a live stream, your followers can send you virtual gifts and small digital items that you can turn into real money.
Obviously, the more interesting and entertaining your live is, the more likely your viewers are to send gifts to support you. To do this, you need to be at least 18 years old and live in one of the countries where TikTok pays creators, such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, or Germany.
If you are already selling something, going live is a great way to show them, answer questions, and build a loyal community.
Offer Premium Videos with TikTok Series
Now, let’s talk about a new method that you can earn money by offering exclusive videos behind a paywall. This method is called TikTok Series, which gives you an opportunity to create a collection of premium videos that fans pay to watch. This works well for educational content, tutorials, fitness programs, or any other topic your audience needs.
Key features of TikTok Series:
- Up to 80 videos per series
- Each video is up to 20 minutes long
- Pricing between $0.99 and $189.99
To start, you must be at least 18 years old, have over 10,000 followers, and meet activity requirements. This method is perfect if you want to make money with your talent.
Accept Tips and Fan Donations
You can always make some extra income by letting your fans give you tips and donations. This can work like a digital tip jar; your followers who enjoy your content can tip you through it.
Ways to accept tips on TikTok:
- TikTok Gifts: Fans can send virtual gifts during livestreams, like we talked about.
- Tipping platforms: Or you can link to external platforms so fans can tip anytime. To do that, you can use these options:
| Platform | How It Works |
| Tipeee | Simple page where fans tip any amount, anytime. |
| Buy Me a Coffee | Fans purchase “coffees” ($1 each) as a form of support. |
| Ko-fi | Lets fans tip, subscribe, or commission custom content. |
Grow and Sell Niche TikTok Accounts
One of the ways to make money on TikTok that no one talks about that much is growing niche accounts and selling them.
To do this, you should make a TikTok profile about a specific topic, like travel, cooking, or art, and try to get followers who are actually interested in that niche.
Once your account has a strong following and engagement, it’s time to sell it to someone who wants a ready audience.
Steps to grow and sell niche TikTok accounts:
- Choose a niche
- Post consistent, high-quality content
- Grow the account
- List the account for sale on platforms like Fameswap or Accfarm.
If you have talent and passion to work on TikTok, this approach can be very profitable for you.
Sell Merch or Custom Products
Selling merchandise or custom products is one of the ways that most creators love to do. You can design and sell items based on your content and niche. It can work for any type of creator, too, whether you post comedy skits, share tips, or create art.
Plus, like other creators, you can use print-on-demand services, which means you don’t need to handle inventory or shipping. You can also use this method to make money on Instagram. Here are some ideas for your custom products:
- T-shirts and hoodies
- Hats and tote bags
- Mugs and phone cases
- Stickers and notebooks
Earn with Subscriptions
On TikTok, you can create a subscription plan that can make you good money. This way you let fans pay regularly for special perks, like exclusive videos, behind-the-scenes access, or subscriber-only livestreams.
Here’s how it works:
- On TikTok: You can use TikTok’s subscription feature so followers can join for a monthly fee.
- Off TikTok: Or you can try platforms like Patreon to offer membership tiers with extra benefits.
With low cost, your fans can consider a subscription easier, and if you attract enough people, you can make money on TikTok while building a loyal fan base.
Launch a Crowdfunding Campaign
Crowdfunding is when you collect money from a group of people, usually online, to fund a project or idea. Instead of getting money from just one investor, you ask many people (often your audience or fans) to give small amounts that add up to what you need.
In this method, you can set a clear goal and invite your audience to donate through live events or videos. This is a good way to fund projects like new products, creative works, or business ideas. You can use some platforms that help you with crowdfunding, like:
| Platform | Best For |
| Kickstarter | Projects with a clear goal and timeline |
| Indiegogo | Flexible goals and funding options |
| Patreon | Ongoing support through memberships |
Create Paid Fan Shoutouts
Another fun way you can make money on TikTok is by offering personalized shoutouts. You can charge your fans to give them a custom message from you. People might want to get these messages for themselves or as gifts for their loved ones.
Here’s how it works:
- Fans will pay a small fee to get a video or message just for them or someone they love.
- You should create a personalized shoutout mentioning their name and their request.
- And then you deliver the video through TikTok or another platform.
Example:
| Shoutout Type | Price Range |
| Short personalized message | $10–$50 |
| Longer or custom content | $50–$200+ |
Refer Friends and Earn Rewards
And lastly, you can earn money on TikTok by referring friends and earning rewards. This method works great even if you don’t have many followers, so it’s perfect if you want to make money on TikTok without followers.
You just have to invite people to join TikTok using your unique referral code. And when they sign up and start engaging with content, you earn some points that can be converted into cash, gift cards, or other rewards.
Here’s a quick breakdown:
- Get your referral code in the TikTok Rewards section.
- Share it with friends or on social media.
- Earn points when friends sign up and interact with videos.
- Convert points to cash or rewards.
How to Make Money on TikTok by Watching Videos?
Now let’s talk about a different approach. TikTok lets users earn money by watching videos through programs that reward engagement. This is not a direct feature of TikTok itself, but there are some third-party apps and certain TikTok events that offer ways to earn small amounts by watching content. These methods work like this:
- TikTok Creator Rewards: In some situations, creators run campaigns and give rewards to followers who engage with their videos.
- Third-party apps: There are certain apps like Swagbucks and JumpTask that pay users to watch TikTok videos or similar short content for points or cash.
- Live events & challenges: Sometimes TikTok hosts events where viewers earn by watching livestreams.
How to Make Money on TikTok with 1000 Followers?
Most people think it’s not possible to make money on TikTok with about 1,000 followers. But if you focus on creativity and engagement, you can be one of those nano-influencers that people love. You can earn by using methods like affiliate marketing, referring friends, or selling your own products. The key is to know your audience and understand their needs.
FAQ for 2025 Creators
Which pays more, TikTok or YouTube?
In general, YouTube tends to pay more than TikTok. And that is because YouTube ad revenue is higher, so creators earn more based on how long people watch their videos.
Can you make a full-time income on TikTok?
Yes, but you need a good strategy. Many creators mix a few methods to make money, like brand deals, affiliate marketing, live gifts, and the Creator Rewards Program. On average, TikTok pays about $0.02–$0.04 per 1,000 views, so if your content is engaging and high-quality, your earnings will increase.
What is the best time to post on TikTok?
The best time to post is when your audience is more active, which you can find out using the TikTok analytics. In general, you should try posting on weekdays between 6-9 AM or 6-9 PM and on weekends between 9-11 AM or 7-8 PM.