As an aspiring creator, you may be wondering how many followers you need before you can realistically start earning money on TikTok.
With over 1 billion monthly active users, TikTok has developed into a financial holy grail for influencers. Top creators easily make 7-figures by monetizing their massive follower bases.
But how much can you make as a smaller creator? What if you only have a few thousand engaged followers – or just a single viral video?
In this updated guide for 2024, we’ll break down all the ways creators are monetizing on TikTok right now, how much they’re earning, and realistic income expectations at different follower milestones.
Whether you’re just getting started or already have an established TikTok audience, you’ll learn financial benchmarks for turning your account into a money-making machine this year and beyond.
Ways Creators Currently Monetize on TikTok
Unlike YouTube, TikTok itself has limited native features for helping influencers monetize their audience. No built-in advertising revenue shares or channel memberships like other platforms offer.
But that makes it no less lucrative. Savvy creators have optimized a mix of TikTok’s native tools with outside earning methods to pull in serious cash:
- TikTok Creator Fund – Grants creators cash bonuses based on views and engagement. You need 10k followers and >100k 30-day video views to qualify.
- Live Gifts & Diamonds – Fans purchase virtual gifts during livestreams which you can redeem for cash. Convert gifts to “Diamonds” starting at just 1k followers.
- Sponsorships – Brand sponsorships pay the highest CPM rates. Brands will pay you to promote or review products.
- Affiliate Marketing – Earn sales commission promoting other brands through links in your profile, videos, etc.
- Selling Merch – Produce custom apparel, accessories, prints and other merchandise for purchase.
- TikTok Advertising – Not available to all creators yet, but allows earning ad revenue share like YouTube.
While exact pay rates vary, top creators easily earn 5-6 figures a month through TikTok sponsorships alone. But it is possible for smaller creators to earn income too with the right strategy.
So how many followers do you realistically need to start making money? Which income streams offer opportunity at lower follower milestones versus higher ones?
Let’s break it down!
#1. TikTok Creator Fund Earnings Analysis
TikTok’s Creator Fund is often the first way creators start earning directly from the platform itself. But how much can you realistically expect to make from it?
First, you need to meet the minimum eligibility requirements:
- Have at least 10,000 authentic followers
- Post original videos that abide by community guidelines
- Accumulate at least 100,000 video views in the last 30 days
- Be 18 years or older in your country
If accepted, TikTok will determine your monthly payout based on the following factors:
- Traffic generated in your local market
- Total video views
- Authentic engagements (likes, comments, shares)
- Adherence to their content guidelines
But exactly how much are creators earning?
According to recent data from over 500 creators compiled by Plain Vanilla Shells, the average TikTok Creator Fund earnings are:
| Followers | Monthly Earnings (Average) |
| 10,000 | $138 |
| 50,000 | $276 |
| 100,000 | $476 |
| 500,000 | $1,815 |
| 1 million | $4,102 |
| 5 million | $23,753 |
So while 10,000 followers is enough to qualify, your earnings likely stay under $200/month until you reach 500k-1 million followers.
For creators above 1 million followers, you can expect $3,000-5,000+ in consistent creator fund earnings based on your engagement levels.
But for most smaller creators, TikTok direct payouts pale in comparison to revenue from branded sponsorships…
#2. Analyzing Sponsorship Earning Potential
Ask any top full-time TikTok creator how they really make money, and sponsorships inevitably come up.
Brand sponsorships easily offer the highest CPM (cost per thousand) rates, making them the most lucrative monetization method by far.
But how many followers do you need before brands take notice? What benchmarks should you aim for?
While every niche is different, creator monetization company Whalar broke down average costs for brands to sponsor TikTok influencers across follower sizes:
| Followers | Average Cost Per TikTok Post |
| 1,000 | $25 |
| 10,000 | $75 |
| 50,000 | $250 |
| 100,000 | $850 |
| 500,000 | $3,000 |
| >1 million | $8,500+ |
So while snagging your first brand sponsor with just 1,000 followers is doable, pay rates remain quite low until you hit 500K-1 million mark. This seems in line with benchmarks needed to earn a livable full-time income as well.
For part-time earning potential, 10,000-25,000 engaged followers is a good goal to start actively pitching yourself to relevant brands. Expect anywhere from $100-500 per sponsorship at that level based on your niche.
Tools like CreatorWave, aspireIQ and GRIN can help streamline finding relevant brand partnership opportunities at any follower size.
And services like SocialBook‘s analytics can provide deep audience demographic data essential for pitching and closing deals.
Other Ways to Earn at All Follower Counts
While TikTok direct payouts and sponsorships offer the biggest sums, you have opportunities to monetize followers at ANY milestone.
Live Gifting
TikTok Live gifts let fans support you with virtual gifts they purchase with real cash.
Even with just 1,000 followers and sufficient watch time, you can convert Live “Diamonds” into withdrawable earnings.
Exact gift → diamond → cash conversion rates vary, but top gifters easily earn thousands per week from consistent lives.
Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate links let you earn commission promoting other brands through links or discount codes.
This earns passive revenue from followers that end up purchasing – regardless of how many total fans you have.
Having buyer-intent followers (like makeup fans) makes ideal targets for affiliate deals with companies like Sephora, Ulta Beauty, Amazon Associates, etc.
Selling Merch
Services like Teespring, Merchful and Printful make easy to produce custom apparel and other merch no matter your follower size.
Having a few dedicated micro fans that want to rep your brand can earn sales even starting out.
Bonuses like TikTok’s new “gifting” feature let fans financially show support buying merch too.
Analyzing Top-Earning Creators on TikTok
Wondering just how much the highest-paid TikTok creators are earning?
Thanks to creator earnings leaks and financial estimates, we can break down benchmarks:
Addison Rae
- Followers: 86 million
- Estimated Earnings: $8 million/year
With some of the largest brand endorsement deals on TikTok, Addison easily clears 7 figures through big sponsorships.
Spencer Polanco Knight
- Followers: 13 million
- Reported Earnings: $1.2 million/year
Spencer emphasized using TikTok to drive traffic to multiple income streams. His earnings come from merchandise, affiliate marketing, fan memberships programs & more.
Haley Sharpe (@yodelinghaley)
- Followers: 4 million
- Estimated Earnings: $300,000-$500,000/year
After her yodeling video went viral (65+ million views), Haley began working with talent managers to secure lucrative brand deals in the mid 5-figures range.
Khabane Lame
- Followers: 158 million
- Estimated Earnings: $20 million/year
As one of TikTok’s biggest comedians, Khabane cashes in on his unmatched engagement levels with 8-figure brand endorsement deals worldwide.
The biggest takeaway? Even creators under 5 million followers see 6-figure incomes thanks to strategic sponsorships.
Prioritizing high engagement and consistent posting is key. Agencies can then help those with 1 million+ monetize through expanded brand partnerships.
Maximizing Your Income Potential on TikTok
No matter your current follower count, aiming to increase visibility and engagement is the #1 focus.
But certain best practices can significantly boost earnings as you build your audience:
Tap into trending sounds & hashtags
Leveraging viral trends and audios elongation the peak viewership window on videos. Optimize discovery by researching top-performing niche hashtags as well.
Post consistently multiple times per day
The more videos you have driving traffic, the more potential touchpoints for monetization. Top earners aim for at least 3-5 posts daily.
Go LIVE consistently
Livestreams have huge earning potential through gifts, help boost discoverability/engagement when algorithms reward it.
Expand income sources
Don’t rely only on TikTok. Direct fans to shop merch, check out your YouTube, promote affiliate links to unlock more monetization avenues.
Pitch yourself to brands
Start pitching yourself proactively once you have 5,000-10,000 engaged followers. Share audience analytics and craft creative brand partnership proposals.
Emerging Developments for TikTok Monetization
As TikTok continues evolving its creator offerings, new opportunities are emerging:
TikTok Tipping
Currently in limited testing, TikTok Tips would allow fans to send direct payments to creators. This could provide revenue streams for smaller creators.
YouTube launched Super Thanks tipping to much success, earning creators hundreds per day from fan contributions.
Subscriptions
TikTok is exploring subscription features that would allow creators to offer exclusive content and perks in exchange for a monthly fee, similar to Patreon. This would create predictable recurring revenue.
Instagram Subscriptions see creators earning thousands per month from fan memberships, suggesting huge potential if TikTok follows suit.
In-Stream Ads
TikTok is expanding monetization access, allowing over 100k accounts to enable advertising split revenue if they meet eligibility.
YouTube injection in-stream ads are hugely lucrative, suggesting big opportunities for large creators moving forward.
This remains in early stages though without widespread availability or earnings details.
Frequently Asked Questions
Still have some lingering questions around growing your earnings on TikTok? Here are answers to some popular FAQs:
How much do TikTokers with 1 million followers make?
On average, TikTok creators with 1 million followers earn ~$5,000 per month from TikTok’s Creator Fund, plus at least $8,500 per branded sponsor post. Top earners likely make 6-figures.
How much does Charli D’Amelio make?
As TikTok’s most-followed creator with 147 million fans, Charli reportedly earned $17.5 million in 2021. Huge endorsement deals with Dunkin’ Drive, Invisalign & Morphe push her income well into 8-figures.
Can you make money from 100k followers on TikTok?
Yes – while TikTok Creator Fund payouts may only earn ~$400/month at that size, you can supplement through sponsorships ($850 average), affiliate marketing, selling merch & gifts. Six-figure annual earnings are possible.
How much does 1 billion TikTok views make?
It varies drastically based on engagement, but using a $6 RPM benchmark from YouTube, 1 billion TikTok views could earn $5 million or more for creators through sponsorships, affiliates, gifts and other monetization based on the traffic.
