How Many Followers Do You Need on TikTok To Get Paid?

If you’re a creator, you may be wondering how many followers on TikTok to get paid as a creator. We’ve all seen stories of people making a ton of money on the platform:

You, too, can get paid for posting on TikTok. Creators can be paid on the platform from TikTok directly, but you can also use your following to earn money outside of the platform.

How Many Followers on TikTok To Get Paid?

TikTok has multiple avenues to help creators make money and to share revenue with creators. You’ll find that programs change often, and there’s always some new fund that’s been created to help you turn your following into profits.

With that in mind, each program and fund will have its own requirements (they can change at any time).

Follower Requirements For TikTok’s Creator Fund

Creator Fund was launched in 2020 with a $1 billion commitment from the company for three years. The commitment allowed creators to earn money from their videos, but it was met with a mixed reception:

Creators from only a handful of countries are eligible for the Fund: France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United States and the United Kingdom.

Minimum requirements for the Fund include:

Follower Requirements For TikTok’s Creativity Program

The Creativity Program is in Beta, so there are strict restrictions in place to join. You’ll find the most recent requirements right on TikTok (read them here), but at the time of writing this article, it’s the same as the Creator Fund:

Anyone who was in the Creator fund can switch to this program without issues. Since the Creator fund was only funded for three years, the Creativity Program will replace it. You’ll still need to be 18+ years old to apply and must have an account in good standing.

If you meet these requirements and have amassed a large following and meet the video view counts, you’ll have the opportunity to make money.

Unfortunately, the program is only available in a select few countries at the moment:

Follower Requirements For TikTok Pulse (Ad-Revenue Sharing)

Pulse allows you to get paid through ad revenue. Your small moments inspire others and keep people on the app. You can be paid for this engagement, and it allows advertisers to integrate their ads next to content on the For Your Feed page.

Approved creators can earn as much as 50% of the ad revenue.

To be eligible for Pulse, you’ll need to have 100,000 or more followers.

Follower Requirements For TikTok Subscriptions

TikTok LIVE Subscription continues to add new ways to begin monetizing your audience. Unfortunately, the program is available only to invite-only creators. However, the platform plans to roll it out to everyone.

You’ll need to have a minimum of 1,000 followers to access the feature itself.

Brands and creators will be able to monetize their accounts with:

Follower Requirements For TikTok Series

Series is a newer way to monetize your TikTok and allows you to create a series of content that you can:

Imagine being a creator who is a master of makeup. You have a massive following and your audience is hooked when you share makeup tutorials. Series will allow you to create a series of videos that you can sell on how to:

Eligibility for Series doesn’t even require you to have a certain follower count. Instead, you need to be 18+, your account must be 30 or more days old, and it needs to be a public, personal account.

You must post all original content, too. Pricing can be between $0.99 – $189.99 USD, so you can make some serious cash through the platform. However, your content will need to go through both a Music and Safety review to ensure that it’s 100% eligible to be sold.

Follower Requirements For Video Gifts

Video gifting is another way to make money, and it works by users sending you Diamonds. You can access this feature by doing the following:

Gifts are only available on videos that have the Gift icon next to them. Certain video types are not eligible for this feature, such as Duets, Stitches, Sponsored Posts and a few others.

Requirements for Video Gifts do make it more challenging for new creators and include:

Follower Requirements For LIVE Gifting

If you enjoy doing livestreams, you may be able to make money on TikTok through LIVE Gifting. If you activate the LIVE Gifts feature, viewers will have the option of sending you gifts whenever you go LIVE.

You can also collect Diamonds if you have this feature active. TikTok gives Diamonds rewards to users who go LIVE if their content meets certain quality and popularity criteria. 

If you have an account with an approved payment provider that’s connected to your TikTok account, you may be able to convert Diamonds to cash. 

A single Diamond is equivalent to about five cents.

Follower Requirements For Creator Marketplace

If you’re a creator who wants to connect with brands, the TikTok Creator Marketplace may be a great option for you. The TikTok Creator Marketplace platform allows creators to get paid via rewards and paid based campaigns.

Participating in the marketplace gives you the opportunity to connect with brand and sponsorship opportunities as well as get official support and tools from TikTok.

TikTok doesn’t specify how many followers you need to join the marketplace, but third-party sources claim you need at least 10,000 followers and to have posted at least 3 videos within the last 28 days.

According to TikTok, eligibility requirements are based on factors like:

You may be invited to join or apply if you meet the requirements. Business accounts are ineligible for the marketplace.

Once you apply, your application will be reviewed. Once a decision is made, you will be notified. If you’re not approved, you can reapply again in 30 days.

Follower Requirements For “Tips”

Another way to make money on TikTok is through “tips.” If users like what you’re doing, they can send you tips. You get rewarded for creating great content, and users can support you directly. 

To receive tips, you must meet the following requirements:

Earning Money with Effect Creator Rewards

TikTok also offers the Effect Creator Rewards program, which allows top creators to collect rewards for creating engaging TikTok on Effect House.

Rewards are based on the Effect’s engagement within the first 90 days of publishing. If you create an Effect that gets at least 500K authentic and unique video publishes within that time period, creators earn $700.

For each additional 100K published in the first 90 days, creators earn an additional $140.

The maximum payout for a single Effect is $14,000. The maximum payout you can collect in a single month through this program is $50K.

The program is open to any Effect House creator who:

Keep in mind that your eligibility will be based on your location when you first created your TikTok account. The Effect Creator Rewards program is still in its early stages, so the platform plans to expand eligible locations in the future.

If you enjoy creating Effects for TikTok, this program is a great way to expand your earnings through this social media platform. 

Can You Get Paid on TikTok with Any Follower Count?

Potentially. On the TikTok app, you need to have at least 1,000 followers to get paid through virtual gifts and livestreaming subscriptions.  

To get paid through the TikTok creator fund and other programs on the platform, you need a lot more followers.

But it may be possible to still get paid even if you only have a small following. 

How? 

Through partnerships with brands and marketers. 

Symphony Clarke has 200,000 fans on her account and reports that she charges $350 – $650 for a sponsored post. Brands are more than willing to pay for her posts due to her high engagement rate.

In 2022, Lillian Zhang had a little over 20,000 followers. At the time, she was charging $1,050 per video and an additional $400 if brands wanted to repurpose the video on Instagram.

Summing Up

TikTok offers many avenues for users to make money on their platform. They reward creators for putting out great content, which is why they remain one of the top social media apps on the planet. 

If you’ve built up a large following on TikTok, you can earn money through any number of programs the company offers, and you can also earn money via brands sponsorships.