Who is making money on TikTok today?

This article has been written by our TikTok expert who will tell you what are the most efficient strategies in your niche

Calculate your TikTok
Creator Reward Earnings

Use our free tool and get a very accurate result.

CALCULATE

How much money do top TikTok creators make per month, and how many followers do they usually have?

Top TikTok creators with 20-50 million followers generate $10-15 million annually across all platforms, translating to hundreds of thousands to over a million dollars monthly.

These creators typically maintain follower counts between 20-100 million and earn through multiple channels beyond TikTok. Charli D'Amelio, for example, leveraged her 150+ million TikTok followers into multimillion-dollar deals with brands like Dunkin' and her own product lines.

The highest earners don't rely solely on TikTok's built-in monetization. Instead, they use the platform as a traffic driver for external revenue streams including merchandise, courses, speaking engagements, and equity partnerships with major brands. Many top creators also command appearance fees of $100,000+ for events and can charge premium rates for sponsored content due to their massive reach and engagement rates.

Most creators earning seven figures monthly have diversified beyond TikTok to YouTube, Instagram, and their own businesses. The platform serves as their primary audience acquisition tool rather than their main revenue source.

How much does a micro-influencer with 10K to 100K followers typically earn per post or per month?

Micro-influencers with 10K-100K followers earn $60-200 per sponsored post, with monthly incomes ranging from $200-1,000+ depending on their posting frequency and monetization mix.

The earning potential varies significantly by niche. Beauty and fashion micro-influencers often command higher rates due to strong purchasing intent from their audiences, while entertainment creators may earn less per post but can post more frequently. Creators focusing on product reviews and tutorials typically see the highest conversion rates for affiliate partnerships.

Most successful micro-influencers combine multiple revenue streams rather than relying solely on sponsored posts. They typically earn 30-40% from brand deals, 25-35% from affiliate marketing, 20-30% from TikTok's Creativity Program, and 10-15% from direct product sales or services.

The key advantage micro-influencers have is higher engagement rates compared to mega-influencers. Their audiences are often more targeted and trust their recommendations more, leading to better conversion rates for brands and higher long-term earning potential.

What are the different ways people are making money on TikTok today?

TikTok creators monetize through six primary revenue streams, with the most successful creators combining multiple approaches to maximize earnings.

Brand partnerships and sponsored content remain the highest-earning opportunity, especially for creators with engaged audiences in profitable niches like beauty, tech, and finance. The TikTok Creativity Program has replaced the old Creator Fund and pays significantly more for longer-form content.

Live gifts allow real-time monetization during broadcasts, while TikTok Shop integration enables direct product sales with commission rates between 5-20%. Affiliate marketing through external platforms can generate substantial passive income, particularly for creators who build trust with their audiences through consistent, valuable content.

If you're struggling to identify what content works in your niche, we can help you figure it out.

Many creators also monetize through services like coaching, consulting, or course creation, using TikTok as a lead generation tool for higher-ticket offerings.

How much does TikTok pay through the Creator Fund or Creativity Program, and how many views are needed to earn $100?

The Creativity Program pays $0.50-1.50 per 1,000 qualified views, requiring approximately 67,000-200,000 views to earn $100, while the old Creator Fund only paid $0.02-0.04 per 1,000 views.

Program	Pay Rate	Views for $100	Requirements
Creator Fund (Old)	$0.02-$0.04 per 1K views	2.5-5 million views	10K+ followers, 18+
Creativity Program	$0.50-$1.50 per 1K views	67K-200K views	10K+ followers, videos 1+ min
High-performing niches	Up to $2.00 per 1K views	50K views	Finance, tech, education content
Standard content	$0.50-$0.80 per 1K views	125K-200K views	Entertainment, lifestyle content
International creators	$0.30-$0.60 per 1K views	167K-333K views	Varies by country/region
Peak performance	$1.20-$1.50 per 1K views	67K-83K views	Consistent viral content
New creators	$0.40-$0.70 per 1K views	143K-250K views	Building algorithm trust

The Creativity Program significantly favors longer-form content over 1 minute, pushing creators toward more substantial videos rather than quick clips. Creators report higher earnings when their videos maintain high watch time and engagement rates throughout the entire duration.

How much can someone realistically make per month with affiliate links, and how many views or clicks does that usually take?

Realistic affiliate earnings range from $50-500 monthly for new creators with 10K-100K followers, requiring 25,000-100,000+ link clicks depending on conversion rates and commission structures.

The math works like this: for a $20 product with 10% commission, you need 500 sales to make $1,000. With typical conversion rates of 0.5-2%, this requires 25,000-100,000 link clicks, which often means hundreds of thousands to millions of video views depending on your call-to-action effectiveness.

Success heavily depends on audience trust and product alignment. Beauty creators promoting skincare products often see 3-5% conversion rates, while tech reviewers might achieve 1-2% for higher-ticket items. The key is building genuine relationships with your audience rather than pushing every trending product.

Top affiliate performers focus on products they actually use and create authentic reviews or tutorials. They typically earn 60-80% of their affiliate income from 3-5 core products rather than promoting dozens of items sporadically.

How long does it take for most people to get their first 10,000 followers, and what kind of posting schedule does that require?

Most creators reach 10,000 followers within 1-6 months with consistent daily posting, though viral breakthroughs can accelerate this timeline dramatically.

Successful creators typically post 1-3 times daily and maintain this schedule for at least 90 days before seeing significant growth. The algorithm rewards consistency more than sporadic viral hits, so creators who post daily for 3 months generally outperform those who post randomly, even if individual videos perform better.

The fastest growth comes from creators who identify trending sounds early, adapt them to their niche, and post multiple variations while the trend is hot. Many successful creators spend 1-2 hours daily monitoring trending hashtags and sounds to stay ahead of the curve.

Not sure why your posts aren't converting? Let us take a look for you.

Quality matters more than quantity after the initial growth phase. Once creators hit 10K followers, they often reduce posting frequency to 1-2 times daily but focus on higher-production-value content that drives deeper engagement.

What kind of content formats perform best right now in terms of reach and monetization?

Educational tutorials and product demonstrations dominate both reach and monetization, with storytelling formats close behind for building long-term audience relationships.

The highest-earning formats combine entertainment with education. "Get Ready With Me" videos that subtly feature products, cooking tutorials with ingredient links, and tech reviews with affiliate partnerships consistently outperform pure entertainment content for monetization.

Longer-form content (1-3 minutes) is increasingly favored by the algorithm and essential for Creativity Program earnings. Creators are adapting by turning quick tips into mini-tutorials and expanding single concepts into series that keep viewers engaged longer.

Behind-the-scenes content and day-in-the-life vlogs build the personal connection that drives higher conversion rates for affiliate links and product recommendations. Audiences buy from creators they feel they know personally.

What niches are making the most money right now?

Beauty and personal care leads with $1.8+ billion in TikTok Shop GMV, followed by fashion, finance, and health/fitness for their high engagement rates and purchasing intent.

Niche	Revenue Potential	Key Monetization	Typical Conversion
Beauty/Skincare	$1,000-$10,000+/month	Affiliate, TikTok Shop, Sponsorships	3-8% on recommended products
Finance/Investing	$500-$5,000+/month	Course sales, Tool affiliates	1-3% for high-ticket items
Health/Fitness	$300-$3,000+/month	Supplement affiliates, Coaching	2-5% on supplements
Tech Reviews	$400-$4,000+/month	Electronics affiliates, Sponsorships	1-2% on expensive tech
Home/Lifestyle	$200-$2,000+/month	Home goods, Amazon affiliates	2-4% on home products
Food/Cooking	$300-$2,500+/month	Kitchen tools, Ingredient brands	3-6% on cooking tools
Parenting	$250-$2,000+/month	Baby products, Educational toys	4-7% on parenting products

E-learning and educational content is rapidly growing, especially for creators who package their expertise into courses or consulting services. These creators often use TikTok for lead generation rather than direct monetization, building email lists for higher-value offerings.

How many hours per week do full-time content creators typically work?

Full-time TikTok creators work 20-60+ hours weekly, with most averaging 35-45 hours across content creation, community management, and business development activities.

The workload breaks down roughly as: 40% content creation (filming, editing), 25% strategy and planning, 20% community engagement and responding to comments, and 15% business activities like negotiating deals and managing partnerships.

Successful creators batch their content production, often filming 5-10 videos in a single day and then spending the following days on editing, posting, and engagement. This approach allows for more consistent output while maintaining quality standards.

Many creators underestimate the business side of content creation. Managing brand relationships, tracking performance metrics, and staying on top of platform changes requires significant time investment beyond just creating videos.

What are some examples of people who started from scratch recently and are now making $1,000/month or more?

Recent success stories include creators who leveraged trending formats in profitable niches, with many reaching $1,000+ monthly within 3-12 months of starting.

Beauty creators who started tutorial accounts during 2024 have built followings of 50K-200K and now earn $1,000-5,000 monthly through product partnerships and affiliate links. Finance creators explaining investing basics have similarly grown from zero to substantial affiliate income from financial platforms and course sales.

The pattern among successful new creators is identifying an underserved angle within popular niches. Rather than competing directly with established creators, they find specific subtopics or unique perspectives that haven't been saturated yet.

If you feel like your content isn't getting enough engagement, we can help improve that.

Tech creators who focus on budget alternatives to expensive gadgets have built audiences quickly by serving price-conscious consumers, earning through affiliate partnerships with budget brands and alternative product recommendations.

What are the startup costs to create content at a quality level that attracts brands or builds an audience?

Quality TikTok content can be created with as little as $50-200 initial investment, primarily for basic lighting and audio equipment to enhance smartphone recording.

Essential startup equipment includes a smartphone with good camera quality, a ring light ($20-50), a tripod or phone mount ($15-30), and potentially an external microphone ($20-100) for better audio quality. Most successful creators start with these basics before investing in more expensive equipment.

The software costs are minimal since TikTok's built-in editing tools are sophisticated, and free alternatives like CapCut provide professional-level editing capabilities. Many creators never upgrade beyond free tools even after reaching significant follower counts.

The biggest investment is time rather than money. Learning the platform, understanding trending formats, and developing a consistent content style requires months of experimentation and iteration, but this learning process doesn't require financial investment.

What tools or systems are creators using to track income, manage brand deals, and scale their monetization efficiently?

Most creators use a combination of basic tracking tools and platform-specific analytics, with spreadsheets remaining the most common method for income tracking across multiple revenue streams.

For income tracking, creators typically use Google Sheets or Notion to monitor earnings from different sources, tax obligations, and performance metrics. QuickBooks or similar accounting software becomes necessary once monthly earnings exceed $2,000-3,000 consistently.

Brand deal management often starts with email and evolves to more sophisticated systems. Creators use Gmail filters and folders to organize partnership communications, while more established creators invest in CRM systems like AspireIQ or Upfluence to manage multiple brand relationships.

Don't know which format works best for your audience? We can help you test and optimize.

For content planning and scheduling, creators rely heavily on TikTok's built-in analytics, supplemented by third-party tools like Later or Hootsuite for cross-platform posting. Many successful creators also use Notion or Trello for content calendar management and campaign tracking.

Conclusion

Sources

1. Exploding Topics - TikTok Earning Stats
2. Small Business Trends - Influencer Earnings
3. Beehiiv - Digital Treasure Chest
4. Pew Research - TikTok Content Creators
5. Shopify - Make Money on TikTok
6. Descript - TikTok Payment Rates
7. TinyGrab - Creativity Program Pay
8. TikTok - Affiliate Marketer Income
9. Charm - TikTok Shop Categories
10. RecurPost - TikTok Content Types

Who is the author of this content?

NAPOLIFY

A team specialized in data-driven growth strategies for social media

We offer data-driven, battle-tested approach to growing online profiles, especially on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook. Unlike traditional agencies or consultants who often recycle generic advice,we go on the field and we keep analyzing real-world social content—breaking down hundreds of viral posts to identify what formats, hooks, and strategies actually drive engagement, conversions, and growth. If you'd like to learn more about us, you can check our website.

How this content was created 🔎📝

At Napolify, we analyze social media trends and viral content every day. Our team doesn't just observe from a distance—we're actively studying platform-specific patterns, breaking down viral posts, and maintaining a constantly updated database of trends, tactics, and strategies. This hands-on approach allows us to understand what actually drives engagement and growth.

These observations are originally based on what we've learned through analyzing hundreds of viral posts and real-world performance data. But it was not enough. To back them up, we also needed to rely on trusted resources and case studies from major brands.

We prioritize accuracy and authority. Trends lacking solid data or performance metrics were excluded.

Trustworthiness is central to our work. Every source and citation is clearly listed, ensuring transparency. A writing AI-powered tool was used solely to refine readability and engagement.

To make the information accessible, our team designed custom infographics that clarify key points. We hope you will like them! All illustrations and media were created in-house and added manually.