Is posting on TikTok really as lucrative as it seems? We’ve done the research: here’s what you need to know about earning money on TikTok in 2026.
Is posting on TikTok really as lucrative as it seems? We’ve done the research: here’s what you need to know about earning money on TikTok in 2026.
With the rise of digital content creators who earn a living from posting videos online, you might be considering getting in on the action. While it’s perfectly possible to make some solid cash as a social media influencer, there’s more to it than just creating good content.
TikTok creators have access to a range of programs and in-app monetization opportunities that each have their own eligibility requirements and earning potential.
We’ve rounded them up into one comprehensive guide that’ll help you figure out the best way to earn based on your performance, audience, and goals.
A common misconception when it comes to monetizing your TikTok content is that you’ll earn a direct, fixed income from every single view, regardless of other stats like your follower count and overall engagements. In reality, though, there are criteria that every creator must meet before they’re even eligible for a payout.
Currently, the only program that pays per view is the Creator Rewards Program, FKA the Creator Fund or Creativity Program Beta.
To access Creator Rewards, you must:
The Creator Rewards Program isn’t the only way to make a profit by posting to 2025’s fastest-growing social media platform, but it’s the only one where views directly translate into cash.
In the early days, the Creator Fund offered a notoriously low TikTok pay-per-view rate, ranging from just $0.02 to $0.04 per view. That’s why the Creator Rewards Program was introduced as its successor. Not only are guaranteed earnings higher, but other attributes like originality and search value are rewarded, and more countries are eligible to join.
So, let’s break it down into real terms: how much money can you expect to make from 10k, 100k, or even a million views as a Creator Rewards Program participant? While TikTok won’t guarantee a figure, many creators have been transparent about their activity on the platform, giving us a rough idea of average earnings per 1,000 views.
Because TikTok is a little hush-hush about its payout schemes, there’s no exact science to how much you’ll be paid. It’s possible that your income from TikTok’s Creator Rewards Program will differ greatly from other creators based on factors like location, total followers, niche, and overall engagements.
If you’re thinking of joining the Creator Rewards Programs, there are a handful of factors that could impact your earnings. While we can’t tell you exactly why or how (because TikTok doesn’t release this information), they’re important to keep in mind if you end up earning more or less than expected.
The Creator Rewards Program is just one of many ways users can make cash by showing up on TikTok. As a refresher, this pay-per-view program incentivizes high-quality content amongst those with over 10,000 followers and 100,000 monthly video views, offering a commission of sorts for every high-performing video based on total views.
Other money-making avenues in the app, such as Creator Marketplace and subscriptions, work differently. Let’s dig a little deeper into each option and its TikTok monetization requirements:
Though earning per-view income from your TikTok videos is a good place to start, if you want to see real, ongoing, cross-platform success as a creator, you need to diversify. There are two key reasons for this: firstly, TikTok income rarely equates to a full-time wage, and secondly, TikTok is just one channel.
When you rely on income made from posting to TikTok alone, you’re at the mercy of the platform, which we know from current events is volatile at best. If TikTok disappeared today and this was the only place you’d built a following, your revenue stream would plummet to zero overnight.
This highlights just how critical it is to build other income streams as a creator. Here are just a few of the most popular gigs that creators pair with their TikTok career:
When you blend one or more of these avenues with TikTok’s Creator Rewards Program, you’ve got the recipe for success, not just on TikTok, but as a creator with broad cross-platform reach.
If monetizing your social media following sounds daunting, it doesn’t have to be when you use Linktree. We’ve built a creator ecosystem that combines all the top ways to earn revenue online, from selling affiliate products to taking bookings for services.
When you earn with Linktree, you’ll have access to:
To join the Creator Rewards Program, Creator Marketplace, or create a content subscription, you’ll need to have accrued at least 100,000 views in the last 28 to 30 days. Other monetization streams like TikTok Shop and Gifts and Diamonds don’t have any video view requirements.
The amount of money you can make on TikTok now is much higher than it was just a year ago, but payouts through the Creator Reward Program still start at just $0.40 USD per 1,000 views. Big creators can make a solid chunk of change, but smaller creators must find other ways to supplement this income. There’s no real explanation as to why TikTok earnings are this low, but we can guess that it’s because the platform has to source this money from its own revenue streams (e.g., advertisers) rather than taking it directly from users.
As a general rule, no, viral videos themselves don’t make creators rich. What enables creators on platforms like TikTok to earn money are the other opportunities that come with viral or consistent success. While the per-view income creators can make from a single video is extremely limited, other avenues like brand deals, eCommerce businesses, and subscription models bring in significantly more revenue.
Yes, TikTok pays monthly through the Creator Rewards Program. At the end of each month, if you’ve made enough money (as there are minimum income thresholds), you’ll be able to cash out your earnings.
Monetizing via TikTok’s Creator Rewards Program and suite of other features is a fantastic option for creators who have built a following on this platform. Once you’ve accumulated at least 10,000 followers and 100,000 monthly video views, you’ll have access to start earning and turning your content into real cash.
There’s more to making money online than just TikTok views. Register for a free Linktree account today and leverage the power of your online audience with links to your Shop, services, affiliate products, and more.
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