Is the TikTok Creator Fund Worth It? Your Top Questions Answered

The Creator ecosystem is evolving, and brands have adjusted their ad strategies in order to prioritize winning with great content. Marketers must plan for entertainment-driven social strategies, and creators are at the heart of social entertainment. Creators have turned entertainment into their full-time careers, and partnering with them on content is growing in importance.

In order to help you deepen your understanding of how creator marketing works, particularly how they are able to monetize their content, we’ve put together an exhaustive explainer of the TikTok Creator Fund. To learn more about the importance of partnering with creators, read our guide to creator marketing and the evolution of influencers.

What is the TikTok Creator Fund?

Many TikTok creators have made entertainment into their full-time careers, and in doing so have tapped into a number of ways to monetize their content, including brand partnerships, sponsored posts, and merchandise. One source of revenue that comes directly from the source is the TikTok Creator Fund.

The TikTok Creator Fund is a designated fund from the platform that rewards creators for views and engagement. Once a creator becomes eligible for the fund, they will see their balance grow monthly, and after hitting a minimum balance of $10 they are able to withdraw their Creator Fund to Paypal or Zelle.

The Creator Fund fills an important role for creators who earn incredibly high engagement and spend a lot of time on TikTok. However, most of the top TikTokers do not depend on the fund alone––it is common for TikTokers to have multiple revenue streams, with brands playing an even bigger role.

How Does the TikTok Creator Fund Work? 

While there is some vagueness in exactly how the creator fund works, there are a couple of things to note. TikTok compensates users who are a part of the fund on a monthly basis using three important factors:

Content Engagement Rate: How engaged your content is keeping users.

Number of Views: The number of views your videos get per month. 

Authenticity of Views: How genuine and unique the views your videos are getting are. 

This means, TikTok is wanting to reward those who are creating engaging content, that real people love. The funds an individual is paid are calculated monthly based on the prior 30 days of activity like views and engagement. While there is no maximum payment, the minimum amount a TikTok Creator Fund user will receive is $10. When the correct funds are calculated, they are transferred from your TikTok account, straight into your digital wallet.

How to Join the TikTok Creator Fund

Creators are not able to monetize their TikTok content straight away. They need to have earned a solid following and get enough video views in a certain period of time in order to be eligible. The specific requirements for how to apply for the TikTok Creator Fund are as follows:

• Are based in the US, UK, France, Germany, Spain or Italy
• Are at least 18 years old
• Have at least 10,000 followers
• Have at least 100,000 video views in the last 30 days
• Have an account that fits with the TikTok Community Guidelines and terms of service

Creators that fit the above requirements are able to apply within the TikTok app by opening their account settings, selecting “Creator tools,” and then “TikTok Creator Fund.”

How Much Does the TikTok Creator Fund Pay?

TikTok does not reveal how much creators get paid, and the number depends on how much content is being published on any given day.

There is no limit to how much a creator can earn.

While the biggest TikTok stars may be able to earn a living from the fund alone, most TikTokers use the Creator Fund as supplemental income. This means that there is still a strong appetite for brand partnerships.

Is the TikTok Creator Fund Worth It?

While it’s a wish that this could be answered with a yes or a no, it’s not that simple. If you’re looking to make large sums of money, this is likely not the place that will happen. But if you meet the requirements, the Creator Fund is quite a low-risk endeavor to try out. It can also be leveraged and paired with any of your other monetization efforts on TikTok to see the full impact. Just remember, in order to get the most out of the Creator Fund, it’s important to have an arsenal of engaging, high-performing content ready to go if you want to see numbers.

FAQs

How much are the creator funds on TikTok?

TikTok dedicated at least $200 million to the Creator Fund in order to reward creators for top-performing content.

How do I get TikTok creator funds?

In order to start earning TikTok creator funds, you can apply within your account settings by selecting “Creator tools,” and then “TikTok Creator Fund.”

Can you make money on TikTok without Creator Fund?

Yes. The easiest way to make money without the creator fund on TikTok is through partnerships. By participating in partnerships, the income you are receiving is completely separate from TikTok itself. 

Does the Creator Fund lower your views?

While some users claim the creator fund on TikTok has lessened or hurt their views, this is not the case. The creator fund has no impact on account or video performance, and if users are seeing a difference, it is likely due to in-app fluctuations of the algorithm.