Blog
Start free trial
Educational articles, TikTok articles, Monetization articles

TikTok monetization 2025: Your complete guide

Want to know how to monetize TikTok in 2025? Read up on the requirements, eligible countries, rates, and more in our guide.

Epidemic Sound

• 10 min read
Woman with cucumber slices over her eyes

TikTok monetization’s been a hot-button topic for a few years now, and it shows no signs of slowing down. So, how do you make money on TikTok in 2025, how does the criteria shape up, and how much can you‌ earn?

We’ll cover all of that and more today, including: 

How do you monetize TikTok content?

TikTok previously toyed with monetization programs like the Creator Fund and Creator Next, the latter of which only required 1,000 followers to join. As of 2024, the platform has a shiny, updated monetization hub: the Creator Rewards Program. 

This isn’t the only way to monetize TikTok content in 2025 — you can earn revenue through subscriptions, gifts, challenges, TikTok LIVE, and more. We’ll cover all of those later, but for now, let’s concentrate on the Creator Rewards Program. 

The Creator Rewards Program lets you monetize TikTok content that’s over one minute long, provided it’s not a Duet, Stitch, shot in Photo Mode, or part of an advertising/sponsorship campaign. Each eligible video should be high-quality, original, and have at least 1,000 views from the For You feed. 

According to Epidemic Sound’s own research, TikTok is the second-best social media platform for generating income. If you need some inspiration while you’re plotting your next money-spinner, check out our catalog below. 

What are the TikTok monetization requirements for the Creator Rewards Program?

TikTok monetization eligibility varies pretty wildly depending on which method you’d like to pursue. Here’s everything you’ll need to check off to access the Creator Rewards Program:

  • At least 10,000 followers and 100,000 video views over the past 30 days
  • Create top-quality, original content that’s at least one minute long, as mentioned above 
  • Follow TikTok’s Community Guidelines and Terms of Service
  • Be at least 18 years old
  • Have a Personal TikTok account — Business accounts, or accounts associated with political or government bodies, won’t be able to use Creator Rewards
  • Run a TikTok account that’s registered and based in a Creator Rewards-eligible country

If you meet the criteria, you can apply for Creator Rewards manually — there is no TikTok monetization checker or reminder. Select “TikTok Studio” from your profile’s menu, then hit “Creator Rewards Program.” Apply, and you should hear back within three days. 

Holding an old camera

Which countries are eligible for TikTok monetization with Creator Rewards?

Not all locations are included in the TikTok Creator Rewards Program. At the moment, it’s limited to seven countries. They are:

  • United Kingdom
  • United States
  • Germany
  • France
  • Japan
  • South Korea
  • Brazil

If your Personal TikTok account isn’t registered in one of the above countries, you won’t be able to access Creator Rewards. Hopefully, more countries will join the program in the future. 

Does TikTok pay for likes or views?

The TikTok Creator Rewards Program pays based on four unique performance statistics for each qualifying video. Let’s dig into those key factors: originality, play duration, engagement, and search value. 

Painting toenails

1. Originality

What makes the video pop? How does it stand out from the crowd? Even if you’ve created content based on a TikTok trend, can you give it an angle that makes it unique?

“Original” content must be wholly original, which is why Duets and Stitches aren’t monetizable with Creator Rewards. To excel here, the video must be created and owned entirely by you. 

2. Play duration

A user has to watch at least five seconds of your minute-plus video to rack up a view. Finish rate also plays a part here — the more of your video they watch, the higher the earning potential. It’s worth noting that multiple views from the same account only count as one unique view, though. 

3. Engagement

Likes, shares, comments — it’s all fuel for the fire. If your video receives low engagement, TikTok probably thinks that your content doesn’t grab people the same way that other, high-earning clips do.

4. Search value

Does your content tap into the latest trends? Is it TikTok SEO-compliant — how can you get eyeballs on your work without being too spammy or clickbaity? 

Based on these factors, the TikTok Creator Rewards Program will allocate a bespoke payment. Extra rewards are also considered for specialized, niche content, and videos with high production values. 

Displaying a tiny little camera

How much money does TikTok pay?

TikTok’s payment-per-view figures have never been publicly disclosed, so it’s not as easy as saying “1,000 views = $X.” However, the platform has confirmed that payouts are based on qualified views and RPM, which is the average gross revenue per 1,000 views. Your RPM is based on the four factors we mentioned above. 

Back in the days of the TikTok Creator Fund, the going rate was anywhere between 2 and 4 cents for every 1,000 views. The platform claims that the Creator Rewards Program offers up to 20 times more than the Creator Fund. 

By those estimations, 1,000 qualifying views could make anywhere between 40 and 80 cents. But these numbers aren’t verified, and will likely vary from person to person.

65% of TikTok users prefer content from brands that use original sounds. Grab yourself a slice of that below.

How else can you make money on TikTok?

While the TikTok Creator Rewards Program is the more traditional-sounding route, there are a bunch of other monetization options scattered across the platform. They are:

TikTok LIVE

TikTok LIVE delivers your content directly to viewers, in real time. You need 1,000 followers to access this feature, making it more achievable than Creator Rewards. 

The main way to earn money with TikTok Live is via the handily-titled LIVE Gifts. Viewers buy and send virtual gifts to their favorite creators, which are converted into “Diamonds” based on the stream’s popularity. These Diamonds can then be exchanged for real currency.

Using a toaster as a film reel

TikTok Subscriptions

TikTok Subscriptions offer viewers a look behind the curtain. Once they sign up for a fixed monthly fee, they can access exclusive badges, extra video content, private chatrooms, subscriber-only streams, and more. 

To unlock subscriptions, you’ll need 10,000 followers and at least 100,000 video views in the last 30 days. Excluding any processing fees, all subscriber money is split 50/50 between you and TikTok. 

TikTok Shop

If you have physical products to peddle, why not make TikToks to show them off? TikTok Shop allows just that, hosting a video-first, in-app storefront. Whether your content is pre-recorded or live, whether you’re a brand or solo creator, you can sell to a captive audience directly through TikTok. 

There’s no follower threshold for creators to start selling on TikTok Shop, but you do need to go through all of the ID checks you’d expect with an ecommerce platform. If you run a Marketing or Affiliate account, you’ll need at least 5,000 followers.

TikTok Creator Marketplace

The TikTok Creator Marketplace is a hub through which brands and creators collaborate. TikTok creators with more than 10,000 followers, at least 1,000 post views in the past month, and at least three published posts within said period are eligible. 

Once you’re in, brands can connect with you and offer both paid and reward-based campaigns. 

CD player

Branded Missions

Branded Missions allow advertisers to crowdsource user-generated content for their campaigns. While this opportunity lives in the Creator Marketplace, users with fewer than 10,000 followers can still access Missions through hashtags, links, and inbox notifications. 

If your user-generated content is selected for a campaign, you’ll receive a payout in line with the specific Branded Mission’s brief. To qualify, you’ll need at least 1,000 followers and three videos posted within the last month, with 1,000 video views during that time span.

TikTok Effect Creator Rewards

Augmented reality is a big deal on TikTok — how many hours have you spent swapping a dog’s face with your own? These “face-altering” effects and filters are a massive part of the fun, and since 2022, creators have been able to design, publish, and share their AR effects through TikTok Effect House.

With Effect Creator Rewards, your effects will generate income based on engagement levels. To qualify, you need to publish a minimum of five effects, of which three must have been used in at least 1,000 videos.

Arranging objects on a table

Should you partner with a brand to make money on TikTok?

Year after year, brands are giving TikTok more space in their marketing budgets, but smaller creators may struggle to muscle in. You can still access the TikTok Creator Marketplace and test the waters there, but you have to wait for the brands to come to you. 

For this reason, creators will often sign partnerships outside of TikTok. Sometimes, they luck out and it falls into their laps: a brand notices them, gets in touch, and offers them a deal.

If you’re a smaller creator, it’s worth seeking out brands you want to work with — companies that chime with you and reflect your values. This is important for two reasons.

1. The first is that you need to feel comfortable with the partnership for it to be a success. There’s little point doing something if you fundamentally disagree with your partner’s ethics. 

2. The second is that your audience will see through a deal that’s just done for the money. For example, a vegan influencer probably couldn’t get away with a sponsored post for an oil company. Partnerships work best when they’re seen as genuine extensions of your personal brand.

Woman’s hand on a clock

You can use websites like Templatelab to create free, high-quality press kits to send to brands. Let them know you’re serious! 

With that in mind, you could always create a few non-sponsored posts on your TikTok where you just…talk about the brand you have in mind. Hype it up. Tell people where you got a product, why you bought it, and what makes it so special. User-generated content like this shows brands you have what it takes to communicate their values, products, and services. 

And remember: use the “Branded Content” toggle if you’re actually creating sponsored, paid-for content. That way, you can be transparent with your viewers and ensure your video doesn’t get removed for breaking the rules. 

Affiliate marketing provides you with a unique purchase link to share with your followers. Once clicked, the link takes users to a page where they can buy something. You’ll earn money every time they complete an action — usually a purchase — via your affiliate link.

Most affiliate links leave cookies, meaning that the user’s activity can be tracked beyond that initial session. Affiliate links are often used as part of brand partnerships, but some marketplaces, like Amazon, open them up to a wider applicant pool. 

Can you make money on TikTok with ads?

You can make money on TikTok with a revenue-share tool called TikTok Pulse, which splits earnings 50/50 between advertisers and creators. But there’s a catch — your video must be among the top 4% of all the videos on TikTok, and you need at least 100,000 followers.

Old-school video camera

Now that you know what the TikTok monetization requirements are, what the different methods look like, and how much you could earn, it’s time to get busy. 

And if you need music for your pro-level, monetized content, we’ve got you covered. Whether you’re slicing up twenty-second snippets for TikTok or building an epic podcast empire, Epidemic Sound’s got you covered. 

Our catalog is high-quality, affordable, and safe. Our subscriptions go beyond royalty-free music, removing the headache of licensing and freeing you up to do what you do best. 

You can enjoy the safety of our license hand-in-hand with our massive catalog of 50,000 tracks, covering just about every genre you can think of. You’ll also gain unlimited access to our advanced search functions — finding the right sound’s never been easier.

It’s better than royalty-free. It’s worry-free. Get started with Epidemic Sound below.

Related posts: