The popularity and demand for entertainment on social media shouldn’t be underestimated. The spectacular rise of TikTok has once again shown us just how lucrative a social media platform can be. This app was released just a few years ago, but quickly reached the top of the app store charts. The “father” of the platform is a young entrepreneur Zhang Yiming, whose company ByteDance acquired Musical.ly in 2017. Originally, TikTok was designed for short, 15-second videos. By combining two apps (Musical.ly and ByteDance), a new version was launched, giving birth to TikTok as we all know it. Initially the broadcasting capability was limited to China, but now the app has opened this feature to other countries of the world.
Audience
As of December 2019, TikTok app had 1.5 billion downloads (according to Play Market and App Store reports, it has surpassed even the giants such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat). Every month people watch over 8 billion videos, the average daily engaged time among active users is 36 minutes. The average user logs into the app seven times a day. Roughly a third of TikTok’s user base can be described as stable and active. Users log in from 155 countries, with roughly half of the regular audience being young people from 16 to 24, with over 14 million adults. The gender distribution on TikTok is 60% female, 40% male.
What’s needed to build your TikTok account
One would be wrong to think that TikTok content creation required expensive tech. Even mediocre smartphones can be used to produce engaging, quality content that gets plenty of likes.
However, if you invest into:
- phone with a high quality camera;
- tripod;
- lighting;
you will get a great video that can get recommended and even trending!
How to make money on TikTok?
Original content is king. The app offers a wide range of tools for creating and uploading really good videos. You’ll find plenty of filters, stickers and other effects. Video editing features include all kinds of cropping, time stretching, cutting, and a lot of other options to help your videos turn into viral hits. There is also a lot of royalty-free music to choose from. The recommendation feed is tailored to your preferences, meaning the platform makes sure users only watch content they will find interesting.
TikTok doesn’t allow posting plain text, so the only way to connect with your audience is to create engaging videos. Many of the popular TikTok users have found excellent ways of monetizing their content using just that.
If you’re already popular on other social media, you can use TikTok to tap into its own special kind of audience that you haven’t been able to connect with before. The app has a much younger demographic. This can prove to be a great way of getting on top of the latest and hottest trends.
For instance, let’s say you already have a YouTube channel — in that case starting a TikTok will be a great way to boost your views and, in turn, your ad revenue. Lots of TikTokers also post on Instagram to further expand their reach and increase earnings.
As weird as it may seem, but TikTok is the place to become an international star. This is where potential sponsors seek out fresh talent. We’re not only talking about companies that can offer paid promotions. Below are the examples of how TikTok helped some users become a model or an Internet celebrity. One way or the other, don’t forget to put some contact information in your profile so sponsors have a place to send their business inquiries!
TikTok commands a younger audience that loves everything that makes them closer to their favourite creators, particularly, good merch. The option of selling t-shirts, hoodies and souvenirs as branded merch is open to those who have managed to gain a sizable audience.
Another type of content and a way to make money on TikTok is livestreaming. During the livestream users can pay to get their question seen, or simply donate money. This is the best option for those who haven’t yet attracted enough followers. Even a small livestream can get a donation or two, depending on the entertainment value and originality of the content.
Notable TikTokers
Sky Odin and Tami Tomo — a couple from Spain who post snippets of their life. Their followers get to enjoy giveaways, dancing and just generally fun videos. It may sound bizarre, but they have 13.5 million people watching their stream. Can you imagine how many sponsorship offers they get every day?
Before he began posting on TikTok, Joey Klaasen was only known as John Klaasen’s younger brother, who is a singer known from The X Factor, American Idol, and Boy Band TV shows. Joey became seen as soon as he began working on his TikTok account. He now boasts 12 million followers, multiple music deals and advertisement agency partnerships.
An Indian comedian Suraj Pal Singh is a real star on TikTok. He commands a following of 14 million people. His content mainly consists of comedy bits that TikTok users find hilarious. Sometimes he does collaborations with his sister Yashi Tank, who, by the way, has over 7 million followers herself.
Avani Gregg is one of the few teenagers who rose to elite status on TikTok in 2020 due to the launch of Hype House. This is a group of talented individuals who collaborate with each other. In addition to dancing videos, the 17-year-old also does makeup tutorials.
An ex-Vine creator and family man Jason Coffee features his three kids — Peyton, Isaac and Caleb — in funny videos for the whole Internet to see. His self-titled account name comes from his time as a barista at Starbucks. Their comedy sketches have gained some 17 million followers.
From the examples we can see that you don’t have to start out famous to become popular and make money on TikTok. It’s quite the opposite: TikTok makes the most regular of people world-famous.
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