Following the recent rollout of the Creativity Program Beta, TikTok has announced yet another new monetization tool for creators: the Effect Creator Rewards. As its name suggests, TikTok’s latest initiative is all about encouraging creators to develop innovative, viral-worthy AR (augmented reality) effects and filters.
But how exactly can creators benefit from this rewards program? And how much money can they expect to make from it?
Below, we break down everything you need to know about the TikTok Effect Creator Rewards.
What is TikTok’s Effect Creator Rewards?
TikTok’s Effect Creator Rewards is a fund that will pay the creators behind TikTok’s top-performing effects. If you’ve ever used TikTok’s Effect House tools to create and publish special effects for your fellow creators, then this is a fund you’ll want to keep an eye on.
At launch, TikTok is putting $6 million towards these rewards. So, if you haven’t already, it might be worth trying your hand at creating effects for the platform.
Why is TikTok launching this new fund?
For one, TikTok is looking for ways to secure its dominance in short-form video. While it used to be the number one hotspot for bite-sized videos, TikTok is now facing competition from YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels, both of which are developing their own tools to help creators earn money on their platforms. To stay ahead of the game, TikTok needs to ensure that creators feel they’re paid fairly for the time and effort they put into their content.
Until the Effect Creator Rewards launched, there was no real way for TikTok effect creators to monetize their work. That can be frustrating, and TikTok is trying to fix that.
How much do you get paid?
The TikTok Effect Creator Rewards will track how successful your effects are for the first 90 days after you’ve published them. That’s done using a metric called “unique video publishes,” which means a unique video published by one user in a day. If the same user uses the same effect in two videos on the same day, that’ll still only count as a single unique video publish.
According to TikTok, you can start earning from the program if your effect is used in 100,000 or more qualified videos within 90 days of publishing.
In short, to get the biggest payout possible, your effect needs to become popular really quickly. And if you manage to create a high-performing effect, you can potentially make up to $14,000 from a single effect if it reaches 10 million unique video publishes.
To maximize your earning potential, publish more than just one effect! A single creator can earn up to $50,000 a month from multiple effects.
Who’s eligible for the TikTok Effect Creator Rewards?
Like any monetization program, there are a few eligibility requirements for the TikTok Effect Creator Rewards. To apply, you must be:
- At least 18 years old.
- Based in the U.S., U.K., France, Germany, Spain, or Italy.
- Have at least 500,000 videos published with your effects.
- Make sure tax and payment methods are set up.
That’s right, your effects need to already have some measure of success before you’re even eligible for this program. In other words, you’ll need to have created quite a few effects already — or have been lucky with a viral-hit effect — to get access to these rewards.
What are other ways to make money on TikTok?
Is the Effect Creator Rewards program simply not right for you? Don’t worry, there are a ton of other ways content creators can make money through TikTok. Some of them are built-in TikTok features, while others are completely independent of the platform. Let’s take a look!
TikTok Creator Rewards Program
Launched in early 2023, the TikTok Creativity Program is pretty new, and it’s only available to creators in select regions. U.S.-based creators can get in right now if they’re eligible, but creators from France and Brazil will need an invite from TikTok to join.
Since the Creativity Program is still only in beta testing, there isn’t widely available data about how much this program pays yet.
TikTok Series
With Series, you can create premium, exclusive content and lock it behind a paywall, giving your audience extra value in exchange for some cold, hard cash. Each Series can feature up to 80 videos — lasting a maximum of 20 minutes a piece — and you can price them anywhere between $1 and $190. That can make for a nice income boost, especially if this feature works well with your niche.
Create digital products
If you’re a creator who still makes most of your money from TikTok’s own monetization tools, here’s a hot tip: Make it a priority to build a revenue stream that doesn’t depend on one specific platform. That’s where digital products come in. Whether you’re creating templates, ebooks, or an online course, digital products can help you rake in more dough without a huge investment of time or money.
Brand partnerships
Brand deals are one of the most lucrative ways to earn money on TikTok. Sure, you might have to hustle for them in these tough economic conditions, but brand partnerships can be a complete game-changer. So, try and seek out brand sponsors that are a natural fit for your niche and the content you create.
Show off your special effects!
If you’ve been thinking of giving TikTok’s Effect House a spin, then the Effect Creator Rewards could be a strong dose of encouragement. Sure, you’ll need to have seen a bit of success with your effects to be eligible, but if you’ve got the skills, then TikTok’s got the bills.
Is tinkering with effects not your cup of tea? No worries. Download our free guide to making money on TikTok for other ways to rake it in — no special effects skills required.
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