How to Earn

How To Make Money On TikTok in Dollars 2025 – 7 Ways in U.S.

how to make money on tiktok

TikTok is no longer just a platform for dance trends and viral memes — it’s become one of the most powerful platforms to make real money online, especially in the U.S. Whether you are a content creator, affiliate marketer, or digital product seller, there is huge value for everyone. Here is a breakdown of the top ways to earn money on TikTok and how much people are really making in 2025.

What is TikTok?

TikTok is a free social media app where people create and watch short videos, usually with music, filters, and effects. It’s used for fun, learning, and even making money by sharing creative content with a global audience.

make money on TikTok

How To Make Money on TikTok – 7 Amazing Ways

1. TikTok Creativity Program

Creators get paid for creating original, high-quality content through the TikTok Creativity Program, formerly known as the Creator Fund. TikTok pays creators according to the performance of their videos, which includes engagement, views, and watch time.

Average Earnings in the U.S.:

Creators with consistent viral videos (100K+ views per video) can earn between $500 to $1,500+ per month. High-tier creators with millions of views per week earn $5,000 to $20,000 monthly.

Tips to Succeed:

  • Focus on high-retention content (hook your audience in the first 3 seconds)
  • Stay updated with trending things and challenges
  • Use analytics to track your best-performing content and replicate success
  • Post consistently

2. TikTok Shop Affiliate

The answer to Can you make money on TikTok is an Affiliate program. Through the TikTok Shop Affiliate Program, you can promote products on TikTok Shop and get a commission. Products can be linked in your bio or videos, and you can get paid when someone purchases something via your link.

How It Works:

1. Join the Affiliate Program

  • Go to the TikTok Shop Affiliate Center or access it through your TikTok app.
  • Sign up as an affiliate and link your TikTok account.
  • Browse different products from different sellers that offer good commissions.

2. Choose Products to Promote

  • Select products that match your niche or audience’s interests.
  • Look for high-commission or trending items; this will show a way to make money on TikTok in dollars.
  • Add these to your product showcase page in your profile.

3. Create Content With Product Links

  • Create videos using or reviewing the product.
  • Tag the product directly in your video (TikTok will show a shopping bag icon).
  • When viewers click the product and make a purchase, you earn a commission.

4. Get Paid

Does TikTok pay you? Yes.

  • Your commissions are tracked in real-time with the help of the app.
  • TikTok pays you directly after orders are completed.

Average Earnings in the U.S.: How much do TikTokers make via affiliate? Basically, affiliates earn anywhere from $50 to $5,000+ per month, depending on niche, audience engagement, and video virality. This is the most popular way for people to make money on TikTok in the U.S.

  1. New affiliates usually earn around $50–$500/month.
  2. Active creators earn $1,000–$5,000/month or more.
  3. Top affiliates, especially in profitable niches like tech, beauty, and gadgets, can earn $10,000+ per month.

Earnings depend on your content quality, niche, and how many people convert (buy) through your links. Following the TikTok shop affiliate program, a good way to how can i make money on TikTok.

Example Scenario:

  1. For instance, if you are a fitness influencer. You find a resistance band set offering 20% commission.
  2. You create a high-quality video showing 3 workouts using the brand’s products and tag the product.
  3. 100 people watch, 10 people buy. If the product costs $30 and you earn $6 per sale, that is $60 from one video. Repeat this with more videos and products, and you have built a steady stream of income.

Why Join the TikTok Shop Affiliate Program?

  • No need to hold inventory or ship anything when it comes to an affiliate program.
  • Perfect for beginners with no business or product.
  • Earn via TikTok money passively—your videos can keep generating income.
  • Get access to top-selling products from real brands and sellers.

Tips to Succeed:

  • Choose products that align with your niche and appeal to your audience.
  • Create honest, engaging, and aesthetic product demos.
  • Use trending music or storytelling to boost visibility.
  • Track performance and optimize based on conversion rates.

Also Read: How to Make Money With Affiliate Marketing 2025?

3. TikTok Shop (Your Products)

Another way how to make money with TikTok is TikTok Shop. An in-app shopping feature called TikTok Shop enables brands, small companies, and creators to sell their own digital or physical products straight on TikTok. You can sell, promote, and handle orders all within the TikTok platform rather than directing visitors to another website. It is designed to make shopping and selling fast, fun, and integrated into short videos, live streams, and user feeds.

How It Works:

1. Set Up Your TikTok Shop Account

  • Visit the TikTok Shop Seller Center.
  • Create a seller account and upload your business information.
  • Add the products you want to sell.

2. Promote Your Products

  • You can tag your products in your videos and live streams, which will help you get paid on TikTok.
  • Viewers or your customers can click the product tag to buy instantly.
  • You can also work with affiliates or influencers to promote your products.

3. Receive Orders & Ship

  • When someone buys your product, you will get a notification in your seller dashboard.
  • Pack and ship the product, or deliver a digital item if it is not physical.
  • Get paid directly through TikTok Shop after order completion. This is an amazing way getting paid on TikTok.

Average Earnings in the U.S.: 

  1. Small sellers often start by earning $500–$2,000/month.
  2. Viral product videos or trending items can bring in $10,000+ per month.
  3. If you consistently post and engage, the faster your store can grow. Here is how to get paid on TikTok. 

Example Scenario:

For instance, let’s consider you sell handmade candles. You could:

  • Post a video showing how the candle burns with relaxing music.
  • Tag the product of your choice in the video using TikTok Shop.
  • Run a limited-time “3 for 2” deal during a live stream.
  • Add a call to action like “Shop now before they sell out!”

This is a good sample of how to monetize TikTok, in an amazing way to make money. 

What You Can Sell:

  1. Physical goods: Clothes, accessories, beauty products, gadgets, home items, etc.
  2. Digital products: Ebooks, templates, presets, courses, or printables.
  3. Handmade items or custom creations

Why Sell on TikTok Shop?

  • Built-in audience: Reach millions without the need for a separate website.
  • Easy buying process: Users can shop directly while watching your content.
  • Free traffic: Use trending videos or lives to drive organic views and sales. In this way, you can make money on TikTok.
  • Supports small sellers: You don’t need a big budget; just creativity and consistency matter.

Tips to Succeed:

  • Post short demo videos, tutorials, or before-after clips.
  • Go live often to answer questions, show real-time results, or offer exclusive deals.
  • Use TikTok trends, hashtags, and sounds to boost your reach to a good level.
  • Offer limited-time discounts or bundles to increase visibility.

4. TikTok Live Streaming

Do people make money on TikTok? Yes. One of the greatest ways to earn money and create a close relationship with your audience is through TikTok live streaming. Going live enables you to make money in real time through gifts, product sales, and brand exposure, regardless of whether you’re pushing products, guiding viewers, or simply hanging out and entertaining. It transforms your audience from passive scrollers into active buyers and supporters all in real time.

Average Earnings in the U.S.: 

  1. Small creators: $50–$500/month from gifts and product mentions.
  2. Active streamers: $1,000–$5,000/month from gifts and live product sales.
  3. Top creators: $10,000–$50,000+/month, especially during big sales events or product launches.

Who Can Go Live?

To unlock TikTok Live, you need:

  • At least 1,000 followers
  • Be 18 years or older (to send or receive gifts)

What Works Well on TikTok Live?

  1. Behind-the-scenes content (how you create, pack, work, etc.)
  2. Q&A sessions (connect deeply with your followers)
  3. Product demos or reviews
  4. Mini tutorials or live tips
  5. Contests or live giveaways

Example Scenario:

For instance, let’s take you selling custom mugs.

  • You go live, showing how you design and pack each mug. During the stream, you offer a “Buy 2 Get 1 Free” deal.
  • Viewers can tap the shopping bag and purchase in real time.
  • People also send gifts while you engage and thank them live.
  • This creates both sales and gift income from one session

This is how to get money on TikTok through live streaming.

Tips to Succeed:

  • Engage with your audience in real-time; respond to comments quickly.
  • Promote live events beforehand to boost attendance.
  • Use a high-quality camera and lighting setup.
  • Incorporate product demonstrations, giveaways, or Q&As.

how to make money on tiktok

5. User Generated Content (UGC)

One of the simplest and most friendly ways to earn money on TikTok in 2025 is through User Generated Content (UGC). Even if you don’t have a large following, brands are ready to pay you to provide relatable, genuine and natural content. UGC can be a flexible career path and a high-paying skill if you enjoy sharing stories, talking about products, or being on camera.

Average Earnings in the U.S.: 

  1. Beginner UGC creators: $100–$250 per video
  2. Experienced UGC creators: $300–$1,000+ per video
  3. Monthly income: $2,000 to $10,000+, depending on how many clients you work with and how many videos you produce

Utilize these amazing ways to make money on TikTok by developing your skill set.

Why UGC is Great for Creators:

  1. No need to be an influencer (you can have zero followers, no issue)
  2. Work with big brands without posting on your account
  3. Work from home, remotely
  4. High demand—brands need fresh, relatable content constantly
  5. Build a portfolio and long-term client relationships

What Types of UGC Content Do Brands Want?

  • Product demos or unboxings
  • Tutorials or “how-to” videos
  • Before and after clips
  • Testimonial-style reviews
  • Storytelling (example., This changed my life because…)
  • Trend-based content using popular TikTok audio

Example Scenario:

For instance, you create UGC for a skincare brand. They send you a brief asking for a 30-second video showing how their face cream improved your skin.

  • You shoot the video, send it to them, and they pay you $200.
  • You do this for 5 brands a week = $1,000/week ($4,000/month).

No posting needed on your page, and no followers required. Just give the content the brand is looking for, in this way you can get paid on TikTok.

Tips to Succeed:

  • Build a UGC portfolio showing your style, voice, and editing.
  • Focus on authenticity and brand-aligned storytelling.
  • Use platforms like TikTok Creator Marketplace or UGC marketplaces.
  • Pitch directly to brands via email or DM with a media kit.

6. Brand Sponsorships & Paid Collabs

How to make money in TikTok? Paid collaborations and brand sponsorships are when businesses pay TikTok creators to advertise their products or services in videos. This is among the most popular and effective methods of earning money on TikTok, particularly if you have a loyal audience, high interaction rates, or specialized influence.

If your content fits their objectives, brands may wish to collaborate with you, regardless of how many followers you have—5,000 or 5 million.

Average Earnings in the U.S.: 

Creator Level Followers Range Typical Pay per Sponsored Post
Nano Influencer 1K – 10K followers $100 – $500
Micro Influencer 10K – 50K followers $300 – $1,500
Mid-Tier Influencer 50K – 500K followers $1,500 – $10,000+
Macro Influencer 500K – 1 M+ followers $10,000 – $25,000+
Celebrity Creators 1M+ $25,000 – $100,000+ per post

Why Brands Pay for Sponsorships:

  • TikTok creators have trusted and genuine relationships with their audiences.
  • Influencer content feels more authentic than traditional ads.
  • TikTok’s algorithm helps branded videos go viral, such as reaching more people, at a lower cost, and with many benefits.

Common Types of Paid Collabs:

  1. Dedicated Sponsored Videos – The entire video promotes a product or service.
  2. Integrated Mentions – Quick mention of the brand within regular content.
  3. Giveaways – Brands sponsor contests or challenges run by the creator.
  4. Affiliate Partnerships – Creator earns commission + flat fee.
  5. Long-Term Ambassadorships – Ongoing deals with multiple posts over months.

Example Scenario:

For instance, you have 25k followers and create a fitness product.

  • One of the protein shake brands asks you to do a 30-second review video.
  • You make an offer for $1,000 per post plus a complimentary item.
  • You create a natural video showing your post-workout routine, including the shake.
  • The video gets 100K views, the brand gets sales, and you build a new brand relationship.

Tips to Succeed:

  • Stay within your niche and partner with relevant brands.
  • Maintain a high engagement rate over just follower count.
  • Disclose sponsorships transparently to build trust.
  • Negotiate for usage rights and long-term deals.

Important Notes:

  • Always disclose sponsored content using hashtags like #ad or #sponsored to stay FTC compliant.

Clarify terms such as:

  1. Usage rights (can the brand reuse your video in ads?)
  2. Exclusivity (can you promote similar products?)
  3. Payment schedule (upfront, half-now-half-later, or after delivery)

7. TikTok Pulse Revenue Share (Ads)

Without requiring sponsorships or product sales, TikTok Pulse Revenue Share is a new method of generating passive dollars straight from your videos. It encourages content producers to provide captivating, effective, and brand-safe content.

As part of your TikTok monetization strategy in 2025, TikTok Pulse can develop into an ongoing money stream if you’re constant, creative, and meet the standards.

How does it work?

1. Brands Buy Ads

TikTok pays advertisers to have their ads displayed next to well-liked, popular videos in specific categories, such as gaming, fashion, food, beauty, and more.

2. Your Content Is Featured

Your video appears next to those premium ads if it is eligible. In simple terms, your content becomes “ad-safe,” which means that marketers feel free to place ads around it.

3. You Get Paid a Share of Ad Revenue

Eligible creators whose work appears in the Pulse ad placements receive 50% of TikTok’s ad revenue.

Eligibility Requirements as of 2025

To qualify for TikTok Pulse Revenue Share, you must:

  • Be at least 18 years old
  • Have at least 10,000 followers
  • Have posted at least 5 videos in the last 30 days
  • Get at least 100,000 video views in the past 30 days
  • Follow TikTok’s Community Guidelines and Ad-Friendly rules

Average Earnings in the U.S.: 

Make money on tiktok earnings might vary, but creators can expect:

  1. Small creators: $100–$500/month
  2. Mid-tier creators: $500–$5,000/month
  3. High-performing creators: $10,000–$50,000+/month

You can even earn more when more of your videos are featured in Pulse placements with more views.

Example Scenario:

Here is how to get paid on TikTok. For instance, let’s say you post a cooking video that gets 500,000 views in a few days.

  • It meets all the criteria—brand-safe, high watch time, and in a popular niche.
  • TikTok runs Pulse ads around your video.
  • The total ad revenue generated is $1,000, and you get $500 (50% share).
  • Imagine this happens with multiple videos per month—you are now earning passively from just creating great content!

Tips to Succeed:

  • Focus on viral-worthy content to make money on TikTok.
  • Stay consistent and increase your follower count to qualify.
  • Ensure content is brand-safe and high quality.

Final Thoughts

In the United States, TikTok provides a variety of revenue-generating opportunities, ranging from live streaming and product sales to affiliate marketing and brand sponsorships. Maintaining consistency, creating engaging content, and selecting revenue sources that align with your audience and skills are essential. In 2025, TikTok has the potential to grow into a significant revenue stream with the correct approach.

About the author

Ramya V

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