TikTok Monetization: Every Way to Make Money in 2026

TikTok replaced the Creator Fund with the Creativity Program, which pays creators for video views over one minute. The revenue per thousand views is significantly higher than the old fund, but eligibility requires 10,000 followers and 100,000 video views in the last 30 days. Most creators who hit the threshold do so by combining consistent posting with a follower boost.

TikTok LIVE is unlocked at 1,000 followers, and live gifting is one of the most direct revenue streams on the platform. Viewers send virtual gifts during your stream, and TikTok pays you a share. The creators who earn the most from live gifts treat their streams like events — scheduled, promoted, and interactive.

Brands rarely partner with creators under 10,000 followers unless they are in a hyper-niche. Crossing that line makes you eligible for micro-influencer campaigns, product seeding, and affiliate links. Buying TikTok followers to hit 10,000 is a common and effective strategy for creators whose content is already brand-ready.

The most successful TikTok creators combine three or more revenue streams — Creativity Program, live gifts, brand deals, and affiliate links in bio. Each stream reinforces the others. More followers mean more live viewers. More live viewers mean more gifts. More gifts mean more algorithmic reach. The compounding effect is real.