TikTok Money-Making Methods for Beginners

In recent years, TikTok has not only been the fastest-growing content platform but also a golden track for ordinary people to start low-threshold businesses. Whether you’re into e-commerce, content creation, product promotion, or just want to earn side income in your spare time, TikTok offers a replicable path.

This article systematically breaks down the mainstream money-making methods on TikTok from a practical, no-professional-skills-required perspective—perfect for ordinary people. It will tell you which methods are most worth trying, how to implement them, and what pitfalls to avoid.

I. TikTok Money-Making Methods Accessible to Ordinary People

1. Platform Incentives (Creator / Creativity Programs)

TikTok offers official incentive programs such as the Creator Fund and Creativity Program. Rewards are distributed based on your videos’ views, engagement rate, and completion rate.

This is the most basic and low-threshold monetization method, suitable for creators who produce content long-term and accumulate views.

Requirements

• The account must have a certain number of followers (e.g., 1000+ followers) and original content.
• Many incentive programs require videos to be ≥ 1 minute long.
• You must be 18 years old or above.

Earnings Features

• Creators can earn $$0.03$$0.10 per 1,000 views (specific amounts vary by country/region and content quality).
• This is passive income but highly volatile—performance varies greatly between videos and time periods.
• Newer reward programs (e.g., “Creator Rewards”) may be more competitive than traditional funds in some regions.

Notes

• Stick to original, niche content.
• Update consistently.
• Incentive income is usually basic; it’s recommended to combine it with other monetization methods.

2. Brand Collaborations & Ad Content

• Collaborate with brands: Create soft ads or product promotion videos for brands.
• Participate in brand challenges / Creative Missions: Join brand-initiated challenges to produce content for them.
• Connect with brands via TikTok Creator Marketplace (the official brand-creator matching platform).

Suitable For

• Creators with a certain fan base (not necessarily massive, but influential in a specific niche).
• Those with clear content positioning and high engagement rates.
• Creators with a portfolio and past content data to present when negotiating with brands.

Earnings

Quotes vary drastically. Mid-tier creators (with more followers or high engagement rates) may command higher prices.

Notes

• Prepare your fan data, engagement rate, and past cases—this significantly increases your chances of securing collaborations.
• Don’t just wait for brands to reach out; send emails, direct messages, or use MCNs/Creator Marketplace proactively.
• Label ads (e.g., #ad, #sponsored) to comply with platform or regional advertising regulations.

3. UGC Content Creation

Creators act as “content providers” to produce native videos for brands (not necessarily posted on their own accounts, but used for brand ads/marketing).

Brands pay for unboxing videos, product demos, or scenario-based usage videos to use in their own advertising or content marketing.

Suitable For

• Creators with strong content production skills.
• Those who understand brand marketing and can meet brand expectations.
• Even creators with few followers—you monetize by “selling content,” not through your own account.

Earnings

• UGC tasks for small and medium brands: $$50$$500 per video.
• Senior content creators or regular contributors may earn more.

Notes

• Prepare 3–5 video samples of different styles to showcase versatility and professionalism.
• Confirm the scope of video usage (brand-only marketing / permission for secondary use).

4. TikTok Shop / E-Commerce & Product Promotion

Use TikTok Shop: Sell products through TikTok’s internal e-commerce system (showcase + live streaming).

You can list your own products or promote third-party items, combining short videos and live streaming for promotion.

Suitable For

• People interested in e-commerce who are willing to select products and operate a store.
• Creators willing to produce promotional content.
• Content types with inherent conversion potential (product recommendations, lifestyle, tool sharing, etc.).

Earnings Features

• Showcase commission: Rates vary by category; some popular categories offer high commissions.
• Self-operated sales: Flexible profits, with control over pricing and costs.
• Live streaming: High conversion efficiency when combined with user interaction and urgency (limited time, discounts).

Notes

• For self-operated sales, manage inventory risks; for dropshipping, control the supply chain.

5. Affiliate Marketing

Promote third-party products (via affiliate links) in TikTok videos, profiles, or live streams.

You earn a commission when users make purchases through your unique link.

Suitable For

• Influencers who don’t want to handle inventory.
• Creators willing to produce product recommendations, unboxings, or reviews.
• Those patient with promotion and conversion, and willing to optimize content to drive clicks and purchases.

Earnings

Commissions vary greatly by affiliate program; some industries offer high rates.

The key is conversion rate—whether your audience matches the promoted products.

Notes

• Choose products that align with your content style and audience.
• Create authentic videos with rich usage scenarios (reviews, before-and-after comparisons, etc.).
• Place affiliate links in prominent locations like bio, video descriptions, or live streams.

6. Account Management Services

If you excel at content planning, video editing, or growth strategies, offer TikTok account management services to brands or individuals.

This is essentially service-based monetization—you earn by helping others monetize, not through your own account.

Suitable For

• Those with in-depth TikTok understanding, operational experience, and strong content production skills.
• People with project management abilities: content ideation, posting, engagement, and data analysis.

Earnings Features

• Flexible service fees: Monthly management fees, per-video production fees, or long-term collaboration packages.
• Monthly income can range from tens to thousands of dollars, depending on client scale and content frequency.

Notes

• Clarify services: Content planning, editing, posting, or full-service operation + growth.
• Design reasonable pricing (monthly management fee + per video + data reports, etc.); avoid inconsistent quoting.
• Regularly share operational data (views, engagement, conversion) with clients to demonstrate value.
• When managing multiple accounts, ensure account security and IP compliance; avoid association risks.

II. Operational Advice

A crucial but often overlooked foundation for monetization is stable internet and account security. For bloggers engaged in e-commerce or traffic diversion, stable internet and IP are essential infrastructure.

This is especially important if you:

• Operate multiple accounts (e.g., personal content creation + client management).
• Conduct cross-regional operations (e.g., targeting users in different countries).
• Do product promotion (which requires low latency and high network quality).

In such cases, we recommend using IPFoxy’s IP proxy service to stabilize TikTok access, manage accounts, and achieve efficient operations:

• IP Isolation: IPFoxy provides clean, stable IPs. Using different IPs for different accounts reduces the risk of platform censorship.
• Access Speed: Proxies enhance access stability, ensuring smoother live streaming, content uploads, and data retrieval.
• Safety & Compliance: Using legitimate, high-quality proxy services minimizes violation risks and protects your long-term monetization capabilities.

Conclusion

In 2025, TikTok offers even more diverse money-making opportunities for all types of creators—from beginners and small accounts to brand creators and professional operators. Choose 1–2 core methods based on your abilities and resources, and complement them with auxiliary paths.