TikTok is one of the world’s most popular social media platforms, with over 1 billion monthly active users. The app allows users to create and share short-form videos, often set to music. In 2020, TikTok launched the TikTok Creator Fund to support and reward creators on the platform.
The TikTok Creator Fund provides creators an opportunity to earn money for the content they produce on TikTok. Creators can receive payments based on the engagement and views their videos generate. TikTok allocates hundreds of millions of dollars for the fund. The Creator Fund is part of TikTok’s larger effort to invest over $1 billion in creators on the platform over the next 3 years.
The fund aims to help encourage creators to continue producing high quality, inspiring, and joyful content on TikTok. Any creators over the age of 18 are eligible to participate, as long as they meet certain baseline requirements around followers, video views, and content compliance rules. Payments are calculated based on region-specific factors like video views and engagement.
Creator Fund Basics
The TikTok Creator Fund is a way for TikTok to support creators who produce quality content regularly on the platform. The goal of the fund is to help creators monetize their content and have a more sustainable career on TikTok.
To be eligible for the Creator Fund, creators must meet certain requirements. These include being at least 18 years old, having 10,000 or more authentic followers, and posting original content that follows TikTok’s community guidelines. Creators also need to consistently post original, high-quality videos to maintain eligibility.
The amount paid out from the fund depends on the number of views a creator’s content receives in a given month. TikTok has not provided specifics on the payment calculations, but it is based on factors like number of views, engagement, and overall contribution to TikTok. Payments are made monthly via direct deposit once creators reach a $100 minimum threshold.
The TikTok Creator Fund provides an avenue for top creators to earn money directly from the platform for their contributions. By meeting the requirements and consistently producing engaging content, creators can tap into this fund as part of their TikTok monetization strategy.
Geographic Availability
The TikTok Creator Fund is currently available in the following regions and countries:
United States
The TikTok Creator Fund launched in the United States in 2020. Creators must be based in and creating content for the US market to be eligible.
Europe
The TikTok Creator Fund launched in Europe in March 2021, originally covering the UK, Germany, Italy, France and Spain. As of November 2021, it has expanded to include Ireland, Belgium, the Netherlands, Portugal, Austria, Finland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Poland, Czechia, Romania, Ukraine, Greece, and Turkey.
Creators must be based in and creating content for those European markets to qualify (TikTok Creator Fund).
Asia Pacific
The Creator Fund is not yet available in the Asia Pacific region as of early 2023. However, TikTok has announced plans to expand the program to more countries in 2023.
Latin America
Latin America is another region where the TikTok Creator Fund has not yet launched. But it is expected to expand there soon.
Middle East and Africa
The Middle East and Africa do not currently have access to the TikTok Creator Fund. But creators in these regions may be able to qualify in the future as TikTok continues expanding the program globally.
United States
According to TikTok’s Creator Fund Terms https://www.tiktok.com/legal/tiktok-creator-fund-terms, the Creator Fund is currently available to creators located in the United States who meet the following eligibility criteria:
- 18 years or older
- 10,000 or more authentic followers
- More than 10,000 video views in the last 30 days
- Original videos that comply with TikTok’s community guidelines
TikTokers in the US can apply for the Creator Fund through the TikTok app. According to TikTok’s Creator Portal https://www.tiktok.com/creators/creator-portal/en-us/getting-paid-to-create/creator-fund/, creators will be paid based on the number of views their content receives. As of November 2022, the Creator Fund will be discontinued for US creators and replaced with a new “creativity program” in 2023.
Europe
The TikTok Creator Fund launched in Europe in March 2021, initially covering the UK, Germany, Italy, France and Spain [1]. As of November 2022, the following European countries were eligible for the TikTok Creator Fund:
- United Kingdom
- Germany
- France
- Spain
- Italy
- Poland
- Belgium
- Netherlands
- Switzerland
- Austria
- Denmark
- Norway
- Sweden
- Finland
- Ireland
However, it was announced in November 2022 that the TikTok Creator Fund would be discontinued in Europe starting December 16, 2022 [2]. This impacts creators in the UK, Germany, and France. The future of the Creator Fund in other European countries remains uncertain.
Asia Pacific
According to TikTok, creators from Australia and New Zealand are currently eligible to join the TikTok Creator Fund. This was part of the initial launch of the Creator Fund in July 2020.
In February 2021, TikTok announced that the Creator Fund would expand to Japan, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam later that year. However, this expansion was put on hold when TikTok shut down the Creator Fund in November 2022 according to this article.
When TikTok launched the new Creativity Program in February 2023 to replace the Creator Fund, the announcement stated that the program would initially only be available to creators in the United States and Europe. There was no mention of Asia Pacific countries being included in the initial launch.
So as of February 2023, it appears that creators in Asia Pacific countries like Japan, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam are not currently eligible for the new Creativity Program that replaced the TikTok Creator Fund.
Latin America
The TikTok Creator Fund is currently available in the following Latin American countries:
- Argentina
- Brazil
- Chile
- Colombia
- Ecuador
- Mexico
- Peru
According to TikTok’s LatAm Creator Portal, the Creator Fund launched in these markets in July 2021 to “reward creators for doing what they do best — making incredible TikTok videos.” To be eligible, creators must be 18 years or older, have at least 10,000 authentic followers, and post original content that complies with TikTok’s community guidelines.
The amount a creator can earn depends on the views, engagement, and overall value of their content. TikTok evaluates creators based on the quality of their videos, ability to inspire creativity in others, and commitment to posting consistently.
Sources:
https://www.tiktok.com/creators/creator-portal/es-latam/getting-paid-to-create/creator-fund/
Middle East and Africa
The TikTok Creator Fund is currently available in a limited number of countries in the Middle East and Africa region. As of early 2023, the fund is open to creators in Egypt, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates. However, eligibility may vary by country.
According to a Reddit discussion thread, the fund does not seem to be available yet in North African countries like Tunisia as of late 2022 (source). There is demand for the fund to expand to more countries in the MENA region and wider Africa, but TikTok has not yet announced specific plans.
To qualify for the creator fund in MENA and Africa, individuals need to meet the standard eligibility criteria, including being 18+, having at least 10,000 authentic followers, and posting original content that adheres to community guidelines. Payout amounts are calculated based on views and engagement on content.
Upcoming Expansion Plans
TikTok has announced plans to continue expanding the availability of its Creativity Program and monetization opportunities to more geographic regions. According to reports, some of the key areas TikTok plans to expand the program to next include:
Latin America – Countries like Brazil and Mexico represent major growth opportunities for TikTok, with large, youthful populations increasingly spending time on the platform. TikTok aims to roll out more monetization in these markets in 2023.1
Southeast Asia – Fast-growing TikTok markets in places like Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines are also slated to gain more monetization access. This will help TikTok further engage top creators in these regions.
Middle East and Africa – As TikTok expands its user base in the Middle East and parts of Africa, the company plans to provide more earnings opportunities to standout creators helping drive platform growth.
Bringing monetization to more global markets allows TikTok to incentivize localized content creation and retention of top talent across its platform worldwide.
Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible for the TikTok Creator Fund, creators must meet certain age, content, and account requirements. According to the TikTok Creator Fund Terms, creators must be at least 18 years old to apply.
In terms of content, creators must post original videos that comply with TikTok’s Community Guidelines. The videos should be high-quality and suitable for a general audience. As per the Creator Fund page on TikTok’s Creator Portal, only newly created content after joining the fund will be considered eligible for earnings.
For account requirements, creators need at least 10,000 authentic followers and 100,000 video views in the last 30 days. Their accounts must also be public and have no violations of TikTok’s Terms of Service or Community Guidelines.
