TikTok is a popular short-form video app that has seen massive growth and adoption since launching internationally in 2017. As of 2022, TikTok has over 1 billion monthly active users worldwide.
To support creators on the platform, in 2020 TikTok introduced the TikTok Creator Fund, which pays creators for videos that perform well and help bring value to the app. The fund aims to provide creators with reliable income to encourage them to continue creating high-quality content.
What is the TikTok Creator Fund?
The TikTok Creator Fund is a program launched by TikTok to pay creators for the videos they produce on the platform. According to TikTok, the Creator Fund “rewards you for doing what you do best — making incredible TikTok videos. It’s our way of celebrating and supporting creators for your creativity.”
The fund allows popular and eligible creators to earn money for the content they post on TikTok. TikTok sets aside a monthly fund that is distributed to creators based on the engagement and views their videos receive. This provides an additional way for TikTok creators to monetize their content beyond advertising and brand partnerships.
Current Country Availability
The TikTok Creator Fund is currently only available to creators in the following countries: United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain, and Italy. After initially launching in the US in 2020, TikTok expanded eligibility to these additional European countries in March 2021 (The TikTok Creator Fund is now LIVE in the UK, Germany). As of early 2023, the Creator Fund remains limited to these six countries.
TikTok has not yet provided a timeline for expanding the Creator Fund to other regions, but it’s likely they are monitoring adoption and engagement in current countries before further expansion. For now, creators in countries outside of this list are not able to apply or receive payouts from the fund.
Creator Fund Requirements
To join the TikTok Creator Fund, creators must meet certain requirements. According to TikTok’s Creator Portal, creators must:
- Have at least 10,000 authentic followers
- Be at least 18 years old
- Have at least 10,000 video views in the last 30 days
- Have original content that follows TikTok’s community guidelines
TikTok raised the minimum follower requirement to 100,000 followers in March 2021, according to an announcement on their newsroom. The 10,000 view minimum remained the same. These requirements ensure creators have an established audience before joining the fund.
How Much Does the Fund Pay?
Based on TikTok creator reports and analytics, the TikTok Creator Fund pays between $0.02 and $0.04 per 1,000 video views to creators in the program. The exact rate depends on factors like a video’s engagement and location of views. According to TikTok, the fund is designed to “support ambitious creators who are seeking opportunities to foster a livelihood through their innovative content.”
Top creators have revealed that at current rates, they earn $2,000 to $4,000 from the Creator Fund for 100 million views. For example, creator @mrnobe with 14 million TikTok followers noted that a video with 20 million views earned him around $400 from the fund.
The Creator Fund provides regular payments to creators relative to their viewership and engagement. It aims to supplement income and rewards creators posting original, high-quality videos that attract substantial audiences on TikTok.
Why Expand to New Countries?
One of the main reasons TikTok likely wants to expand the Creator Fund to more countries is to tap into more creators and audiences globally. As one of the leading short-form video apps worldwide, TikTok has seen tremendous growth in many international markets outside the United States. According to a Sprout Social article, TikTok currently has over 1 billion monthly active users across over 150 countries and regions. By expanding the Creator Fund, TikTok can incentivize more international creators to produce engaging content, further increasing usage and stickiness in fast-growing overseas markets.
Additionally, each geographic market has its own unique creators, trends, and audiences. Expanding the Creator Fund allows TikTok to better support localized content in different languages and cultures. TikTok can gain more region-specific insights by having creators in more countries participate in the Creator Fund. Overall, making the Creator Fund available in additional countries allows TikTok to further embed itself as a leading platform worldwide.
New Countries Rumored
There is speculation that the TikTok Creator Fund may expand to several additional countries in the near future. Some of the rumored new countries include:
Canada – With a large existing TikTok creator community, Canada is seen as a likely addition. Canadian creators currently need to partner with a company or brand to monetize.
Australia – Australia has a thriving creator ecosystem and adding the Creator Fund could help Australian creators earn directly from TikTok.
Brazil – As a populous country with a highly engaged TikTok audience, Brazil presents a major opportunity. The Creator Fund could help Brazilian creators monetize.
Japan – Japan has not traditionally been a focus for TikTok, but expanding there could tap into domestic creators and users.
Korea – Though TikTok is banned in Korea, a localized version called TikTok For K-Fans exists. The Creator Fund may expand there.
When Will Expansion Happen?
While TikTok has stated its intention to expand the Creator and Creativity Funds to more countries, the company has not provided a definitive timeline for this rollout. In September 2022, TikTok began testing the Creativity Fund in select European markets like the UK, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain (https://www.tubefilter.com/2023/09/15/tiktok-creator-fund-creativity-program-expansion-rollout/). This suggests that a wider international expansion may happen in the coming months.
However, TikTok has not made any official announcements about which countries will gain access next or when exactly this will occur. Some speculate it may happen in early 2023 based on hiring for positions to support the funds’ global operations (https://www.tiktok.com/creators/creator-portal/en-us/getting-paid-to-create/creativity-program-beta/). But the timing remains unclear.
For now, international creators will need to stay tuned to TikTok’s Creator Portal for the latest updates. The company seems committed to expanding its monetization tools globally, but is taking a measured approach to rolling out these incentive programs more widely.
How Can Creators Prepare?
Creators looking to take advantage of the TikTok Creator Fund when it expands to new countries can start preparing now. The key is to build an audience in an eligible niche.
According to the Creator Portal, the Fund is currently only available for creators making content in certain categories like food and wellness, DIY and design, beauty and style. So creators should focus on building audiences interested in those topics.
Creators can optimize their content for maximum views and engagement using relevant hashtags, captions, sounds and effects. Producing high-quality, consistent content in a popular niche is the best way to build a sizable audience.
It’s also important for creators to understand how the TikTok algorithm works. Posting at optimal times, using eye-catching thumbnails, collaborating with others in your niche, and encouraging comments and shares can all help videos reach more people.
As the Creator Fund expands, creators with large, engaged audiences in eligible niches will be in the best position to start monetizing their content and earning money for their top-performing videos.
Conclusion
The TikTok Creator Fund provides an exciting new way for popular creators to monetize their content. Currently only available in a handful of countries, many are eagerly awaiting its worldwide expansion. While TikTok has not confirmed which new countries will be added, strong possibilities based on market size and app growth include Brazil, Japan, Germany, Italy and South Korea. The Fund is likely to expand gradually over the next year as TikTok works to develop localized programs, teams and content measurement tools globally.
For creators interested in eventually joining the Fund, the best approach is to continue building your audience and making high quality content. Producing localized content tailored to your country can help lay the groundwork for when the Fund launches in your region. Stay tuned to TikTok announcements for updates on when additional countries will be added. With persistence and creativity, the TikTok Creator Fund could soon become a significant source of income for aspiring influencers worldwide.
