Simply earlier than the beginning of 2024, TikTok made a large change in how the platform pays its creators by changing the controversial Creator Fund with the brand new TikTok Creativity Program Beta.

I wasn‘t shocked the fund was put to relaxation, contemplating what number of creators expressed frustration over the fund’s payouts. Nonetheless, I used to be skeptical of this new pay mannequin, and when you‘re a creator on TikTok, you’re most likely side-eyeing it as effectively.

Properly, in case you don‘t know, I’m just about HubSpot‘s resident creator financial system skilled, so it’s my job to maintain up with the newest creator traits and happenings.

That mentioned, I‘ve researched and scoured TikTok for critiques of the brand new program straight from the creators who joined, so I’m ready to offer you a rundown and make it easier to determine if you wish to give TikTok Creativity Program Beta a shot.

Let’s dive in.

What’s the TikTok Creativity Program?

How one can Be a part of TikTok Artistic Program Beta

What occurred to the Creator Fund?

TikTok Creativity Program Beta Payout

Is the TikTok Creativity Program Higher than the Creator Fund?

What’s the TikTok Creativity Program?

In line with the platform, TikTok Creativity Program Beta is an initiative to reward creators for creating high-quality, authentic content material, and it serves as a financial incentive for creators who make longer content material (over a minute).

TikTok’s web site explains, “With Creativity Program Beta, you’ve gotten the potential to gather rewards as you create and publish longer video content material.”

Because the identify suggests, this system remains to be in beta mode and is simply accessible in restricted areas — the U.S., France, Brazil, Germany, Japan, Korea, and the U.Okay.

How one can Be a part of TikTok Artistic Program Beta

To be eligible for this system, it’s essential to have an account primarily based in one of many above areas, be at the very least 18 years outdated, have at least 10,000 followers, and have at the very least 100,000 video views within the final 30 days.

The way you enroll in this system will depend on whether or not you‘re already registered within the defunct TikTok Creator Fund. Should you’re enrolled within the Creator Fund, you possibly can swap to TikTok Artistic Program Beta through the next steps:

1. Open the TikTok app and go to your profile.
2. Faucet the menu button (the three horizontal bars), then faucet Settings.
3. Faucet Creator Instruments, then Creator Fund.
4. Lastly, faucet Swap on the backside of the web page.

Professional Tip: When you be part of TikTok Artistic Program Beta, you can’t swap again to the Creator Fund. However, additionally … why would you need to? The Creator Fund is lifeless.

Should you‘re not enrolled within the Creator Fund, you’ll observe steps 1-3 however faucet Creator Program as a substitute of Creator Fund. You‘ll be notified three days later whether or not you’ve been accepted into this system.

What occurred to the Creator Fund?

Okay, why did the Creator Fund go the way in which of the dinosaurs? The $2 billion fund was launched in 2020 and was discontinued in December 2023 after many creators criticized this system for low payouts.

In a 2022 interview with Enterprise Insider, wellness influencer Mandana Zarghami mentioned her greatest payout from TikTok was simply $24 from a video that garnered 1.1 million views. Her lowest incomes day on the time was 5 cents.

Most stunning was after I came upon how a lot (or little) viral content material creator John Eringman constructed from the Creator Fund. When he spoke to Enterprise Insider,

Eringman had 1.3 million views, and at the very least one among his movies would attain a million-plus views every week.

Essentially the most he earned in a single day was $189.13 for a video with 13 million views. Nonetheless, Eringman reported getting payouts starting from 67-84 cents and averaging just some {dollars} in a single month.

In different phrases, even viral creators like Eringman had been getting inconsistent payouts and weren’t receiving sufficient to make a residing — prompting TikTok to sundown the Creator Fund.

TikTok Creativity Program Beta Payout

So, how a lot are creators making through the TikTok Creativity Program Beta? Whereas the platform’s web site is being hush-hush about precisely how a lot the brand new program is rewarding creators, some customers are already sharing their expertise.

Finance content material creator Miki Rai shared that her expertise with this system was off to an underwhelming begin however improved considerably over time.

“Instantly after I joined (in November 2023), my video views tanked so unhealthy,” Rai explains in a TikTok. Rai believes the tank occurred as a result of her viewers was used to her posting short-form movies moderately than movies longer than a minute.

Do not forget that this system solely generates income if the movies are longer than 60 seconds.

Rai stories solely making $146 her first month into this system, even after posting a number of occasions a day.

“Which makes that lower than $5 per video that I made,” she says. Rai’s earnings jumped to $436.76 the next December and about the identical in January. However, in February, Rai noticed a significant distinction.

“We’re solely midway by, and thus far, I’ve made $1,273.48,” she says in her TikTok. The app projected she’d earn $2288.66 by the tip of the month.

Rai says the enhance in earnings is probably going related to a few her movies going viral that month, one among which earned 3.8 million views. Each movies had been over a minute lengthy.

Creator Kait Alayna says she made $629 in a single week. That week, each day earnings ranged from $4.90 to $193.24.

Nonetheless, it is vital to notice some creators, like Rai, have reported a tank in views shortly after becoming a member of this system, prompting some customers to discourage others from becoming a member of this system or dropping out themselves.

That mentioned, the drop in viewers appears short-term as they get used to creators posting longer content material.

Is the TikTok Creativity Program Higher than the Creator Fund?

Briefly, I say it‘s undoubtedly higher. This system remains to be pretty new, so there aren’t many dependable statistics evaluating this system to the fund.

However, primarily based on movies I’ve seen of creators discussing their payouts, this system appears to be going through much less criticism than the Creator Fund.

Should you’re a creator used to producing short-form movies underneath a minute lengthy, then exceeding 60 seconds can pose a problem. You might also discover at the very least a short lived drop in views as your viewers adjusts to the brand new path.

All that apart, I believe this system is price making use of if you wish to generate earnings on TikTok. Now, do I believe you may generate sufficient earnings to outlive solely off the TikTok Creativity Program — no.

The actual fact is simply 12% of creators make over $50,000 a yr, whatever the platform. The true cash comes from model partnerships, offers, sponsorships, advert income, and commissions.

Relating to TikTok, you possibly can generate extra earnings through TikTok Reside and TikTok Store, in addition to the above strategies.

My recommendation, you‘ll stand to learn in the long term from switching to the brand new creativity program. Plus, there actually isn’t a lot of a degree in sticking to an outdated fund that was so broadly criticized it was discontinued.

Simply be sure you produce other streams of earnings, too.