TikTok for Beginners: How to Make More Money on Short Videos Than the Developer

Contents:

• Numbers and Statistics
• How to Start Making Money on TikTok: A Step-by-Step Guide
• How to Develop a Channel
• How to monetize content
• Who is popular on TikTok
• Useful materials from the editors of Skillbox.by

Numbers and Statistics

On average, TikTok has a monthly audience of 1.8 billion users, and the mobile app by 2024 downloaded more than 4.1 billion times.The social network, with its focus on video content, was able to compete with giants: YouTube, Instagram, and Snapchat. It also found its niche. All this made TikTok a popular application and a tool for earning money:

• Short entertaining videos;
• A sophisticated editor with special effects that can be applied in a few clicks;
• An algorithm that allows authors with a small audience to get into recommendations.

To start making money on TikTok, you don't need to spend years promoting your channel. Unlike YouTube, here a user watches hundreds of videos in 40-50 minutes. Therefore, an unpopular video with five likes in the recommendations is common.

The recommendation algorithm takes geographic location into account. Beginning creators, just like popular channels, compete for viewers in their city or region. Even the first video on a channel can be a hit and garner millions of views.

And yet, advertisers look at the number of subscribers. But their number is not as critical. Engagement and views are much more important.

Although TikTok is associated with teenagers, it has many adult viewers. For example, in the US, according to Statista, TikTok is regularly watched by people aged 30-59.

How to start making money on TikTok: a step-by-step guide

• Choose equipment for filming. Even an inexpensive smartphone will do. You can edit and upload videos from your phone or computer;
• Register in the TikTok app or website;
• Choose a channel niche;
• Create videos and upload them to your account;
• Choose the monetization method.

Klim has put together a selection of good and inexpensive equipment to rent for filming 👇

🎥 Sony a6600 Camera

🎥 Sony FE 14mm f/1.8 GM Lens

🎥 BOYA BY-M1 Pro Lavalier Camera

🎥 Memory Card 

Total:$43 per day. You can shoot about 30 videos in a day and post them at different times.

You can also buy an inexpensive tripod and light on a permanent basis. For example, a ring light is always useful. You can find one even for $10.

You can edit in the built-in TikTok editor or use a free mobile editing app. Here's what I use:

✅ Capcut - a free video editor with various settings: brightness, color, exposure. Installed on Android or iOS;

✅ InShot — a free application similar to Capcut.

Free applications for the computer: 

✅ DaVinci Resolve — a professional program for color correction, editing and processing video;

✅ Adobe Premiere — a computer program for video editing with tools for working with sound and video.

How to register

You can register on TikTok using your phone number, email, or a Google or Facebook account.

• Fill out your profile after creating an account.Add a photo and description. If you provide services and plan to promote them, make your profile an expert one.

• Update to a business account after registration. TikTok will collect statistics on views and engagement for your videos. It's free and takes less than a minute.

• Go to your profile to activate.Open "Settings and Privacy" and turn on the "Business Account" toggle. Choose the direction you are going to work in.

How to choose a niche

To choose a niche in TikTok, you need to know which directions are popular:

• Entertainment. Memes, challenges, lip-syncs, tricks and other funny videos;

• Pranks. Videos where influencers play pranks on friends or random passers-by;

• Sports. Video tutorials with exercises. Tips on sports nutrition, interesting facts about sports;

• DIY. Tips from craftsmen, help with car repair, sewing, knitting - and everything else that can be done with your hands;

• Drawing and art.TikToks, where artists paint pictures or give drawing lessons;

• Beauty. Makeup artists, hairdressers, and nail technicians post videos of their work, sharing secrets and life hacks;

• Life hacks. For example, useful tips for the interior;

• Pets.All about pets: care, funny TikToks with cats, stories from owners.

Article by: Klimentiy Rogovtsov. Source: @skillbox_by on TikTok.

Choose a direction that will reveal your skills and talents. If you don't have a hobby, you can get inspired by the videos in the recommendations. Even celebrities participate in challenges - this is an easy way to get a lot of views and promote your channel.

How to shoot your first video

Creating viral videos is easier to master in directing courses. Understanding directing and editing allows you to manage the filming process, hold viewers' attention, and gain many views.

But TikTok's unique feature is that the algorithms favor beginner bloggers. Therefore, even amateur content without much preparation receives millions of views. For example, you can limit yourself to three steps that any user can do independently:

• Write a script. Think about what you want to tell the viewer;
• Shoot a video. Choose an angle. For example, if you want to show how to do exercises correctly, repeat the filming from different angles: from the side, from the front, from above;
• Edit the finished video.Merge multiple scenes, trim "empty" frames, add subtitles and music;

Remember that TikTok video time is limited. Videos should be concise and dynamic. Avoid long cuts and delete anything that doesn't make sense. Don't try to fill up the entire available time limit. After all, short clips up to 15 seconds long get more views.

How to develop a channel

TikTok developer - ByteDance. The team doesn't share any information about the platform's algorithms. But there are a few common patterns:

• Try different formats.Alternate short videos with longer ones. Initially, short TikToks up to 15 seconds long were the most popular. Now, according to researchbuffer.comVideos three minutes or longer get more views;
• Consider the video's subject matter, geography, and engagement.If the video is actively watched and liked by people who live near you and the video matches your interests, it will end up in your feed;
• Don't use services to boost your subscriber count.The system quickly identifies and blocks such channels.

The unique thing about TikTok is that the number of views doesn't depend much on the number of subscribers. The first video on a new channel can go viral. Conversely, a million subscribers doesn't guarantee that every TikTok will get a corresponding number of views.

On TikTok, aspiring creators can quickly promote their channel by creating great content. But your experience and popularity don't guarantee future success. You need to constantly maintain your brand: surprise viewers, create something new and original.

Work: Klimenty Rogovtsov. Source: @skillbox_by on TikTok

How to get more views

• Focus on your niche and try to stick to it.Take into account the interests of viewers when making collaborations and advertising posts;
• Follow trends.Being trendy is more important than the quality of filming. Participate in challenges that suit the channel niche;
• Add trending music to your videos. Users often search for videos by sound;
• Monitor your statistics. See which videos have more views and higher engagement. This will help you understand your audience and release more interesting content.

How to monetize content

TikTok's popularity has transformed the social network into a marketing tool for promoting products and services. Several channel monetization models are available. You don't have to limit yourself to just one format and can choose several, increasing your income.

Direct advertising of brands or other TikTokers

You can find an advertiser yourself, or you can wait until they contact you. The principle is this: a blogger receives technical specifications from an advertiser, mentions the brand in their videos and receives a fee.

Advertising can be direct - in a video, the blogger talks about a promotion in a store or shows a brand product. And hidden - product placement. For example, a blogger posts a video of themselves wearing the brand's clothes or unboxing from a store.

Sale of goods or services

There are two ways to monetize:

• Merch.Bloggers sell sweatshirts, t-shirts, baseball caps, and mugs. Suitable for popular bloggers with a large, loyal audience;
• Professional services or a personal corporate brand.The concept is similar to promoting a business on Instagram. You can post your work, share life hacks, and timelapses of your work. Suitable for advertising a band, designer, stylist, and other specialists.

Affiliate Marketing

A common monetization model among bloggers. The essence of the method: the blogger places an affiliate link with a personal identifier to the advertiser's product or service. For each target action, such as purchasing a product or filling out a feedback form, the influencer earns a percentage or receives a fixed payment.

You don't need to contact the advertiser. Simply register on an affiliate exchange or in a specific site's affiliate program. Next, you need to choose an offer that suits your audience and place the link on your channel. Payments are made automatically after processing customer requests.

Music Promotion

The dress-up challenge launched by Michael Pelchat made Lil Nas X's track "Old Town Road" popular. Millions of TikTokers supported the challenge, the song became a hit, and the young artist became a celebrity. Therefore, aspiring musicians are willing to pay for the use of their tracks on TikTok. Income depends on the number of views and subscribers.

What you need to do:

• Register on the thematic exchange. For example, on SubmitHub;
• Select a track;
• Make a TikTok with sound and post it.

Work: Klimenty Rogovtsov. Source: @skillbox_by on TikTok

Who is popular on TikTok

The TOP 50 most popular influencers on TikTok include musicians, actors, and presenters. Will Smith, Selena Gomez, group BTS and Billie Eilish. But the main feature is that the highest-paid and most popular TikTokers weren't originally celebrities.

• The Charlie Sisters— more than 150 million subscribers. According to Forbes, the sisters earn the most on the platform. Charli started with simple lip-syncs and dances. In just a year, from 2019 to 2020, she gained over 100 million subscribers and became the first to reach this milestone. Later, the girl was noticed by singer Bebe Rexha and invited to take part in her concert. This only added to the channel's popularity.
• Khaby Lame is the most popular TikToker with 160 million subscribers. He became famous for his comedic videos where he mocks life hacks that complicate life. For example, in one post, he mocked a man's attempt to split an apple with his hands and simply cut the fruit with a knife. The channel has been popular for several years.
• Bella Poarchis an example of how you can suddenly become famous. Her lip-sync to "I'm M to the B" went viral, garnering hundreds of millions of views. She now has over 90 million subscribers, a contract with Warner Records, and her own album.

Useful materials from the editors of Skillbox.by

TikTok is a social network that is open to everyone. Even if you live in a remote corner of the world, you can become famous.

You don't need a professional film crew or expensive equipment to make money doing what you love. All you need is a phone, the TikTok app, and a desire. Try to post videos regularly, create high-quality content, and experiment—people love that here.

The Skillbox.by editorial team has selected useful resources to help you understand the basics of marketing and start making money on TikTok.

• AKMA is an association of marketing agencies of Belarus, where you can find useful resources and events for influencers.
• LabelUp Community is a professional community with more than 48,000 registered bloggers working on various platforms.
• Gary Vaynerchuk is an American influencer and entrepreneur originally from Belarus, specializing in marketing and business. His content is filled with motivation, advice for entrepreneurs, and personal experience.