How to Make Money on TikTok

Overview: The Power of TikTok for Monetization

TikTok is no longer just a place for catchy dances and lip-syncs — it has grown into one of the most powerful money-making platforms on the internet, with well over 1.5 billion monthly active users worldwide and a shopping ecosystem that is reshaping how creators earn. Whether you are a hobbyist filming from your bedroom in Kuala Lumpur, an aspiring influencer in Singapore, or a small business owner testing your first product, there is a realistic path to income here.

But the rules have changed a lot since the early days. The old TikTok Creator Fund is gone, TikTok Shop has exploded across Southeast Asia, and TikTok added a new behind-the-scenes Creator Health Rating in 2026 that quietly decides whether your content gets distributed and monetized at all. This guide is a full 2026 refresh: every program, every requirement, honest earnings numbers, and a dedicated section on what actually works if you are based in Malaysia or Singapore. For a deeper look at when to publish, pair this with our guide to the best time to post on TikTok in Malaysia.

Is It Possible to Make Money on TikTok in 2026?

Yes — but with an important caveat. Making money on TikTok is very real, yet almost no one earns a living from a single source. The creators who actually pay their bills with TikTok in 2026 stack several income streams: a bit from views, a bit more from commissions when followers buy the products they recommend, and the largest share from brand deals and their own products or services.

There is no magic follower count that flips a switch and starts paying you. A common question is “how many likes do I need to get paid on TikTok?” — and the honest answer is that likes don’t pay at all. What matters is qualified views, followers for certain features, watch time, the country your audience sits in, and increasingly your account’s compliance record. Let’s break down exactly how it works now.

What Changed: The Creator Fund Is Gone

If you are reading an older “make money on TikTok” article, most of the core programs it describes have been renamed, replaced, or retired. Here is what actually changed:

Keep that last row in mind. The CHR is the new gatekeeper — TikTok now weighs your policy-compliance score more heavily than raw follower count when deciding what you can monetize.

The Best Ways to Make Money on TikTok in 2026

Below are the monetization routes that actually work today, roughly in order of how accessible they are. You do not need all of them — start with one that fits your niche and audience size, then layer on more.

1. Creator Rewards Program (formerly the Creator Fund)

This is TikTok’s direct pay-for-views program. It rewards original videos longer than one minute based on qualified views, watch time, engagement and audience location. Because it replaced the flat-pool Creator Fund with a performance model, payouts are meaningfully higher — but the entry bar is also higher.

To apply, open TikTok Studio → Creator Rewards Program, submit, and you’ll usually hear back within about three days. You can learn the official criteria on TikTok’s Creator Academy.

2. TikTok Shop Affiliate Marketing

For most creators in Malaysia and Singapore, this is the single most practical way to earn. You tag eligible products in your videos or LIVE streams, and you get a commission every time a viewer buys through your tag — no need to hold stock or ship anything. TikTok Shop affiliate access starts at just 1,000 followers (and 18+), one of the lowest bars of any program.

Commissions typically run 5–15% on physical goods (fashion, beauty, gadgets) and up to 20–30% on digital products, translating to roughly USD 12–45 per sale depending on category and tier. There are two participation levels: Link-Share Only creators who add products to a Showcase and share links, and full Affiliate Creators who can promote on the For You feed, request free samples from sellers, and earn from short videos and LIVE. TikTok’s External Traffic Program (ETP) even lets you earn from affiliate links you share outside the app.

3. Sell Your Own Products (TikTok Shop Seller)

If you have your own products — merch, a skincare line, an e-book, a course — you can open a TikTok Shop and sell directly in-feed, in LIVE, and from a product tab on your profile. This keeps 100% of the margin (minus platform fees) instead of a commission split, and pairs naturally with a personal brand. It works especially well for Malaysian and Singaporean small businesses already selling on Shopee or Lazada. A short, well-produced demo can do a lot of the selling for you — our roundup of the best AI video generators can help you turn out product clips faster.

4. Brand Partnerships & Sponsored Content

Brand deals remain the largest income source for most successful creators — and they work no matter which country you are in. Brands pay you to feature their product in a video, and rates scale with your audience, niche and engagement. TikTok’s official matchmaking now runs through TikTok One (which absorbed the old Creator Marketplace in 2025), where you can find open briefs, manage projects and track payouts in one place. You can also land deals directly by pitching brands whose products genuinely fit your content. When you take a paid partnership, always switch on the paid-partnership/Branded Content disclosure — it’s required, and hiding it can hurt your Creator Health Rating.

5. LIVE Gifts & Video Gifts

Once you hit 1,000 followers and are 18+, you can go LIVE and receive virtual gifts. Viewers buy Coins with real money, send you gifts during a stream, and TikTok converts those gifts into Diamonds that you redeem for cash (TikTok takes a cut in the process). Some regions in Southeast Asia and Europe have trialled LIVE access from as few as 500–800 followers. Consistency is everything here — regular streamers who actually talk with their audience earn far more than occasional ones.

6. LIVE Subscriptions

LIVE Subscriptions let your biggest fans pay a recurring monthly fee for perks like subscriber-only badges, custom emotes and members-only chat. Eligibility generally means 18+ and around 1,000 followers, though TikTok rolls it out in phases and some creators report needing more. It rewards a loyal community rather than raw reach, making it a good fit for niche educators, musicians and streamers.

7. TikTok Series & Tips (Premium Content)

TikTok Series lets eligible creators put premium content behind a paywall — each Series can hold up to 80 videos of up to 20 minutes, priced anywhere from USD 0.99 to 189.99. The baseline is 10,000 followers (you may apply with fewer if you can show a track record of selling premium content elsewhere). Tips let followers send you one-off payments directly from your profile as a thank-you. Both suit creators whose knowledge or tutorials are worth paying for — think detailed how-tos, recipes, or coaching.

8. Affiliate Marketing Beyond TikTok Shop

You are not limited to TikTok Shop. You can promote products from external affiliate programs (Amazon Associates, Shopee/Lazada affiliates, software tools, and more) by pointing viewers to a link in your bio or a link-in-bio landing page. This is useful for niches or countries where TikTok Shop products are thin, and for higher-ticket items. Always disclose that you earn a commission.

9. Drive Traffic to Other Income Streams

Treat TikTok as the top of your funnel. Use it to grow a YouTube channel (with its own ad revenue), an email newsletter, a Patreon, a podcast, or a paid community. Many creators earn more off TikTok than on it, using short clips to pull viewers toward places they control — which also protects you if TikTok’s rules or algorithm shift.

10. Consulting, Services & UGC Creation

If your videos prove you know a subject — marketing, fitness, finance, cooking — you can sell consulting, coaching or done-for-you services. A fast-growing option is UGC (user-generated content) creation: brands pay you to make TikTok-style videos for their accounts, so you earn without needing a big following of your own. Rates range from a few hundred ringgit per video to much more as you build a portfolio.

A note on the old “refer a friend” cash program: TikTok’s invite-a-friend reward scheme was always region-limited and has been paused or discontinued in most markets, so don’t build an income plan around it.

Monetization Methods Compared (2026)

How to Choose the Right Monetization Path

Don’t spread yourself thin. Match your first income stream to where you are today, then add more:

Running paid promotion alongside organic content? Our breakdown of TikTok ads cost in Malaysia will help you budget realistically.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

A few pitfalls trip up new creators and quietly cap their earnings:

• Chasing a “magic” follower number. Views, watch time and your Creator Health Rating matter more than a round follower count.
• Relying on one income stream. Rules and algorithms change — creators with four or five partial streams survive any single disruption.
• Skipping the paid-partnership disclosure. It’s required by TikTok and by advertising rules; hiding it can lower your CHR and get content pulled.
• Posting low-effort affiliate spam. TikTok suppresses lazy “buy this” clips. Show the product in real use and give an honest opinion.
• Assuming the Creator Rewards Program pays everywhere. It doesn’t — if you’re in MY/SG, plan around Shop affiliate, LIVE and brand deals instead.
• Ignoring tax. Creator and affiliate income is taxable; track it from day one.

Making Money on TikTok in Malaysia & Singapore

This is where a lot of international advice falls apart, so read carefully. As of mid-2026, the Creator Rewards Program is not yet available in Malaysia or Singapore. TikTok runs it in a limited set of markets — the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, South Korea, Brazil and Mexico, with Australia and Canada added along the way. Southeast Asian expansion is expected later, and Singapore is often named as a strong candidate, but you should not count on per-view pay in the region right now.

The good news: TikTok Shop is fully live in both Malaysia and Singapore, and it’s the region’s real engine of creator income. Here’s how the pieces fit for MY/SG creators:

• TikTok Shop affiliate is your fastest path — commissions on the products you recommend, starting at ~1,000 followers.
• LIVE gifts and subscriptions are available and popular locally, especially for live selling.
• Brand deals work regardless of location and are the biggest earner for most established creators.
• Your own TikTok Shop suits the many Malaysian and Singaporean SMEs already selling online.

Payments and tax. Payouts land in your local bank account in ringgit or Singapore dollars. Remember that creator, affiliate and brand-deal income is generally taxable — in Malaysia through LHDN (and note the ongoing e-invoicing rollout for businesses), and in Singapore through IRAS. Fees on some tools and services may also carry Malaysia’s 8% Sales & Service Tax or Singapore’s 9% GST, and any subscriptions billed in USD will attract card FX fees. Handling personal data of customers (for your own Shop) brings PDPA obligations in both countries. None of this is tax advice — if your TikTok income grows, check the current rules with LHDN or IRAS, or a local tax professional.

Want more reach before you monetize? See our guides on the best time to post on TikTok in Malaysia and using AI tools in our best AI marketing tools roundup.

How Much Do TikTokers Make in 2026?

Let’s set realistic expectations. Direct pay from views is modest: through the Creator Rewards Program, creators typically earn roughly USD 0.40–1.20 per 1,000 qualified views on eligible 1-minute-plus videos — about USD 400–1,000 per million views, and often less. Many creators earn little or nothing from views alone, and (as noted) that program isn’t open in Malaysia or Singapore yet.

The bigger money is elsewhere. TikTok Shop affiliate commissions average around USD 12–45 per sale depending on category, and a single viral product video can drive hundreds of sales. Brand partnerships remain the top earner for most creators, with fees scaling from a few hundred ringgit for a nano-creator to five figures for large accounts. LIVE gifting varies wildly by how often you stream and how engaged your community is. The realistic picture: TikTok income is lumpy, multi-source, and built over months — not a fixed salary per follower.

7 Tips for Getting Paid on TikTok

1. Be genuine. Audiences (and the algorithm) reward authentic recommendations far more than obvious sales pitches.
2. Always disclose paid content. Use the paid-partnership toggle and say when you earn a commission — it protects your Creator Health Rating and trust.
3. Pick a niche and own it. The best affiliates and brand partners are known for one category, not everything.
4. Make videos over one minute. Longer, watchable videos unlock Creator Rewards eligibility and generally earn more watch time.
5. Post at the right time and stay consistent. Timing plus regular posting compounds — see our best time to post on TikTok guide.
6. Protect your Creator Health Rating. Avoid guideline violations, and if points drop, complete TikTok’s in-app policy education to recover them.
7. Diversify. Layer Shop affiliate, brand deals, LIVE and off-platform streams so no single change can wipe out your income.

Final Thoughts

Making money on TikTok in 2026 is absolutely possible — it just looks different from the Creator Fund era. Treat it as a portfolio: start with the one stream that fits your audience today (for most Malaysians and Singaporeans, that’s TikTok Shop affiliate), keep your compliance clean, and add streams as you grow. The creators who win are consistent, honest, and diversified.

Figures verified July 2026 from TikTok’s official Creator Academy and current reporting; programs, prices and country availability change often, so confirm the latest details in TikTok Studio or TikTok’s official help pages before you rely on them. This guide is general information from Kayatoday, not financial or tax advice, and KayaToday is not affiliated with TikTok.

Frequently Asked Questions