TikTok Launches Second Iteration of Creator Fund With TikTok Creativity Program
Source: TikTok
TikTok has launched its TikTok Creativity Program, which is the second iteration of its Creator Fund. The program was developed based on feedback and learnings from creators who monetize across TikTok's other solutions.
How It Works
Initially, this program will be an invite-only beta program and will be available to all eligible US creators soon.
To participate in the program, creators must meet certain eligibility requirements:
Be at least 18 years old
Meet a minimum threshold for followers and video views (which has not been announced yet)
Have an account in good standing
Creators who are already enrolled in the TikTok Creator Fund can switch to the Creativity Program, while new creators will be able to apply once the program becomes available.
To make money through the program, creators must produce high-quality, original content that is longer than one minute. Creators will receive payments based on qualified views and Revenue Per Thousand Impressions (RPM), metrics that they can access through an updated dashboard that allows them to view their video eligibility, estimated revenue, video performance metrics, and analytics.
The total amount of the fund for the new program has not been revealed, but TikTok has confirmed it will not come from ad revenue. Based on a new formula, creators can expect to receive higher payments — as much as 20 times what they earned through the Creator Fund.
The TikTok Creativity Program appears to be a response to creators' disappointment with low earnings through the TikTok Creator Fund. Additionally, it comes after YouTube recently launched monetization for Shorts. The program requires a higher minimum follower count of 100,000, compared to the 10,000 required for the TikTok Creator Fund. As a result, fewer creators will likely benefit from the program. However, those who are part of it can expect to receive higher payments due to the new rewards formula.
The Importance Of Long Form Content
Keeping its bigger creators happy isn’t the only reason for the program. TikTok wants longer-form content, as evident by previous moves in increasing video uploads to 10 minutes, expansion of video caption characters from 300 to 2,200, and testing a full-screen horizontal mode.
TikTok’s roots are around short-form video so getting creators to invest in longer videos isn’t going to come naturally unless there’s a perk. In this case, rewarding creators for longer content is one way that can accelerate the growth of this type of content. It's a similar move that YouTube is doing with the Shorts monetization program — rewarding creators for leaning into short-form video.
In the cases of TikTok and YouTube, getting more content across these formats will drive user engagement, leading to new advertising opportunities. TikTok could introduce pre- and mid-roll ads similar to YouTube. Meanwhile, YouTube can attract more advertisers for Shorts, which have a relatively low ad load at the moment.
One big question that remains is: what is the best approach for creator monetization? Should platforms focus on efforts that allow fewer creators to get paid but receive a larger share, or ones that help more creators get paid but receive a smaller share?
