Can a High View Count Make you Earn Money on TikTok?

We’ve seen it on Instagram and YouTube: content creators and influencers getting brand deals and advertising a company’s products or services. Nowadays, on social media, this seems like the main method for earning money for many online personalities. After all, very high follower/subscriber counts bring in the money, both for the company and the creator/influencer who is involved with the promotion aspect. This marketing strategy started to gain traction once businesses realized that selling on the Internet by sponsoring beloved, well-known content creators with huge audiences is a truly valuable asset.

On TikTok, you can do just about the same. The short-video-sharing app allowed many creators who exploded in popularity – Charli D’Amelio, Addison Rae, Dixie D’Amelio and Loren Gray, just to name a few – to make millions of dollars a year thanks to brand partnerships. What all of these TikTokers have in common is an incredibly large amount of views and followers: Charli D’Amelio makes it at the top of the list with about 116 million followers in 2021. But the question is, if we don’t consider the follower count, can you make money only based on your TikTok views?

Why TikTok views don’t guarantee you’ll make money on the platform

TikTok views are not always the best way to determine how successful you are. Let me explain: you might become a one hit wonder someday and accumulate hundreds of thousand – if not millions – of views on a single TikTok video, but there’s no guarantee that you’ll be able to increase and maintain your fame and gain lots of followers from that video alone. Companies tend to reach out to content creators who show persistent and organic growth on the platform in regards to follower count.

Who are the TikTokers who get the most brand deals?

TikTokers who manage to create a large and loyal fanbase are many brands’ target, because these creators have such high amounts of followers that investing in them (the creators) doesn’t represent a financial risk on part of the company. For example, if you have 1 million followers and you promote a brand’s product or service, it’s very unlikely that each one of those people would rush to get the item you’re advertising, but still, there could be at least 500.000 people interested in buying said product or service. Therefore, the company would still be able to make a lot of profit with minimal loss of money. On the other hand, if you have, let’s say, 500 followers, you will reach a significantly reduced number of people with your videos compared to example n. 1, so brands won’t even bother sponsoring you. 

In conclusion…

All this to say that if you have enough followers, brands will be more eager to sponsor you and pay you to promote their products and services. Reaching a very high amount of views while not having a large follower base might not be the best course of action to get brand deals and make money on TikTok, but if you put in the effort and strive towards building a big community around you, then you’ll probably reach your goal.