If you’ve been on TikTok for a while, you probably remember the Creator Fund, TikTok’s original attempt to pay creators for popular content.
Launched in 2020, it promised to reward creativity but quickly drew criticism for low, unpredictable payouts and a lack of transparency.
Many creators felt that no matter how hard they worked, the money didn’t match the effort.
By the way, if you want to stay connected and know everything about social commerce and never miss a beat, join Logie today! Click here
By early 2023, TikTok acknowledged these shortcomings and began testing a replacement: the Creativity Program Beta.
This trial shifted away from a shared funding pool to a performance-driven model based on revenue per 1,000 qualified views (RPM).
It also introduced stricter rules that videos had to be over one minute long, original, and high-quality to earn.
In December 2023, TikTok officially retired the Creator Fund in major markets like the US, UK, France, and Germany, encouraging creators to switch to the new program.
Some regions, like Italy and Spain, kept the Fund temporarily, but the writing was on the wall: TikTok wanted to reward watch time, search value, and engagement, not just raw view counts.
By 2024, the program was rebranded as the Creator Rewards Program and expanded to more markets.
Then in 2025, TikTok added a major upgrade: the Additional Reward, extra payouts for videos that are particularly well-crafted, niche-specific, and engaging.
Today, the Creator Rewards Program is TikTok’s main direct monetization tool.
If you understand how TikTok calculates RPM, what counts as a “qualified view,” and how to hit the Additional Reward criteria, you can turn your TikTok into a consistent revenue stream.
What the Program Is & How It Pays
The Creator Rewards Program pays through two components:
- Standard Reward – Based on your total qualified views × RPM (revenue per 1,000 qualified views).
- Additional Reward – An extra payout for videos that TikTok deems especially well-crafted, engaging, and specialized.
TikTok’s RPM is not fixed; it changes from video to video and over time. Factors influencing RPM include:
- Video performance – average watch time, completion rate.
- Search value – how much search traffic your video captures.
- Location – where you and your viewers are based.
- Engagement – comments, saves, shares, likes.
- Advertising value – ad watch time from viewers.
The shift from pooled payments to RPM-based payouts is a win for creators who know how to hold attention.
Going viral” is no longer the goal; instead, creators focus on creating content that people watch to the end and actively engage with.
Track your RPM per video in TikTok Studio and reverse-engineer your top earners: what topics, lengths, and formats are producing the best RPM?
Eligibility Requirements
You can apply when you:
- Are 18+ (19+ in South Korea).
- Have a Personal Account in good standing.
- Have 10,000+ followers.
- Have 100,000+ video views in the last 30 days.
- Live in a supported country (no VPN use).
Application process:
- Go to Menu (☰) → TikTok Studio → Creator Rewards Program.
- Submit your application—TikTok says most decisions are made within 3 days.
If you’re rejected, you can appeal within 30 days.
The 10k followers + 100k views threshold means you need some traction before joining. This is good for quality control, but can be a hurdle for new creators.
If you’re below the threshold, focus on consistent posting, building niche authority, and driving engagement with clear CTAs in every video before applying.
What Makes a Video Eligible (and What Disqualifies It)
To earn rewards, each video must:
- Be original and high-quality.
- Be ≥ 1 minute long.
- It should be posted after you join the program.
- Hit 1,000 qualified For You feed views.
- Follow TikTok’s Community Guidelines & copyright rules.
Ineligible content includes:
- Duets, Stitches, Photo Mode posts.
- Sponsored content (ads/brand deals) and videos in a Series.
- Reused content with watermarks.
- Lip-syncs with copyrighted music for 1 minute.
This forces creators to prioritize originality over trend recycling, which ultimately rewards skill and creativity.
Keep sponsored posts separate from your monetized content so you don’t accidentally disqualify videos.
Understanding “Qualified Views”
TikTok defines qualified views as:
- Coming from the For You feed.
- Unique per user (repeat plays by the same account count once).
- At least 5 seconds were attached.
- Not boosted via Promote or other paid methods.
- Not flagged as “Not Interested.”
This means TikTok wants organic engagement. Promoted views won’t help you here, so save that budget for awareness campaigns, not Rewards.
Focus on strong hooks and pacing to keep viewers beyond the 5-second mark. This is the threshold that starts earning you money.
The Additional Reward: The 2025 Upgrade
In 2025, TikTok introduced the Additional Reward system: extra earnings for videos that are:
- Well-crafted – filmed in 1080p+, clean audio, good editing.
- Engaging – sparks genuine discussion and interaction.
- Specialized – showcase niche expertise or unique insights.
This is TikTok rewarding “premium” creators. It’s a clear sign the platform is moving toward quality over quantity.
Even if you can post daily, consider reducing frequency if it means you can level up your production quality and storytelling.
Payments & Payout Methods
- Estimated earnings show in your dashboard within 1–3 days of views.
- Finalized on the 1st of the next month.
- Paid out on the 15th via PayPal, Payoneer, or bank transfer (varies by country).
- Minimum payout: $10 in most markets, $50 in some regions (like parts of the EU).
The $10 threshold is creator-friendly, but the 15-day processing time means you should treat Rewards as a monthly supplement, not your main cash flow.
Pair Rewards income with faster-paying streams like affiliate links or TikTok Shop if you need regular liquidity.
How to Increase Your RPM in 2025
- Retention is king – Start with a hook, break your story into beats, and aim for 60–180s total length.
- Optimize for search – Use exact audience queries in your captions and spoken script.
- Drive engagement – Ask for comments or saves in ways that feel organic.
- Stay brand-safe – Controversial topics can hurt your ad value score.
- Focus on craft – High production quality can unlock Additional Rewards.
Think like YouTube in its early days, those who adapt to the algorithm’s deeper quality signals now will dominate later.
Create series formats to repeat what works and build audience habit.
Common Pitfalls That Kill Earnings
- Posting videos before joining the program.
- Using Duets/Stitches/Photo Mode for Rewards videos.
- Promoting videos with paid boosts (views won’t count).
- Mixing brand deals into Rewards videos.
Most of these are avoidable with a little planning.
Create two content calendars: one for brand content and another for Rewards-eligible posts.
Conclusion
TikTok’s Creator Rewards Program is a huge improvement over the old Creator Fund, but it’s not a magic tap that pours money just for posting. The winners in 2025 will be creators who:
- Keep videos original and over 1 minute.
- Hook and hold audiences to the end.
- Target searchable, niche topics.
- Balance quantity with quality that meets Additional Reward standards.
If you treat this like a business, analyzing your metrics, refining your formats, and separating income streams, TikTok Rewards can become a steady, meaningful part of your creator income.
