Social media can open up a world of opportunity for creators. Apart from becoming famous, creators can earn money if they position themselves well or have a lot of followers online.TikTok is one of the platforms that make that possible, and it is adding one more way for creators to monetize their content. TikTok is giving top creators the ability to share ad revenue with advertisers through its program, Pulse.What is TiikTok Pulse, and how does it help creators earn money through ads? Let's find out.
TikTok Wants to Share Ad Revenue With Creators
TikTok has launched Pulse, a revenue-sharing program that allows brands to partner with creators, public figures, and media publishers, and split ad revenue 50/50.
The program was announced in a TikTok blog post, which reads:
To help brands be on the pulse of entertainment and culture on TikTok, we're excited to introduce TikTok Pulse, a new contextual advertising solution that lets advertisers place their brand next to the top content in the For You Feed. TikTok Pulse is designed to give brands the tools and controls to be a part of these everyday moments and trends that engage the community.
But this initiative isn't open to all creators on TikTok though, it is exclusive to the platform's top 4% of videos and only creators with at least 100,000 followers will be eligible.
This is TikTok's first revenue-sharing program, but not its first monetization initiative. In December 2021, TikTok launched Creator Next, a program that helps creators connect with brands to monetize their content on the platform.
TikTok didn’t reveal how many creators it would include in the Pulse program in the early stages, but it will initially only launch to creators and advertisers invited to join the program in the US in June 2022. TikTok will then roll it out to more brands and markets in the months that follow.
How TikTok Pulse Will Help Top Creators Earn Money Through Ads
Pulse gives brands an opportunity to appear alongside a creator's video on TikTok's coveted For You page. They can be featured in TikTok videos in 12 categories, including fashion, beauty and personal care, cooking and baking, automotive, gaming, and sports. Whatever money is made from that placement is then split, with the creator keeping half.
Typically, brand-creator partnerships consist of brands paying creators an agreed-upon amount of money for one or more posts, and the creator doesn't get a share of the revenue. Although, with affiliate links, creators get a small percentage of the revenue whenever someone buys a product using their special discount code.
Creators can make a lot of money on TikTok, although that depends on a host of factors, like where you live and how many followers you have. Even so, it's bold of TikTok to give creators half of a brand's revenue, although we can almost see why.
As explained in the blog post:
Marketers today are looking for the opportunities to be on the pulse of relevant cultural moments. Our goal is to build creative tools for brands to be discovered and connect with the broader communities around them. TikTok Pulse places brands at the heart of TikTok communities and alongside the trending content that is driving conversation and action.
The idea is that TikTok Pulse aligns brands with the upper crust of creators that are likely to trend or get a lot of engagement on their posts, so those brands can reach and connect with their target communities.
TikTok wants creators to feel "valued and rewarded" on TikTok, and this program gives qualifying creators a sense of exclusivity.
Is TikTok Pulse Fair to All Creators?
While this is a great initiative for top creators on TikTok, it is unfair to creators with smaller followings.
Sometimes, micro-influencers have higher engagement rates than macro-influencers; those influencers shouldn't miss out on such a large opportunity for monetization. Creators that are part of the TikTok Pulse program could also end up getting preference over others due to demand, which limits monetization opportunities for others.