The NEW TikTok Creator Rewards Program (Everything You Need To Know)

Introduction

If you want to get paid for your videos on TikTok, then you need to read this article. The TikTok Creator program has left beta and has been replaced with the new program called The Creator Rewards program. With the new name come a bunch of changes, the biggest of which is TikTok promising that the days of only earning a few dollars per million views are over and that creators will be able to earn much bigger payouts under the new program. But there is a lot that you need to know. Today, I'm going to be explaining the new formula that TikTok is using to pay creators, the eligibility requirements for the Creator Rewards program, and the changes that you need to make to your videos in order to increase your earnings under the new program. TikTok has also announced a brand new feature called The Creator Search Insights Tool, which is going to allow you to make more money from your videos without having to get as many views. But in order to understand how that works, you need to first understand the formula that is determining payouts under the new program.

Similar to Creativity Beta, TikTok's new Creator Rewards program is for original content that's over a minute long. The program is going to be using something called the optimized rewards formula in order to pay creators. The formula uses four key metrics to determine how much creators will be paid for their videos. I'm going to go in-depth into all four of these metrics because it is a massive change from the previous program. The four key metrics of the optimized rewards formula are originality, play duration, audience engagement, and search value.

Originality

Originality is probably the most important metric because if you are not getting this one right, you are not going to get paid, and as you may have noticed, you may not get views either. TikTok has been cracking down on unoriginal content, which is not permitted under the Community Guidelines, and it's a big reason why so many people are doing okay on TikTok and getting views and then one day they suddenly start getting zero views on all of their videos. Alternatively, their videos are still being shown to their followers but are not eligible for the For You Page. As we go into this new era on TikTok, it's important that you start thinking of the platform more like how you see YouTube. TikTok does not want a bunch of clips, memes, and AI-generated content on the platform. They want real people creating valuable content that educates and entertains, and they are going to continue cracking down on what they believe to be non-original content.

TikTok defines original content under the Creator Rewards program as quality content that's designed, filmed, and produced by you that showcases your expertise, talent, and/or creativity. It also has to follow the terms of service and the community guidelines. They also provide us with a list of things that are not considered original content under the rewards program, but it is not limited to the things on this list. Some of the examples include Duets and Stitches, which makes sense, as well as any content that is completely copied from other creators without the watermarks. This also includes slight modifications, so if you are speeding it up, applying a filter, or doing something that way your clip does not look like or looks like a modified original use of another person's content, that isn't going to fly. TikTok also says that if you are using content from other creators and you are not significantly modifying that content to add new ideas or perspectives, then it is not original content.

The big picture is that when somebody creates a piece of art, such as a video or music, it is automatically copyrighted. So the big takeaway here is that if you want to make money on TikTok, you need to be making your own content, because using someone else's content is an intellectual property violation and it's against the community guidelines. If you notice that you're suddenly getting zero views or your videos are no longer eligible for the For You Page, there's a good chance that you violated the unoriginal content section of the community guidelines. But if you're an educational creator helping people solve problems with your content, you are going to be rewarded.

Play Duration

The second key metric is play duration, which TikTok says accounts for both watch time and finish rate. They also say the new formula rewards accounts with content that is clear and engaging rather than favoring accounts with an excessive amount of videos. Posting five or more times per day will not help you earn more money under the new Creator Rewards program. In fact, TikTok recommends that you only post one to four times per day, and now they are reinforcing that idea by saying if you post too much on the platform, it will hurt your earnings. This is beneficial because it means there will be more room and more views for quality content.

Another component of this is how watch time and finish rate are now both being considered as part of the formula. This means creating higher quality, savable content that people will watch all the way to the end. Since TikTok traditionally emphasized watch time percentage, many creators were encouraged to make shorter videos to get that percentage higher. However, with the combination of watch time and finish rate, TikTok now wants creators to produce longer videos that viewers will watch for a longer period but also finish.

Audience Engagement

Audience engagement is becoming a key metric as well, which means that if you have more likes, comments, and shares, you will get paid more. It's great to see that the creators taking the time to build a community and engage with their audience will earn more. However, TikTok traditionally did not value engagement as much as they did watch time. Having a lot of likes on a video will not get you as many views as having comments or high watch time.

Search Value

The last metric is called search value, and this is probably the biggest change from the Creator Program Beta. TikTok has rolled out a brand new tool called Creator Search Insights to help creators make videos that have higher search value. TikTok wants to improve the search functionality of the platform and will reward creators who create searchable content that answers viewers' biggest questions. Videos on highly searched topics will get boosted rewards under the new program. This is great news for educational creators because if you are creating content that helps people solve problems, you are going to win and get paid more. Instead of focusing solely on getting the most views possible to get paid, you can start creating searchable content and earn money that way.

Strategies to Improve Metrics

Play Duration Tips

Create Savable Content: Understand who your ideal viewer is, what they are struggling with, and create content to help them.
Get Them to Watch the First 5 Seconds: Utilize text right away to grab attention, introduce content quickly, and avoid fluff.
Improve Finish Rate: Use auto captions, record videos one line at a time, and test different video lengths.

Audience Engagement Tips

Ask for Comments: Seamlessly integrate requests for comments in your content.
Respond to Comments: Engage with every comment to foster community interaction.

Search Value Tips

Use TikTok’s search functionality to find highly searched topics.
Utilize the Creator Search Insights Tool to find recommended topics and content gaps.
Create videos on these topics to get higher engagement and payouts.

Eligibility Requirements

Personal account (business and political accounts not eligible).
Be at least 18 years old.
Have 10,000 or more followers.
Have over 100,000 views in the last 30 days.
Content must be original and over 1 minute long.
Views must be from the For You page, unique, and over 5 seconds watched.

Keyword

TikTok Creator Rewards Program, Original Content, Play Duration, Audience Engagement, Search Value, Creator Search Insights Tool, Eligibility Requirements, Savable Content, Engagement Strategies.

FAQ

Q: What is the TikTok Creator Rewards Program? A: It is a new program replacing the old Creator program, offering higher payouts to creators for their original content that meets certain criteria.

Q: What type of content is required for the new Rewards program? A: Original content that is over a minute long, designed, filmed, and produced by the creator.

Q: What are the key metrics for the optimized rewards formula? A: Originality, play duration, audience engagement, and search value.

Q: How does TikTok define original content? A: Quality content designed and produced by the creator that shows their talent, expertise, and creativity.

Q: What is considered unoriginal content? A: Content that is copied or modified slightly from other creators, including Duets, Stitches, and use of other creators' content without significant modification.

Q: How can creators improve their play duration metric? A: By creating savable content, engaging viewers within the first 5 seconds, and ensuring a high finish rate with clear and concise messages.

Q: What is the new Search Value metric? A: It measures how well the content answers viewers' biggest questions, with a new tool called Creator Search Insights to help find high search value topics.

Q: What are the eligibility requirements for the Creator Rewards Program? A: A personal account, being at least 18 years old, having 10,000 or more followers, and achieving over 100,000 views in the last 30 days.