How to make money on TikTok without followers

Can you make money on TikTok with 0 followers?

Yes, but not through TikTok's own payouts: its main creator programs ask for followers first. With zero followers, brands can still pay you: a flat fee for a UGC video the brand posts, or a rate per 1,000 views on a video you post yourself. Both pay for the video or its views, not your follower count.

• Need followers: TikTok Creator Rewards, LIVE gifts, TikTok Shop affiliate.
• Pay doesn't depend on followers: UGC and pay-per-view campaigns, though each brand or campaign decides who it works with.
• Skip: anything that charges you to join or sells you followers.

How many followers do you need to make money on TikTok?

It depends on the route. TikTok's Creator Rewards Program needs 10,000 followers and 100,000 video views in the last 30 days. TikTok Shop affiliate in the US needs 1,000. LIVE needs a follower count that TikTok says varies by region. UGC and pay-per-view campaigns pay for the video or its views, so your follower count matters much less.

With 1,000 followers, US creators can apply as TikTok Shop affiliates, and LIVE may open depending on your region. Shopify reports that a personal account needs more than 1,000 followers to add a clickable bio link, which matters for affiliate links off TikTok.

Why do views matter more than followers on TikTok and Reels?

Because both apps show videos to people who don't follow you. TikTok has said follower count is not a direct factor in For You recommendations, and Instagram said in 2024 it was changing Reels ranking to give smaller creators a fairer shot. A new account's video can reach strangers on day one, or stall.

• TikTok wrote in June 2020 that bigger accounts tend to get more views, but neither follower count nor past hit videos are direct factors in what the For You feed recommends (TikTok Newsroom).
• Instagram said in April 2024 that Reels had been ranked mostly on how followers reacted, so the biggest accounts got the most reach. It described a new approach that first shows content to a small audience likely to enjoy it, followers or not, then widens reach for what performs (Instagram).
• Instagram trial reels (December 2024) go to non-followers first, so you can test an idea on strangers (Instagram).

That is why pay per view suits small accounts: it pays for the audience a video actually reached, and that number comes from the feed, not your follower count. The catch works in reverse. No counted views, no pay, and nobody can promise a video will travel.

How do you get paid per view with a small account?

You join a brand campaign, post a video about the product on your own account with the paid partnership label on, and earn the campaign's rate for every 1,000 views it counts. On Markapping, pay is per counted view, not per follower, and each campaign chooses who can join: open to everyone, by application, or invite-only.

Markapping is a pay-per-view creator marketing platform for mobile apps: app owners fund a campaign and pay creators for every 1,000 views their videos get on TikTok and Instagram Reels. It is not live yet. It works in your phone or computer browser, with no app to install, and creators can join the waitlist on Markapping for creators. This is how a campaign will work.

1. 01

   Connect your account

   Use TikTok's or Instagram's official login (read-only; Markapping never posts for you), or verify with a short code in your bio. Bio-code accounts are marked less reliable, and their views are read from public pages.

2. 02

   Pick a campaign

   Each campaign sets the rate per 1,000 views (at least $1.00), any bonus for installs, trials or paid subscriptions, and its limits.

3. 03

   Post on your own account, labeled

   Turn on the paid partnership or branded content label; videos without it don't count. See the paid partnership label on TikTok and Instagram.

4. 04

   Get approved

   Videos are approved automatically or reviewed, and anything not reviewed within 48 hours is approved. A rejection must name a rule written in the campaign and give a reason.

5. 05

   Views get counted

   Views count from the moment you post. The 7, 14 or 30-day window runs after approval, so a slow review doesn't shorten it.

6. 06

   Checks, then payment

   Every video gets a fake-view check, then a 3-day team review after the window. Suspicious videos are held, a person decides, and you can appeal once. Bonuses are paid separately, a few days later.

Earnings are counted views divided by 1,000, times the rate, up to the campaign's limits, plus any bonus. Joining is free, and Markapping keeps 5%. Two optional limits matter most for small accounts: a minimum view count before anything is paid, and a cap per video. Check both before you film.

Any account rules of Markapping's own will be confirmed before the panels open. More on the model: how getting paid per view works.

Can you make money on Instagram without followers?

The same split applies on Instagram. Its own earning features need followers: Gifts on Reels need a professional account, age 18+, a minimum follower count and a supported country. Plain Reels views pay nothing by themselves. So with a small account the routes match TikTok's: UGC for brands, and brand campaigns that pay per view on Reels.

• Views alone: ClickAnalytic, updated September 2026, puts Instagram's pay for 1,000 views on an ordinary reel at $0, and says bonuses come by invitation only (ClickAnalytic).
• Gifts: a professional account, 18+, a minimum follower count and a country where Gifts is available. Instagram lists the current numbers in its Help Center, and third-party guides give different follower figures, so check there.
• Pay-per-view on Reels: Markapping counts the number the Instagram app shows as "views". Full breakdown: does Instagram pay for Reels views?

What does a realistic first 30 days look like?

Expect a month of practice before your first paid video, and small numbers when it comes. Spend week one picking a niche, weeks two and three posting practice videos, and week four on one or two paid videos whose rules you know. This plan is our suggestion, not a platform rule, and the earnings below are an example.

1. 01

   Week 1: pick the kind of app you actually use

   Budgeting, fitness, study, language learning. You film faster about things you know, and the FTC says you can't talk about your experience with a product you haven't tried (FTC).

2. 02

   Week 2: post practice videos

   Tips and how-tos in your niche, not ads. Check your analytics for which openings keep people watching.

3. 03

   Week 3: build a small portfolio

   Your three best videos become your sample for UGC pitches and for campaigns that take applications.

4. 04

   Week 4: one or two paid videos

   Pick a campaign whose written rules you can follow. Post on your own account with the label on, submit the link, and track counted views, not likes.

What are the red flags in "make money on TikTok" offers?

Be wary of anyone who wants money from you before you earn any. The FTC lists paying for starter kits, training or certifications as a common scam pattern, and calls promises of a lot of money for little work almost certainly a scam. A real campaign pays you. It doesn't charge you to join.

Questions