I have an account with about 50k followers and I'd like to know if I could make some money from it. I hear there are monetization programs but I'm not sure how they work or what kind of money they give. Has anyone here managed to do it?
The annoying thing is that even with 50k followers, the Creator Fund payouts in Portugal are pretty low - we're talking cents per thousand views, nothing that's going to make you rich! What actually pays is going after direct partnerships with brands in your niche, that's what pays way better. There's also the thing of seeing if you can drive traffic to other platforms (YouTube Shorts, Twitch, even a blog) where monetization is more interesting, because TikTok itself isn't much in terms of returns.
TikTok's monetization program (Creator Fund) is pretty restrictive in Portugal because you need 10k followers and 100k views in a month, but with 50k you can work around it! The thing is, the payouts are really modest though - I'm talking pennies per 1,000 views, nothing that'll cover your bills. The truth is most Portuguese creators actually make their money from brand partnerships, affiliate deals, and even selling their own products; TikTok itself is more like a side thing! Try looking in Discord or Facebook groups for Portuguese creators because there are people sharing actual numbers on how much they're making, so you'll get a better idea of what to expect!
With 50k followers you're already in a way better position than most people. Besides the Creator Fund that was mentioned, there are other ways to make money that sometimes pay more depending on your niche. There's in-video ads (that program where TikTok inserts advertising), there's direct brand sponsorships, and there's also redirecting your followers to other platforms where you monetize better - like YouTube Shorts or even Instagram Reels.
What I see a lot of people doing is combining multiple income streams. The Creator Fund in Portugal really doesn't pay much to be honest, but combined with some smaller sponsorships and if you have an engaged audience, you can make decent money. The real key is having a specific niche because brands prefer to pay for qualified audience over high generic numbers. If your content gets a lot of engagement and attracts a specific type of person, then it becomes easier to land partnerships.
Brand partnerships is where the real money is, way more than the Creator Fund. I know someone who started with around 30k followers and became an influencer for small local shops, earning more in one month from partnerships than they'd make in three months just from platform views.
The trick is to look for brands in your niche on LinkedIn or email them directly offering advertising space. It might seem a bit like begging, but with 50k followers you've got enough of an audience to interest small and medium-sized businesses that don't have the budget for big agencies.
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