March 06, 2024 – TikTok has renamed and expanded its “Creative Program” to the “Creator Rewards Program,” which is now open to all eligible creators who produce videos longer than one minute. The move is part of the platform’s effort to encourage longer-form content creation and boost ad revenue.
According to TikTok, the new program will continue to reward original, high-quality long-form video content while optimizing the reward mechanism to focus on four key areas: originality, watch time, search value, and viewer engagement.
TikTok has seen significant growth in creator earnings since the inception of the program. The platform reported that total creator income has increased by more than 250%, and the number of creators earning over $50,000 per month has nearly doubled.
In addition to renaming and expanding the rewards program, TikTok is also extending its subscription features to non-live content creators. Previously, only live creators could offer exclusive paid content, badges, and customized emojis. Now, these benefits will be available to a wider range of creators.
“Eligible creators can register in the coming weeks to provide added value to their communities through exclusive content and benefits, while also offering their most loyal fans deeper ways to engage with the creators they love,” TikTok said in an official statement.
It’s worth noting that TikTok’s previous “Creator Fund,” which had no video length requirements, was criticized for its low payouts. Last year, popular creator Hank Green shared that he was earning just 2.5 cents per 1,000 views through the fund, significantly less than what he earned on YouTube and about half of what he had previously earned on TikTok.
By contrast, some creators who participated in the “Creative Program” test phase reported earning substantially more. One creator, with a fan base ranging from 500,000 to millions, revealed that they were making anywhere from a few thousand dollars to nearly $100,000 per month, a significant increase compared to their earnings through the “Creator Fund.”
However, the reception of longer-form content among TikTok users remains uncertain. According to an internal survey conducted last year, nearly 50% of users found videos longer than one minute to be “stressful.” Additionally, a report by Wired earlier this year found that one-third of users watch online videos at double speed.
Meanwhile, TikTok faces other challenges beyond its monetization efforts. Yesterday, a group of US lawmakers introduced a new bill that would require TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, to sell its US operations or face a ban on the app’s operations in the country.
