You have probably heard that TikTok influencers make a lot of money, which is a fact. They are a breed apart because they create fantastic videos that go viral soon after uploading them. With every viral video, top TikTok influencers add more numbers to their following, and the snowballing effect never stops. And based on the number of followers you have, the payment can vary from as low as $200 to a whopping $20,000 for each branded video.
What is TikTok?
TikTok is a social media platform that is purely video-based. All you need to do is create your account, and you are allowed to make and share short-length videos ranging from 15 seconds to 60 seconds.
Did you know that TikTok was originally called ‘Douyin’? It is a Chinese term that translates as ‘vibrating sound’. TikTok was created in 2018 in China, grew to 184 million active monthly users by 2020, and has 740 million new users in 2021, according to Statista. However, there are thousands of creators associated with TikTok who monetize their videos.
TikTok has a built-in algorithm that analyzes the videos and measures the number of views, likes, and shares. If the numbers are high, the video goes viral, and the creator gets paid handsomely. TikTok keeps feeding such viral videos to new audiences, which only adds fuel to make the videos even more viral. This is how TikTok influencers grow and prosper, using TikTok as their platform for growth.
Top 5 TikTok Influencers
1. Charli D’Amelio
Charli D'Amelio Image source: Instagram
We couldn’t start this list without mentioning the Queen of TikTok, Charli D’Amelio.
Based in America, Charli began her TikTok career in 2019 and has since gone on to become one of the most famous faces to come from the video-sharing app. With over 80 million followers on TikTok alone, Charli is currently the most-followed individual on there.
Her online success has led to her attending Super Bowl LIV where she was asked to create the TikTok challenge, ‘J Lo Super Bowl Challenge’. She was also part of TikTok content house, ‘The Hype House’ along with 18 other creators including her sister, Dixie D’Amelio.
She has recently announced a new podcast deal alongside her sister. Is there anything Charli can’t do? We can’t wait to see what’s next.
2. Addison Rae
Addison Rae Image source: Instagram
Another TikTok OG – Addison Rae has kept users of the app entertained throughout lockdown with her dances and other exciting content.
Now a well-known social media personality, Addison decided to take her newfound stardom more seriously and expand to other platforms, particularly YouTube and Instagram.
Addison has gone on to release a weekly podcast alongside her mum and has recently announced that she has co-founded a cosmetics line, Item Beauty. Her fun and engaging content has led her to work with global companies including Reebok and L’Oréal.
3. Dixie D’Amelio
Dixie D'Amelio Image source: Instagram
Although the big sister, Dixie has followed in her sister’s footsteps and very quickly became a household name on TikTok.
As the 10th most followed individual on the app, Dixie’s career has gone from strength to strength. She is now recognised as a very talented singer and actress having released a debut single and appeared on the Brat TV series, Attaway General.
The D’Amelio girls are definitely a force to be reckoned with.
4. Jason Derulo
Jason Derulo Image source: Instagram
Singing sensation Jason Derulo has well and truly taken TikTok by storm and with over 32 million followers, he remains one of the biggest stars on the app.
With a number of his songs being used for viral dances and trends, Jason also shares fun and comedic clips as well as sneak peeks of his home life.
Jason Derulo has quite rightly become the King of TikTok.
5. Josh Richards
Josh Richards Image source: Instagram
Rising to fame on TikTok, Josh Richards is a well-known social media star and actor with over 20 million followers on the video-sharing app.
Originally from Canada, Josh resides in the USA and in 2019, he became a member of the collaborative social group, Sway House.
Posting videos of himself dancing and lip-syncing to popular songs, Josh’s success on the app has led to numerous brand collaborations.
How to Become One of the Best TikTok Influencers?
TikTok has emerged as one of the top social entertainment mediums that helps you monetize your video content. TikTok influencers can generate huge revenues from it. Most of this revenue is generated by related ads and sponsorships. Hence, anyone following a few specific steps can aspire to become one of the best TikTok influencers.
1. Create a niche
The first step to becoming one of the top influencers on TikTok is identifying your area of interest and creating a niche. Once you have decided on the niche, it is time to research intensely and gain complete mastery in the niche. Based on this, you can create exciting, engaging content. Once followers recognize that you have expertise in your domain, they will like and share your content, which will help increase your following. You need to ask yourself:
● Can you create content on the same topic continuously?
● Is it an area that interests you so much that you will do it even without being paid?
● Are you helpful by nature and want to help people resolve their problems?
● Do you have the capacity to master skills that become solutions to challenges?
If the answer is ‘yes’ to all the above questions, you may want to explore domains like:
● Travel
● Beauty
● Parenthood
● Fashion
● Music
● Dance
● Memes
● Humour
● Finance
● Gaming
● Relationships
On TikTok, you can achieve success as a brand or a creator. However, if you want to become one of the top TikTok influencers, you must open a creator account first. If you are a brand, you must create a business account with TikTok.
Once you have created a relevant account, you can go ahead and set up your profile, which must include:
● Your Bio
● A profile photo
● A profile video
Creating an attractive profile increases the chances of adding more followers. Most people get impressed by a good personality with striking looks.
3. Know your target audience
To engage your target audience, you need to create unique, exciting content. When the content is compulsive, the following is guaranteed. Also, distinctly presenting content makes all the difference. You must first understand your audience well before building your content strategy. Look at the other trending posts and compare them to check if your follower base would want the same. That’s the trick to creating engaging content.
4. Look at your competitors
You can learn a lot from your competitors. Studying them gives you insights into what is trending in the market currently. Check out the existing influencers working with competing brands, and analyze their posts to determine:
● The type of content they post most
● The posts that get the maximum likes and shares
● What’s missing in their posts, and how to add the missing link
The above observations can help you create engaging and unique content that is more likely to go viral.
5. Create a robust content strategy
Timing is crucial for TikTok influencer marketing as your posts are viewed only if they are posted at the appropriate time. If you are good, your audience will wait for the time when your posts appear.
● Post your content randomly in the beginning.
● Check the posts that are viewed more and note the timings.
● Also, ensure that your content is original and full of innovative ideas to make it more engaging. Add a personal touch to your posts with anecdotes relating to you and your friends or family. Add variety to your content to ensure that it never gets boring.
● Adding trending hashtags to your posts ensures better visibility. TikTok’s discover page will give you more information about the trending Hashtags.
● Adding some fun elements to your content helps reach new audiences, and you may also add trending songs to attract more people.
Benefits of TikTok Influencer Marketing
Today, it has become crucial for brands to have a presence on TikTok with influencers endorsing their brands. TikTok influencers can sway their followers the way they want them to, and brands stand to gain immense benefits accruing out of such a blind following. You need to create videos using popular audio clips, including the trending Hashtags, and post them on TikTok.
When you have the best TikTok influencers as part of your marketing strategy, you can present your brand and product in front of a huge captive audience, and the potential to gain new customers also exists. When you have the right influencers on TikTok, you can be assured that your brand and product are exposed to the appropriate audience from your niche. TikTok is here to stay and is a part of social media; hence taking advantage is a smart move for marketers.
Top TikTok influencers have the liberty to link their bios to their YouTube channels or even to your brand’s Instagram accounts. TikTok influencers can easily direct their followers from TikTok to other social media platforms like YouTube, Facebook, or Instagram. Brands must take advantage of such opportunities to popularise their products using famous TikTok influencers.
Several top TikTok influencers love throwing challenges to their following. With challenges being a rage on the TikTok platform, users can easily create a challenge related to a particular product. Challenges of this kind are bound to go viral in no time at all, and brands can take advantage of such opportunities to establish their brand voice in the market and generate thousands of conversions in one go.
The influencers listed above are only a part of a longer list. Several other influencers have a huge fan following, so go for someone who fits your budget and brand ideology.
FAQs
1. Who is the most influential influencer on TikTok?
Among the many top TikTok influencers is Loren Gray, the most influential, with 38 million followers. Not a very close second is Ariel Martin, with 29 million followers. Kristen Hancher, Riyaz Ali, and Gil Croes are neck-to-neck with 23 million followers on TikTok.
2. Who is the most famous influencer on TikTok?
According to Statista, Dancer Charli D’ Amelio is the most famous of current TikTok content creators, with 136.6 million followers worldwide as of February 2022. She was called the queen of TikTok by The New York Times.
3. Is the automated narrator’s voice on TikTok real?
The automated narrator’s voice on TikTok belongs to Beverly Standing, a Canadian national. She has lent her voice to thousands of videos for the text-to-voice feature on TikTok. Although the narratives sound like a computer-generated voice, it belongs to Standing.
4. How can I become an influencer on TikTok?
The TikTok app manages a partnership program known as TikTok Creator Fund, and you get paid if you are an eligible TikToker for any of their videos. However, your chances of becoming one of the TikTok influencers are better if you collaborate with one of the leading brands in the market. Of course, you must first create an account on TikTok and try to get as many followers as you can. The next step is creating a niche, which can be any area you are interested in and passionate about.
5. How much can I earn as a TikTok influencer?
There is no limit to your earnings as an influencer on TikTok. According to reports from Forbes, you can earn anywhere between $100,000 and $250,000 through branded videos. There are star influencers who easily make $500,000 from a single post. The important thing is that your video must go viral, and the more the views and shares, the better you are known as a TikToker.