TikTok will discontinue its US$1 billion (AU$1.6 billion) Creator Fund, which launched in 2020 in a bid to incentivise creators onto the platform, from the 16th of December.
The company’s $1.6 billion Creator Fund launched in 2020, with a view to reward creators for using the platform. The fund was set to deploy cash for three years to creators with at least 10,000 followers, who generated 100,000 views in a 30-day period. Now, it’s been revealed the Fund will close on the 16th of December for creators in the UK, US, Germany and France.
Instead, TikTok is inviting creators to join the Creativity Program, which it launched earlier this year, though that’s only open to those with US-based accounts. TikTok states that creators could earn 20 times the amount via the Creativity Program than they were making under the original Fund.
The catch with the Creativity Program is that creators must create viral videos that are longer than a minute. There’s no set pool of money for the Program, but rather it states the amount that creators receive will depend on qualified views and RPM (revenue per thousand impressions). (RPM can fluctuate depending on factors like video engagement, authenticity of content and adherence to TikTok’s community guidelines).
This ultimately means creators pushing out videos under 60 seconds will no longer be compensated by TikTok.
“The Creativity Program was developed based on the learnings and feedback we’ve gained from the previous Creator Fund,” a TikTok spokesperson told Forbes Australia. “As we continue developing new ways to reward creators and enrich the TikTok experience, we value the feedback and direct insights from our community to help inform our decisions.”
While TikTok doesn’t touch on what that feedback was with regards to the previous Creator Fund, we do know that creators have previously told media outlets that they were paid just a few hundred dollars – even with significant followings.
But members of the Creativity Program have said they’re making much more – some, thousands of dollars. One couple told Business Insider they earned a five-figure payout in a month.
Australian TikTokers were not eligible to join the Creator Fund – and currently, the Creativity Program is not open to Australian creators either. But, the demand is here. In 2022, a Change.org petition was created to bring the Fund Down Under, though nothing eventuated. And so far, ‘TikTok Creativity Program Beta Australia’ has 142.8 million views on TikTok, with users posting videos asking the platform to bring the Program to Aussie creators.
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