TikTok stars make a lot of money from their viral videos. This is how much they earn per post
TikTok continues to grow in popularity, since its international launch in September 2017. Here's a look at the most-followed TikTok stars and influencers, who also make quite a bit of money for their posts on the video sharing platform.
TikTok has many things: celebrity lip-syncs, viral video challenges, new dance moves that few people can keep up with, and a lot of tutorials. But, the Chinese video sharing platform, which has become the go-to app for tweens and teenagers across the world — it’s now used by 1.5 billion users worldwide and counting — offers some serious earning potential. For the first time, UK-based gambling website, Online Casinos, has revealed TikTok's top earners, and how much they make per post, based on their following and engagement. According to Online Casinos's TikTok Rich List 2020, some of the top stars and influencers, who have millions of followers and billions of likes on the platform, are raking in as much as $1,90,500 per post.
US singer and social media personality, Loren Gray, 17, topped the list by earning an estimated $1,90,500 (approximately Rs. 1,35,53,500) per post. Following Gray is US filmmaker and YouTube personality, Zach King, who earns an estimated $1,61,000 (approximately Rs. 1,14,57,250) per post. Following them in third place is Baby Ariel, a US-based social media personality and actress, who earns $1,51,000 (approximately Rs. 1,07,45,610) for each of her TikTok videos. 16-year-old Indian actor, Riyaz Aly, from Jaigaon, West Bengal, came fourth on the list by earning an estimated $1,37,500 (approximately Rs. 97,84,900) per post. He is known for sharing lip-sync videos on TikTok. Indian television actress Arishfa Khan, singer Nisha Guragain, and choreographer Awez Darbar, all from Mumbai, also appear in the top 10 of Online Casinos's TikTok Rich List. TikTok was previously musical.ly, an app which allowed users to lip-sync to 15-second audio tracks, before it was bought over by ByteDance in 2017.
Ahead, a look at the TikTokers with the highest followers, as well as what they could be earning per post on the popular social media platform:
@lorengray my audition
♬ Roscoes - ZaeHD & CEO
1. Loren Gray: $190.5k per post
Loren Gray Beech, professionally known as just Loren Gray, is a 17-year-old singer from Pennsylvania, USA, who has garnered more than 38.1 million followers on TikTok alone. Although her career is focused on her singing, most of her videos actually show the teenager lip-syncing along to popular songs or doing quick dances that are trending on the video app. She began building a following on TikTok when the platform was known as musical.ly, and now boasts millions of likes on most of her videos.
@zachking Was that a catch? We’re gonna need instant replay… chipotle delivers a touchdown #TikTokTimeout #ad
♬ Yummy - Justin Bieber
2. Zach King: $161k per post
Zack King, 29, is from Oregon, USA. He used his talents for video editing to gain popularity first on the short-form video service Vine. The filmmaker, who is known for his sleight-of-hand tricks, moved his base over to TikTok and now has more than 32.2 million followers. His videos often amass millions of likes apiece with commenters commending him on his editing skills. Though the clips are short, they actually take a lot of work: King revealed in a recent interview that a single six-second video on Vine could take him around three to four hours to film, and then an additional 24 hours to edit. So his current videos on TikTok, which are typically longer, probably take the filmmaker more time to create.
@babyariel someone knocked on the door at the end
♬ marry you - weboutthatclout69
3. Baby Ariel: $151k per post
The 19-year-old social media star's real name is Ariel Rebecca Martin, but she is known professionally as @BabyAriel on TikTok and other platforms. In 2015, she rose to popularity on musical.ly before taking her talents to creating videos on TikTok, amassing a following of more than 30.2 million fans. Her videos range from comic bits involving family and friends to attempting popular TikTok dance trends. Outside of creating content for TikTok, Baby Ariel, who is a US-based actress and singer, will appear in Disney’s Zombies 2, later in 2020.
@riyaz.14 Ajaa???????? rizaafreen_17 #riyaz #riza #brosis #loveyouall #comedy
♬ original sound - Abraz I Khan
4. Riyaz Aly: $137.5k per post
Riyaz Aly, 16, is an Indian actor known for sharing lip-sync videos on TikTok under the name @riyaz.14. The young star, who is from Jaigaon, West Bengal, boasts more than 27.5 million followers on the social media platform. His videos often feature different comic routines that he will lip sync to with other people. Since finding success on TikTok, Riyaz Aly has created an Instagram account to further develop his social media presence.
5. Kristen Hancher: $116.5k per post
Kristen Hancher, 20, from Ontario, Canada, is another online celebrity, who first gained recognition when TikTok was musical.ly. Years later, she's built a following of 23.3 million on TikTok, where she sticks to mainly lip syncing songs in her videos. These videos earn anywhere between 1,00,000 to one million likes for the star. Besides sharing videos, Hancher is known for her colourful style and a variety of wigs that she wears in each of her videos and Instagram posts. Paid partnerships on both Instagram and TikTok help fund her lifestyle, Hancher shared in an interview.
@gilmhercroes Sunday Vibes ???????????? fashionnova #ad
♬ original sound - love_2die
6. Gil Croes: $114.5k per post
26-year-old, Gil Croes, from Aruba in the Caribbean, also embraced TikTok, when it was still musical.ly, and earned a following for posting funny videos of himself lip-syncing. His success on the social media platform, where he has 22.9 million followers, led Gil Croes and his younger brother, Jayden Croes, to launch their own YouTube page, titled, CroesBros. They also often appear together in short videos on their respective TikTok accounts. Brand partnerships with companies like Fashion Nova reportedly also help Croes earn an income on the social networking websites.
7. Jacob Sartorius: $109.5k per post
Jacob Sartorius, 17, is a singer from Oklahoma, USA, who previously used Vine and musical.ly to help promote his talent before signing with a music group. He now uses platforms including TikTok, where he has over 21.9 million followers, to keep in touch with fans and promote his music. Although singing is his main talent, many of his videos focus on completing dancing challenges trending on TikTok and testing his acting chops.
@awezdarbar New Challenge try our signature jisne bhi kiya uska story pe share karuga ???? use #AwuxGabru #PyarTenuKardaGabru ????
♬ PYAAR TENU KARDA GABRU - ROMY
8. Awez Darbar: $108.5k per post
The 26-year-old choreographer and dancer from Mumbai, India, used his talents to create viral videos on TikTok under the name @awezdarbar. His videos sometimes show off his dancing skills, but he also uses the platform to create mini acting sketches with other people. Typically, each video produced by Darbar will receive anywhere from 1,00,000 likes to two million likes, depending on the content, and he's racked up 21.7 million followers.
@nishaguragain Panga nahi lene ka ????deepakjoshi.102
♬ original sound - Nisha Guragain
9. Nisha Guragain: $108k per post
Dubbing popular Bollywood songs is how Nisha Guragain first launched herself online on musical.ly. The 22-year-old from Mumbai now continues the practice on her TikTok account and boasts an impressive 21.6 million followers. Instagram is another place Guragain shares her content and reportedly earns money through engagement and brand deals.
@_arishfakhan_ Yaha zameen ki keemat bahut jada hai♥️ #arishfakhan #duetwitharishfa #arishfashayari #shayari #poetry #trending #slowmo #foryou
♬ original sound - Chandni Shah
10. Arishfa Khan: $106k per post
After acting in TV shows, like, Ek Veer Ki Ardaas, Yeh Hai Mohabbatein, Jeannie Aur Juju and Baal Veer, 16-year-old actress, Arishfa Khan, started her own YouTube channel, where she uploaded dances videos. The social media sensation has also built a large fan base — of 21.2 million followers — on TikTok, where she shares videos of her singing, dancing, lip-syncing, showing off her beauty or fashion looks, or hanging out with friends.