Influencers Can Now Make Even More Money Thanks to TikTok's New Pulse Program

The popular social media platform TikTok announced that there’s a new way for popular creators to earn money on the platform. It’s called the Pulse Program and it aims to profit-share ad revenue with the most-watched creators.

However, the Pulse Program has some restrictions on who can earn and how much they can earn, but the prospect of a new income stream for influencers remains a big moment in the creator economy.

So, how does it work and how will influencers make money? Keep reading to find out.

In May, TikTok announced that it would launch the Pulse Program to give creators another way to earn money on the app. Now, the program is officially rolling out for the best of the best.

At its core, Pulse is a profit-sharing model where TikTok splits ad revenue for ads shown on highly popular content.

Some terms for TikTok’s new Pulse Program include:

• You must have at least 100,000 followers.

• You have to have posted at least five videos in the last 30 days.

• You must be at least 18 years old.

Just because you’re eligible for the Pulse Program doesn't mean you will actually earn money from it.

Of those enrolled in the program, TikTok partners with brands that want to advertise in the top 4 percent of videos that day. TikTok then splits that ad revenue in half and gives 50 percent to the video’s creator.

In addition to benefiting creators, Pulse is big for advertisers.

"Marketers today are looking for the opportunities to be on the pulse of relevant cultural moments. Our goal is to build creative tools for brands to be discovered and connect with the broader communities around them," TikTok explained in a May press release. "TikTok Pulse places brands at the heart of TikTok communities and alongside the trending content that is driving conversation and action."

Like its highly personalized algorithm, TikTok plans to curate ads based on categories. TikTok wrote in a press release that it “offers 12 categories of Pulse in which brands can place their ads next to the most culturally relevant content. These categories include favorite content from beauty and fashion to cooking and gaming and so many other verticals the TikTok community loves engaging with.”

Revenue streams like this are becoming increasingly normalized in the social media space. YouTube Shorts recently announced it plans to launch monetization next year, which may have sped up TikTok’s launch of the Pulse Program.

Whatever the case, it’s a good thing for the creator economy, but Pulse’s benefits do have a downside. They’re only good for big creators, excluding people like micro-influencers who may have a small but highly engaged list of followers.

This could be a negative influence on diversity, equity, and inclusion in the influencer space, but it may also prove fruitful for a wide array of creators.

Ultimately, it’s too soon to tell, but one thing is clear: If you want to partake in the TikTok Pulse Program, you better get creating.