TikTok rolls out monetization for makers of its “most engaging” content

TikTok is finally sharing ad revenue with some creators.

The platform unveiled its first revenue-share program, called TikTok Pulse, back in May. Pulse appears to be a bit like YouTube Select: both programs bundle together a small crop of popular creators whose content is deemed extremely brand-safe.

In Pulse’s case, TikTok says monetization is available to makers of the top 4% “most engaging” videos across 12 categories, including beauty, fashion, cooking, gaming, and books.

TikTok never gave a specific launch date for Pulse, but we’re now seeing reports on Twitter of creators getting notices telling them they’re now eligible for the program.

According to the notices, in addition to being in the top 4%, creators must have at least 100,000 followers, must have posted at least five videos within the last 30 days, and must be at least 18 years old to start earning revenue.

Creators who meet all these criteria will earn 50% of revenue from ads “placed adjacent to their videos,” the notice says.

TikTok previously said Pulse will involve contextual advertisements, meaning it aims to put sports ads on sports videos, beauty ads on beauty videos, and so on.

By giving creators 50% of ad revenue from Pulse, TikTok is slightly edging out YouTube Shorts’ upcoming ad revenue split, where 45% of revenue goes to creators and YouTube gets the larger 55% portion (a reversal of its long-form revenue split, where creators get 55% and it takes 45%).

Tubefilter reached out to TikTok to ask if these notices are part of a full Pulse rollout or if Pulse is still in beta, and to see how many creators are involved and if there are specific geographical locations where Pulse is being opened. We’ll update this story with any new information.