If you want to get a better feel of TikTok and know which content resonates on the platform, then looking at who the top earners are makes for a good start. Keep in mind that the top stars on TikTok earn millions of dollars thanks to their unique and trendy content. It’s not just that these videos are entertaining, and they are, but more so that they encapsulate the various cultures and behaviors that make TikTok so popular.
Of course, due to the app’s popularity, many of the biggest TikTok stars have since become celebrities, in a broader sense. Those that have managed to gain recognition well beyond the walls of TikTok are generating nauseating amounts of income, with Forbes releasing its latest list, which includes some of the biggest earners on TikTok.
For a quick and easy-to-understand overview, a team from Statista compiled the information into this visual.
Big Earners
Charli D’Amelio is known as the definitive queen of TikTok, which shows since Charli was also the top TikTok earner in 2021, raking up a whopping $17.5 million through a combination of endorsements, TV shows, clothing, and various other projects. Charli is said to currently be branching out with new forms of content but still sees the most engagement from her dance videos, with her clips averaging views above 40M. Okay Charli, OKAY.
Her sister, Dixie D’Amelio is following closely behind, maintaining her popularity on the app, though it’s rather amusing to know that Dixie’s most viewed TikTok last year was a video of Charli. The clip garnered around 73 million views. Good on you Dixie!
Whatever it is that the D’Amelio’s are doing, it’s working. While there are those that question what the impact of TikTok fame has on their lifestyle, after catching a glimpse of it in ‘The D’Amelio Show’, their popularity, as it clearly shows, has and will most likely continue to endure on TikTok.
#3 on Forbes’ list is Addison Rae, who’s currently trying out film acting for Netflix this year. One of Addison’s most viewed clips was of her simply ‘body-rolling’ in a blue dress while utilizing a ‘not-so-regular’ shooting angle. It got her 96 million views.
Another familiar name would be ‘Build-A-B*tch’ artist Bella Poarch, who originally gained popularity on TikTok, then just blew up when her singing career reached new heights. Josh Richards on the other hand, is the only male TikTok star to even make it on the TikTok top earner’s list, but that in itself is already an achievement, considering the huge disparity in gender-based influence currently observed on the platform.
The Wrap
The main idea here is to identify what elements seem to be working for TikTok’s biggest stars. Since it has become an established theory that succeeding on TikTok also means incorporating the evident values and behaviors within its networks, then what better way to learn TikTok’s ins and outs than by watching its best and brightest?
Trends are powerful things on social media and are more so on TikTok. Being able to ride on existing and emerging cultural trends has always been a key driver on the platform, and allowing people to easily jump on board has always been one of its strengths, something that very few other platforms are capable of. As various experts and analysts have said over and over again:
“Building native, platform-specific TikTok content is the best way to drive success.”
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