Online content creation has become a more viable career path in recent years. Influencers and content creators can now make money in various ways – the most common one being ad revenue. Apart from that, money can be earned through donations from faithful followers. TikTok gifts are one example of that revenue stream, and they certainly help TikTok influencers earn more. How do they work, you ask? Let us find out.
Inside This Article
What Are Gifts on TikTok?
If you already know how to use TikTok, you might have already heard of TikTok gifts. But in case not, know that TikTok gifts are donations followers give to influencers. They come in many forms and cost a varying amount of TikTok coins per gift.
The TikTok gifts donated are convertible into Diamonds, which can be exchanged for cash. That is how many influencers earn income and how fans can show their support to content creators they like. But do note that because TikTok gifts cost coins, it will cost real-world money to purchase them.
How to Buy TikTok Gifts
If you want to purchase TikTok gifts to donate to your favorite influencers, purchase coins first. These coins are the app’s virtual currency and can be used to obtain gifts and services like promos and shoutouts.
NOTETo buy coins, use the payment details associated with your Google Play or Apple account. Make sure you already have an active account before purchasing coins within the app.
Follow these steps:
1. Access the TikTok Android or iOS app on your gadget.
2. Check out the app’s Settings menu.
3. Tap on Balance afterward.
4. Find and select Recharge.
5. Choose the coin bundle you want to purchase.
Alternatively, you can tap the gift icon on a video’s comment section or at the bottom of a live video. Press the Recharge link and select a package to purchase from there.
When buying coins, it helps to know already how much each coin bundle costs in the US. So, here is the cost breakdown as of this writing:
| Coins | Price |
| 70 | $0.74 |
| 350 | $3.70 |
| 700 | $7.40 |
| 1,400 | $14.80 |
| 3,500 | $37.00 |
| 7,000 | $74.00 |
| 17,500 | $185.00 |
Note: Prices may vary per region and country.
Although there are specific prices, TikTok also accepts custom purchases within the app. That is only when you would like to purchase more than 17,500 coins. However, the price of the custom amount will vary, and the maximum you can purchase is 2,500,000 coins. That maximum is currently priced at $26,500.
In addition, know that once you have purchased coins, you cannot refund or trade them in for real-world currency. The same is true for the reward points you get. Only diamonds are convertible to cash.
How Much Are TikTok Gifts Worth?
The worth of TikTok gifts can be estimated based on how many coins and Diamonds they are equivalent to. Unfortunately, the worth may be hard to estimate due to the multiple conversions involved. Moreover, TikTok has not publicized its conversion metrics; there is no surefire way to break down the computation.
Based on the table above, the conservative price of one coin is roughly $0.01 (rounded down). Thus, TikTok gifts worth 1,000 coins are worth roughly $10 to the person who purchased them. Smaller TikTok gifts can cost as low as five coins; therefore, they are only worth $0.05. So far, the computation of how much each gift is worth is straightforward on the buyer’s end.
When these TikTok gifts get converted into Diamonds, the computation becomes even more confusing. Diamonds do not have a fixed monetary value. Their value can fluctuate, and they only get assigned a monetary value when they are redeemed.
Nonetheless, influencers use estimated values to calculate a Diamond’s worth. That value is determined by assuming one Diamond is worth two coins. As a result, the influencer will earn only half the amount of coins per gift. That 5,000-coin gift will then be worth 2,500 coins to the influencer. For a clear conversion metric, refer to the following:
1 coin = $0.01
2 coins yield 1 Diamond
200 Diamonds = $1
Apart from this, the influencer only gets 50% of the donation. The other 50% goes to TikTok as part of the platform’s commission. With all that said, the estimated value of a 5,000-coin gift is only 2,500 coins to the receiver. Thus, they only earn $25 from a donation worth $50 to the sender. However, they can only withdraw $12.5 because TikTok takes a 50% cut.
How to Send TikTok Gifts
Now that you know the basics of buying TikTok gifts, it is time to learn how to send them. You can send TikTok gifts on both live videos and pre-made ones. Live gifting and video gifting work similarly, and the gifts both methods generate are convertible into Diamonds. Here is how to send TikTok live gifts and video gifts.
Sending TikTok Video Gifts
1. Open the TikTok video you want to send a gift to.
2. On the display’s bottom-right part, tap the Comments icon (speech bubble).
3. Select the Gift icon next to the text field.
4. Choose the gift you want to send.
5. Type a comment, then hit Send.
Sending TikTok Live Gifts
1. In the middle of a live video, tap the Gift icon at the lower part of the screen.
2. Pick the gift to give to the video creator.
3. Tap the Send button underneath the gift.
Who Can Send TikTok Gifts?
TikTok has a couple of requirements for sending TikTok gifts – the most prominent of which is age. You must be at least 18 years old to send a gift. If you live in South Korea or Japan, that age requirement jumps to 19 and 20, respectively. This age requirement applies when sending TikTok gifts on live and non-live videos.
In addition, you should be a TikTok user with coins in your digital TikTok balance. TikTok gifts cost coins after all – and those cost money. Hence, you will need to purchase them through the app. You can pay for those through your Google Play- or Apple App Store-associated account.
Lastly, you need to be a TikTok user living in a country that supports the feature. TikTok gifts are a fairly new feature after all, and it has not rolled out everywhere yet. If all the videos you see do not have the gift icon, you might be living in an area where the feature is unavailable.
Who Can Receive the Gifts?
Like many other platforms, TikTok has requirements that you have to meet before you are permitted to receive gifts. For one, you have to be a TikTok user who reached 1,000 video views on a post in the past 30 days. In addition, you need to be the age 18 or older to be able to get TikTok gifts from your fans. There is also a 1,000-follower requirement you have to meet (this number can vary by location).
Apart from this, creators like you who want to receive TikTok gifts need to join Creator Next. That allows you to access TikTok’s many monetization features. Once you have joined, go to your profile and choose “Settings and privacy” (it’s under the top-right three-line icon). Tap “Creator tools”, then “Video Gifts” and “Turn on Video Gifts” so you can receive gifts on your videos.
Furthermore, your account should be at least a month old and have posted in the last 30 days a video that’s not set to private. Of course, you shouldn’t have violated the app’s community guidelines and must be in good standing with the platform. Your account must also not be a Business Account because that type of profile is ineligible.
One more thing relevant to this topic and you must note is that not all video posts are eligible to receive gifts. For example, Duets, Stitch videos, sponsored TikTok videos, and promoted posts are not eligible. However, you can receive TikTok gifts on live videos as long as you meet the mentioned requirements. If you are new to the platform and have not gone live, here is a tutorial on how to go live on TikTok.
How to Cash Out TikTok Diamonds
If you are a TikTok creator, you can earn Diamonds through various means. However, note that cashing out the earned Diamonds has minimum requirements. To elaborate, the minimum withdrawal should be $100. Thus, if you have anything less than that, you can’t withdraw cash. Moreover, there is a $1,000 weekly limit to withdrawals, so you can’t withdraw more than $4,000 monthly.
Also, you can only withdraw cash to a PayPal account. You can’t withdraw your balance to the bank or any other online wallet. Hence, you need to link your PayPal account to your TikTok account first before the withdrawal.
Conclusion
TikTok gifts are a neat way fans of influencers can show their support to their favorite creators. They can send these TikTok gifts through eligible live and non-live videos as they wish. As long as a creator has proper eligibility, they can cash in on their fans’ generosity and favor. Of course, they will have to gain a bit of popularity before they can reap the benefits of TikTok gifts. Nonetheless, the increasing number of revenue streams on its own is a good trend for both creators and fans on platforms like TikTok.
