TikTok Millionaires

Studies have shown that when people hear information, they are likely to remember only 10% of it three days later. However, if a relevant image is paired with the same information, they retain 65% of the knowledge.

That’s the power of visuals.

Add a trendy song to a short and entertaining video, and you suddenly have a tool to create a sense of community and bring millions of people together.

Opportunities have presented themselves, and some content creators have struck gold by leveraging their groundbreaking creativity.

Nothing quite inspires like a success story which prompts us to think you could learn a thing or two from the rise of TikTok millionaires.

The Rise of TikTok

Let’s turn back the clock. In 2014, Instagram was huge and making money from the app was the in-thing. However, a social media platform known as Musical.ly was gaining traction with the 13-18 year old demographic.

The social media app envisioned combining popular songs with videos from users. This idea seemed to hit the right chord with its target audience. The app became popular for lip-syncing and dancing videos. By June 2017, Musical.ly boasted 200 million users.

Musical.ly’s rise was making noise and attracting attention from tech bigwigs. In 2016, Chinese app developer ByteDance created an app named Douyin to rival the fast-growing social media app.

Douyin was initially launched in China but was later rebranded and renamed TikTok to appeal to an international audience. Within one year, the Chinese app had taken off and had more than 100 million users.

ByteDance would later acquire Musical.ly for $800 million in late 2017.

In 2018, the parent company consolidated Musical.ly and TikTok user accounts, merging the two apps into one under the name TikTok.

By the end of the first quarter of 2022, the app had 1.8 billion users and was raking in revenues by the billions. It was also one of the highest-paying social media platforms.

The Emergence of TikTok Stars

Some TikTok users have become popular by showcasing their creativity and lifestyles on the platform. Such influence never goes unnoticed. When the opportunity presented itself, some of them cashed in on their fame and are now TikTok millionaires.

In this article, you will read about the inspiring stories of the biggest TikTok stars:

• Charli D’Amelio
• Dixie D’Amelio
• Addison Rae
• Bella Poarch
• Josh Richards
• Kris Collins
• Avani Gregg

Charli D’Amelio

Nobody embodies the age of TikTok millionaires like Charli D’Amelio. The social media personality is the most famous person on the platform, with 144 million followers as of July 23, 2022.

One incredible chapter in her story is that Charli was doing dance videos way before TikTok. However, she only became a global sensation after some of her content went viral on the platform.

She’s also seized every opportunity and converted her massive influence into a successful career with help from the right people.

So, how much does Charli D’Amelio make? According to Forbes, she earned $17.5 million in 2021, making her the highest-paid TikToker.

She reportedly earns an average of  $100,000-$250,000 per sponsored post on TikTok. This means she could make $12 million per year if she did one post per month.

Charli D’Amelio’s net worth in 2022 was estimated to be $20 million.

With her influence showing no signs of abating, endorsement deals keep landing at her feet. The richest TikToker is collaborating with Morphe Cosmetics, Invisalign Treatment, and Dunkin’ Donuts.

Charli has walked every step of the way with her sister Dixie D’Amelio.

In May 2021, the two launched their clothing line Social Tourist, a standalone brand within the Abercrombie & Fitch conglomerate.

Such is the sisters’ success that their parents have got sucked into the frenzy. In April 2020, the family penned a reality show deal with streaming service Hulu. The D’Amelio Show premiered in September 2021 with the D’Amelio parents, Marc and Heidi, part of the cast.

Dixie D’Amelio

Charli’s older sister, Dixie D’Amelio, has been the biggest beneficiary of her sibling’s burgeoning popularity.

As of July 23, 2022, she had 57.4 million followers and is one of the richest TikTok stars.

She was the second-highest earning TikTok personality in 2021 after closing the year $10 million richer.

Dixie is also making bank from branded posts. The elder D’Amelio sister reportedly makes an average of $100,000 per post on TikTok.

Dixie D’Amelio’s net worth in 2022 was estimated to be $10 million.

Although she blew up due to association with the most paid TikToker, Dixie has worked hard to cut her own image.

She hosts a talk show on YouTube called The Early Late Night Show. In 2020, she followed her childhood dream and released her first pop song, Be Happy, which has since racked up over 100 million views.

These solo efforts have built a profile for her and supplemented the substantial income earned alongside her sister.

Expect her to remain among the top TikTok earners. Her relationship with Noah Beck — another TikTok star — keeps attracting more eyeballs.

Addison Rae

Next on the list is American actress, dancer, and singer Addison Rae.

The social media star blew up on TikTok in late 2019 after posting several videos dancing with her mum. One of those videos was liked by legendary musician Mariah Carey, giving her the confidence to pursue her passion even more vigorously.

Any avid social media user would know Addison was a member of the Hype House. The collective brought the most popular TikTok creators, including Charli and Dixie, under one roof.

As of July 23, 2022, Addison had 88.4 million followers on TikTok. This massive audience has earned her several endorsement deals, from which she’s made a fortune.

Addison’s first major collaboration was with Fashion Nova. She’s also bagged lucrative deals with American Eagle, Hollister, L’Oréal, and Reebok. In addition, she now has her own cosmetics label, Item Beauty with Sephora.

According to Forbes, Addison was the third-highest paid TikTok star in 2021 after making $8.5 million.

The social media star makes an estimated $50,000-$80,000 per sponsored post on TikTok.

Addison Rae’s net worth was estimated to be $15 million in 2022.

The year 2021 was a big one for her. She played a lead role in the Netflix teen drama He’s All That, another milestone in her remarkable growth. Aside from that, she is a reasonably successful podcast host, and her foray into pop music has been well received.

Bella Poarch

Most people work extremely hard to catch their first big break. Not Bella Poarch. All she did was lip sync, bobbing her head to British artist Millie B’s song  M to the B, and became an internet sensation.

The clip is the most popular video on the social media site and had over 58 million likes and two million plus comments as of mid-2022. She built on that win and is now one of the most paid TikTokers.

As of July 23, 2022, Bella had 90.8 million followers on the platform. Her net worth was estimated to be $12 million.

So, does her influence give her a voice amongst TikTok millionaires?

In 2021, she pulled in $5 million from TikTok alone.

According to Cosmopolitan, Bella makes around $30,000 for a sponsored TikTok.

She’s been tapped for endorsement deals by several brands. These include Eos, a body lotion manufacturer, and HyperX, a gaming products company.

In May 2021, Warner Music also sounded her out on her potential in music. Bella’s first single with the label Build a B*tch was hugely successful and had over 400 million views in July 2022.

TikTok also enlisted Bella as one of its collaborators in September 2021 when it announced it would be launching its own NFT collection.

Josh Richards

Canadian influencer Josh Richards was the highest earning male TikToker in 2021 after raking in $5 million.

The good year had the right effect on his overall wealth as Josh Richards’ net worth was estimated to be $10 million in 2022.

Josh rose to popularity even before TikTok became the behemoth it is today. As a 14-year-old, he started posting lip-syncing videos on Music.ly (now TikTok) and built a massive following. He carried over the fanbase when ByteDance collapsed Music.ly and the former TikTok into one app.

It is estimated that Josh makes between $10,000 and $22,000 per sponsored post on TikTok.

However, his entrepreneurial acumen sets him apart from all his TikTok peers.

The Canadian influencer is the Chief Strategy Officer of Triller — TikTok’s biggest competitor. He is also the Founder & CEO of CrossCheck Studios, a production company specializing in Gen-Z content. Josh is also a Co-Founder of another two companies — TalentX Entertainment, a digital talent management company, and Ani Energy, an energy drink manufacturer.

Together with fellow TikTok stars Griffin Johnson and Noah Beck, he also co-founded Animal Capital, the $15 million venture capital firm backed by Anthony Scaramucci and the Winkelvoss Twins.

Away from his corporate abilities, Josh’s talents in show business are something to marvel at. On top of being a globally recognized influencer, he also happens to be a musician and actor.

On TikTok, he performs alongside his friends, and his content leans towards a bad-boy image.

That hasn’t stopped the money from streaming in. Josh has landed endorsement deals with ICM Partners, Amazon, and CashApp. All these income streams have propelled him to his current status as one of TikTok’s top earners.

Kris Collins

Kris “Kallmekris” Collins‘ rise to stardom is remarkable.

She jumped on the TikTok bandwagon in April 2020 after quitting her job as a hairdresser due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Initially, Kris joined the social app on the recommendation of her brother. However, after interacting with material from different creators, she became convinced of its potential and decided to dedicate her time and resources to making original content.

Kris’s comedy videos where she plays different personas to act out skits or reenact interactions with her mother have endeared her to Gen Z. She was one of the top TikTok influencers of 2021.

As of July 23, 2022, Kris had 45.3 million followers on TikTok. This would explain why she made $4.75 million in 2021 from the short-form video social media app.

Contributing to this figure is the amount she made from branded content. Kris earns an estimated $10,000-$50,000 per post on TikTok.

Kris Collins’ net worth was estimated to be $7 million in 2022.

Her family-friendly content has earned her sponsorship deals with major brands such as Hershey, Lionsgate, and Pantene.

Avani Gregg

Another alumnus of the Hype House, Avani Gregg, became famous because of her clown makeup skills.

She made videos that transitioned from her bare face into a literal clown.

The videos were so creative that they earned her the nickname Clown Girl, which she did not love but accepted anyway because it helped launch her social media career.

Such groundbreaking creativity tends to earn you a huge following. As of July 23, 2022, Avani had 41.8 million followers on TikTok.

It’s this fanbase she leveraged to make $4.75 million from the platform in 2021. She now reportedly makes $10,000-$30,000 from sponsored posts and is among the highest-paid TikTok stars.

Avani Gregg’s net worth was estimated to be $10 million in 2022.

Her popularity has earned her endorsement deals with brands such as NYX Cosmetics, Nike, and Tommy Hilfiger.

Wrap Up

Let’s call the age of TikTok millionaires beautiful beginnings.

There’s no way to explain why one person captures the internet’s attention with an eight-second clip while another works their entire life and won’t be anywhere near as marketable.

Now, back to our original thought. If visuals have the power to make someone remember something three days later, TikTok visuals play in a different league.

Just cue in a popular song and ask any Gen Z member what video is synonymous with the track.

Your guess is as good as mine as to what will happen.