Is TikTok becoming the next big income stream in Uganda despite its limitations? You bet!
TikTok is no longer just a platform for dance challenges and funny videos. I mean, we the viewers do take it for pure entertainment, but for the creators, it’s more of a full-blown money-minting platform for those who can harness it. For Ugandan creators, however, and across Africa, accessing TikTok’s official monetization options like the TikTok shop or the creativity fund feels more like a drag than an achievable option. These options are unavailable in many African countries, making it impossible for our creators to gain anything from them.
So, how would you make money on TikTok without these programs? Well, that’s why I am writing this! Here are some practical ways you can monetize TikTok right here in Uganda and across Africa.
Why TikTok’s official monetization options are limited in Africa.
TikTok’s global popularity needs no proof, it spread all over during the COVID pandemic and lockdowns. But when it comes to monetization, African creators face an uphill battle. The TikTok Shop, which allows creators to sell products directly through the app, isn’t available in most African countries. The TikTok Creativity Fund, which pays creators based on their content’s performance, is also not accessible to many African users.
Most of this comes down to payment barriers, regional policies and TikTok’s overall business strategy—which, unfortunately for us Africans, means our creators have to get a little more creative about making money on the platform.
Alternative ways to monetize TikTok in Uganda.
- Brand partnerships and sponsored content.
One of the best ways to make money from TikTok, or any other social media platform at that, is through brand partnerships. Ugandan businesses have since realized that influencer marketing is more effective than just traditional marketing methods like billboards and TV adverts. We cover this in Ugandan Businesses Are Ditching Billboards for Social Media Influencers. It typically involves working with companies to promote their products or services in your videos or any other social media content. Here’s how you can briefly start:
- Start with small emerging local businesses. My small businesses in Uganda and Africa are looking for reach in the social media audience because quite frankly, social media is a proven marketing strategy. However, many of them don’t know how to go about it, social media isn’t for everyone that way. So, reach out to them, make a proposal to promote their products, and hope for a gig… I mean, look at Mirembe Bedding’s TikTok marketing of her products…
- Create a media kit. This is basically a document that shows your TikTok stats, audience demographics, and engagement stats. It’s more like your social media CV for social media marketers showing what you will offer in terms of visibility and engagement.
- Be authentic. Sponsored content works best when it feels natural. Make sure the products you promote are well within your known content style and audience.
-
Affiliate marketing on TikTok.
Since before TikTok, affiliate marketing has been the way to go in terms of marketing strategies. With TikTok’s viral nature, you can promote a product and earn a commission for every sale made through your promotional links. How?
- Sign up for affiliate marketing programs on platforms like Jumia and Amazon or even directly sign up with our local stores that have affiliate partnerships.
- Create content that shows how to use the product, give honest reviews or just demonstrate the product’s value.
- Include your affiliate link on your profile or content descriptions and direct your followers to click it for more information.
- sell your own products or services.
TikTok is a great way to sell your hustle. Again, I reference Mirembe Beddings whose TikTok campaign has been a great success. The funny thing is TikTok takes all content, handmade crafts, clothing, or even services like photography, TikTok has an audience for all.
- Share stories behind your products or services to make them more relatable and impactful.
- Offer TikTok-only discounts to encourage your followers to buy from you
- Leverage trends. Incorporate TikTok trends into your product promotions to increase visibility. Now by this I specifically mean TikTok video trends and not changing your entire business strategies on a whim. We cover this in our article Forget Trends: 6 Proven Principles For Building a Successful Business. Check it out for greater insight.
- Crowdfunding and donations.
Another way to make money from social media is by asking your audience to support your work through donations or crowdfunding platforms.
- Use platforms like ko-fi, Buy Me a Coffee or Patreon to collect donations from your followers.
- Create content that resonates/connects with your followers.
- Driving traffic to other platforms.
If TikTok won’t pay you directly, use it to drive traffic to other platforms that will. Platforms like YouTube, blogs or Instagram have better monetization options.
- Add a call to action in your TikTok content directing followers to your other platforms.
- Create exclusive content on those platforms to give people a reason to follow you there.
- Use the TikTok link-in-bio feature to make it easy for followers to find you elsewhere.
How to build a personal brand on TikTok.
All that said, before anyone can start making money from TikTok or any other social media platform you need to first build a strong personal brand. It’s what makes you unique from the millions of other creators.
Find your niche. Your story, your category, whatever you wish to call it. TikTok is all about niches and the more specific your niche is the more likely you are to attract a dedicated audience. Be it comedy, beauty, food or even education, pick a niche that you are passionate about, or capable of delivering under.
Be consistent. Consistency has always been a major factor for not only social media but all aspects of life. “Hard work beats talent if talent doesn’t work hard” is a saying that emphasizes that if you don’t do the work, in this case being consistent in content delivery and quality, you eventually lose out.
Post regularly, now this doesn’t necessarily mean posting numerous posts every single day (it works though. If you can maintain the content quality). Consistency can be one post each day, or maybe 5 posts a week, the trick is to stick to a posting schedule that works for you.
Engage with your audience. No social media platform is just about posting videos, you must keep your audience engaged via interactions and creating a community. Reply to your comments, some of them anyway, and take notice of those top-ranking ones too. Ask questions, you can even collaborate with them.
Leverage the trends. TikTok is a trend-driven platform, thus, catching onto trends can help increase your visibility on the platform and grow your audience. That said, make sure the trends you participate in align with your brand, if they don’t, make them. “–trend in the eyes of a fashion designer” or some such creative ways of incorporating trends into your brand.
Be authentic, because we all love authenticity. Don’t try to be someone else because at some point an influencer’s lies always come out, and they hit hard. Be real so that your content is relatable and builds trust with your audience.
So, while TikTok’s monetization options may not be available to some Africans, there are still plenty of ways to make money on the platform. Still, success on any platform doesn’t happen overnight, it takes time, consistency, and creativity to unlock TikTok revenue…or any revenue at that.
