TikTok Gifts Overview
TikTok gifts are like giving your favorite creator a tip. To send a gift, you must purchase TikTok coins, a virtual currency you can only use in the TikTok app. You can then use coins to buy gifts to send to your favorite creators, either during a TikTok LIVE or to a video (if they have video gifts enabled). When you send a gift, the coin value is converted into diamonds. Diamonds are another virtual TikTok currency specifically for creators that can be converted into money and transferred to a bank account. One coin is equal to half a diamond, and each diamond is worth about half a cent.
How to Determine The Worth of a TikTok Gift
First, determine how much a coin costs. This may vary depending on your location, device type, and if there's any specials or bonuses going on for TikTok coins. For this article, we will be using the rates listed in the TikTok app for an iPhone in the United States in August 2024. Check your coin rates by opening TikTok, opening your profile, clicking the menu button and selecting Balance > Get Coins and follow these steps: Divide each coin pack purchase amount by the amount of coins in the pack. At the time of writing, there are 8 coin packs available for purchase, and the results from dividing the price by the coin amount are as follows: 0.0145, 0.0152, 0.0151, 0.0151, 0.0151, 0.0151, 0.0151, and 0.0152. Find the average of the results (add the results up and divide by 8). This will give you the average cost of a TikTok coin in your currency. One thing to note, however, is that TikTok focuses mostly on USD, so the exchange rate may affect the final amount the creator earns. Using the quotients calculated above, the average is 0.015. This means that, on average, a TikTok coin is worth one and a half US cents.
Use the result to calculate how much a TikTok gift is worth. TikTok is always changing and updating their gift list, and there are hundreds to choose from. However, you can easily figure out how much you're actually paying for a gift by multiplying the average you calculated in Step 1 by the amount of coins a gift costs. Rose: A Rose gift is only worth 1 coin, which means it costs one and a half US cents to buy. Rosa: Not to be confused with the Rose, the Rosa gift costs 10 coins. This comes to a worth of $0.15 USD. Hat and Mustache: The popular Hat and Mustache gift costs 99 coins, which means it costs around $1.48 USD. TikTok Universe: The most expensive TikTok gift is the TikTok Universe. It costs 44,999 coins, which converts to just under $675 USD.
Convert coins to diamonds to see how much creators make on a gift. If you're curious how much money your favorite creator is getting from your gift, you can figure this out with some simple math or by using a TikTok diamonds calculator. One TikTok coin is worth half a diamond. To determine how many diamonds a creator gets from your gift, take the total coin cost and divide it in half. For example, if you sent a gift worth 20 coins, the creator would get 10 diamonds. Once you calculate how many diamonds a TikToker got from your gift, multiply that by 0.005. This is because one diamond is worth half of a US cent. Using the example of a 20 coin gift being worth 10 diamonds, 10 x 0.005 is 0.05, or five US cents. You can also get an idea of what percentage TikTok is taking from gifts by comparing how much a 20 coin gift would cost (around $0.30 USD) to how much was paid to the creator ($0.05 USD).
How to Send a TikTok Gift (Viewers)
Understand the rules around TikTok gifts. There are a few rules and policies that TikTok has when it comes to sending gifts: You must be 18 or older (19 or older in South Korea) to purchase coins and send gifts Gifts are not available in all countries Gifts can't be sent to or from government, political, or other public interest accounts
Send a gift in a TikTok LIVE. The most common way to send a TikTok gift is during a LIVE. If a creator you want to send a gift to is streaming live on TikTok, follow these instructions to send a gift: Tap the Gift button in the bottom-right corner of the screen. Select the gift you want to send. Tap Send underneath the gift. If you don't have enough coins to buy the gift you want to send, tap the Recharge button (directly to the left of the Gift button) and purchase more coins.
Send a gift to a TikTok video. If a creator has enabled it, you can send gifts to a TikTok video. The gifts you can send to a TikTok video are different from the ones you can send to a LIVE, and they range in price from five coins to 3,000 coins. Navigate to a video by the creator you want to send a gift to. Tap the comments button on the right-hand side of the screen (which is a speech bubble icon). Tap the gift box icon in the comment box. If you don't see the gift box icon, the creator hasn't enabled video gifts yet. Select the gift you want to add. If you need to add more coins, tap the Recharge button at the bottom of the screen and purchase more. Write a comment and tap the Send button to add your comment and send your gift to the creator.
How to Enable TikTok Gifts (Creators)
Make sure you're eligible to enable TikTok gifts. In order to enable LIVE or video gifts, you must meet these requirements: LIVE and/or video gifts must be available in your area You must be 18 or older (19 or older in South Korea) Your account must be in good standing with TikTok You must follow TikTok's Community Guidelines and Terms of Service You must have a personal account (business, government, politician, political party, and other public interest accounts cannot send or receive TikTok gifts) For LIVE gifts, you must meet the eligibility to go LIVE, which is the above plus having at least 1,000 followers. For video gifts, you must meet the eligibility to turn them on, which is the above plus having at least 10,000 followers and an account that is at least 30 days old; you must have also posted a public video in the last 30 days. If you're struggling to reach the follower count needed to enable TikTok gifts, social media influencer Jenna Jean Davis stresses that being relatable, original, and authentic will really help grow your channel. Davis also says to prioritize quality over quantity. "There’s a lot of information out there saying you should be posting like three to seven times a day on TikTok," Davis says. "If you have enough content to be posting that much, go for it—but I think producing more quality content will actually convert those viewers to followers."
Enable LIVE gifts. To do this, go to the LIVE screen and tap Settings, then toggle the LIVE Gifts setting on. If you want to disable LIVE gifts in the future, return to this menu and toggle LIVE Gifts off.
Enable video gifts. To do this, go to the TikTok Studio (found by going to your profile and tapping the menu button). Under Monetization, tap Video Gifts. Enable the Gifts setting and tap Turn on Gifts. To disable video gifts, navigate back to this menu and toggle gifts off.
Understand which videos can and can't accept gifts. The following video types cannot have gifts sent in their comment section: Duets Stitches Sponsored content (such as ads or promoted posts) Any content that violates TikTok's Community Guidelines
Are TikTok gifts worth it?
As a viewer: sometimes. Sending a gift to your favorite creator on TikTok is a good way to show your support for them, and if you're sending the gift during a LIVE, it's an interactive experience with the TikToker and everyone else watching. However, TikTok creators don't get the majority of your donation when you send a gift. If this is a concern for you, check if your favorite creator has a Patreon or Ko-Fi where you can either subscribe monthly to support their work or send them a monetary tip to show your appreciation for their work. If you can't afford a TikTok gift or you're under 18 and you're trying to skirt around TikTok's age restriction for gifting, then TikTok gifts aren't worth it. Learn how to spend responsibly and identify the signs of a parasocial relationship (especially if you're only buying a creator gifts because you want them to notice you).
As a creator: also sometimes. Overall, you probably won't make a lot of money off of TikTok gifts unless you're one of the top TikTok creators with millions of followers and you go live often. Gifts are a fun way to connect with your audience, especially during LIVEs as they're interactive. If you want to connect with your viewers while also understanding that you may not make much money off of TikTok gifts, then gifts might be worth it to you. However, if you are relying on TikTok gifts for most of your income, then gifts probably aren't worth it for you, especially if you're asking for gifts repeatedly—many viewers could get put off by this and stop watching your LIVE. Try improving areas in your content that you feel are lacking, focusing on more reliable ways to get paid by TikTok, or consider cross-posting your content to multiple sites to increase your revenue streams.
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