Well, TikTok didn’t specify how subscriptions on its platform will work. So it’s unclear whether the whole content of an account will be hidden behind a paywall or only select videos and stories will require a subscription. We presume it’s the latter since that is how the feature on Instagram as well as Super Follows on Twitter work. First reported by The Information, TikTok’s subscriptions feature is in an early testing phase and is only available to “a small group” of creators. The company hasn’t even officially announced this rollout, so it’s unclear who has access to the new feature. In an emailed statement to TechCrunch, a TikTok spokesperson said, “We’re always thinking about new ways to bring value to our community and enrich the TikTok experience.” Subscriptions on TikTok will likely see a wider rollout in a few months if everything goes well. This will allow more creators to monetize their videos and stories on the platform. Speaking of Stories, the company is preparing major changes for this feature as well. It plans to integrate the temporary posts that disappear automatically after 24 hours with the main feed, i.e. on the For You page. TikTok could also rebrand Stories as Quick. Unfortunately, this is also currently in testing and not available to everyone. Hopefully, the company will widely roll out Stories as well as Subscriptions pretty soon. We will keep you posted.
TikTok brings more monetization options to creators
TikTok already has a tipping feature that allows users to voluntarily pay their favorite creators on the platform. Well, this is also an experimental feature but is available more widely than subscriptions. Additionally, TikTok creators can cash in from virtual gifts that their fans can buy for them. Now, with the new subscriptions feature, the company is looking to bring more monetization options to creators. Perhaps this is to catch rival services feature-by-feature and try to retain creators on the platform. Twitter introduced Super Follows in September 2021. Both TikTok and Instagram have now come up with their own versions of the feature. We can sense more social media platforms jumping on this bandwagon in the future.
