With one billion monthly users, and popular accounts earning up to $1 million per post, TikTok has proven to be one of the most lucrative social media platforms for both content creators and brands.
In light of this, money.co.uk were eager to find out which TikTok trends could earn you the most money. To do so, they utilised an influencer marketing calculator to estimate the average potential earnings for the 10 most liked videos from 2021’s biggest TikTok trends.
Highlights from the research:
- Participating in the ‘Learn on TikTok’ trend could earn you the most money, with the 10 most popular videos under this hashtag earning an average of £566,695.
- ‘Track star’, ‘Sea shanty challenge’ and ‘Tell me without telling me,’ are among the TikTok trends that could earn you the most money
- The ‘Where you at?’ TikTok trend ranks 10th with videos accumulating an average of £57,945 – 90% less than ‘Learn on TikTok’
Top 10 TikTok trends
| Rank | TikTok trend | Relevant TikTok hashtag | Average revenue of top 10 videos |
| 1 | Learn on TikTok | #learnontiktok | £566,695 |
| 2 | Track star | #trackstars | £415,271 |
| 3 | Sea shanty challenge | #seashanty | £240,504 |
| 4 | Tell me without telling me | #tellmewithouttellingme | £218,467 |
| 5 | I’ll never forget you | #illneverforgetyou | £180,770 |
| 6 | Passing the phone | #passingthephone | £130,655 |
| 7 | Bezos song | #jeffreybezos | £128,530 |
| 8 | I understood the assignment | #Iunderstoodtheassignment | £108,809 |
| 9 | Alors on danse | #alorsondanse | £72,599 |
| 10 | Where you at? | #whereyouat | £57,945 |
Money.co.uk can reveal that the most lucrative of the top 10 TikTok trends is ‘Learn on TikTok’ with an average potential revenue of £566,695 across the most liked videos. #learnontiktok, which has 175.9 billion views, works to demonstrate skills and knowledge across various topics in short video clips.
The trend ‘Track star’, which people use to display their athletic abilities, ranks second among the TikTok trends with the highest average revenue. The most liked videos using the hashtag #trackstars (1.2 billion views in total) could earn an estimated £415,271 on average for their videos.
In third place is #seashanty for the ‘Sea shanty challenge’, with those partaking in this trend potentially earning up to £240,504 on average. This popular trend, with 6.1 billion views, demonstrates user creativity and skill in vocals and song writing.
Following among the TikTok trends that could earn you the most money are ‘Tell me without telling me’ (£218,467), ‘I’ll never forget you’ (£180,770) and ‘Passing the phone’ (£130,655) respectively ranking fourth, fifth and sixth.
Salman Haqqi, personal finance expert at money.co.uk commented on the findings:
“Over the past two years TikTok has skyrocketed in popularity with more users and brands than ever before, so it’s not surprising to see that many viral content creators could be cashing in on their new found online presence.
“While there isn’t a magic formula for ensuring a video goes viral, and to some extent, it can be sheer luck, our research has revealed the current trends which are likely to gain attention, likes and engagement.
Expert tips for managing and saving money for the future:
- Start a side hustle – While making money on TikTok and other social media platforms is fun and different, ensure you have some other form of consistent income until your earnings on social media are stable and can support your lifestyle. After all your expenses have been covered, any leftover money you make from either ventures can be set aside for future savings.
- Create a passive income stream – Earnings that aren’t fixed to an hourly wage of salary is known as passive income. Social media work is a great source whereby content creation can continue to earn money in the background. This could be in the form of affiliate links.
- Contribute to a pension pot – Whether you want to invest and save your earnings from your main income stream or side hustles, now is always the best time to start thinking about the future and your pensions. If you are not eligible for a workplace pension, then a private pension can be arranged. Make sure you do your own research and/or speak to a professional to help you maximise your savings in the safest way possible.
- Open up a savings account – Shop around for the best savings account for your personal circumstance. For example, a regular savings account could yield a higher interest rate, but you may not be able to access your money for 12 months, so always read the terms and conditions and only add what you can afford.
- Download an expense tracker app – Tracking money has never been easier. With a number of apps to choose from, from budgeting to an automated expense report, look around for one that best suits you. If in doubt, an old-school spreadsheet always works.
- Saving for a rainy day – Install a money savings app which automatically rounds up your expenditures and adds the remainder to a savings pot. If you buy a coffee every working day for €3.75, then your total expense will amount to €4.00 with 25 cents going towards your personal savings – that’s a future saving of €5 a month and €60 a year.
