Cloutlog is the new way to make money on TikTok but is it safe?

18 March 2020, 12:50

By Sophie Thompson

CloutLog is a new app TikTok influencers are using to make money from the platform and get cash tips from their followers. So what is it? And is it safe to use?

Everyone is on TikTok right now - and whether you were renegading from the start or have been inspired by self-isolation to start learning the dances, one question is on everyone's mind - when can I start making money from this thing?

While there's no official way to make money through the platform right now (apart from brand sponsorships), creators think they've found an external site that allows viewers to give cash tips to their favourite creators.

Enter: CloutLog.

There is currently no direct way to make money from the TikTok platform, but you can use external sites to get donations from followers. Picture: Getty Images

The new site claims that once you hit 1,000 followers, you can 'go live' on TikTok, accepting cash donations from fans and partner with brands to sell merchandise. TikTok will take 50% of your earnings, but hey, that's still 50% you didn't have before, right?

To work out just how much you'll earn in tips, the site has a calculator - for example, if you have 25,000 coins, that equates to approximately $123 (£103).

It says they take up to 15 days to transfer you the money via PayPal and you can only withdraw up to $1000 per day.

But is it safe to use?

While it seems like an easy enough system to make some extra cash, as far as we're aware, it has no real affiliation with TikTok themselves - despite big names such as Charli D'Amelio already being part of it.

Violating TikTok's community standards can even get your account banned (not great if you've already built up a following!) so if you can, it's probably best to wait until the platform releases their own way of monetising your videos. You're risking platform security for entering personal details to send or receive money, and particularly on a platform that a lot of young teenagers user - we can't imagine that going down too well.

If you're not willing to take the risk, there are still some things you can do to increase your chances of being a hot profile for brands to collaborate with.

Be sure to use songs that are trending and use #ForYou in all of your captions to increase the likelihood of your video being seen or featured on the TikTok homepage.

You should also link your other social media channels to spread your following and build a loyal audience - plus you can already monetise from sites like YouTube.

Time to start practising that Flip the Switch challenge...