TikTok has become one of the most-used social media platforms in the U.S., with a recent study from Socially Powerful naming Texas as the ninth state whose residents are most “obsessed” with it. Most people spend more than 44 hours a month looking at their feeds. What if they could get paid for their time?
Over the last few months, claims have been circulating that users could get paid for mindlessly scrolling. Clips from creators such as Viral TikTok Strategies and MomzVibez Growth Coach have gathered over 158,000 likes combined. However, as with most situations that sound too good to be true, it is not that simple.
FreeCash is often cited as the website where individuals can receive funds for swiping away. The app lets visitors earn money and rewards by “completing tasks, surveys, and offers, with quick payout options like gift cards, PayPal, and cryptocurrencies,” per its page. A blog post published on Tuesday, March 17, of this year clears up such statements.
“If you saw an ad making that claim, it did not come from us,” content writers for the website wrote in a statement. “Some affiliates promote Freecash through ads on TikTok and other platforms. A small number of these affiliates have used misleading claims, including the idea that Freecash pays an hourly rate for watching or scrolling TikTok.”
Those who are a part of the Freecash Affiliate Program can invite their friends to it by sharing a custom referral link with them. In fact, those who do get paid $2.50 when their pal installs their first game, which means the number of patrons spreading these untrue declarations can spread far.
The company launched an investigation into accounts using its name to trick others, it said in the article. This goes against its affiliate guidelines, so it is suspending those seen violating its policies. So what does exist?
“Freecash occasionally features offers where you can earn rewards for installing and registering for TikTok as a new user,” the Freecash blog post states. “These are standard app install offers, available to users who do not have a TikTok account. If you saw an ad on TikTok, you would not be eligible for an offer on Freecash since you are already a TikTok user.”
Eligible users can also monetize their accounts by being a part of TikTok’s Creator Rewards Program. This does not mean they get paid for just scrolling, as some allege. It pays posters for “high-quality, original content” that is equal to or longer than one minute. There is a lengthy list of other qualifications that must be met, including that the account is a personal one, not a business, and it has at least 10,000 followers.
Others with a following count of over 1,000 can earn commission by featuring products on the TikTok Shop in “shoppable videos and LIVE streams,” per the company. It adds that ” Creators earn a commission on every product sold through their content, and the more engaging your content is, the more you can earn.”
While it’s a desirable fantasy, work still needs to be put in before you start building up your salary on the platform. MySA reached out to TikTok for comment, but did not immediately hear back.
