Why do some creators earn more per view than others on TikTok?

The short answer: It's mostly about audience value and ad fill rates. Some niches — finance, tech, luxury — attract higher-paying advertisers. So if you're in those spaces, your views are worth more. Geography matters too. A viewer in the US or UK triggers way more ad revenue than one in a lower-CPM country. But here's the thing I learned from building Dream or Donate: chasing pennies per view is a trap. You're renting your audience from a platform that could change the rules tomorrow. I'd rather own my promotion, build direct relationships, where a single engaged fan is worth more than a million passive views. That's real earnings.

It's simple really. Stop chasing pennies. Optimize for people who actually care — and the RPM will follow.

I've been on both sides of the fence. Had a record deal at 21 that would've taken 98% of my revenue. Walked away. Built a crowdfunding platform that moved €6 million. Lost it all. Ended up busking on Tenerife beaches with a guitar and a campervan.

Now I run Selah.fm — a marketplace where artists set their own CPM budgets and creators earn per verified view. No black boxes. No middlemen taking cuts you can't see.

And I've learned a thing or two about how to actually make money as a creator without selling your soul.

Here's what nobody tells you about optimizing for RPM.

In this article

• The biggest mistake creators make with their content strategy
• How to optimize your videos for higher RPM
• The role of audience retention in earnings
• Why niche accounts out-earn general ones
• A specific tactic that boosted my CPM
• Balancing creative freedom with monetization goals

The biggest mistake creators make with their content strategy

Thinking you gotta please everyone.

I see it every day. Creators hopping trends. Chasing algorithms. Making content they don't even care about. It's exhausting to watch — and I've been there.

When I was busking in Los Cristianos, I played what I loved. Electronic worship music on a beach. People felt that. You can't fake authenticity.

Here's the thing:

• Stop treating your audience like a spreadsheet. They're people with real emotions, not conversion metrics.
• Build for the people who get you. Not the masses. A hundred true fans beat a million passive viewers every time.
• Don't chase what's trending. Chase what's true. Trends fade. Your voice doesn't.

I learned this the hard way after Dream or Donate collapsed. I had nothing. But when I started busking, I didn't play random pop songs. I played what I believed in. And people stopped. They listened. They donated.

Honestly? That's the same principle for optimizing RPM. You want people to watch longer? Give them something only you can make.

How to optimize your videos for higher RPM

I don't optimize for RPM. Seriously.

RPM is TikTok's game, not mine. But if you gotta know — here's what actually works:

• Longer videos with high retention get better rates. A 90-second clip that holds 70% retention pays more than a 30-second viral clip. Every time.
• Use hooks that matter. A question. A bold statement. A beat drop. I test this with my electronic worship tracks. The first 3 seconds decide everything.
• Keep people watching past the first 3 seconds. That's where the algorithm decides if you're worth paying.

But here's the truth I wish someone told me: optimizing for RPM is optimizing for pennies.

I'd rather optimize for souls.

When I was making €25K a weekend doing mindset coaching, I thought I had it figured out. Then I lost everything. Now I make music first, figure out money second. The money follows the art, not the other way around.

That said — if you're going to play the game, play it smart. Post when your highest-paying audience is awake. US viewers pay 10x more than viewers from some other countries. Schedule your drops for 8 PM EST. Small shift, real result.

The role of audience retention in earnings

It's everything for the algorithm.

TikTok pays for watch time, not likes. A video with 50% retention at 60 seconds earns more than one with 90% retention at 15 seconds. I learned this the hard way.

After Dream or Donate collapsed, I had to rebuild from zero. No platform. No audience. No money. Just a guitar and a campervan.

So how do you keep people watching?

• Tease the payoff. A chord progression that resolves. A build-up that drops. It's like busking: you gotta make 'em stay for the chorus.
• Create curiosity gaps. Start a story, don't finish it. Show the setup, delay the punchline.
• Use audio that demands completion. A beat that needs to resolve. A melody that hooks you in the first bar.

I make electronic worship music — that's two niches in one. My audience is small but hungry. They'll watch the full 90 seconds because they're waiting for that drop. And the algorithm rewards that.

Why niche accounts often out-earn general ones

Because niche accounts know exactly who they're talking to.

A general account tries to hook everyone and hooks no one. I've seen it a thousand times. The creator with 500K followers and no engagement. The niche creator with 5K followers who can pay their rent from creator earnings.

Here's why:

• Niche audiences are loyal. They'll buy your album, join your email list, come to a show. General viewers scroll past and never come back.
• Niche content gets higher CPM. Advertisers pay more for specific, engaged audiences. A general lifestyle account gets pennies. A hyper-specific niche gets dollars.
• Niche creators stand out. When I was busking, the guy playing only Bob Dylan covers made more than the one playing random pop songs. Focus pays.

I remember sitting there on that Tenerife beach thinking — this is the same principle as the music industry. The record labels wanted me to be a generic pop star. I walked away. Found my own niche. Built my own audience. And yeah, I lost it all. But I found it again by going even deeper into what I actually believe in.

A specific tactic that boosted my CPM

I changed my posting time.

That's it. No magic sauce. Just knowing where my money's coming from.

US viewers pay the highest CPM — sometimes 10x more than viewers from other countries. So I schedule my electronic worship clips for 8 PM EST.

Here's the full tactic:

• Check your audience geography. Go to your analytics. See where your top-paying viewers are located.
• Schedule for their peak hours. Not yours. If your audience is in the US, post when they're awake and scrolling.
• Hook them in the first 3 seconds with specificity. I say things like 'This beat took me a year to finish' — it signals quality to the algorithm and the viewer.

Small shift. Real result.

I'm not saying this will make you rich. But it's better than posting randomly and hoping for the best.

Balancing creative freedom with monetization goals

I don't balance them. I prioritize freedom. Every time.

I've seen both sides. The record deal that would've taken 98% of my revenue. The platform I built that paid creators fairly. The crash. The campervan. The busking.

Now I make music first, figure out money second.

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