[imagesource: Twitter / Superherointraining]

Out of the plus/minus six million South African TikTok users, there are a couple of creators who have built followings in the tens of millions.

While our local TikTok stars have nothing on the king of the platform, Khaby Lame, who’s built a following of 154,9 million with his hilarious reactions posts, they still do decently.

Business Insider revealed how much SA’s most-followed TikTok accounts might be making per sponsored post, which is mostly based on engagement and is generally a closely guarded secret.

Our local content creators might be hovering around the one million follower mark, but still, there is certainly ample opportunity to convert their likes and views into good money, if they so choose to capitalise.

Our fav TikTokers offer a mixed bag of content, from a magician posting “tricks”, to a cosplayer who posts lip-synched dances, to a lion aficionado.

Let’s take a look-see at SA’s most followed TikTok accounts in 2023, as well as a rough estimation of their possible earnings per post, which was calculated by Influencer Marketing Hub’s Tik Tok money calculator:

Wian Van Den Berg

@wian How to get a valentine with magic 🌹 @Juliet ♬ original sound – Wian

Followers: 16,4 million

Average likes per video: 8 593

Engagement rate: 0,05%

Possible earnings per sponsored post: R177 000

Princess Sachiko

@sachi_hime96 Replying to @_hybropie_890 Fake Body⚠️Remus is a jelly bean tho, he just gets a little triggered sometimes..👀 #anime #relatableanime #princesssachiko #remusgiichi ♬ Dio pls spit in my mouth – Sakunakitty

Followers: 16 million

Average likes per video: 42 538

Engagement rate: 0,26%

Possible earnings per sponsored post: R176 000

Ryan Lombard

@ryanhdlombard Types of sneezes in the family. Which one are you? #fyp #relatable #sneezes #dadsneeze ♬ original sound – Ryan Lombard

Followers: 10 million

Average likes per video: 565 806

Engagement rate: 5,63%

Possible earnings per sponsored post: R108 000

Tevin Musara

@superherointraining THE FASTEST WOMEN REFLEXES ON EARTH 🤯 (the best clips of 2022) #atevthing #fyp #lucky #how ♬ The Search – Edit – NF

Followers: 9,8 million

Average likes per video: 46 101

Engagement rate: 0,47%

Possible earnings per sponsored post: R106 000

Dean Schneider

@deanschneider.officialHow many do YOU guess are between the Pictures⁉️👀🙌🏼🤔 (Comment below)♬ I’m Just a Kid – Simple Plan

Followers: 9,8 million

Average likes per video: 1 009 523

Engagement rate: 10,30%

Possible earnings per sponsored post: R283 000

TikTok users make the most money with subtle product and brand placements, by influencing people to buy something, by accepting “virtual gifts” (money) from fans, and through TikTok’s Creator Fund, which pays qualifying creators based on views and engagement.

Sponsored posts in South Africa aren’t usually “hard sells but product placement for global brands like Starbucks, Apple, and McDonald’s”.

They’re so subtle, like Wian’s content appearing to just randomly be in Starbucks/ McDonald’s, that you might not even realise it’s a sponsored post.

Plus, how much these deals are worth is seldom disclosed and is open to speculation.

Mostly though, the higher the followers and the more likes per video – referred to as the engagement rate – the higher the price per post.

[source:businessinsider]