TikTok Adds New 'Shoutouts' Option to Enable Users to Pay for Personalized Video Messages from Stars

TikTok is working hard to create new revenue-generating choices as competition for top producers heats up, to protect its top stars from flocking to other, more lucrative chances. In this vein, TikTok debuted a new Cameo-like feature called 'Shoutouts' to its app this week, allowing fans to pay to have platform stars send them a personalized video message.

As seen in this example from Fabian Ouwehand (and shared by Matt Navarra), fans can pay in TikTok coins to have their favorite creative send them a personalized greeting via 'Shoutouts.' After then, the maker has three days to accept or decline an assigned Shoutout, and then another week to construct the clip, which is then forwarded to the users' email.

You might be wondering what TikTok coins are.

Last year, TikTok introduced its virtual currency, which allows viewers to buy virtual presents to send to creators during TikTok live streams. Users can buy bundles of virtual coins in the TikTok app, as explained by the company. Coins can be accessed in the "Balance" area of your profile settings. To see the coin denomination options, select the "Recharge" icon. So, similar to Facebook Stars and YouTube's Super Chat choices, you swap real money for TikTok coins on the platform, which you can then use to donate to your favorite producers, through digital effects and stickers, and now, via Shoutouts.

So, how much does it cost to commission a personalized video from your favorite TikTok user?

Well, it depends on how much they want to charge - in the case of 100,000 TikTok coins, that's currently roughly $US1800. That's a lot of money, but it's variable, and some individuals will undoubtedly spend whatever it takes to be seen by their favorite celebrities. However, the option does not appear to be widely available at this time. I tried looking for other examples, but it looks that you can only request Shoutouts via their clips from certain accounts in certain locations.

As previously said, it's another opportunity for TikTok to monetize its top stars, who can currently make a lot more money on Instagram and YouTube if they can translate their TikTok fame into longer-form material. That's exactly what happened to Vine's best creators, whom all became YouTube millionaires after battling to turn their short-form video stardom into real money.

TikTok is aware of this, and it recognizes the need to incorporate more choices like this to guarantee that it meets the needs of these users to keep them posting. As a result, expect to see more of these possibilities emerge in the future.