Ellie Devanny’s video went viral in March 2024 and she continues to earn money from it almost a year on – now she’s returned to her platform to reveal the key to her success
A TikTok user with a following of just 17,000 has opened up on her impressive earnings after one of her videos went viral, racking up a staggering 4.1 million views.
The clip in question saw Ellie Devanny share the “perfect makeup” her toddler daughter could play with, and she was stunned by the response it received. “This is how much I earned – and in no way am I bragging, I just find these kind of videos really interesting,” she said. “I actually posted it in March 2024 and it still makes me money today.”
Ellie also dished out some tips for those looking to cash in on TikTok fame, explaining that there are three main ways to make bank on the platform. “This video in particular was a TikTok shop video so obviously you get commission if anyone makes a purchase through your link,” she explained.
Ellie continued, revealing that joining the Creator Programme can lead to earnings on longer videos, and using “trending sounds” can net you cash based on views. “You can also obviously make money from brand deals and ads,” she added.
But what was key to her success? Ellie shared a screenshot of her five minutes of fame, which also garnered more than 42,000 likes. She confessed: “It really makes me laugh because I put absolutely no effort into the video and it took about a minute to film,” adding, “I thought it was rubbish, but it’s my most viral video ever.”
The video’s popularity skyrocketed in the month it was posted, leading to the sale of 1,600 products and earning Ellie around £2,800 in commission. She continued to rake in profits, with the following months bringing in £753, then £122, £182, and £301 respectively.
As of February 2025, that single video has netted her a cool £4,611.24. Ellie encouraged others, saying, “So please take this as a massive sign that you should start creating content. If you have been putting it off for a while, there is so much money to be earned.”
The story prompted mixed reactions from TikTok users, with one sharing their disappointment: “I had a post hit 23 million views, but it wasn’t a minute long so got £0.” To which Ellie sympathetically responded: “That’s heartbreaking.”
Another user exclaimed: “This is amazing! It’s always the videos that you put the least amount of effort in.” While a third praised: “Thank you for sharing this! Keeps me motivated seeing this.”
And a fourth chimed in with enthusiasm, saying: “Amazing. It just shows you never know which one is going to pop off! So I’ll just keep posting.”
TikTok’s monetisation details page can be found here.
