MONEY | CREATORS
5 Creators That Banked Over $250,000 in 2021
The best time to start building your digital presence is now.
You might think people who make millions through social platforms are lucky.
They’re not.
It takes an extreme level of commitment and focus.
Most of all, time.
The 5 Creators on this list took a minimum of two years to hit six figures before earning their first $1 Million.
The pathway to success for each of these Creators is unique.
#1. Emily Weiss
Emily Weiss needed to be number one on this list. Not only has she amounted a net worth of over US$10 Million, but she is also a mother and self-made entrepreneur.
Weiss has smashed all marble ceilings in this world to show us that success has no boundaries.
The beauty sector is a $10 trillion-dollar industry. Emily Weiss decided to raise funding for her own products.
“Rather than cutting through the noise of all the brands out there, let’s create a brand that reflects what women want right now.”
— Emily Weiss
Weiss raised $2 million in funding to launch Glossier. Even before Glossier had a product, it had over 15,000 Instagram followers. In 2019 Glossier had a $1.2 billion valuation after reaching over 100 million in sales for 2018.
Weiss’ snapshot
Channels
Personal Blog & Beauty Products
Net Worth
Est. US$10 Million in 2022
2021 Earnings
Greater than $250,000
Strategy & Industry
Weiss started as a fashion assistant at Teen Vogue (Conde Nast) in 2010. Whilst having a job, Weiss focused on publishing through her blog Into The Gloss as a side hustle to build a following of 200,000 people by 2012. In 2014 Into The Gloss had over 10 Million views per month.
Country
The U.S.A.
#2. Nataly Osmann
Nataly’s Instagram posts of her husband holding her hand went viral in 2012. The hashtag #followmeto has inspired more than 300,000 photos on Instagram. Osmann has amounted to various brand partnership deals since the virality of her exotic travel posts.
Osmann’s snapshot
Channels
Net Worth
Est. US$4 Million in 2022
2021 Earnings
Est. US$800,000
Strategy & Industry
Osmann can attribute much of her success to Instagram, and since her post went viral has partnered with brands including Dior, Prada, TAG Heuer, Mui Mui, and others.
Osmann and her partner launched a jewelry brand YouTube channel and continue to travel the world in luxury.
Country
Germany
#3. Zoe Sugg
In 2019 Zoe Sugg was crowned U.K.’s wealthiest female social star under 30. Zoe published content across her own blog and founded Zoella, her personal brand, in 2009. She consistently created content across her blog, Instagram, and YouTube for 10 years. She now earns up to 12,000 for a sponsored post on Instagram.
Sugg’s snapshot
Channels
YouTube
Net Worth
Est. US$5 Million in 2021
2021 Earnings
Est. US$1 Million
Sources of income for 2021
- YouTube
- Personal Blog: zoella.co.uk
- Brand sponsorships
- Video Effects app Filmm
Country
United Kingdom
#4. Loren Gray
The youngest on this list at the age of 19, Gray is known as a social star. She is best known for having the largest community on TikTok. For a while, her TikTok was the #1 most-followed account.
As a singer, Gray started posting social content at the age of 13 back in 2015. Over the last 6 years, she has built a social media empire drawing in sponsorship deals from brands like Burger King and Revlon.
Gray’s snapshot
Channels
TikTok, Instagram & YouTube
Net Worth
Est. US$5 Million in 2022
2021 Earnings
Est. $US2 Million
Social Media Followings for 2022
- TikTok Community: 54.3 million people
- Instagram: 22.3 million people
- YouTube: 3.8 million people
- Facebook: 1.8 million people
- Twitter: 1.6 million people
Country
The U.S.A.
#5. Eric Floberg
Floberg has grown his digital footprint over the past 10 years. As a wedding photographer and filmmaker, he has diversified his brand across YouTube, Patreon, online courses, and now podcasts.
“Hi I’m Eric. I’m a dad, a husband, a teacher. I am a photographer, a filmmaker, a YouTuber, and now a podcaster; something new I added this year. And I legitimately don’t know how I got to this place, being all those things and making the kind of money I make.”
— Eric Floberg, YouTube
Floberg’s snapshot
Channels
Online Courses & YouTube
Net Worth
Unknown
2021 Earnings
Gross income for 2021: US$407,622.24
Income Breakdown for 2021
- YouTube Ad revenue: $11,444.94
- YouTube partnerships: $36,990.56
- Patreon: $27,259.49
- Amazon affiliates: $4,891.51
- Affiliates: $20,803.06
- Rally caps podcast: $1,500.00
- Online courses: $119,859.44
- Other sources like print orders: $2,957.19
Country
The U.S.A.
The best time to start is now.
There are over 2 million Creators today that earn over 6 figures annually across social media platforms.
The most used platform for professional content creation is YouTube.
However, the most used platform for amateur content is Instagram.
Instagram has evolved its monetization model to attribute more back to Creators, so it is a platform well worth investigating. Mark Zuckerberg has committed to focusing on Reels. Facebook (now Meta) will reward $1 Billion to Creators in 2021.
The exposure you can get from creating short, bite-sized content with Instagram’s Reels is an opportunity you don’t want to miss out on.
Keep creating.
📚 Need to create your strategy? Read my book on Amazon → Content Titans: How To Create 6 Figures in The Digital Economy.
