The creator economy has opened up new opportunities for content creators to monetize their passion. With social media platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram, content creators had a wide audience and multiple channels to monetize their work. But the question of how much you can actually make as a content creator is difficult to pin down for these types of platforms.
Understanding monetization and estimated earnings
In the creator economy, monetization refers to how content creators are able to earn money from their online presence and audience. Knowing how much they are able to earn is really important for independent creators because it is their biggest, and perhaps only, source of income.
Each platform has its own nuances that affect a Creator’s earning potential, some of these features were already covered in our article: Tips for Monetizing Your Superfans on Multiple Platforms). This time, we’ll be taking a look at the base earning potential for creators on some of the most popular platforms instead.
Twitch
Streamers who meet specific criteria, such as streaming regularly and consistently, can apply to become a Twitch Partner. Partners can then earn revenue through several methods, including subscriptions, ad revenue, and donations. In terms of how much money Twitch streamers can make, the amount can vary widely based on factors like the number of viewers and level of engagement.
As a rough estimate, Streamerfacts suggests that streamers with 50 average viewers per stream can make $500-$750 per month, while those with 10,000 average viewers per stream can earn $30,000 per month. Additionally, some top Twitch streamers with 50,000 or more average viewers per stream can make well over $100,000 per month.
Estimated earnings:
50k+ viewers per stream: $100,000-$200,000+ per month
10k viewers per stream: $30,000 per month
5k viewers per stream: $13,000 per month
1k viewers per stream: $5,000 per month
TikTok
While monetization on TikTok can vary depending on a creator’s following and engagement, some top creators are able to earn significant amounts of money through their content. The TikTok Creator Fund pays eligible creators based on the views, engagement, and overall performance of their videos. TikTokers with at least 100,000 followers can make between $200 to $1,000 per month through the Creator Fund, while those with over a million followers can make anywhere from $1,000 to $5,000 or more per month.
Estimated earnings:
1M+ followers: 1,000–5,000+ per month
100k followers: 200–1,000 per month
10k followers: 20–100 per month
YouTube
YouTube is a popular platform for creators to monetize their content because when someone watches an ad on your video, some of the ad revenue also makes its way to you. You can start earning money on YouTube once your videos reach 10,000 views. The amount earned can vary, but on average, a YouTube channel can make around $18 per 1,000 ad views, which is roughly $3 to $5 per video view.
Estimated earnings:
1M total video views: $4,000
100k total video views: $400
50k total video views: $200
10k total video views: $40
In addition, influencer marketing is a big market for creators looking to earn directly from sponsors who are looking for you to help promote a product or service that ideally aligns well with the interests of the creator’s following. The rate is essentially negotiated between the advertiser and the creator, but there is a general rule of thumb on pricing.
Estimated earnings:
1M subscribers: $20,000 per video
100k subscribers: $2,000 per video
10k subscribers: $200 per video
The amount of money you can make on Instagram increases as your number of followers grows. This is because your influence has value to advertisers who want to harness it to create sponsored posts and promotional features.
A larger following can indicate positive audience engagement, quality of content, fame, and audience demographics. Typically, the rate is around $10 for every 1,000 followers, but it may differ based on the terms of the sponsorship agreement.
Estimated earnings:
1M followers: $10,000 per sponsored content
100k followers: $1,000 per sponsored content
50k followers: $500 per sponsored content
10k followers: $100 per sponsored content
Factors that affect earnings
When it comes to earning money as a content creator, there are a few things that can impact how much you make. First, the size of your fan base and the number of views your content gets can be a big factor. In general, the more followers or subscribers you have, the higher your earning potential. The level of engagement you get from your audience can also play a role, as highly engaged audiences tend to have a broader reach.
Overall, there are many factors that can impact how much money you earn as a content creator when using these platforms. In many cases, the size of a creator’s following is not indicative of their quality either. This is where micro influencers come into play, but they can be shortchanged on that all important ad revenue because algorithms and even the big wigs in brand marketing tend to see value in bigger numbers.
Earn from your superfans instead
Platforms such as Patreon, Ko-fi, and FanTime allow creators to monetize their work on their own terms by setting unique tiers that superfans can buy into. This essentially works as a rate card with unlockable goodies that get bigger and better the higher it goes. Check out our article: Why the Ultimate Dream Team for Creators Involves Enlisting Superfans to learn more about superfans.
Creators can set these tiers based on the value of their work without needing to negotiate with third parties or an algorithm that walls them off from their potential earnings. This also allows creators to establish a direct relationship with their audience and earn a sustainable income stream that’s not solely reliant on follower count.
