How to make money as a content creator, according to dozens of influencers

• Content creators can earn money in many ways.
• From partnering with brands to teaching online courses, creators can build multiple income streams.
• Insider spoke with influencers about how to make money as a creator on social media.

In the past few years, earning money as a content creator and building an influencer career have become more accessible.

Creators on platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram are now earning six figures or more annually through a variety of income streams.

How much creators earn can depend on factors like follower count, audience engagement, and type of content they post. But it's now possible for creators with smaller followings to make consistent and lucrative income by building a personal brand on social media. And as the creator economy has matured, the ways influencers can make money have multiplied.

Personal finance YouTuber Reni Odetoyinbo, for example, has built seven income streams with just 19,000 YouTube subscribers, and has made up to $34,000 a month. (Read more about how she built her business.)

Here are 11 common ways influencers earn money, based on conversations with dozens of industry insiders.

Brand deals

Partnering with brands for sponsored content is the most widespread way for creators to make money. 

Depending on the size and engagement of an influencer's following, they can get paid hundreds of thousands of dollars (or even millions) to advertise products or services.

But it's not just influencers with millions of followers who can monetize their content this way.

Micro influencers — those with less than 100,000 followers — can be especially appealing for companies, as they often appear more authentic, have more engaged audiences, and tend to charge less for partnerships. 

Here's how much influencers earn from brand partnerships on different platforms:

• How much 13 TikTokers make from brand partnerships and what they charge per post
• How much 11 Instagram micro influencers earn from brand deals
• Tej Patel, a TikTok creator with 55,000 followers, shares how much he makes from three income streams
• Kirsty Ip, an Instagram influencer with 42,000 Instagram, breaks down what she earns
• Nate White, a fashion TikTok creator with 1.8 million followers, reveals how much he's made from brand deals
• Joel Bervell, a med student and TikTok creator, explains how he makes six figures from brand deals
• Jade Beason, an influencer and creator coach, breaks down how she earned $380K in a year through brand deals, coaching, and more
• Nicole Wade, who built a business around content of her cat Honey and made $42,000 on TikTok in 2022

Affiliate marketing

With affiliate marketing, creators can earn a cut of the sales of certain products.

When signing up for an affiliate program, the creator generally receives a personalized link. They then get a percentage of each sale that is driven through the link. The percentages vary based on product type and program.

Some of the most popular affiliate programs include Amazon, LTK (formerly known as RewardStyle), and ShareASale. (Read more about the top affiliate programs for influencers.)

Here's how much creators have made through affiliate marketing:

• How influencers use affiliate marketing programs to make money and how much they earn
• How much money influencers make driving sign-ups for investing apps like Robinhood and Acorns
• Manny Ortiz, a photographer and YouTuber with 660,000 subscribers, shares how much he earns from affiliates
• Sal Farzin, who makes videos reviewing tech products, made six figures in a year through affiliate commissions on Amazon

Online courses

Starting a course can be a way for creators to supplement their income by sharing their knowledge of a specific field or industry. 

When pre-recorded, courses can also become a source of passive income.

Some creators also update and strategically time the launches of updated versions of their courses to generate more interest among their audience.

"The idea of doing launches, instead of an evergreen model where it's always available, is that you are creating scarcity," said Catarina Mello, a travel influencer who made over $1 million in course sales. (Read more about Mello's business.)

Here's how much creators have made through online courses:

• Catarina Mello, a travel influencer with 397,000 Instagram followers
• Alika Bhatt, a painter and YouTuber with 700,000 subscribers
• Debra and Barry Benton, two full-time RVers

Products

When it makes sense for their brand and there's interest from their audience, some creators turn to making products.

This can mean merchandise — personalized branded items, usually apparel that can range from hoodies to plush toys — but also other types of physical products that fit within a creator's personal brand.

For example, Aisha Beau Frisbey, a full-time lifestyle content creator with 36,000 Instagram followers, launched a deck of affirmation cards. Emma Downer, a DIY creator with 340,000 TikTok followers, is also working on a line of products that relate to her content niche, to release this year.

Here's how much creators have earned from products:

• How much 2 influencers earned in a year selling bucket hats, hoodies, and other merch — including $40,000 in a single day
• Jack Neel, a true-crime creator with 8.5 million TikTok followers, shares what he's earned from products
• Aisha Beau Frisbey, a lifestyle creator with 34,000 Instagram followers, reveals what she's earned selling affirmation cards

Ad-revenue-share programs

For the past 16 years, the "gold standard" of ad-revenue share initiatives on social media has been the YouTube Partner Program. Creators can earn a cut of the revenue from the advertisements that appear before and during their YouTube videos.

Recently, other platforms have started following YouTube's example. Snapchat now shares advertising revenue with creators who are part of its Snap Stars program, and Facebook does the same on Facebook reels. TikTok also offers a cut of its advertising revenue to top-performing creators, with a program called Pulse.

On YouTube, the Partner Program has expanded to include creators who reach 10 million views in 90 days on Shorts — YouTube's short-form video offering — as well as 1,000 subscribers.

Here's how much YouTubers earn from advertisements on their videos:

• 8 YouTubers explain how much money they earn per 1,000 views
• 19 YouTube creators reveal how much they get paid per month for their videos
• How much money a YouTuber with 1 million subscribers earns, according to 4 creators
• How much money YouTube pays for 1 million views, according to 3 creators
• 7 YouTubers explain how much money they earned during the first month of the new Shorts monetization program

For a full look of how much YouTubers make, read Insider's YouTube money logs series.

Platform creator funds and bonuses

Some platforms offer bonuses or "creator funds" that pay influencers money for the views they receive on their content, primarily short-form videos.

These types of payout structures have long been a pain point for creators — some expressed frustration with these programs paying very little, being an unreliable income stream, or being unavailable in many countries.

Recently, platforms have also started rethinking the creator fund model.

The funds Meta offered for Instagram reels and reels on Facebook have been put on pause, while YouTube replaced its creator fund for short-form content with a revenue-share program in early 2023.

TikTok, instead, revamped and launched a new version of its fund in May.

Here's how much creators have earned from platform bonuses and funds:

• 11 influencers reveal how much money Instagram and Facebook paid them for reels
• How much money the TikTok Creator Fund pays, according to 6 influencers
• How much money a YouTube creator with about 40,000 subscribers makes from the Shorts Fund
• Influencers reveal the different "bonus" payments Instagram is offering, with some stretching up to $35,000

Consulting

As companies and brands recognize the power of having a social-media presence, they are increasingly looking to gain expertise on how to leverage social media from the influencers themselves.

This can become a valuable income stream for creators, who get paid by companies to provide support as consultants or advisors.

Here's how much creators have earned consulting for companies:

• Jack Neel, a true crime creator with 8.5 million TikTok followers
• Tejas Hullur, a TikTok creator with over 500,000 TikTok followers
• Kirsty Ip, a food influencer with 42,000 Instagram followers

'User-generated content' (UGC) ads

In recent months, the immense growth of TikTok has led to a newfound interest from brands in acquiring the rights to "user-generated content" that they can repost on their social channels or use for paid advertisements.

UGC can be a lucrative income stream for creators who have expertise in crafting content, but don't have the following to land big brand deals, or don't want to flood their audience with sponsored content. In fact, some brands prefer creators with small followings because their content costs less and feels more authentic. 

Unlike sponsored content that gets posted on a creator's personal page, this UGC is used on the brands' channels. 

The boom of this type of content has enticed many creators to try their hand at it. Here's the advice of some seasoned UGC creators on how to set rates as a beginner.

Here's how much creators have made creating user-generated content for brands:

• TikTok has led to surging demand for "UGC" ads. Here's how creators are cashing in.
• How much money 6 UGC creators charge brands to make videos and images
• Erin Confortini, a personal-finance TikTok creator with 180,000 followers, shares what she earns from UGC
• Salha Aziz, a nano influencer with 5,000 TikTok followers, breaks down her UGC earnings

AR lenses

The messaging app Snapchat announced Lens Studio at the end of 2017, which enables Snapchat creators to make augmented reality lenses for the app for free.

Some creators are building careers by focusing not on posting content, but on making tools others can use to help power virtual experiences. Creators can earn money by creating branded augmented reality lenses that others can use on Snapchat.

Here's how much creators have earned building AR lenses:

• Cyrene Quiamco, who earned $750,000 in a year making augmented reality lenses
• Philip Walton, who created Snapchat's viral potato lens
• AR studio Paper Triangles, which made $4 million from AR lenses in a year

Speaking engagements

Some creators receive a payment when they are invited to events or conferences to speak, both virtually and in person.

DIY creator Emma Downer said she has been invited to speak publicly about how DIY can improve people's ability to problem-solve and build a sense of personal autonomy, as well as how to use TikTok effectively, both for paid and unpaid opportunities.

Here's how much creators earn from speaking engagements: 

• Matt Upham, a software engineer and tech creator with 500,000 TikTok followers
• Aisha Beau Frisbey, a lifestyle creator with 34,000 Instagram followers
• Reni Odetoyinbo, a personal finance YouTuber with 19,300 subscribers

Subscriptions

One way for creators to have a consistent income stream is to use subscription models where fans can pay to access exclusive content.

One of the most popular platforms to publish subscription content is Patreon — but there are many other ones like Fanfix, Fanvue, Fourthwall, or OnlyFans. Some creators even build their own websites to host exclusive content.

Subscription platform OnlyFans has become prominent among adult content creators, some of whom have become millionaires thanks to their presence on the platform. (Read more about how seven OnlyFans creators price their content to earn millions.)

Here's how much creators have made from subscription programs:

• Anela Malik, a food creator with 38,000 Instagram followers
• Jake Tilk, a YouTuber with 18,000 subscribers
• Mrs. Robinson, an OnlyFans creator with 1,600 fans
• Steph Mi, an OnlyFans creator with 50,000 fans
• Anne, an OnlyFans creator and stay-at-home mom