Social Media Platforms That Make The Most Money For Creators
As a global communication phenomenon, it was inevitable that social media would also become a global marketing tool for big and small businesses. Statista projects the influencer market to grow from $17.4 billion in 2023 to over $22 billion in 2025. Creators in this space are now so important that the marketing department of any company serious about getting in front of an audience will have budgets specifically allocated to influencer marketing. Consider, Influencer MarketingHub's 2024 benchmark report found that 59.4% of businesses who budget for influencer marketing plan to raise their budgets for 2024, with 24.2% planning to spend 40% of their budget on this type of marketing. That's considerable, since 11% of marketers will earmark budgets of over $500,000 on influencer marketing, while 20.9% of marketers plan to spend between $10,000 and $50,000 this year.
If you've ever asked yourself what's the easiest online side gig you could do for extra money, becoming a creator on your favorite social media platform might be one of them. Surprisingly, you don't need a million followers to start making money either. In fact, micro-influencers, or creators with between 1,000 and 100,000 followers, tend to have a more personal connection with their following, which translates into better results for marketing companies with niche markets. For instance, it makes sense for a book publisher to work with a creator specializing in book reviews. However, certain social media platforms make more money for their creators than others, and knowing which ones before getting started can't hurt.
Here's how much creators are making on Instagram
According to a report from WARC Media, in 2023, revenue from Instagram ads generated $61.1 billion and is projected to hit just over $70 billion in 2024. Meanwhile, Oberlo reports ads placed in Instagram Stories account for 26.7% of that, with influencer Reels leading the way with 200 billion plays per day. Further, a social media trends report from Emplifi found that Reels have 55% more interactions than photo posts, which is double the audience reach of TikTok, and outperforms any other video content online. But should you assume it's the platform that makes creators the most money?
Per Instagram's data, 70% of purchasers look to Instagram to shop for their next purchase, while Oberlo reports 46.7% of marketers plan to invest in Instagram marketing in 2024. The earning power of the average creator with 10,000 to 25,000 followers ranges from $50 to $250 per post, with that average ratcheting upward for creators with 100,000 followers significantly to $1,000 to $5,000 per sponsored post. Mega-influencers with 1 million or more followers can charge $10,000 to $15,000 per sponsored post, unless you are Cristiano Ronaldo, who charges $3.2 million per post.
A blue check on X can earn you money
X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, has lost a little bit of relevance since its takeover by Elon Musk. Still, it means something that around a quarter billion users are still engaged with the platform every day, even with a decline of 30% of users in the United States. That explains why, according to HootSuite, 66% of brands still have a presence on the platform even though 30% of marketers aren't entirely sold on the return on investment on X. X is only above its direct META-affiliated competitor, Threads, when it comes to lack of marketing confidence. There's been a 7% slide in X marketing this year, although it's notable that almost 20% of X's ad spending — second place below media only — comes from retail.
X has been trying to get more social media creators to return and/or stay through measures like reversing paid verification for its most influential creators and better payouts, with premium status for users with 2,500 followers or more and higher-tiered premium+ status for creators with over 5,000 followers. The blue check allows access to more prominence, fewer ads, and the favor of the algorithm. Since then, X creators have reported anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars in payouts. Engagement calculators like this one from Influencer MarketingHub can help creators determine how much money they can make based on followers and engagement. Former President Barack Obama, the second most followed account on X behind Elon Musk, has an engagement value of over $192,000. Goals.
Facebook is another high-earning platform for creators
Facebook is the OG of social media platforms on this list, only predated by 2003 social network Myspace, which has long since ceased to exist. Creators on Facebook make most of their money through partnerships with brands facilitated by sponsored content posts, being an ambassador for a product or brand, and affiliate marketing — a commission-based marketing strategy where creators promote products or brands and receive payments for clicks resulting in sales from affiliate links.
Like other platforms, the size of your following and their engagement with your content are the biggest factors affecting how much you can make on Facebook. Also similar to other platforms, having quality content that speaks to your niche audience is more likely to get a creator the views they need to make some money. The average profit for influencers on Facebook ranges from $50 to $200 per post for creators with up to 10,000 followers to $5,000 to $20,000 and up per post for creators with 1 million followers or more.
At least one YouTube creator is worth $200 million
There are a few ways creators can make money on YouTube. One, creators who have over 1,000 followers and 4,000 hours of engagement or watch time can join a partner program that allows them to utilize Google Adwords to monetize their videos through clicks and impressions for advertisers. YouTube then splits the profits from the clicks. offering 45% to the creator. A few other easy ways to make money on the video platform include taking on brand sponsorships, offering memberships for followers, and selling products directly from an account. Watch time, retention and the number of people clicking through affiliate links — typically at a rate of 10 cents to 30 cents per view — are factors that determine your profitability on YouTube.
An estimate of potential earnings for a creator with 20,000 views a day with an engagement of 50% (on average) could make anywhere from $36.75 to $61.25 a day. That's $1,103 to $1,837 a month or $13,414 to $22,356 a year. While not on anyone's list of highest paying jobs in the U.S., the average for popular YouTubers in the United States is around $74,708 per year, which is nothing to sneeze at. Mega-influencers like makeup tutorial creator and cosmetics line owner Jeffree Star, who currently boasts 15.8 million subscribers, earned $18 million from YouTube content in 2018 and has since amassed a net worth of $200 million.
TikTok earns the most money for creators
Here's how to make money on TikTok. Aside from affiliate advertising, brand sponsorships, and ads, TikTok offers a Creativity Program that allows you to monetize your account to the tune of $4 to $8 for every 1,000 views and anywhere from $600 to $1,000 per 1 million views. With an average $11 million in tips being gifted to TikTok creators, you don't even need to sell anything to make money as a creator on TikTok. For Gen Z, TikTok is their primary search engine for online product purchases, with 43% of them choosing that platform over Google for the same reason, according to JungleScout. This is demonstrated by the $23.58 billion in ad revenue projected for 2024, $5.54 billion more than the previous year.
According to music and sound effect catalog Epidemic Sound, TikTok beats all other platforms on this list for content creation income at every level of creator influence. The platform averages 30% more income for its creators than the other four platforms on this list, which makes sense considering the impact of music in content creation driving higher engagement. That's why 97.7% of creators in Epidemic Sound's survey believe music is a necessity for success. Obviously, this makes TikTok a perfect platform for that. If you're looking for a high-paying job that doesn't require a college degree, note that the top seven TikTok creators for 2024 earned between $4.75 million and $17.5 million for the top spot holder Charlie D'Amelio.