March 27, 2023 Jastra Kranjec.
Over the past years, the creator or influencer economy has boomed, enabling individual creators, influencers, podcasters, TikTokers, and YouTubers to make six-figure earnings from their businesses. However, the impressive growth of the entire market has also boosted the revenue of companies supporting the creator economy.
According to data presented by OnlyAccounts.io, Shopify, OnlyFans, and BitCloud were the three highest-grossing creator economy companies in 2022, with $8.7bn in combined revenues.
OnlyFans as the Youngest Company Grossed $2.5B in 2022
From recruiting and brand pairing to AI analysis of content libraries, internet personalities, and creators have seen their content monetization opportunities surge in recent years.
According to the Top 100 Creator Economy Companies survey conducted by Influencer Marketing Hub, Shopify was the highest-grossing company in the creator industry last year. The e-commerce and point-of-sales platform plays a key role in the creator economy by offering online shopping via social media.
Last year, Shopify grossed an impressive $5.2bn in revenue, or nearly 50% more than the following two companies on the list. Content creators’ platform OnlyFans ranked as the second highest-grossing company in 2022. Last year, OnlyFans grossed $2.5bn from its business, which is even more impressive considering it’s one of the youngest companies on the top ten list.
Blockchain and social platform BitClout ranked third, with $1bn in annual revenues. Statistics show Impact.com, a website for influencers’ recruiting and affiliate marketing, saw revenues of $233.6 million in 2022, ranking fourth on the list. Jellysmack and Teespring followed, with $216 million and $183.7 million, respectively.
Merchandise and Subscriptions the Biggest Revenue Streams
The Influencer Marketing Hub survey also showed that merchandise was the biggest revenue stream of companies supporting the creator economy. Last year, they grossed an average of $511.7 million from merchandise sales, or 65% more than from subscriptions as the second-largest revenue stream. Subscriptions brought in average annual revenue of $308 million.
Blockchain services saw an estimated $192.7 million in revenues, while ad platforms working with content creators and influencers followed with over $47 million from this service during the examined year. Link in bio was one of the smallest revenue streams, with less than $8 million in average annual revenue.
