April 2, 2023, Jastra Kranjec.
Over the years, the creator or influencer economy has skyrocketed, enabling individual creators, influencers, podcasters, TikTokers, and YouTubers to earn from publishing their content. Still, just a small part of content creators make six-figure earnings from their businesses. Most of them still struggle to monetize their audience.
According to data presented by OnlyAccounts.io, the total number of content creators jumped to over 200 million last year. Still, over half of them make less than $100 a year.
70% of Creators spend less than ten hours a week on making content
The creator economy has allowed ordinary people to become creators and find success with social media. Anyone can participate, with no degree or experience required. People gravitate towards content creation because this job brings huge opportunities, with many brands willing to spend on sponsorships. However, most content creators still need to monetize their audience, with many spending only a few hours a week on content creation.
According to Linktree’s 2022 Creator Report, around 70% of content creators spend less than ten hours a week on making content. Another 16% spend between ten and 20 hours per week. The Linktree data showed 9% of respondents spent between 20 and 40 hours on content creation and only 5% more than an average of 40 hours a week.
The report also gave interesting facts about the creators’ annual income and time spent making content. Over half of all content creators who make under $100 a year spend less than five hours a week on content creation. On the other hand, 48% of creators who earn between $100K and $500K spent more than ten hours a week on content creation, just like 32% of them earning between $100 and 10K.
Analyzed by their experience level, 59% of beginner creators haven’t monetized their audience yet. Around 35% of them have monetized but earned below what can be considered a livable income, and only 6% of beginner creators have made over $10K in a year. When talking about full-time creators, 46% make less than $1K a year, while only 12% earn over $50K.
67% of all Content Creators have between 1K and 10K followers
While many beginners look up to expert content creators with hundreds of thousands or millions of followers, they make less than 2% of the total creator count. Most content creators, or 67%, have between 1K and 10K followers. Another 20% are at a pro level, with between 10K and 100K followers. The Linktree report showed recreational creators, with up to 1K followers, make 11% of the total count.
Analyzed by platforms, 12% of beginner creators consider TikTok their biggest platform, up from 6% of experienced creators. Facebook is the number-one platform for 16% of beginners, compared to 22% of experienced creators.
