What is the “Creator Economy”?

For many decades, "big media" ran the world of entertainment and news. A relatively small number of companies controlled what most of us read, viewed, and listened to. To contribute to the conversation, we had to be employed by one of these media conglomerates, or at the very least, be significant enough to feature in the stories they told. We watched scheduled television programs, listened to radio slots, read newspapers written by journalists following their editors' orders, read books and magazines from large publishers, and spent evenings at the cinemas, watching films distributed by a small number of studios. 

However, the internet changed things. It was a slow, almost insidious process, but over time, media decentralized. We found many different types of content that we loved. More importantly, much of this content isn't owned by traditional media companies. Much if it is written, spoken, or filmed by ordinary people like us. And as a result of this, we gained the confidence to make content ourselves. Now people are happily consuming content that we make and distribute without the need for the traditional companies. This is the era of the creator economy, and it is markedly different from what went before.


What is the "Creator Economy"?:


The Stages of the World Economy

A century ago, we lived in an industrial economy. It was the age of manufacturing, and most people (men at least) earned money demonstrating their physical prowess in some form of a factory (or in "modern" agriculture, taking advantage of improved farming practices). Most people earned their living by making "stuff."

By the 1950s, however, we were turning into a consumer economy. People had been through a depression and a second World War and were looking at new ways to spend their cash. People began to earn income by performing services for others. Trade became more globalized, with people wanting a wider variety of 'stuff" from around the world. Traditional media, television, in particular, showcased the latest and greatest, and repeatedly encouraged people to spend more on consumer goods, to "keep up with the Jones."

In the era of the internet, however, we entered the knowledge economy. Technology wiped out many traditional jobs, particularly in manufacturing and, before long, also in services. This developed into the creator economy, where people found a way to earn money by marketing their inane skills, hobbies, and interests online. 


What is the Creator Economy?

Eric Freytag of Streamlabs summed up how media consumption has changed in an article he wrote for VentureBeat: "Rather than ten TV shows consumed by billions of people, we now have hundreds of millions of shows that cater to billions of people. You could be only one of ten people in the world interested in a niche topic, but chances are you'll find content for it. Additionally, the people who are creating content for that topic are truly and authentically passionate about it."

The Creator Economy doesn't totally coincide with the invention of the internet, however. It took a while before people discovered the internet's true potential. Indeed, you can say that it matches up with Web 2.0 – a point when the basic paradigm of the internet changed. People stopped it being simply for information gathering and storage and discovered new potential uses, such as social media and video sharing. Web 2.0 offered numerous opportunities for people to express themselves online, and the Creator Economy grew from this.

creator earnings benchmark report


Is the Creator Economy People Performing Their Dream Jobs?

In many ways, the creator Economy consists of people performing their dream job. It gives people a chance to specialize in their passion. A generation ago, you might have had to go to work in a traditional shop, office, or factory. At night you could come home and engage in your preferred leisure activity. You might have secretly hoped that you could become a professional in your favorite activity. Some actors, musicians, and sportspeople succeeded in their dreams. But most people simply played their games, engaged in their hobbies, or passively consumed content in their leisure time, unpaid, often losing a considerable sum of money to their leisure pursuits. 

Now many more people can make money from their passions. Who would have thought you could earn a living from sitting at home playing computer games, commentating as you make your moves. How many amateur writers would have expected that they could earn an income from their craft, or teenagers thought they could make money from making funny videos in their backyard? Two decades ago, a generation watched enthralled at the antics of the Jackass crew, unaware that their future sons and daughters would be sharing similar videos to larger audiences just by using their phones.


Most Influencers Are Part of the Creator Economy

All of this has created a new kind of celebrity. The modern celebrities are no longer the stars of the latest blockbuster playing at your local multiplex, or even the leads in a high-ranking TV program. They are the teenagers or twenty-somethings who make funny videos on YouTube or the gamers who stream through the night their progress playing Fortnite. And while many musicians whose music plays on the radio still have fame, so do youngsters who lip-synch to their favorite video clips on TikTok. 

The new celebrities are the content creators. And not coincidentally, many of these are also influencers. There is a clear correlation between influencers and creators.

However, there is one proviso here. The term "influencer" is often bandied about and misused, particularly in the mainstream media they have tended to usurp. As we wrote in one of our first posts:

An influencer is someone who has:

  • the power to affect the purchasing decisions of others because of his or her authority, knowledge, position, or relationship with his or her audience,
  • a following in a distinct niche, with whom he or she actively engages. The size of the following depends on the size of his/her topic of the niche.

Not everybody who thinks they are famous online is an influencer. An influencer needs to establish a genuine following in their niche, just as most good content creators do. 

Today's younger generations, however, look to these content creators as their influencers. They don't follow traditional movie and television stars because they don't waste their limited time going to movies or watching scheduled tv. They would far rather be entertained by someone like Ryan Kaji, a nine-year-old who shares videos on YouTube where he reviews his toys. The 32.6 million subscribers to his Ryan's World YouTube channel must be the envy of all traditional television networks.

Ryan's world

Source: youtube.com


Ways Creators Can Earn Money Online

Ways Creators Can Earn Money Online

The internet has generated many opportunities for creative people to make money online. Writers, musicians, filmmakers, and other content creators can all share their creative visions with an appreciative audience. There are also new niches, such as livestream gaming and podcasting.

In the past, you generally had to work with traditional publishing houses, film companies, or record labels if you wished to earn a living from your creative endeavors. Now creators can make money themselves without the need for managers or long-term watertight contracts with "Big Media."

In their recent Creator Earnings Report, NeoReach surveyed over 2,000 creators and found that almost half of that number worked in content creation full-time. On top of that, 35% of surveyed creators who had been building their audience for over four years earn an annual income of at least $50k. Not only is content creation/influencing a veritable way to earn money, the young generations pioneering this way of career building know how to build trust and stability with their audience.

There are numerous marketplaces now where you can sell your creative talent online. There are obvious sites like Amazon Publishing, Etsy, and eBay. However, other platforms can also benefit creators, such as Tumblr and WordPress (for bloggers), Twitch and Mixer (for live streamers), Instagram and Pinterest (for photographers), and YouTube and TikTok (for filmmakers).

There isn't a set way for creators to earn money online, but in most cases, they revenue-share with the platform on which they operate. So, if you are a popular Medium blogger, for example, you can generate income that comes from the money Medium earns from subscriptions. You share that money with Medium and the other popular bloggers. 

If arts and crafts are your thing, you are likely to make products you can sell on Etsy. Etsy charges sellers three types of fees: 

  1. Listing fee – 20 cents per listing
  2. Transaction fee – 5% of the listing price per sale
  3. Subscription fee – Etsy Plus costs $10 per month

Etsy sellers can then keep the remaining proceeds from their craft sales as profit for themselves.

Popular YouTubers play ads on their channels and get to keep a portion of the advertising revenue. You revenue-share in some way with all the other creator marketplaces.


Creator Economy Startups

Fitness

Animoto https://animoto.com Create video content
Salut https://www.joinsalut.com Create livestream content, monetize community
Magisto https://www.magisto.com Create video content
Playbook https://playbookapp.io Create video content, manage community, monetize community, grow community
Strydal https://www.strydal.com/ Create livestream content, manage community, monetize community, grow community
Superset https://www.supersetapp.com/ Manage community, monetize community, grow community
My PT Hub https://www.mypthub.net/ Creates livestream content, manage community, monetize community
See more

Podcasters

Acast https://www.acast.com/en Create audio content, manage community, monetize community, grow community
Anchor https://anchor.fm Create audio content, manage community, monetize community
Buzzsprout https://www.buzzsprout.com Create audio content, manage community, grow community
Capiche FM https://capiche.fm Create audio content live
Castbox https://castbox.fm/ Create audio content, manage community, monetize community
GetVokl https://about.getvokl.com/how-to-broadcast Create video content, manage community, grow community
Glow https://www.glow.fm Create audio content, manage community, monetize community
Podbean https://www.podbean.com Create audio content, manage community, monetize community, grow community
Squadcast https://squadcast.fm Create audio content
Supercast https://www.supercast.com Manage community, monetize community
Vurbl https://vurbl.com Create audio content
Red Circle https://www.redcircle.com/ Monetize community, grow community
Megaphone https://www.megaphone.fm Create audio, monetize community
See more

Writers

Ghost https://ghost.org/features/ Create email and newsletters, monetize community, manage community
Letterdrop https://letterdrop.co/ Create newsletters or blog, manage community, monetize community, grow community
Medium https://medium.com Create written content, monetize community
Revue https://www.getrevue.co/ Create editorial/newsletters, manage community, monetize community, grow community
Substack https://substack.com/ Create blog/newsletter content, monetize community, manage community
Steady https://steadyhq.com/en Create newsletters/posts, manage community, monetize community
Tales https://taleswriter.com Create a book, monetize community
Wattpad https://www.wattpad.com Create a book, monetize community
See more

Gaming

Athenascope https://athenascope.com Create highlights
Discord https://discord.com/ Manage community
Epic Games https://www.epicgames.com Monetize community
GamerzClass https://gamerzclass.com/ Create masterclass, monetize community
Hiberworld https://hiberworld.com/ Create game
Lowkey https://api.lowkey.gg Capture gaming highlights
Maestro https://www.maestro.io Create stream and game highlights, manage community, monetize community
Manticore Games https://www.manticoregames.com/ Create game, monetize community, grow community
Replai https://www.replai.io/ Create highlights
Roblox https://corp.roblox.com/technology/ Create games, monetize community, grow community
Unity https://unity.com/ Create game
1v1Me https://www.1v1me.com Monetize community
Combo https://clips.joincombo.com Grow community
E-pal https://www.epal.gg Monetize community
Metafy https://metafy.gg Monetize community
Nexus https://www.nexus.gg Create channel, monetize community
See more

Livestreaming

Streamloots https://www.streamloots.com/ Create livestream, monetize community
Loots https://new.loots.com/ Monetize community
Twitch https://www.twitch.tv Create livestream, monetize community, manage community, grow community
Mandolin https://www.mandolin.com/ Create livestream, monetize community, grow community
Streamclub https://www.stream.club/ Create livestream, manage community, monetize community
Uscreen https://www.uscreen.tv Create livestream, manage community, monetize community
Stream Elements https://streamelements.com/ Create livestream, manage community, monetize community, grow community
Crowdcast https://www.crowdcast.io/ Create livestream, management community, grow community
Streamlabs https://streamlabs.com/ Create livestream, manage community, grow community
Lightstream https://lightstream.gg/ Create livestream
Onyx Servers https://www.onyxservers.com Create livestream
Restream https://restream.io/ Create livestream
Special TV https://www.specialproject.io/ Create livestream, monetize community
Stage 10 https://stageten.tv/ Create livestream, grow community
See more

Musicians

Abletone Live 11 https://www.ableton.com Create music
Sonix https://sonix.ai Create music files
Stageit https://www.stageit.com Create and host online concerts, monetize community
Beatstarts https://www.beatstars.com/ Create digital music, monetize community, grow community
Createsafe https://createsafe.io/ Create music business, manage community, monetize community
Mastered https://emastered.com/en Create remastered music
FL Studio https://www.image-line.com Create music
Garageband https://www.apple.com/mac/garageband/ Create music
Kobalt Music https://www.kobaltmusic.com/ Create music stream, monetize community
Snapjam https://www.snapjam.co Create music
Splice https://splice.com Create music
Stem https://stem.is/ Create music, manage community, monetize community
Landr https://www.landr.com/ Create music, monetize community
See more

Course Creators

Airsubs https://airsubs.com Create classes, manage community, monetize community, grow community
Avocado https://www.avocadoaudio.com Create course, manage community, monetize community
Heights https://www.heightsplatform.com Create course, manage community, monetize community, grow community
Kajabi https://kajabi.com Create course, manage community, monetize community
Podia https://www.podia.com Create course, manage community, monetize community
SamCart https://www.samcart.com Manage community, monetize community
Skillshare https://www.skillshare.com Create course
Teachable https://teachable.com Create course, manage community, monetize community
Thinkific https://www.thinkific.com Create course, manage community, monetize community
Xperiencify https://xperiencify.com Create course
Virtually https://tryvirtually.com Create course, manage community, monetize community
Slip https://www.slip.so Create course, manage community, monetize community
See more

Influencers

Cameo https://www.cameo.com Create exclusive content, monetize community
Memmo https://memmo.me Create exclusive content, monetize community
iFans https://www.ifans.com Create exclusive content, monetize community
Instasize https://instasize.com Create photos/videos
Later https://later.com Manage community, grow community
Lightricks https://www.lightricks.com Create photos/videos
Looped https://loopedlive.com Create exclusive content, monetize community
My Fanpark https://myfanpark.com Create exclusive content, monetize community
Tipsnaps https://tipsnaps.com Create exclusive content, monetize community
See more

All Content Creators - Own Community

Circle https://circle.so Create community, manage community, grow community
Creator Metrics https://creatormetrics.io Manage community, grow community
Disciple https://www.disciplemedia.com Create community, manage community, monetize community, grow community
Jemi https://jemi.app/ Create community, manage community, monetize community, grow community
Ko-fi https://ko-fi.com Create community, monetize community, grow community
Patreon http://www.patreon.com/ Create community, manage community, monetize community, grow community
Buy me a Coffee https://www.buymeacoffee.com Create community, manage community, monetize community, grow community
Zebra https://zebraiq.com Create community, monetize community
Vibley https://www.vibely.io/ Create community, manage community, monetize community
Creator Stack https://creatorstack.com Create community, manage community, monetize community
Mighty Networks https://www.mightynetworks.com Create community, manage community, monetize community, grow community
See more

All Content Creators - E-comm/Merch

99D Create merch, monetize community https://99designs.com
Beacons Sell content, manage community https://beacons.ai/
Big Cartel Create store, manage community, monetize community https://www.bigcartel.com/
DFTBA Create merch, monetize community https://store.dftba.com/
E-junkie Monetize community, grow community https://www.e-junkie.com/
Etsy Monetize community, manage community https://www.etsy.com
Fanjoy Create merch, monetize community https://fanjoy.co
Fourthwall Create merch, monetize community https://jobs.fourthwall.com
Spreadshop Create merch, monetize community https://www.spreadshop.com
Gumroad Create merch, manage community, monetize community, grow community https://gumroad.com/
Instaco Create merch, monetize community https://instaco.com
Moteefe Create merch, monetize community, manage community https://moteefe.com/
Merchlabs Create merch, monetize community, manage community https://merchlabs.com
Offscript Create store, manage community, monetize community, grow community https://offscript.io/
Payhip Create store, manage community, monetize community, grow community https://payhip.com/
Pietra Create merch, manage community, monetize community https://www.pietrastudio.com
Printful Create merch, manage community, monetize community https://www.printful.com/
Printify Create merch, manage community, monetize community https://printify.com/
Sellfy Create merch, monetize community, grow community https://sellfy.com/
Selz Create store, manage community, monetize community, grow community https://selz.com/
Shopify Create store, manage community, monetize community, grow community https://shopify.com/
Scrollstack Monetize community https://scrollstack.com
Spreadshirt Create merch, monetize community, grow community https://www.spreadshirt.com/
Tee-sprimg Create merch, manage community, monetize community httphttps://teespring.com
See more

All Creators - Management & CRM Tools

Cloutjam Manage business https://www.cloutjam.com
Collective Manage business https://www.collective.com
Creator Metrics Manage business https://creatormetrics.io
Commsor Manage business https://www.commsor.com/
Laylo Manage business https://laylo.com/
ToneDen Manage business, grow community https://www.toneden.io
Convert Kit Manage business, grow community https://convertkit.com/
Memberful Manage business https://memberful.com/
Lumanu Manage business https://www.lumanu.com
Biolinky Link in Bio https://biolinky.co
Linktree Link in Bio https://linktr.ee/
Direct.me Link in Bio https://direct.me
Milkshake Link in Bio https://milkshake.app
LinkInProfile Link in Bio https://linkinprofile.com
MoeAssist Manage business https://www.moeassist.com/
TrustyOak Manage business https://trustyoak.com
Stir Manage bsuiness https://usestir.com/
See more

All Creators - Crypto and Finance

Karat https://www.trykarat.com/ Manage business
Zora https://ourzora.com/ Monetize crypto
Roll https://tryroll.com/ Monetize crypto
Rally https://www.rally.io Monetize crypto
Cent https://beta.cent.co/ Monetize crypto
Onscout https://onscout.com/ Monetize crypto
Foundation https://foundation.app/ Monetize crypto
Release Plan https://www.releaseplan.io/ Manage finance
Keeper Tax https://www.keepertax.com Manage finance & Tax
See more

Li’s Newsletter from Substack created an interesting diagram summarizing the multitude of vertical-specific work platforms that have sprung up in the age of the Creator Economy. Many of these began as start-ups over the last decade. Li argues that these verticals originated from Craigslist. Once Craigslist operated as an overarching marketplace where people could offer their niche services and find interested customers. At that stage, there really was only space for one platform. However, with the growth of the Creator Economy, there was sufficient demand for these services (and in turn increased supply) to warrant the creation of many specialist, often niche, platforms.

Li argues, however, that we have moved on much further than merely unbundling Craigslist. “Work is being unbundled from traditional employment.” She observes that we are now seeing “the rise of “micro-entrepreneurs,” or free agents, creators, freelancers, and independent workers who utilize digital platforms to make a living by leveraging skills and knowledge in the absence of a traditional employer-employee relationship.”


It Takes Only 1000 True Fans to Make a Living

Creator Economy Fans

Kevin Kelly in The Technium makes the astounding claim that “To be a successful creator you don’t need millions. You don’t need millions of dollars or millions of customers, millions of clients or millions of fans. To make a living as a craftsperson, photographer, musician, designer, author, animator, app maker, entrepreneur, or inventor you need only thousands of true fans.” He wrote this back in 2008, indicating that the Creator Economy has evolved rather than simply appearing overnight.

His theory is that a true fan is somebody who will buy anything you produce. Most successful creators can probably recognize their own true fans. As Kevin says, “ diehard fans will drive 200 miles to see you sing; they will buy the hardback and paperback and audible versions of your book; they will purchase your next figurine sight unseen; they will pay for the “best-of” DVD version of your free YouTube channel; they will come to your chef’s table once a month.” 

If you can build a following of 1,000 of these “super fans”, spending $100 each per year, you can probably make a living from their purchases, regardless of any other sales you may make.

You might look at the followings of the more famous influencers, and despair at the millions of followers they have. Your following may be paltry in comparison. Yet that doesn’t matter, if you have sufficient “super fans.”

There is nothing special about the figure of 1,000 true fans. It all depends on how much they spend on your product or service. If you manage to charge higher prices, you need fewer “super fans”. For instance, if you can generate $1,000 income per year from your true fans, then you only need 100 of them for that six-figure income you’re craving.


Live Streaming Has Created New Opportunities

Live Streaming in creator economy

Source: twitter.com

One of the newer forms the Creator Economy can take is live streaming. This has to be one of the ultimate ways for talented people to express themselves to a broad audience. 

In the distant days of personal computing (the 1970s), personal video gaming entered its infancy, after a few experiments as far back as the 1950s. Atari released Pong in 1972 as the world's first arcade video game. They released a home version of that game in 1975. Yet in those days, games were single-person, with some expanding to two or even four-player, before long. However, even then, you were limited to playing friends physically in the room with you. This meant that games were intrinsically private. The biggest audience you might have would be standing watching you in an arcade if you were skillful enough to attract onlookers.

Today that has changed that system. Any gamer can sign up for an account on Twitch and live stream their gameplay. Most of these streamers play multiplayer games against people from across the globe. While there are a few streaming superstars, most are everyday people who just like to play in a public setting. They may not even be good gamers. Yet they have viewers, in some cases, millions of viewers. Why? Because people find their games fascinating. Often it is the quality of their commentary and self-analysis that attracts viewers, more so than their expertise at playing the game.


Social Media's Role in the Creator Economy

Social media has fueled the creator economy. It provides marketplaces where creators can make their living.  Successful creators also use social media to build a following and then share their latest creations with them. 

The average US adult spends 38 minutes per day on Facebook. Indeed, 16-24-year-olds devote a median of 3 hours a day to social media. Internet users, in general, spent an average of 2 hours and 22 minutes per day on social networking in 2019. That is a serious amount of time spent on social media, and this gives many opportunities for creators to promote what they produce to relevant, targeted types of people.

Social media is hugely linked to a small number of platforms: Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and a few more. These platforms use algorithms that truly dictate what any individual will see. People who choose to advertise on these platforms have a larger audience than those who try an organic approach.

However, social media requires content. The platforms need people to upload posts, pictures, videos, and the like. Therefore, they make it easy for the best creators to make a living from their content, usually with a revenue-sharing model as described above.

creator economy report earnings


Is the Creator Economy Broken?

The creator economy is a "dog eat dog" marketplace. Some people, mainly influencers, perform amazingly and make considerable sums of money. The bulk of people, however, make very little. They struggle to gain enough of a dedicated following to achieve economies of scale. For example, only the top 3% of YouTube creators yield more than $17,000 per annum in advertising revenue, and to do that, you need to average 1.4 million views per month

YouTube at least shares advertising revenue. Many of the others, such as Pinterest, Twitter, TikTok, and Snapchat, don't. Creators on these platforms have to find alternative ways to earn an income, such as influencer marketing or sponsorship deals. Facebook shares ad revenue with some creators, but only a select few.

But this doesn't necessarily mean the creator economy is broken. It has led people to innovate. Sites like Patreon have sprung up to make it easier for creators to earn an income and facilitate an exchange of money.

The creator economy is the ultimate way that talented people can express themselves and receive an income. It is evolving, however, and just like changes in technology and society left behind traditional music companies, platforms that don't make it fair for creators may well find themselves relegated to being a history article in Wikipedia.

Frequently Asked Questions

How did the creator economy start?

The creator economy started when people discovered the true potential of the internet. Thanks to Web 2.0 when the basic paradigm of the internet changed, there are now many opportunities for people to give expression to their thoughts and feelings online which helped the creator economy to grow. Social media has also driven the creator economy. Not only does it offer marketplaces where creators can sell their products, but creators can also use it to build a following.

What are the pros and cons of the creator economy?

One of the major benefits is that the creator economy allows people to do their dream jobs. It gives people the opportunity to concentrate on their passion. Thanks to the creator economy, many people can now generate an income from their passions. Though, the major con is that the majority of people only manage to make very little money. If you want to be sustainable, you need to consider influencer marketing or sponsorship deals too.

How can you become a successful creator?

According to Kevin Kelly, you need only 1,000 true fans to make a living as a craftsperson, musician, designer, photographer, or writer. In other words, even if you do not have millions of fans, you can still be successful. True fans will buy anything that you create. So, if you can grow a following of 1,000 true fans that each spend $100 per year, you will most likely be able to make a living without any other sales.

How can creators make money online?

Thanks to the internet, there are many ways in which creators can make money online. Some of the ways and channels include live-streaming, podcasting, Amazon Publishing, eBay, Etsy, Tumblr, WordPress, Twitch, Mixer, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and Pinterest. While there is no specific way for creators to make money online, most of the time they revenue-share with the platform/marketplace. To start with, you can check out our guide about Courses to Make Money Online.

What is an influencer?

An influencer is a person who has the power to affect the purchasing decisions of others because he/she has authority, knowledge or a relationship with his/her audience. He/she has a following in a specific niche with whom he/she engages actively. The size of the following will depend on the size of his/her niche.

About the Author
With over 15 years in content marketing, Werner founded Influencer Marketing Hub in 2016. He successfully grew the platform to attract 5 million monthly visitors, making it a key site for brand marketers globally. His efforts led to the company's acquisition in 2020. Additionally, Werner's expertise has been recognized by major marketing and tech publications, including Forbes, TechCrunch, BBC and Wired.