The economics of influencing: How creators really make money
Before viral dances and matching thumbnail aesthetics, creators posted low-production videos on YouTube. Some of the biggest names online started without a strategy, lighting or even a clear idea of what they were doing.
That early simplicity has now grown into what is projected to become a $272 billion industry by 2035, according to Research and Markets. These days, platforms like TikTok, YouTube, Instagram and Twitch each have their own audiences and formulas for payment. And they’re not always as clear-cut as the average viewer would assume.
Where do influencers earn their money?
TikTok views don’t pay the bills.
“Walmart, Costco, those kinds of brands for partnerships — that’s where the bulk of it comes from,” said Denise Rivers-Nickelberry, a social media creator who focuses on the Dallas food scene. “Social media platforms don’t pay much. Maybe a little, but it’s not livable.”
Her page now has more than 133,000 followers, but Rivers-Nickelberry told SAN she still relies on brand deals, long-term campaigns and event commissions. Some campaigns can take six months of back-and-forth with a client.
What looks like a casual “Costco find” often comes from days of filming, editing and negotiating.
Lifestyle creator Savián Jordan said the same thing.
“I can charge $10,000 for a 60-second (video), and brands say ‘OK,’” she said. “But income always fluctuates.”
Building income streams from the brand side can help boost the balance sheet. When platforms pay, the dividends can be meager. According to the digital marketing agency Amira & Elma, most creators on TikTok earned between 2 to 4 cents per 1,000 views in 2025. That translates to about $20 to $40 for every million views.
Even massive creators aren’t immune. The company behind Baby Shark — the most viewed YouTube video of all time with 16 billion views — generated only $13 million in profit, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Algorithms and platform risks add even more uncertainty
The biggest truth creators wanted people to understand: You can lose everything overnight.
“TikTok could get banned at any point,” said Katie Callaway from Cookie Finance, an accounting company that works exclusively with influencers. “Or someone’s video flops and their whole channel dies.”
Jordan’s previous YouTube channel had more than 64,000 subscribers when it was compromised from a Google data leak and deleted. As a result, she had to restart her channel from scratch.
Unpredictability is an uncomfortable, but constant part of the gig. Several influencers noted that they negotiate constantly. They track invoices, organize deliverables, hope the algorithm doesn’t tank and pray a brand pays on time.
“I never expect to receive the money when I’m supposed to receive it,” Rivers-Nickleberry told SAN. “I hate to say it, but brands pay you when they feel like paying you.”
Social commerce changed everything
Influencers aren’t just selling products, they’re acting as modern-day QVC hosts. The TikTok Shop has spurred a massive shift in how influencers can add secondary revenue streams, according to Callaway.
“People get lucky promoting the most random products,” Callaway told SAN. “A pillow, headphones, vitamins. And they make tens of thousands in a month.”
Callaway has seen creators ratchet up from making $200 a month to $20,000 after one viral moment, then panic when they don’t know how to handle the surge of money. Many creators making six figures have no business structure at all, Callaway told SAN.
“Before your first brand deal hits your account, you need to set aside 30% for taxes,” she said.
She added that her firm has worked with creators making millions with no separate bank account — and others who go viral once and assume they’ll never have to worry about money again.
But the truth is far from easy. Jordan said influencing is nowhere near the “lazy side hustle” it’s often portrayed as.
“I’m constantly filming and editing,” she told SAN. “This is a full-time job.”
Rivers-Nickelberry said her 30-second recaps often take hours. She sets aside certain days to capture all of her content at several restaurants in one day. She schedules another day to edit the videos ahead of a brand’s deadline.
“If people realized how much goes into it, they’d think differently,” she said.
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
