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Nowadays, everyone makes content, whether it be gaming, posting comic book theories, or the ever-evolving TikTok challenges, but is there a way for content creators to get paid for their work by the social media platforms they help to build?
In this article, we’ll discuss the various social media platforms and find out which companies share the wealth and which ones leave their content creators to fend for themselves.
Facebook:
Facebook launched first- after MySpace, that is- in 2004. It is now mainly reserved for the millennial generation’s mom and alt-right learning aunts and uncles. However, Facebook is doing a surprising amount to pay its content creators. This is most likely in response to their smaller tech company competitors getting big stars to post exclusively to their platforms. Facebook said that content creators with videos as short as one minute can now earn revenue from ads, which the creator and company split approximately 50-50. The time requirement significantly declined from the previous 3-minutes that used to be necessary to share revenue.
Facebook is also rolling out a semi-crypto currency called ‘Stickers.’ Stickers are ads that can sit on top of the video content and help to earn the creator money. It is worth mentioning that stickers will invariably be annoying to the viewer as they distract from the video unless it’s a review or straight-to-camera discussion, or dissection. Facebook is also making strides to help its creators by allowing more of them to earn ad revenue from live streaming, which was previously on an invite-only basis. Facebook went even further to help by giving away $7 million in free Facebook Stars, which users of the site can tip creators on Facebook Lives.
Verdict: Facebook will pay you for your content if your video is one minute or longer and can have ad breaks. You do a lot of live streams with a high volume of views, or you have a total of 180,000 views across all your videos.
Youtube:
Youtube is the home of the nerd, the gamer, and the 6-year-old millionaire who unboxes toys. YouTube says that “Creators are the heart and soul of YouTube.” But is that reflected in their monetary earnings? Youtube compensates the creators by sharing ad revenues, close to a 50-50 split when users watch ads before videos (you know, the ones you always skip). Many Youtube users have YouTube Premium, which allows the watcher not to view ads, but YouTube addresses this by sharing the monthly membership fees with the creators. This sounds great, but how many views does it take to get ad revenue? Creators are paid not just on views, which they claim to start paying after 1k views, but also on subscribers and the location of the viewer and the “target audience.” Shockingly ‘likes’ don’t affect the amount of money the creator makes; they do, however, help the algorithm decide how hard to push your videos. Word on the street is that most creators who post sporadically, not every single day of the year, have not seen much money from Youtube, so dedication and consistency are key. The real benefit of Youtube is that it’s so vast and so popular it’s easy to find your niche, even if your interests are seemingly alternative.
The Verdict:
Youtube WILL pay you for content, but you must have at least 1,000 subscribers, and you need ‘likes’ to get your video pushed to the front of the algorithm. It’s possible if you put a lot of time and energy into it.
Twitter:
Ahh, the sought-after Twitter following. Everyone who thinks they’re funny… read: everyone who was hot in high school believes they should have a million followers and get paid for the witty observations of the tuna sandwich they ate for lunch. But Twitter isn’t known for getting creator’s funds for their work; what’s more, many users experience “tweet theft” when a tweet from a relatively unknown user is plagiarized and then used by a person or company with a large following to go viral.
However, after some research, it’s clear that the tech company is trying to solve this problem and get its users paid, even a penny, for their thoughts. Here’s the thing: Twitter only splits ad revenue with users who post videos, something the app is not known for.
If you decide to use this platform to publish content, which we suggest you do, you’ll keep 70% of the earnings, as opposed to Facebook and Youtube, which are closer to 50-50. In addition, Twitter recently announced “Super Follows,” which allows users to charge their followers for exclusive content, similar to that of companies like Patron or Only Fans, which we devel into later in this article.
The Verdict:
If you’re considering posting video content to make money, Twitter may be your platform, as you get to keep most of your earnings.
Instagram:
Instagram seems to be the place for bikini models and teenage boy singers, but do they pay for content? The answer is simple, NO. They do not.
All funds creators make come through branding deals, and Instagram is merely a host for the content. So to make money, you have a company that believes that you are an influencer, meaning someone who influences culture or style, and it has to be worth it for that brand to advertise through your page and person.
The Verdict:
If a brand doesn’t immediately come to mind as something that could be associated with your content, or if you can’t sing a ballad like Whitney Houston, it’s best to look elsewhere.
TikTok:
TikTok is where GenZs do dances that people over 25 will never understand. Although TikTok pays some content creators, it seems to be a long, hard road, perhaps even harder than learning ‘the woah.’ Right off the bat, you need thousands of followers to qualify, and then the creator can share ad revenue through the “Creator’s Fund.” Unfortunately, the ‘Creator’s Fund’ has been criticized by users for being wildly underfunded, and it’s said that creators typically only make a few dollars a day.
The Verdict:
TikTok is not for making money but for silly dances and insane challenges. Has anyone tried the 2022 One Chip Challenge?
Patron:
Perhaps the lesser-known social media app, it’s explicitly designed to make its creators money. This is perfect for the person who’s already creating content, whatever that may be, and wants to get paid by those who enjoy it. The fans of your videos, songs, podcast, or standup comedy can pay a few dollars monthly to subscribe to your channel or pay per video release. Patron’s website’s mission is to “Develop new work with the support of your biggest fans, connect with your community in a troll-free environment, and build a predictable revenue stream that doesn’t rely on ads or algorithms.”
The Verdict:
Patron is undoubtedly the best place to post your content to earn revenue. All you need are fans of your work.
Snapchat
Snapchat, the originator of the dog filter and the reason behind Snapchat dysmorphia, launched its program competitor to Tiktok, Spotlight, in November 2020. This launch attempts to pull content creators away from TikTok, a direct result of Snapchat’s decline in users during previous years. In addition, Snapchat has recently paid out of 1 million dollars a day to its top creators. And this move has been proven fruitful, as Snapchat has grown in revenue and gets an estimated 175,000 video submissions to Spotlight daily. The Snapchat offshoot, Spotlight, is attempting to diversify from its classic use of making and sending videos to your close friends by making it the home of the new influencer/ content creator.
The Verdict:
Spotlight requires a multitude of videos per day and thousands and thousands of followers, but the payout is significant, so that it may be worthwhile.
OnlyFans
Listen, I know what you’re thinking; OnlyFans Is a site for librarians who love world history, but we swear there’s more to it!
Kidding OnlyFans is mainly known for semi-and sometimes more than semi-nude models and sex worker content. This is true as most of their creators are strippers, pornstars, and rap video models. Yet, recent events have shown how this company can make you money for your content, and you don’t even have to take off your socks. Onlyfans is quite similar to Patron in that you have fans that subscribe to your work and pay through subscription or per video/view. Fitness accounts, behind-the-scenes production stills, and users who have music industry or just general career advice are all among the creators who make money using this platform.
The Verdict:
Yes, you can make money off OnlyFans, but the general nature of the site is for sex workers and other things of that nature.
