Jefree Star: “Hello everyone, welcome to my YouTube.” TTLYTEALA: “Hello, Vlogmas!” Jenna Marbles: “This is the ‘Not My Arms Challenge.’”

Kennedy Felton: It may not seem like it today, but many of the biggest names on YouTube started their channels with no equipment, no strategy, and no real plan.

MrBeast: “Sometimes the hardest part about being a YouTuber is not knowing what to upload.”

Kennedy Felton: Over time, those hobby videos turned into full-time jobs. And now that content creation is a career… what can an influencer expect to make?

Savian: “These companies have money to spend.”

Kennedy Felton: Let’s face it—seeing a post like this, you’re bound to ask: could I make a mint off some engagement?

Katie Callaway: “The majority of our creators are earning above six figures. With that said, we still see demand from micro-influencers—those just starting out, getting their first brand deals or AdSense checks. And they panic: ‘I don’t know how to navigate this.’”

Kennedy Felton: To put it in perspective: global influencer marketing is nearly a $17‑billion business, expected to grow sixteen-fold over the next decade. So how exactly are creators making all this money?

Katie Callaway: “It’s fun to see those micro-influencers—those greener creators—if the algorithm gods bless them or they strike a lucky viral moment, they can go from making a couple hundred dollars a month to tens of thousands every single month.”

Kennedy Felton: Katie Callaway is with Cookie Finance, an accounting company that works exclusively with influencers and content creators. The path to making money looks different for everyone, so we asked creators where their income really comes from.

Denise Rivers-Nickelberry: “Walmart, Costco—those kinds of brands for partnerships. That’s where the bulk comes from. I also work with small, locally owned businesses.”

Kennedy Felton: Almost five years after starting her page—and more than 133,000 followers later—Denise now partners with household brands and explores her city for a living. The creator behind Dallas Foodie Fix says that when it comes to local businesses, she sets her own rates. Only a small portion of her money comes directly from the platforms themselves.

That’s because payouts from platforms are often meager. Recent 2025 data shows most creators earned around 2–4 cents per 1,000 views—translating to $20–40 for every million. On TikTok, payouts can be as low as 1–5 cents per 1,000 views. Compare that to YouTube’s Partner Program, where a channel with 100,000 monthly views can make $10–30 per 1,000 views. In short, relying on ad payouts alone just doesn’t cut it.

Denise Rivers-Nickelberry: “I also do a lot of local events here in Dallas. I usually set those up commission-based, so I make a pretty good chunk there too.”

Kennedy Felton: Enough to sustain herself—and enough to become a full-time creator in 2023 after being laid off, deciding to bet on her growing brand.

Denise Rivers-Nickelberry: “My monthly goal is pretty much the same, but the actual income definitely fluctuates. And the timing of when that money comes in can fluctuate too.”

Kennedy Felton: Lifestyle creator Savian Jordan told us the same thing. While YouTube pays better than some platforms, the majority of her money also comes from brand deals—and those rates differ. On Instagram, Savian has 68,000 followers; on TikTok, nearly 189,000.

Savian Jordan: “When it comes to brand deals, I can charge $10,000 for a 60‑second TikTok video, and they’re like, ‘Bet, okay, cool.’”

Kennedy Felton: Another element in the profit equation: platform rules. The most viewed YouTube video in the world—Baby Shark—has 16 billion views. Despite those massive numbers, the company behind it generated about $13 million in profit. A lot to some, but far less than expected given the reach.

What happened? YouTube restricts ads on “Made for Kids” content—limiting personalized ads, disabling comments and notifications—after a 2020 FTC settlement over children’s privacy. The result: severe drops in profitability for many kids’ content creators.

Katie Callaway: “TikTok could get banned at any point. Or someone could just have a flop video, and their whole channel dies.”

Kennedy Felton: If making money off views is a challenge—why not sell something else? Think modern-day QVC.

Katie Callaway: “The biggest shift we’ve seen in the last 12–18 months is the growth of social commerce, specifically TikTok Shop. These aren’t your typical influencers. A lot of people are just getting lucky promoting bizarre, random products—like a pillow, headphones, even vitamins.”

Kennedy Felton: And while creators treat this work like a business—so does the government.

Katie Callaway: “Before you get that first paycheck—whether from a brand deal or affiliate links—make sure you’re putting aside 30% for taxes.”

Kennedy Felton: When asked about the biggest misconception in content creation, creators said: people think it’s easy.

Savian Jordan: “I’m constantly filming, constantly editing. I always have something to post. People don’t understand this is a full-time job. Nine-to-five workers clock out—but I’m working all the time, 24 hours.”

Denise Rivers-Nickelberry: “I’ve had brand deals that lasted six months. I wasn’t working nonstop, but the back-and-forth negotiations, approvals, and processes take time. If people realized how much effort goes into a 30‑second video, they’d change their minds.”

Kennedy Felton: And remember that Eve Jobs post—proving even a single photo can take off and make money? Katie says it’s the viral moment all creators hope for.

Katie Callaway: “If the algorithm gods bless them, or they strike a lucky viral moment, they can go from making a couple hundred dollars a month to tens of thousands every single month.”

Kennedy Felton: Yes—the work is more than people realize. But creators also say there’s a reason they keep showing up. The pressure is real, but so is the payoff.

Savian Jordan: “When a supporter comes up to me and says, ‘I’ve been watching your videos since high school,’ or ‘Your video about God helped me get closer to Him,’ or ‘You and Corey are so inspiring’—that’s everything to me. That’s why I do it.”

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