How to make money on social media
TikTok influencer Riley Harris makes a video for her cake business | Watch
TikTok influencer Riley Harris makes videos for her large following on social media, including spotlights on her cake business.
- Social media influencers earn money through social platforms and brand deals with payments varying greatly, depending on the brand and the influencer’s reach.
- Platforms like TikTok and YouTube offer rewards programs based on views with rates that change consistently.
- Many creators supplement their income with side hustles due to the fluctuating nature of social media earnings.
Millions post videos on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube, but how do they make money from it?
Well, it sure doesn’t happen easily.
Four local content creators explained how these platforms reward influencers for their videos. Here’s a breakdown on each platform’s rewards programs:
TikTok’s Creator Fund and Creator Rewards Program
TikTok uses a Creator Rewards Program that pays users 2 cents to 4 cents per thousand views. Those views must come from videos that pop up organically on someone’s For You Page. Rates could sometimes rise to 40 cents and $1 per 1,000 views. Users must have over 10,000 followers to qualify for the Creator Rewards Program.
For Riley Harris, local baker and content creator with over 19,000 followers on TikTok, the TikTok Creator Rewards Program has allowed her to make $500 since the start of the year. She’s gone from one video earning $64 to an Akai Hana sushi review earning $100.
Instagram’s Creator Marketplace
Instagram hardly pays creators directly for content, according to Mitchell Bienvenue. Most creators join the Instagram Creator Marketplace to collaborate with brands that will pay them to post content or create advertisements for them.
Bienvenue, who has been monetizing his content for the past four years, and Kate Zhang said they’ve been able to make over five figures in a month through brand deals.
Graduated Ohio State softball player Kami Kortokrax said she has worked with brands like lululemon, Hollister, Taco Bell and Uber, which allows her to make anything from $250 to $9,000 per deal.
YouTube Partner Program
The YouTube Partner Program directly pays creators through ads displayed in their videos. Then, using a cost-per-thousand-impressions (CPM) model, creators are paid for every 1,000 ad impressions they get. A creator may earn $2 to $5 per thousand CPM.
Creators can also encourage their viewers to join exclusive paid memberships to earn more money online.
Trending features reporter Amani Bayo can be reached at abayo@dispatch.com.