In this newsletter: I explain the 3 main methods for making money while sharing free content as a Content Creator or Influencer, I discuss how those methods are changing, and ponder on why we assume online content should be free, but don't expect free work from other types of creators.
I found this entire discussion fascinating and have nothing helpful to add. I am a paying subscriber and always try to pay when a long time content creator asks (like you so kindly did), or donate to top jars, or whatever but I know it isn’t, as you said about hours, scalable … (15 blogs, $5/month, etc). I love the idea of Twitter/Instagram paying you, but those companies seem so big/selfish … hard to imagine this happening. But I LOVE your posts, and so many others, Amalah, Mimi Smartypants, etc.) that I wish there was some way for you to all make money from this work. Side note: I only read women blogs … are there men blogs? … and is this just more ‘Women’s work is free! And has no value!’ Like motherhood, house cleaning, etc. anyway. Thank you for all of your hard work, and for continuing to include all of us in your life, in the way that feels comfortable for you. You deserve to be paid for this.
Elizabeth, I think there's something real about your "women's work" connection. I think it's the same thing as calling women "mommy bloggers" so that you don't have to take them seriously, even if they are thought leaders or business leaders. Creating good content on Instagram is really hard, and there's a lot of good stuff there, but many people like to act like Instagram content is just silly or a waste of time.
This is such an interesting topic, thanks for covering it. A couple of thoughts spring to mind. First, I support a number of podcast creators on Patreon because I want them to be paid for their time. I often see in Patreon groups people talking about which Patreons are the "best value" and that really makes me uncomfortable, because that value is generally not judged on the quality of the free content those creators have made available, but on what special bonus content is available, which puts even more of a burden on creators in terms of how much content they need to create to keep supporters subscribed. Second, I think there's just a general expectation that we should have access to unlimited content all the time that isn't healthy and I'm not sure there's anything that can be done to change that. What percentage of content do we engage with that is really meaningful to us and what do we just roam our eyeballs over because it's there? And I wonder how unlimited streaming services like Netflix or Spotify play into this expectation - we pay a small monthly fee to these big companies and then get unlimited content. That's never going to be possible for independent creators.
Also, I think the accessibility of content creators is such an interesting topic. The ability to communicate directly with creators is amazing, yet that makes so many people feel like they have a right / duty to communicate every single unsolicited opinion they have about the content those creators make. And I am guilty of this myself - I've become friendly with one of the creators whose work I really value and I have definitely been guilty of oversharing my opinions with her since I "know" her now (I would never do this with a creator I don't interact with regularly, but I know many people don't put even that restriction on their criticisms). I'm trying to do better about waiting for her to ask for feedback before giving it.
Stacey, I really appreciate your point of view on the accessibility topic. It can definitely catch me off guard when someone who is a complete stranger to me makes casual requests for my time in my Instagram DMs. I have to remind myself they may feel close to me and feel I'm a good friend, so a casual request would be natural from their point of view.
I don't think I've ever asked a content creator for specific content, but ALL THE TIME I say, 'oh a friend of mine did this' or 'someone I know did that' and then realize it is online content --- one way! Really hard to keep that straight, and yet the work is REALLY valuable to me and my life.
I know very little about making money from content, so I find this breakdown of how it works super interesting. I'm 100% comfortable with Sponsored Content. As a content consumer, I want to understand when something is sponsored vs not, and its important to me that you don't lie to me about liking or using a product a long time if you haven't. But its perfectly reasonable that you need to earn a living, and therefore need to include sponsored content.
Orlando Soria (former co-worker of HUGE blogger Emily Henderson) just posted a really honest article about trying to make money off of sponsored content on his blog and Instagram https://orlandosoria.com/2022/01/10/a-covid-comedy-of-errors/. I found it super super interesting, in addition to all the issues you raised, he was living very paycheck to paycheck and really struggling with how long it took larger brands to pay him for his work AFTER he had produced it.
I love your point about podcasts, it would be great if you could have a much wider opportunity for sponsors/advertisers that didn't have to be directly used in your home by your family. Something like, "this post is brought to you by Squarespace - thank you to Squarespace for sponsoring a week of DesignMom content. If you are creating a website, I encourage you to support the sponsors that support my work".
That is such a real issue, Rachel. Thank you for bringing it up. And it's not just content creators — it happens to all sorts of freelance workers. Big companies will delay payment for months after you've delivered the work. It's so frustrating and makes it really hard to get by.
This happens all the time with online games. I cannot even count the amount of times my 9 year old has come to me asking for $1.99 to buy “a pack of gems” to expand upon the content in an otherwise free game. Most of the time, I do it! I look through her game, see what she wants to do with those “gems”, we talk through how much we can measure the utils she would get for it (I was an Econ major) and see if it adds up to the same monetary value. I would totally do this in the content world if somebody can figure out a way to streamline it the same way that iPad apps do.
That's so true, Kate. In-app purchases can be pretty simple (I guess because Apple already stores all my payment info?). I wonder what's the closet thing to that system that could work for content creators?
I think content creators on social media SHOULD be compensated by those companies - that is a great idea. I completely agree that content should not be free - before the internet it never was except radio/tv which had ads. You had to buy newspapers and magazines, theater tickets... So we should keep moving in that direction (and I think streaming platforms have paved the way). But in the meantime, You should do what is best for you and your business!
So true, Jennifer. I imagine there are sociologists who have written (or will write) about when we made the transition from "most content is paid" to "most content is free". And it's also interesting to consider it didn't happen for everything — books were paid content before, and they're still paid content now. And public libraries have valuable during both time frames.
I love this honest discussion and I agree that the hard work of creators is being exploited by platforms and they absolutely should be compensated in a way that doesn't have to involve prostituting oneself to sell stuff for large corporations. How is a difficult question but I think the browser Brave has the right idea, I've been using it for the past few months. You get tokens for watching ads or you can buy tokens and then you can tip creators (websites/twitter users/etc) easily (if they are opted in) and creators can then keep or exchange tokens for $. It seems like it could be a good solution for rewarding creators and also consumers (attention is valuable)
I believe that content creators should be paid. I am happy to pay an annual fee, but if you worked exceptionally hard at a particular post and wanted to charge individually for that post I know I would pay. I started following a couple of my favorite writers on Substack, but found that the writer tended to change their viewpoints to suit their audience. I have canceled almost all Substack and have no intention of following anyone again. I also will support certain individuals on Patreon - Humans of New York comes to mind - that I trust will use the donations wisely. I am very suspicious of Go Fund Me's as there are so many and I am not sure who controls the funds.
You are an exceptional writer/storyteller and I have referred many to your Instagram/Twitter accounts. I appreciate your honesty about how you get paid. You have some 140,000 Instagram followers and that is a following that you should be able to monetize. I am always stunned at how individuals believe that someone should provide you something for free.
Thank you for the kind words, Barbara. It does seem like I should be able to monetize my Instagram following — I wish Instagram would offer useful tools in order to do so. I can not fathom whey they don't.
First, I sort of miss when blogs were more hobbyists and they weren’t posting everyday and they weren’t so polished. And when it was just blogs (vs Instagram). It seems like a platform would be good…say sub stack and blogger and others at least offering a paid subscription and payment going to blogs based on readership. Remember when we didn’t pay a dime for online news articles? I hit my 5 free limit on WaPo all the time. I have a paid online subscription to the local paper b/c otherwise I could not read it. So I think the market is primed to start paying for some online content.
But part of the economics here is that there are SO MANY people willing to create content for free/affiliate money/marketing for their full time gig (stylists, party planners, etc). Or 15 min of fame. And the platforms of Instagram and Twitter allow for short form content where that is possible (unlike the full blog photo shoots of old, although I know people put that kind of effort in as well). I honestly don’t know if I’d pay for any Instagram content. Which makes me wonder why I’m addicted to it. I would definitely pay for ad free Instagram, or to eliminate Instagram’s suggestions. Suggested Reels are killing my soul.
Thank you, Bonnie. I don't pretend to be an expert on payment options, but I haven't yet come across anything that seems simple enough to be useful to an independent creator.
I asked, Gabrielle, because I support the work of two other bloggers; one on Substack, one on Patreon. They both allowed credit card payments. Neither required Apple Pay.
It may be worth noting that there are a lot of bloggers who actually do make a LOT of money (like more than any sane person would even think possible) on display ads. It all depends on the website traffic. This didn't really capture the giant range that exists in how content creators make money, so it's very possible that the "free" content you consume on someone's blog is actually making them a lot of money each month because a lot of people are consuming that. It's a system based on volume, which clearly works better for some than others. I agree that we should be willing to pay for content we value, but this is not representative of all content creators. Also: Instagram and Fb have started paying content creators for reels but not everyone, and who gets to be in the program is completely random. Which is grossly unfair.
That's very true, Amy. I should have clarified what type of Content Creators and Influencers I had in mind when I was writing.
I do know people who make a living from display ads, and yes, it's a volume game that can work really well, especially for particular niches. But the people I know who do this, would not consider themselves content creators or influencers. They work behind the scenes, and any presence they have online is often anonymous. I don't see them writing personal essays or giving reports on their children. They are earning money, but not necessarily growing a dedicated audience.
But of course, the internet is a big place, and I only know my particular internet-neighborhoods. If you have popular influencers in mind, who also do well with display ads, I would love to be pointed to their content. That's the kind of expert that's great to have speak at Alt Summit, so interested attendees can learn new techniques for creating revenue.
I think there are a lot of food bloggers in this bucket, but you are right that they’re not writing personal essays or about their kids exclusively, though many incorporate those to some extent on social. And make a lot of money from their websites and also consider themselves influencers AND content creators. Gaby Delkin of What’s Gaby Cooking is an example or Ambitious Kitchen or Feel Good Foodie (and myself, to a slightly smaller extent, but I make more on display ads than I knew was possible and sponsored content is a lot easier when it doesn’t involve home renovations or decorating). Most of these people have teams now and are not woman shows, but they’re checking all of these boxes you mention—in a different corner of the web. I think there’s also a choice for many people who’ve been working online for a long time as far as which lane to pick and I am really glad there is this new option since I’ve seen many people thriving with Substack quickly, in a way that just isn’t really possible elsewhere.
I make plenty from display ads, as does Lisa Steele (chicken farming). My name (and face) is on my site (LouiseM) and I'm pretty sure hers is too as she also writes books. I suspect she would be a prime example of growing a dedicated audience. I admit I gave that up as it's not a good fit or ROI for my varied content. These are just 2 examples, I'm sure there are lifestyle bloggers too.
1) Love the move back to newsletters and blogs posts and paying for that content (subscribers). Feels “cleaner/clearer” somehow and like your magazine subscription. Tho, I’m sure tedious and time consuming for creator. 2) I can’t afford multiple subscriptions to Newspapers around the country. I’d love for an entrepreneur to start/create a way to quickly and easily have a payment system for articles and images. So, for example, I buy $20 worth of content. newspapers, magazine, and creators are all part of network. When I click on an article it pulls between $0.10 to $1 for the content. When I’ve used up my card, I have to refill (like a Starbucks card). Feels like journalists and printed press need to be paid, and other content creators. Tho, there needs to be a clear demarcation between journalism and personal opinion/editorial pieces (in my opinion).
3) + and - to social media, and horrible comments, mental health, etc, it feels like such a mess. IG used to be a way to share and connect and now it’s an online shopping mall with me assuming that a baker I follow has “all the advice” and has a “perfect” life. It’s a very strange, surreal world. I’m not sure there is a going back or clear path forward with the current platforms. Time to evolve?
Thanks for sharing (as always) and providing such a great forum for discussion and thoughts sharing.
It’s been tricky for me to decide who to support on patreon and which subscriptions to hold on to (as Most of mine are currently paid). So yeah, it’s a big adjustment to go from free content to Paid because what one consumes is decreased and in this funny (strange not haha) over consumption of ideas and images place we are in societally that limitation can feel ‘hard’. I do enjoy the idea of paying for an article as opposed to paying for a monthly fee. That would allow me to spread my funds around more instead of committing to only a select few. On the other hand I wonder if I just need to adjust my budgetary expectations of how much all this consumption should cost. Like with many other things I buy cheap is bad for the makers.
Your ethical approach to this is really admirable, Yola. And I agree that I would prefer a per article fee over a monthly subscription in many cases (though not all cases). I pay for subscriptions to NYT and WashPo and some months I barely use them, because I'm reading other content. I'd rather my subscription dollars are going to the content I'm actually reading at any given time.
As someone trying to write I would prefer to be paid. Also I wish I could pay more writers the monthly or yearly subscription. It would be interesting to pick a different Substack letter each month for maybe a $20 year subscription. That is what I feels I can afford. I pay about that each month in Patreon. So maybe I pay $20 a month to different authors. I always have one renewal each month, but different authors get paid each month. (If someone can afford more great.) Or maybe we need to pay online magazine options. Just spitballing here. Like a magazine that highlights some paid persons each week. I don’t know. (My Substack is Caitlin Chats)
Excellent post. And you have just convinced me to start paying for your content. I would totally pay for maybe 5 different content creators on Instagram, but probably not 15. I want to say there is an existing one stop easy way to pay for content that wouldn't interrupt the flow, but so far I have only seen it on Facebook. Some fundraisers have a 'pay now' button - and I think/guess it's via Paypal og G-pay. Instagram and Twitter should totally be paying content creators, based on numbers of followers and follower interaction. The fact that they don't makes me want to consume less.
"Instagram and Twitter should totally be paying content creators, based on numbers of followers and follower interaction. The fact that they don't makes me want to consume less."
I've become more and more convinced of the same thing, Joanna. I'm both a content creator and a content consumer, and it's especially clear to me when I think about this topic from my content consumer brain. The platform I consume content the most from is Twitter, and I would happily pay to use the site if I knew the best Twitter content creators were being compensated by Twitter.
On the other hand, these days, most of my content creation gets shared on Instagram first, but I rarely consume Instagram content from other people. So as a content consumer, I might not be interested in paying for Instagram, but as a content creator on Instagram, I would like to be paid.
I would argue that good content goes viral or is widely shared BECAUSE it's free. When you send links to people and the article is blocked, that puts a swift end to the sharing process. There are currently over 1 billion blogs and over 1.4 billion websites in existence. That's roughly 1 blog for every 7.9 people. If you had to pay to access an article or subscription to each of these blogs or platforms, it would be overwhelming even to decide which one you were committing to.
Paying for a consistently high-quality news source (such as the NYT for example) is one thing but, again, where does it end in terms of what content should be free and what should not be free? Does it depend on how much time the creator spent? Should people have to pay to watch Tiktok? IG Reels? Pinterest? What about free You Tube tutorials? Have a paid subscription to every platform they use? What about Apps - should all apps be paid?
As a small business owner, it's very frustrating to see the number of "content creators" trying to ride the Influencer wave and charging fees for a fleeting IG story, with often no revenue generated from paid posts or product placements.
There is another big benefit of having a large (even free) readership though, which is the power to secure other opportunities. Most bloggers/creators with genuinely valuable content and audience also have passive income in the form of e-books, book deals, online courses, subscription/membership programs, public speaking gigs, and at a certain level talent managers/PR agents.
In the same way that you can go to the library and access offline materials for free, I believe there should always be a place for free and accessible content online too.
"As a small business owner, it's very frustrating to see the number of "content creators" trying to ride the Influencer wave and charging fees for a fleeting IG story, with often no revenue generated from paid posts or product placements."
That's definitely got to be very frustrating for you, Elisa. But I'm unclear on what you're thinking the alternative should be. Should business owners expect Influencers to create Instagram stories about their products without getting paid?
I think any compensation would depend on several factors such as: 1. what kind of content is being created 2. the audience-size & engagement levels of the content creator and 3. the size & budget of the brand.
But in general, my opinion is that collaborations between Influencers and Brands should not be seen only as Influencers providing a service to the brand, but rather a two-way partnership which can often mutually beneficial.
Many content creators have also built up their audience and engagement levels through the help of Brands - whether through Giveaways, exclusive exposure to new launches etc, free product, cross-marketing...
And being associated with big brands boosts the Content creator & influencer profile and likely audience size as well. It adds credibility to their content portfolios, opens other opportunities etc...
Affiliate marketing programs are also a good mediator between companies and influencers because it allows brands to keep track of content performance while also ensuring that content creators are paid their share. You mention that the commissions are low in your article, but they can also go up to 10-15% and on products of higher value, this can be significant especially as a source of passive income. Share a Sale, Rakuten, Awin are all quite good for ensuring content creators are paid and on time.
Social media platforms also pay content creators and quite well. There aren't any firm numbers, but Instagram launched their bonus program for Reels creators in July 2021. You Tube and Snapchat are also offering paid incentives for popular videos from between $10k/- $25K/mo. Tik Tok also has a Creator Fund for best-performing content but the amount depends on many factors.
In terms of getting paid for writing, what about Medium?
And for easy ways to get people contributing financially more directly to your website, why not have a permanent and prominent donation placement for this? The Marginalian (previously Brain Pickings) is a good example of an amazing (free) website that does a good job of this (https://www.themarginalian.org/)
You can use secure online payment platforms like PayPal, Stripe or Venmo and appreciators of your work could easily click to contribute. Heck I think people can even donate cypto now :)
Elisa, based on both of your comments, I'm not sure you and I will see eye to eye on this subject. To me, it seems like the first 4 paragraphs of your second comment are essentially saying: “As a business, we want you, the influencer/content creator, to talk about us. We won't pay you, but you'll get exposure."
I mean… That has been thoroughly shown to be a really bad deal for the content creators. People can't pay rent with exposure. And even if the “exposure” grows a content creator’s following (which is not guaranteed or even likely) that doesn’t translate to dollars. I have nearly 150k followers on Instagram and I make zero dollars from Instagram content. I know lots of people with over 500,000 followers on Twitter and it doesn’t earn them a dime. Followers don’t equal dollars.
Regarding your other paragraphs, maybe I don't understand where your expertise is (are you a content creator who has experience making a living doing this work?). For example, I’m on Medium. I’ve had articles go very viral on Medium. And I can tell you, the entire amount I’ve earned from Medium doesn’t amount to what I used to earn on a single sponsored post (when I was still doing sponsored posts). Also, Medium isn't free content. Readers have to pay to read Medium essays (they get 2 free articles a month, like with NYT, etc.).
And while I agree that platforms like Tiktok, Youtube, and Instagram can and should pay creators, I still don’t see how that relates to the question of small (or big) businesses working with creators.
Perhaps I’m misunderstanding you, but it sounds like you believe influencers/content creators should talk about and create content about small businesses, and that those small businesses don’t owe the creators anything but “exposure” for that work. If I'm understanding that correctly, then I very much disagree.
If a business doesn’t have a budget to work with an experienced content creator, then they should find other ways to market their business. I’m left with the impression that you think a working on a small business is “real” work, but working on social media content is just “pretend” work. I hope I've misunderstood.
Hey Gabrielle, it seems like I didn't formulate my comments very well and I apologize for this.
I'm not saying that I don't think Influencers should be paid or that what they do is not "real" work. Like most people in social media, I both create content in-house AND collaborate with influencers and am fully aware of how time-consuming it can be to produce good content.
However, I do think that in certain instances it's a fair trade to offer product in exchange for tags. So if you feel that all influencers (big or small) must be compensated solely monetarily under all circumstances then we may well disagree on that point.
But this is in fact very commonly requested BY influencers and I do not think it's fair to say that this is an exploitation by the brand without knowing what kind of content was produced or the agreement between the brand/influencer. Product is not just "exposure" and also has real value. Similarly I will always tag and promote products that I like to my friends and circle.
If a kitchen company offered you a brand new kitchen to renovate your house, would you still consider that sufficient compensation for some editorial coverage provided you were happy with your kitchen? Or do you think they should pay you in addition? (genuinely curious about your thoughts on this)
I also think perhaps we're not talking about the same kind of content and yours is perhaps just on a much higher level than what I'm speaking of.
Either way, I most certainly hope that content creators can find a more consistent way of being paid and on time, it's not an easy time for either brands or content creators in social media right now.
Hi Elisa, it sounds like maybe we agree more than I previously thought. You write: "However, I do think that in certain instances it's a fair trade to offer product in exchange for tags."
And I agree with that. If a content creator is offered a product that they want or need or find valuable, and they want to promote that product and feel the exchange (product for promotion) is fair, then great.
But I think it's actually very rare that a content creator is offered product that they need, and that has the financial value of the work they are expected to create. If a brand sends high-end shampoo to a content creator — worth $35 — and it takes 5 hours of work for the content creator to come up with a photoshoot, prep and shoot the images, edit the photos, write a post, publish the post, monitor and respond to comments, gather data for the brand, and communicate with the brand, that means the exchange is basically $7 an hour for the content creator's work. Further, in most cases the brand expects to be able to use the images the content creator made on the brand's social media or website. So the brand is getting HUGE value from the exchange (a professional product photoshoot alone can easily cost thousands of dollars), and the content creator is getting a bottle of expensive shampoo.
Again, it goes back to the sponsored post system not working the way people think it works. Here are some products I've been pitched in the last 24 hours, with no payment offer — some offered product samples in their pitch, some offered an affiliate program:
Tax Return Software
Makeup Remover
Underwear
Vitamins
Bakeware
Candles
Coconut Water
I don't need any of these things and even with an affiliate program, I would not earn a decent return for my work. But for a casual content creator, who doesn't really do social media for work, one or more of these might be a fun trade.
You asked if I would be willing to do an exchange for a kitchen, and yes, in theory I would, because I need a kitchen for the small house. But then again, it would depend. Who is the kitchen supplier? What sort of products do they sell? What if the kitchens they make are really modern, but I need something more country-style? What are they including? Do I need to pay separately for an installer? Am I required to use their approved installer? And how much would that be? Are they including appliances? Are there specific products from their kitchen line I'm required to include? What's their timeline? And what are their expectations from me? How much promotion are they expecting? Will creating content for them require me to hire a professional videographer or photographer?
Once we get down to the details — what exactly is the kitchen company offering, and what exactly am I expected to do in exchange — we may conclude it's not a good exchange at all.
But again, sometimes I do find an exchange worthwhile. If I need to move, and I get a bid from the moving company for $10k, then, if I know the right person to ask, I would definitely suggest an exchange, and offer them a social media promotion package worth at least $10k (typically I offer more so they're getting a really good deal and are more likely to say yes). If they say yes, that's great for me, because the move is a non-negotiable line item that I was going to have to pay no matter what.
But I can not emphasize enough how rare an exchange like that is — where both of us (the brand and content creator) are getting exactly what we need.
I'll try to demonstrate this further. Right now, something I "need" is a new pair of Vans. Is it worth me creating a pitch and attempting to get a free pair of Vans, and creating and sharing content, for a $50 pair of shoes? And would Vans even send the pair that I want? Or would they send a pair from whatever line they are trying to promote at the moment? And if I don't actually like the specific pair of shoes they send, am I still bound to promote them? And how long would all of this take? It's definitely easier, simpler, and ultimately a better use of my time, for me to just go buy a pair of Vans.
So yes, an exchange with no payment can work sometimes, but it's rare that the content creator gets more value (or even equal value) from the exchange, compared to the brand. And exchange of product for promotion is pretty much always going to be a better value for the brand.
Thanks Mary, for pointing that out. Of course nothing is ever completely "free" - there's always someone, somewhere paying for any service or resource. In that vein, the internet is also then not free, since consumers pay for monthly broadband, data plans and devices to connect and access the information.
I found this entire discussion fascinating and have nothing helpful to add. I am a paying subscriber and always try to pay when a long time content creator asks (like you so kindly did), or donate to top jars, or whatever but I know it isn’t, as you said about hours, scalable … (15 blogs, $5/month, etc). I love the idea of Twitter/Instagram paying you, but those companies seem so big/selfish … hard to imagine this happening. But I LOVE your posts, and so many others, Amalah, Mimi Smartypants, etc.) that I wish there was some way for you to all make money from this work. Side note: I only read women blogs … are there men blogs? … and is this just more ‘Women’s work is free! And has no value!’ Like motherhood, house cleaning, etc. anyway. Thank you for all of your hard work, and for continuing to include all of us in your life, in the way that feels comfortable for you. You deserve to be paid for this.
Elizabeth, I think there's something real about your "women's work" connection. I think it's the same thing as calling women "mommy bloggers" so that you don't have to take them seriously, even if they are thought leaders or business leaders. Creating good content on Instagram is really hard, and there's a lot of good stuff there, but many people like to act like Instagram content is just silly or a waste of time.
I agree. So interesting to see just how much money the “big” male Substackers are making with their “serious” content. 🙄
This is such an interesting topic, thanks for covering it. A couple of thoughts spring to mind. First, I support a number of podcast creators on Patreon because I want them to be paid for their time. I often see in Patreon groups people talking about which Patreons are the "best value" and that really makes me uncomfortable, because that value is generally not judged on the quality of the free content those creators have made available, but on what special bonus content is available, which puts even more of a burden on creators in terms of how much content they need to create to keep supporters subscribed. Second, I think there's just a general expectation that we should have access to unlimited content all the time that isn't healthy and I'm not sure there's anything that can be done to change that. What percentage of content do we engage with that is really meaningful to us and what do we just roam our eyeballs over because it's there? And I wonder how unlimited streaming services like Netflix or Spotify play into this expectation - we pay a small monthly fee to these big companies and then get unlimited content. That's never going to be possible for independent creators.
Also, I think the accessibility of content creators is such an interesting topic. The ability to communicate directly with creators is amazing, yet that makes so many people feel like they have a right / duty to communicate every single unsolicited opinion they have about the content those creators make. And I am guilty of this myself - I've become friendly with one of the creators whose work I really value and I have definitely been guilty of oversharing my opinions with her since I "know" her now (I would never do this with a creator I don't interact with regularly, but I know many people don't put even that restriction on their criticisms). I'm trying to do better about waiting for her to ask for feedback before giving it.
Stacey, I really appreciate your point of view on the accessibility topic. It can definitely catch me off guard when someone who is a complete stranger to me makes casual requests for my time in my Instagram DMs. I have to remind myself they may feel close to me and feel I'm a good friend, so a casual request would be natural from their point of view.
I don't think I've ever asked a content creator for specific content, but ALL THE TIME I say, 'oh a friend of mine did this' or 'someone I know did that' and then realize it is online content --- one way! Really hard to keep that straight, and yet the work is REALLY valuable to me and my life.
I know very little about making money from content, so I find this breakdown of how it works super interesting. I'm 100% comfortable with Sponsored Content. As a content consumer, I want to understand when something is sponsored vs not, and its important to me that you don't lie to me about liking or using a product a long time if you haven't. But its perfectly reasonable that you need to earn a living, and therefore need to include sponsored content.
Orlando Soria (former co-worker of HUGE blogger Emily Henderson) just posted a really honest article about trying to make money off of sponsored content on his blog and Instagram https://orlandosoria.com/2022/01/10/a-covid-comedy-of-errors/. I found it super super interesting, in addition to all the issues you raised, he was living very paycheck to paycheck and really struggling with how long it took larger brands to pay him for his work AFTER he had produced it.
I love your point about podcasts, it would be great if you could have a much wider opportunity for sponsors/advertisers that didn't have to be directly used in your home by your family. Something like, "this post is brought to you by Squarespace - thank you to Squarespace for sponsoring a week of DesignMom content. If you are creating a website, I encourage you to support the sponsors that support my work".
That is such a real issue, Rachel. Thank you for bringing it up. And it's not just content creators — it happens to all sorts of freelance workers. Big companies will delay payment for months after you've delivered the work. It's so frustrating and makes it really hard to get by.
This happens all the time with online games. I cannot even count the amount of times my 9 year old has come to me asking for $1.99 to buy “a pack of gems” to expand upon the content in an otherwise free game. Most of the time, I do it! I look through her game, see what she wants to do with those “gems”, we talk through how much we can measure the utils she would get for it (I was an Econ major) and see if it adds up to the same monetary value. I would totally do this in the content world if somebody can figure out a way to streamline it the same way that iPad apps do.
That's so true, Kate. In-app purchases can be pretty simple (I guess because Apple already stores all my payment info?). I wonder what's the closet thing to that system that could work for content creators?
I think content creators on social media SHOULD be compensated by those companies - that is a great idea. I completely agree that content should not be free - before the internet it never was except radio/tv which had ads. You had to buy newspapers and magazines, theater tickets... So we should keep moving in that direction (and I think streaming platforms have paved the way). But in the meantime, You should do what is best for you and your business!
So true, Jennifer. I imagine there are sociologists who have written (or will write) about when we made the transition from "most content is paid" to "most content is free". And it's also interesting to consider it didn't happen for everything — books were paid content before, and they're still paid content now. And public libraries have valuable during both time frames.
I love this honest discussion and I agree that the hard work of creators is being exploited by platforms and they absolutely should be compensated in a way that doesn't have to involve prostituting oneself to sell stuff for large corporations. How is a difficult question but I think the browser Brave has the right idea, I've been using it for the past few months. You get tokens for watching ads or you can buy tokens and then you can tip creators (websites/twitter users/etc) easily (if they are opted in) and creators can then keep or exchange tokens for $. It seems like it could be a good solution for rewarding creators and also consumers (attention is valuable)
Thanks for the heads up about Brave. This is the first I'm hearing about it. I'll check it out.
I believe that content creators should be paid. I am happy to pay an annual fee, but if you worked exceptionally hard at a particular post and wanted to charge individually for that post I know I would pay. I started following a couple of my favorite writers on Substack, but found that the writer tended to change their viewpoints to suit their audience. I have canceled almost all Substack and have no intention of following anyone again. I also will support certain individuals on Patreon - Humans of New York comes to mind - that I trust will use the donations wisely. I am very suspicious of Go Fund Me's as there are so many and I am not sure who controls the funds.
You are an exceptional writer/storyteller and I have referred many to your Instagram/Twitter accounts. I appreciate your honesty about how you get paid. You have some 140,000 Instagram followers and that is a following that you should be able to monetize. I am always stunned at how individuals believe that someone should provide you something for free.
Thank you for the kind words, Barbara. It does seem like I should be able to monetize my Instagram following — I wish Instagram would offer useful tools in order to do so. I can not fathom whey they don't.
First, I sort of miss when blogs were more hobbyists and they weren’t posting everyday and they weren’t so polished. And when it was just blogs (vs Instagram). It seems like a platform would be good…say sub stack and blogger and others at least offering a paid subscription and payment going to blogs based on readership. Remember when we didn’t pay a dime for online news articles? I hit my 5 free limit on WaPo all the time. I have a paid online subscription to the local paper b/c otherwise I could not read it. So I think the market is primed to start paying for some online content.
But part of the economics here is that there are SO MANY people willing to create content for free/affiliate money/marketing for their full time gig (stylists, party planners, etc). Or 15 min of fame. And the platforms of Instagram and Twitter allow for short form content where that is possible (unlike the full blog photo shoots of old, although I know people put that kind of effort in as well). I honestly don’t know if I’d pay for any Instagram content. Which makes me wonder why I’m addicted to it. I would definitely pay for ad free Instagram, or to eliminate Instagram’s suggestions. Suggested Reels are killing my soul.
"I honestly don’t know if I’d pay for any Instagram content. Which makes me wonder why I’m addicted to it."
That is super interesting, and I'm confident you're not alone. I'm going to be thinking about that for awhile.
Is there an alternative to “Apple Pay”?? Would love to support your content, Gabrielle.
Thank you, Bonnie. I don't pretend to be an expert on payment options, but I haven't yet come across anything that seems simple enough to be useful to an independent creator.
I asked, Gabrielle, because I support the work of two other bloggers; one on Substack, one on Patreon. They both allowed credit card payments. Neither required Apple Pay.
It may be worth noting that there are a lot of bloggers who actually do make a LOT of money (like more than any sane person would even think possible) on display ads. It all depends on the website traffic. This didn't really capture the giant range that exists in how content creators make money, so it's very possible that the "free" content you consume on someone's blog is actually making them a lot of money each month because a lot of people are consuming that. It's a system based on volume, which clearly works better for some than others. I agree that we should be willing to pay for content we value, but this is not representative of all content creators. Also: Instagram and Fb have started paying content creators for reels but not everyone, and who gets to be in the program is completely random. Which is grossly unfair.
That's very true, Amy. I should have clarified what type of Content Creators and Influencers I had in mind when I was writing.
I do know people who make a living from display ads, and yes, it's a volume game that can work really well, especially for particular niches. But the people I know who do this, would not consider themselves content creators or influencers. They work behind the scenes, and any presence they have online is often anonymous. I don't see them writing personal essays or giving reports on their children. They are earning money, but not necessarily growing a dedicated audience.
But of course, the internet is a big place, and I only know my particular internet-neighborhoods. If you have popular influencers in mind, who also do well with display ads, I would love to be pointed to their content. That's the kind of expert that's great to have speak at Alt Summit, so interested attendees can learn new techniques for creating revenue.
I think there are a lot of food bloggers in this bucket, but you are right that they’re not writing personal essays or about their kids exclusively, though many incorporate those to some extent on social. And make a lot of money from their websites and also consider themselves influencers AND content creators. Gaby Delkin of What’s Gaby Cooking is an example or Ambitious Kitchen or Feel Good Foodie (and myself, to a slightly smaller extent, but I make more on display ads than I knew was possible and sponsored content is a lot easier when it doesn’t involve home renovations or decorating). Most of these people have teams now and are not woman shows, but they’re checking all of these boxes you mention—in a different corner of the web. I think there’s also a choice for many people who’ve been working online for a long time as far as which lane to pick and I am really glad there is this new option since I’ve seen many people thriving with Substack quickly, in a way that just isn’t really possible elsewhere.
So true! I'm so glad you reminded me of the food blogging world. There are so many awesome corners of the internet.
I make plenty from display ads, as does Lisa Steele (chicken farming). My name (and face) is on my site (LouiseM) and I'm pretty sure hers is too as she also writes books. I suspect she would be a prime example of growing a dedicated audience. I admit I gave that up as it's not a good fit or ROI for my varied content. These are just 2 examples, I'm sure there are lifestyle bloggers too.
Great topic and discussion!
Few thoughts:
1) Love the move back to newsletters and blogs posts and paying for that content (subscribers). Feels “cleaner/clearer” somehow and like your magazine subscription. Tho, I’m sure tedious and time consuming for creator. 2) I can’t afford multiple subscriptions to Newspapers around the country. I’d love for an entrepreneur to start/create a way to quickly and easily have a payment system for articles and images. So, for example, I buy $20 worth of content. newspapers, magazine, and creators are all part of network. When I click on an article it pulls between $0.10 to $1 for the content. When I’ve used up my card, I have to refill (like a Starbucks card). Feels like journalists and printed press need to be paid, and other content creators. Tho, there needs to be a clear demarcation between journalism and personal opinion/editorial pieces (in my opinion).
3) + and - to social media, and horrible comments, mental health, etc, it feels like such a mess. IG used to be a way to share and connect and now it’s an online shopping mall with me assuming that a baker I follow has “all the advice” and has a “perfect” life. It’s a very strange, surreal world. I’m not sure there is a going back or clear path forward with the current platforms. Time to evolve?
Thanks for sharing (as always) and providing such a great forum for discussion and thoughts sharing.
I really like your idea for a "refillable card for content", Corrie.
It’s been tricky for me to decide who to support on patreon and which subscriptions to hold on to (as Most of mine are currently paid). So yeah, it’s a big adjustment to go from free content to Paid because what one consumes is decreased and in this funny (strange not haha) over consumption of ideas and images place we are in societally that limitation can feel ‘hard’. I do enjoy the idea of paying for an article as opposed to paying for a monthly fee. That would allow me to spread my funds around more instead of committing to only a select few. On the other hand I wonder if I just need to adjust my budgetary expectations of how much all this consumption should cost. Like with many other things I buy cheap is bad for the makers.
Your ethical approach to this is really admirable, Yola. And I agree that I would prefer a per article fee over a monthly subscription in many cases (though not all cases). I pay for subscriptions to NYT and WashPo and some months I barely use them, because I'm reading other content. I'd rather my subscription dollars are going to the content I'm actually reading at any given time.
Thank you for writing this. I know it was a ton of work to put these thoughts together. We needed to hear it.
Thank you for reading it, Jenny! I know it was on the long side. : )
As someone trying to write I would prefer to be paid. Also I wish I could pay more writers the monthly or yearly subscription. It would be interesting to pick a different Substack letter each month for maybe a $20 year subscription. That is what I feels I can afford. I pay about that each month in Patreon. So maybe I pay $20 a month to different authors. I always have one renewal each month, but different authors get paid each month. (If someone can afford more great.) Or maybe we need to pay online magazine options. Just spitballing here. Like a magazine that highlights some paid persons each week. I don’t know. (My Substack is Caitlin Chats)
"I always have one renewal each month, but different authors get paid each month."
Totally. I think we need more of this kind of spitballing until we figure it out.
Excellent post. And you have just convinced me to start paying for your content. I would totally pay for maybe 5 different content creators on Instagram, but probably not 15. I want to say there is an existing one stop easy way to pay for content that wouldn't interrupt the flow, but so far I have only seen it on Facebook. Some fundraisers have a 'pay now' button - and I think/guess it's via Paypal og G-pay. Instagram and Twitter should totally be paying content creators, based on numbers of followers and follower interaction. The fact that they don't makes me want to consume less.
"Instagram and Twitter should totally be paying content creators, based on numbers of followers and follower interaction. The fact that they don't makes me want to consume less."
I've become more and more convinced of the same thing, Joanna. I'm both a content creator and a content consumer, and it's especially clear to me when I think about this topic from my content consumer brain. The platform I consume content the most from is Twitter, and I would happily pay to use the site if I knew the best Twitter content creators were being compensated by Twitter.
On the other hand, these days, most of my content creation gets shared on Instagram first, but I rarely consume Instagram content from other people. So as a content consumer, I might not be interested in paying for Instagram, but as a content creator on Instagram, I would like to be paid.
I would argue that good content goes viral or is widely shared BECAUSE it's free. When you send links to people and the article is blocked, that puts a swift end to the sharing process. There are currently over 1 billion blogs and over 1.4 billion websites in existence. That's roughly 1 blog for every 7.9 people. If you had to pay to access an article or subscription to each of these blogs or platforms, it would be overwhelming even to decide which one you were committing to.
Paying for a consistently high-quality news source (such as the NYT for example) is one thing but, again, where does it end in terms of what content should be free and what should not be free? Does it depend on how much time the creator spent? Should people have to pay to watch Tiktok? IG Reels? Pinterest? What about free You Tube tutorials? Have a paid subscription to every platform they use? What about Apps - should all apps be paid?
As a small business owner, it's very frustrating to see the number of "content creators" trying to ride the Influencer wave and charging fees for a fleeting IG story, with often no revenue generated from paid posts or product placements.
There is another big benefit of having a large (even free) readership though, which is the power to secure other opportunities. Most bloggers/creators with genuinely valuable content and audience also have passive income in the form of e-books, book deals, online courses, subscription/membership programs, public speaking gigs, and at a certain level talent managers/PR agents.
In the same way that you can go to the library and access offline materials for free, I believe there should always be a place for free and accessible content online too.
"As a small business owner, it's very frustrating to see the number of "content creators" trying to ride the Influencer wave and charging fees for a fleeting IG story, with often no revenue generated from paid posts or product placements."
That's definitely got to be very frustrating for you, Elisa. But I'm unclear on what you're thinking the alternative should be. Should business owners expect Influencers to create Instagram stories about their products without getting paid?
Thanks Gabrielle.
I think any compensation would depend on several factors such as: 1. what kind of content is being created 2. the audience-size & engagement levels of the content creator and 3. the size & budget of the brand.
But in general, my opinion is that collaborations between Influencers and Brands should not be seen only as Influencers providing a service to the brand, but rather a two-way partnership which can often mutually beneficial.
Many content creators have also built up their audience and engagement levels through the help of Brands - whether through Giveaways, exclusive exposure to new launches etc, free product, cross-marketing...
And being associated with big brands boosts the Content creator & influencer profile and likely audience size as well. It adds credibility to their content portfolios, opens other opportunities etc...
Affiliate marketing programs are also a good mediator between companies and influencers because it allows brands to keep track of content performance while also ensuring that content creators are paid their share. You mention that the commissions are low in your article, but they can also go up to 10-15% and on products of higher value, this can be significant especially as a source of passive income. Share a Sale, Rakuten, Awin are all quite good for ensuring content creators are paid and on time.
Social media platforms also pay content creators and quite well. There aren't any firm numbers, but Instagram launched their bonus program for Reels creators in July 2021. You Tube and Snapchat are also offering paid incentives for popular videos from between $10k/- $25K/mo. Tik Tok also has a Creator Fund for best-performing content but the amount depends on many factors.
In terms of getting paid for writing, what about Medium?
And for easy ways to get people contributing financially more directly to your website, why not have a permanent and prominent donation placement for this? The Marginalian (previously Brain Pickings) is a good example of an amazing (free) website that does a good job of this (https://www.themarginalian.org/)
You can use secure online payment platforms like PayPal, Stripe or Venmo and appreciators of your work could easily click to contribute. Heck I think people can even donate cypto now :)
Elisa, based on both of your comments, I'm not sure you and I will see eye to eye on this subject. To me, it seems like the first 4 paragraphs of your second comment are essentially saying: “As a business, we want you, the influencer/content creator, to talk about us. We won't pay you, but you'll get exposure."
I mean… That has been thoroughly shown to be a really bad deal for the content creators. People can't pay rent with exposure. And even if the “exposure” grows a content creator’s following (which is not guaranteed or even likely) that doesn’t translate to dollars. I have nearly 150k followers on Instagram and I make zero dollars from Instagram content. I know lots of people with over 500,000 followers on Twitter and it doesn’t earn them a dime. Followers don’t equal dollars.
Regarding your other paragraphs, maybe I don't understand where your expertise is (are you a content creator who has experience making a living doing this work?). For example, I’m on Medium. I’ve had articles go very viral on Medium. And I can tell you, the entire amount I’ve earned from Medium doesn’t amount to what I used to earn on a single sponsored post (when I was still doing sponsored posts). Also, Medium isn't free content. Readers have to pay to read Medium essays (they get 2 free articles a month, like with NYT, etc.).
And while I agree that platforms like Tiktok, Youtube, and Instagram can and should pay creators, I still don’t see how that relates to the question of small (or big) businesses working with creators.
Perhaps I’m misunderstanding you, but it sounds like you believe influencers/content creators should talk about and create content about small businesses, and that those small businesses don’t owe the creators anything but “exposure” for that work. If I'm understanding that correctly, then I very much disagree.
If a business doesn’t have a budget to work with an experienced content creator, then they should find other ways to market their business. I’m left with the impression that you think a working on a small business is “real” work, but working on social media content is just “pretend” work. I hope I've misunderstood.
Hey Gabrielle, it seems like I didn't formulate my comments very well and I apologize for this.
I'm not saying that I don't think Influencers should be paid or that what they do is not "real" work. Like most people in social media, I both create content in-house AND collaborate with influencers and am fully aware of how time-consuming it can be to produce good content.
However, I do think that in certain instances it's a fair trade to offer product in exchange for tags. So if you feel that all influencers (big or small) must be compensated solely monetarily under all circumstances then we may well disagree on that point.
But this is in fact very commonly requested BY influencers and I do not think it's fair to say that this is an exploitation by the brand without knowing what kind of content was produced or the agreement between the brand/influencer. Product is not just "exposure" and also has real value. Similarly I will always tag and promote products that I like to my friends and circle.
If a kitchen company offered you a brand new kitchen to renovate your house, would you still consider that sufficient compensation for some editorial coverage provided you were happy with your kitchen? Or do you think they should pay you in addition? (genuinely curious about your thoughts on this)
I also think perhaps we're not talking about the same kind of content and yours is perhaps just on a much higher level than what I'm speaking of.
Either way, I most certainly hope that content creators can find a more consistent way of being paid and on time, it's not an easy time for either brands or content creators in social media right now.
Hi Elisa, it sounds like maybe we agree more than I previously thought. You write: "However, I do think that in certain instances it's a fair trade to offer product in exchange for tags."
And I agree with that. If a content creator is offered a product that they want or need or find valuable, and they want to promote that product and feel the exchange (product for promotion) is fair, then great.
But I think it's actually very rare that a content creator is offered product that they need, and that has the financial value of the work they are expected to create. If a brand sends high-end shampoo to a content creator — worth $35 — and it takes 5 hours of work for the content creator to come up with a photoshoot, prep and shoot the images, edit the photos, write a post, publish the post, monitor and respond to comments, gather data for the brand, and communicate with the brand, that means the exchange is basically $7 an hour for the content creator's work. Further, in most cases the brand expects to be able to use the images the content creator made on the brand's social media or website. So the brand is getting HUGE value from the exchange (a professional product photoshoot alone can easily cost thousands of dollars), and the content creator is getting a bottle of expensive shampoo.
Again, it goes back to the sponsored post system not working the way people think it works. Here are some products I've been pitched in the last 24 hours, with no payment offer — some offered product samples in their pitch, some offered an affiliate program:
Tax Return Software
Makeup Remover
Underwear
Vitamins
Bakeware
Candles
Coconut Water
I don't need any of these things and even with an affiliate program, I would not earn a decent return for my work. But for a casual content creator, who doesn't really do social media for work, one or more of these might be a fun trade.
You asked if I would be willing to do an exchange for a kitchen, and yes, in theory I would, because I need a kitchen for the small house. But then again, it would depend. Who is the kitchen supplier? What sort of products do they sell? What if the kitchens they make are really modern, but I need something more country-style? What are they including? Do I need to pay separately for an installer? Am I required to use their approved installer? And how much would that be? Are they including appliances? Are there specific products from their kitchen line I'm required to include? What's their timeline? And what are their expectations from me? How much promotion are they expecting? Will creating content for them require me to hire a professional videographer or photographer?
Once we get down to the details — what exactly is the kitchen company offering, and what exactly am I expected to do in exchange — we may conclude it's not a good exchange at all.
But again, sometimes I do find an exchange worthwhile. If I need to move, and I get a bid from the moving company for $10k, then, if I know the right person to ask, I would definitely suggest an exchange, and offer them a social media promotion package worth at least $10k (typically I offer more so they're getting a really good deal and are more likely to say yes). If they say yes, that's great for me, because the move is a non-negotiable line item that I was going to have to pay no matter what.
But I can not emphasize enough how rare an exchange like that is — where both of us (the brand and content creator) are getting exactly what we need.
I'll try to demonstrate this further. Right now, something I "need" is a new pair of Vans. Is it worth me creating a pitch and attempting to get a free pair of Vans, and creating and sharing content, for a $50 pair of shoes? And would Vans even send the pair that I want? Or would they send a pair from whatever line they are trying to promote at the moment? And if I don't actually like the specific pair of shoes they send, am I still bound to promote them? And how long would all of this take? It's definitely easier, simpler, and ultimately a better use of my time, for me to just go buy a pair of Vans.
So yes, an exchange with no payment can work sometimes, but it's rare that the content creator gets more value (or even equal value) from the exchange, compared to the brand. And exchange of product for promotion is pretty much always going to be a better value for the brand.
One thing I will say is that the library is not free! Libraries are funded by taxes and tax- payers so it may seem free but it is not.
Good point, Mary! Thank you.
Thanks Mary, for pointing that out. Of course nothing is ever completely "free" - there's always someone, somewhere paying for any service or resource. In that vein, the internet is also then not free, since consumers pay for monthly broadband, data plans and devices to connect and access the information.