How Do Digital Creators Make Money? Exploring 8 Streams of Income

How much do digital creators make? According to salary.com, the average annual digital creator salary range typically falls between $41,151 and $60,258 as of March 28, 2023.

What factors affect the salary of digital creators? How do digital creators make money? In this blog post, we will explain the main factors that affect your income from digital creation and provide useful tips for making money as a digital artist to inspire you.

Digital creator salary

The salary of a digital creator can vary greatly depending on several factors, including:

• Audience size
• Engagement rate
• Level of influence
• Niche: Popular digital creators in areas like beauty and fashion often have more opportunities for sponsorships and advertising.
• Platform: YouTubers earn more from ads than bloggers, while Instagram influencers make more from sponsored posts and affiliate marketing.
• Monetization strategy: Earning from multiple channels can increase income opportunities.

📢 Now that you know what impacts your creator income, you may be wondering what do digital content creators do for a living. Here are some tips on how to make money as a digital creator or artist.👇

1. Advertising revenue

Advertising revenue is one of the most common ways digital creators make money. Essentially, you place ads on your content and earn a percentage of the revenue generated by those ads.

For example, as a YouTuber, you can earn money through the YouTube Partner Program, which allows you to monetize your videos with ads. The more views a video or blog post gets, the more money you earn.

2. Brand sponsorships

You can also earn money through sponsored content, where you work with brands to create content that promotes the brand’s products or services.

This can include sponsored blog posts, Instagram posts, or sponsored videos on YouTube. The amount paid depends on the size of the creator’s following and the scope of the promotion.

3. Affiliate marketing

Affiliate marketing is another popular way digital creators make money. In affiliate marketing, you earn a commission on any sales that result from promoting a product or service using your unique affiliate link.

For example, if you work as a beauty blogger, you can promote a makeup brand and earn a commission on any sales made through your affiliate link.

Affiliate marketing can be done through various platforms, including Amazon Associates, Linkr, etc. Linkr allows you to sell affiliate products at your creator shop and earn a commission on any sold items through your affiliate link.

💡 Related reading: Creator shop vs. E-commerce platforms: Which is right for you >

4. Merchandise sells

Another way to generate income is by selling your own products. This can include e-books, courses, 1:1 coaching, custom illustrations, or any other physical products that relate to your niche or area of expertise.

You can sell merchandise on your own websites or through third-party platforms like Etsy or Shopify. Or launch a creator store on Linkr for FREE. One-click store setup saves time and effort!

👋 Meet Faith Anoh, a fitness blogger who makes money on Linkr Store by selling workout plans, coaching video calls, fitness consultations, and more.

5. Paid memberships

Membership platforms like Linkr Posts, Patreon, OnlyFans, etc., allow you to set up a membership program, where you can offer exclusive content, perks, or services to your members in exchange for a monthly fee.

💡 How to choose a membership platform that suits you:

• Linkr vs OnlyFans: Which monetization platform is best for digital creators >
• Linkr vs Patreon: Which is better for digital creators to monetize content >

👉 After comparing options, Linkr charges lower platform fees and offers the most comprehensive money-making strategies.

6. Donations

As digital creators, you can also ask for support from your devoted fans. Linkr allows you to receive financial donations from your fans through the Support Me button, which is available on your link in bio pages.

7. Licensing

Licensing can be a lucrative income stream for digital creators, but it often requires a significant investment of time and effort to create content that is high-quality and marketable.

For instance, as a photographer, you can license your photos to a stock photo website. Similarly, as a musician, you can license your music for use in films or commercials.

8. Platform creator funds and bonuses

Finally, several platforms offer bonuses or “creator funds” that pay you money for the views you receive on your content, primarily short-form videos.

For instance, Instagram pays digital content creators for views on short-form videos on Instagram Reels. Similar programs exist on Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok.

These funds may pay very little or be unavailable in some countries but can still help you monetize your best content.

Conclusion

How do digital creators make money? As you can see, digital creators can make a living through various monetization strategies. If you’re interested in becoming a digital creator or monetizing your existing content, we hope this post has successfully sparked your inspiration.

Linkr is a great all-in-one monetization platform for digital content creators to generate revenue. Give it a try for free!