Where to Make your Millions

The choice overload tied to social media doesn’t just exist for the passive content consumer, but also for the content creator. We often think of the content creation journey as spanning from ideation to execution, but the very first question that a creator must ask themselves is simply, “Where am I going to post this content?”

More times than not, this question is directed towards the Big3 - Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok. Each of these platforms is popular in its own right and boasts its own set of benefits from a creator perspective, with Instagram being the largest at 3 billion active monthly users.

But is population size alone enough of a metric to decide your go-to posting platform? In most cases, no. Several other factors, such as your content format, category, and target audience play into the decision. And of course, seeing which platform will pay you the most

Let’s dive into this

With 2.5 billion active monthly users, YouTube primarily hosts two types of content: long-form videos and ‘Shorts’ (videos that are up to 3 minutes long). YouTube creators are paid through ad revenue - third-party companies run ads on YouTube, and the platform gives you a percentage of their earnings with payout determined by factors such as number of views, watch time, ad placement, and content category

To be eligible for ad revenue, creators must join the YouTube Partner Program, which has its own set of requirements. Creators must have achieved either of the following:

It’s important to distinguish between CPM and RPM when it comes to ad revenue on YouTube. CPM (Cost per Mille) is the $ amount that brands are paying for advertisements, whereas RPM (Revenue per Millie) is the $ amount that creators earn after YouTube takes its cut

For long-form videos, 55% of CPM is paid to the creator, and for Shorts, 45% of CPM is paid to the creator. So, if a video made $1,000, $550 or $450 would be paid to the creator based on whether the content is long-form or under the Shorts category, respectively

YouTube payouts differ according to the content category, and this is moreso based on how much advertisers targetting a certain niche or audience demographic are willing to pay. Below are RPMs for different content categories:

As for Shorts, 2025 has seen a massive RMP jump. with rates going as high as $0.32 per 1,000 views ($320 per 1M views), with exact values differing by location, category etc.

Seasonal timing is also an important factor in YouTube creator payouts. Since money earned from YouTube is dependent on advertisers, the amount is often a reflection of advertiser budgets and how they evolve and fluctuate throughout the year, as well as consumer behavior

Historically, Q4 performance is the strongest, resulting in the highest creator payouts. This is because the Holiday season combined with high-spend events such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday often see fuller customer pockets and a significant rise in spending - motivating brands to push advertisements more heavily in a bid to capture the market

In comparison, the start of Q1 is a drier period where customer spending and advertiser budgets drop after the Holiday season ends

The newest of the Big3 social media platforms, TikTok is known for its favorable algortihm that boosts content discovery and virality - regardless of whether you have an established presence on the platform or not. This often makes it popular with new creators - especially when you compare it with Instagram where platform earning is underdeveloped

TikTok primarily supports short-form content, although uploads can be as long as 60 minutes. Users are paid through the platform’s creator programs, which have varied throughout the years

In 2020, TikTok launched the TikTok Creator Fund, which paid creators anywhere between $0.02 to $0.04 per 1,000 views. So for a video with 1M views, a creator would earn anywhere between $20 to $40. The program was met with backlash, with even the most popular TikTok creators earning meagre amounts. The program is now actively being phased out, and replaced with TikTok’s Creator Rewards Program which was launched in 2023

The Creator Rewards Program typically pays between $0.40 to $1.00 (and higher) per 1,000 views - meaning that creators can now earn between $400 to $1,000 for a video with 1M views. The exact amount that a creator earns depends on various factors, including location and content category

TikTok pays between $0.40 to $1.00 per 1,000 views under its Creator Rewards Program - but the calculation isn’t that straightforward. To count for paid status, a view must be ‘qualified’, meaning that:

So, while a video may gain 100,000 views - only the ones that fall under the ‘qualified’ category will count towards paid status

To be part of TikTok’s Creator Rewards Program, users must meet the following criteria:

The Creator Rewards Program is currently available in selected countries, namely, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, France, South Korea, Mexico, and Brazil

Arguably one of the biggest social media platforms at over 3 billion active monthly users, Instagram does not directly pay its creators for views or high engagement. Still, Instagram influencers earn hundreds of thousands of dollars every single year, primarily through branded content or upselling their products and services

In 2024, the influencer marketing industry hit $24 billion, with over half (57%) of brands choosing Instagram as their preferred content partnership platform

This surge of popularity in the brand marketing world encourages creators to build and grow a presence on Instagram - the return of which is often materialized in the face of thousands of earned dollars for a single piece of content

That being said, Instagram does offer its creator network access, albeit limited, to a range of monetization tools

Instagram primarily offers access to 4 monetization tools - access to which is limited and still very much in the testing phase. These tools include:

Of these 4 tools, Instagram is only directly paying creators via the Bonuses option, with the remaining three sourcing revenue from follower engagements

Badges are available during Live streams on Instagram, and are purchased by viewers (followers or non-followers) as a way to show support to their favorite creators. Purchasing a badge puts a heart icon next to the viewer’s name and features them in the creator’s supporter list

Badges are priced at $0.99, $1.99, and $4.99, and although Instagram does not deduct anything from this amount, app transaction fees deduct 30%. To qualify for Badges, creators must have accumulated 10,000 followers

Bonuses are largely an invite-only feature, and they are currently the only way Instagram directly pays its creator network. Applicable across all content types - reels, carousels, and single-image posts - Bonuses typically pay between $0.01 to $4.40 per 1,000 views. Currently, this feature is only available in the United States and South Korea

Similar to Badges, Gifts are a way for viewers to show appreciation to their favorite creators on their reel content. Viewers can send ‘Stars’ to creators, whereby creators earn $0.01 per Star

A revenue share is also deducted by Instagram, with the amount varying depending on how many Stars are purchased by the viewer, and app transaction fees numbering 30% are also substracted

Gifts are currently available in specific countries and a creator must have at least 500 followers to qualify

Subscriptions are a way for creators to offer exclusive content in exchange of a monthly recurring fee, starting at $0.99 per month and reaching $99.99 per month (although most creators stay on the lower end of that range)

While there is no revenue share deduction from Instagram, app transaction fees of 30% apply

So, when it comes to making your millions, which platform is the most creator-friendly? If we’re talking strictly about about platform-direct earning, then Instagram automatically exits the chat. That leaves YouTube and TikTok. While YouTube has the potential to offer higher and more stable long-term earnings, gaining initial traction is significantly easier on TikTok (and so the monetization process is likely to start earlier)

At the end of the day, the answer comes down to your type of content (long-form vs short-form), your location, and your content category - and of course, your personal preference

Creators for Creators is a newsletter focused on building the next generation of social media creators - and helping them monetize their digital presence

We'll be sharing tips, industry updates, and creator spotlights - all based on the real-life learnings of creators who have navigated the industry. We'll also share brand partnership opportunities for our top readers

Image credits: Statista, YouTube