Creator marketing budgets continued to expand in 2025, but earnings gains did not spread evenly across creators, according to a new report from CreatorIQ based on survey work with Sapio Research and payment data from CreatorIQ campaigns.
Influencer marketing reached an estimated $32.55 billion in global market value in 2025, while the broader creator economy was valued at more than $250 billion, the report said. It also showed brand and agency investment accelerated, with the average influencer marketing spend increasing 171% year-over-year, more growth than the prior four years combined.
CreatorIQ frames the gap as uneven distribution: market-level growth “hasn’t been extending evenly to individual creators.”
Creators’ Average Annual Earnings
CreatorIQ said it partnered with Sapio Research to survey 300 creators. Among respondents, the average creator reported earning $44,293 over the past year, while 11% said they secured a six-figure annual income.
The report’s income breakdown for 2025 showed 1% reported earning less than $10,000 annually. It also reported 23% earning $10,000-$25,000, 24% earning $25,000-$50,000, 23% earning $50,000-$100,000, and 11% earning more than $100,000, with 18% preferring not to say.
CreatorIQ supplemented the survey with additional research on 14,400 creators who received payments from brands or agencies, including direct payments through CreatorIQ.
A Gap Between Average and Median Earnings
Across CreatorIQ campaigns with direct payments in 2025, creators earned an average of $11,400, with a median of $3,000, according to the report. CreatorIQ describes that spread as evidence that “creator compensation remains highly concentrated.”
It also reports that the top 10% of creators received 62% of total creator payments, noting that “this disparity is deepening.”
At the same time, total dollars paid to creators increased 59% year-over-year and the number of creators participating in campaigns grew 183%, according to the report. “Creator marketing is scaling faster than creator compensation gains are flowing across the creator ecosystem,” it said.
Algorithm Volatility and Deal Consistency as Top Barriers
CreatorIQ says creators have “increasingly operated as professional publishers,” investing time and resources into content and brand work, but the report adds that “this professionalization has not been matched by greater income stability.”
When asked about the biggest barriers to growing their creator businesses, respondents most frequently selected “platform algorithm changes or volatility” (18%) and “lack of consistent brand deals” (17%). Other cited barriers included “low pay or undervaluation of creator content” (16%), “limited access to tools or analytics” (13%), “poor communication or unclear expectations from brands” (13%), and “burnout or creative fatigue” (11%).
CreatorIQ also reports that 88% of creators report experiencing barriers to success and that many work with operational support, including full-time employees, part-time freelancers, or outsourcing specific tasks such as editing or copywriting.
Creator Content Outpaces Fortune 100-Owned Output
To quantify creator output relative to brands, CreatorIQ analyzed Fortune 100 brands in the U.S. across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube from January through August 2025. It found brands published 77,000 posts on owned channels, while creators produced 2.5 million posts featuring those brands – 33 times more content than the brands themselves.
The report found that creators delivered 203 billion impressions, compared with 18.3 billion on owned channels, and 6.8 billion engagements, compared with 476.2 million on owned channels, over the same period.
Growth Opportunities, Pay, and Control in Partnerships
CreatorIQ reports that 96% of creators stated that common perceptions of creators are inaccurate. In a question about how perceptions should change, the most-selected options included ensuring “fair credit and compensation for creative work” (39%) and allowing “more freedom beyond niche categories” (39%).
Regarding partnership decision factors, the report lists “growth opportunities,” “financial compensation,” and “creative control” as the most important considerations, and reports that “growth opportunities” ranked as the top contributor to creator satisfaction.
Nearly all creators (99%) reported that creative control is important in brand partnerships, and they identified practical changes to improve outcomes, including better communication (44%), greater creative input (43%), and more consistent or long-term collaboration (41%).
AI for Editing and Content Generation
Creators said they primarily used AI to improve efficiency and reduce workflow friction. The most-cited uses included editing video or images (41%), generating content (37%), writing scripts or outlines (36%), and creating thumbnails or visuals (35%).
When asked what AI should not fully replace, creators most frequently selected their “voice or likeness” (41%), “filming or recording myself” (37%), and “engaging with my audience” (37%), according to the report.
Methodology
Sapio Research conducted market research in July 2025 using a sample of 300 creators, and CreatorIQ conducted additional research in August–September 2025 and December 2025, including analysis of 14,400 creators who received direct payments through CreatorIQ.
Image source: CreatorIQ The full report is available here
Cecilia Carloni, Interview Manager at Influence Weekly and writer for NetInfluencer. Coming from beautiful Argentina, Ceci has spent years chatting with big names in the influencer world, making friends and learning insider info along the way. When she’s not deep in interviews or writing, she's enjoying life with her two daughters. Ceci’s stories give a peek behind the curtain of influencer life, sharing the real and interesting tales from her many conversations with movers and shakers in the space.
Creator marketing budgets continued to expand in 2025, but earnings gains did not spread evenly across creators, according to a new report from CreatorIQ based on survey work with Sapio Research and payment data from CreatorIQ campaigns.
Influencer marketing reached an estimated $32.55 billion in global market value in 2025, while the broader creator economy was valued at more than $250 billion, the report said. It also showed brand and agency investment accelerated, with the average influencer marketing spend increasing 171% year-over-year, more growth than the prior four years combined.
CreatorIQ frames the gap as uneven distribution: market-level growth “hasn’t been extending evenly to individual creators.”
Creators’ Average Annual Earnings
CreatorIQ said it partnered with Sapio Research to survey 300 creators. Among respondents, the average creator reported earning $44,293 over the past year, while 11% said they secured a six-figure annual income.
The report’s income breakdown for 2025 showed 1% reported earning less than $10,000 annually. It also reported 23% earning $10,000-$25,000, 24% earning $25,000-$50,000, 23% earning $50,000-$100,000, and 11% earning more than $100,000, with 18% preferring not to say.
CreatorIQ supplemented the survey with additional research on 14,400 creators who received payments from brands or agencies, including direct payments through CreatorIQ.
A Gap Between Average and Median Earnings
Across CreatorIQ campaigns with direct payments in 2025, creators earned an average of $11,400, with a median of $3,000, according to the report. CreatorIQ describes that spread as evidence that “creator compensation remains highly concentrated.”
It also reports that the top 10% of creators received 62% of total creator payments, noting that “this disparity is deepening.”
At the same time, total dollars paid to creators increased 59% year-over-year and the number of creators participating in campaigns grew 183%, according to the report. “Creator marketing is scaling faster than creator compensation gains are flowing across the creator ecosystem,” it said.
Algorithm Volatility and Deal Consistency as Top Barriers
CreatorIQ says creators have “increasingly operated as professional publishers,” investing time and resources into content and brand work, but the report adds that “this professionalization has not been matched by greater income stability.”
When asked about the biggest barriers to growing their creator businesses, respondents most frequently selected “platform algorithm changes or volatility” (18%) and “lack of consistent brand deals” (17%). Other cited barriers included “low pay or undervaluation of creator content” (16%), “limited access to tools or analytics” (13%), “poor communication or unclear expectations from brands” (13%), and “burnout or creative fatigue” (11%).
CreatorIQ also reports that 88% of creators report experiencing barriers to success and that many work with operational support, including full-time employees, part-time freelancers, or outsourcing specific tasks such as editing or copywriting.
Creator Content Outpaces Fortune 100-Owned Output
To quantify creator output relative to brands, CreatorIQ analyzed Fortune 100 brands in the U.S. across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube from January through August 2025. It found brands published 77,000 posts on owned channels, while creators produced 2.5 million posts featuring those brands – 33 times more content than the brands themselves.
The report found that creators delivered 203 billion impressions, compared with 18.3 billion on owned channels, and 6.8 billion engagements, compared with 476.2 million on owned channels, over the same period.
Growth Opportunities, Pay, and Control in Partnerships
CreatorIQ reports that 96% of creators stated that common perceptions of creators are inaccurate. In a question about how perceptions should change, the most-selected options included ensuring “fair credit and compensation for creative work” (39%) and allowing “more freedom beyond niche categories” (39%).
Regarding partnership decision factors, the report lists “growth opportunities,” “financial compensation,” and “creative control” as the most important considerations, and reports that “growth opportunities” ranked as the top contributor to creator satisfaction.
Nearly all creators (99%) reported that creative control is important in brand partnerships, and they identified practical changes to improve outcomes, including better communication (44%), greater creative input (43%), and more consistent or long-term collaboration (41%).
AI for Editing and Content Generation
Creators said they primarily used AI to improve efficiency and reduce workflow friction. The most-cited uses included editing video or images (41%), generating content (37%), writing scripts or outlines (36%), and creating thumbnails or visuals (35%).
When asked what AI should not fully replace, creators most frequently selected their “voice or likeness” (41%), “filming or recording myself” (37%), and “engaging with my audience” (37%), according to the report.
Methodology
Sapio Research conducted market research in July 2025 using a sample of 300 creators, and CreatorIQ conducted additional research in August–September 2025 and December 2025, including analysis of 14,400 creators who received direct payments through CreatorIQ.
Image source: CreatorIQ
The full report is available here
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