Top 7 social media platforms that pay content creators in 2022

There are now more channels to publish content, grow your audience, and get paid. 

For content creators looking for social media platforms that pay the most, consider using the platform that suits your needs – content type, target audience, and market opportunity. 

While Instagram is the obvious choice for monetizing images, Pinterest and Snapchat also pay their content creators. There are, however, other options, such as Pinterest and Snapchat, that also help creators secure their bags. YouTube isn’t the only option for videos…have you considered Twitter and TikTok?

Let’s look at the top 7 social media platforms that pay to help you decide which is the best fit for your content and monetization goals.

1. Instagram

 “Our goal is to be the best platform for creators like you to make a living. And if you have an idea that you want to share with the world, you should be able to create it and get it out there easily and simply — across Facebook and Instagram — and then earn money for your work.”

Mark Zuckerberg

 “Our goal is to be the best platform for creators like you to make a living. And if you have an idea that you want to share with the world, you should be able to create it and get it out there easily and simply — across Facebook and Instagram — and then earn money for your work.”

Mark Zuckerberg said about Instagram in 2021 when speaking to content creators who rely on it for revenue. 

Instagram is the fourth most popular social media platform on the planet behind Facebook, Youtube, and WhatsApp. Many influencers and big brands use Instagram to advertise and make money through paid promotions. 

If you have enough followers, you can earn some serious revenue. 

In fact, a social salary calculator estimates that content creators with roughly 5000 followers can earn an average of $350 for a post. This number jumps depending on how popular the account is—those with 100,000+ followers can make $4,000+ per post.

The company also announced “creator” accounts in 2021 that offer more revenue opportunities:

• IGTV ads – Content creators can earn advertising revenue. IGTV ads can be added to short videos, and content creators will get at least 55% of the proceeds. 
• Badges – Followers can gift creator “badges” on Instagram Live videos to send tips to their favorite content creators. Badges cost viewers between $0.99—$4.99 and once they’ve been gifted, Instagram attaches one, two, or three heart emojis to their usernames so everyone else on the feed can see their contribution!

Instagram says the changes are a broader effort to support creators in building their careers. 

“Whether creators want to connect with brands, get paid for their content or earn money directly from their fans, we are committed to building the right mix of tools to help them accomplish their goals,” the company announced in 2021.  

“Whether creators want to connect with brands, get paid for their content or earn money directly from their fans, we are committed to building the right mix of tools to help them accomplish their goals.”

Instagram

2. YouTube

YouTube is one of the oldest (and most lucrative) platforms for content creators.

In the traditional YouTube monetization models, creators launch a channel, uploads videos, then get paid each time a viewer engages with those videos. The number of subscribers and how many views the videos receive determine how much revenue a channel earns.

YouTube’s Partner Program is the control center for creators. If you want to earn money on the platform, you must apply and:

• Follow all of the YouTube Channel Monetization Policies
• Live in a country/region where the program is available
• Not having any Community Guidelines strikes 
• Log more than 4,000 watch hours in the past year
• Have more than 1,000 subscribers to your channel
• Have an active, linked Google AdSense account

Creators can launch channel memberships after being accepted into the Partner Program so that their subscribers can pay a membership fee to receive exclusive premium content, including live chat, badges, and other goodies. 

Some of the Partner Program restrictions include: 

• Subscribers can’t download content
• No private 1:1 meetings
• No hosting contests, lotteries, or sweepstakes
• What can be marketed and targeted to children

Content creators in the program can also earn money through a new feature called YouTube Shorts — an excellent option for new channels without lots of subscribers to monetize their channel. At the time of this post, there are no specific criteria to qualify for this feature, so just upload and start earning. 

3. Snapchat

Snapchat pays content creators around $1 million a day to post videos to its platform. 

Currently, Snapchat has over 249 million daily users and launched its latest feature, Spotlight, at the end of 2020. With Spotlight, content creators can submit their most entertaining videos that meet Snapchat’s requirements to be selected to be shared with Snapchat’s Spotlight and search results page. 

There are some guidelines creators need to follow to get their snap picked up by Spotlight: 

• It needs to meet Snapchat’s community guidelines and be suitable for audiences aged 13+
• All videos need to be vertical with sound
• The content can only be 60 seconds long
• No selling products or services
• Original content only!

If Snapchat’s moderators accept your content, you’ll be notified. 

So, how much can you earn on the platform? According to a Twitter user, he earned thousands after his post received around 300k views. 

Top tip: Be mindful that Snapchat does charge you to receive payments — Check the T&Cs here. 

4. TikTok

TikTok ranked 7th for the most-downloaded app last decade — a remarkable feat considering it launched in 2017. Now, TikTok has 1 billion active monthly users. 

On TikTok, creators post videos and earn followers with entertaining and engaging content. In terms of monetization, there are three ways for content creators to earn money through video: 

• TikTok’s creator fund. If your channel has (at least) 100K authentic video views in the past 30 days, you’re eligible to join the fund. Creators are rewarded for unique, engaging content and can share the $300 million allocated to the fund over the next three years. 
• Merch. Thanks to integrations with companies like Teespring, creators can design and sell products directly through their TikTok channel. 
• Sponsored content. Channels with enough followers can partner with brands to help spread the word with sponsored content—and get paid for it. 

As expected, TikTok’s Creator Fund has some restrictions. You need to be at least 18 years old and: 

• Have a minimum of 10,000 followers
• Be based in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, or Spain
• Follow TikTok’s Community Guidelines and terms of service

5. Pinterest

We share our dinner photos on Instagram, but Pinterest is where over 400 million people find inspiration for fashion, decorating, and DIY projects every month. 

Most content creators on the platform sell items using Product Pins. The Pinterest app lets users check an item’s price and availability and then get redirected to the creator’s website if they want to buy it.

Pinterest has also announced its Creator Rewards program, where people are paid for creating original Idea Pins.

Getting more organic engagement and response to a pin increases a creator’s monthly reward. A creator can cash out if they: 

• Have a Pinterest business account and the platform’s app on their phone
• Are at least 18 years old
• In the United States
• Have at least 1,000 followers on their account
• Create (at least) three Idea Pins

Creators can turn guides, recipes, and projects into original Idea Pins and start earning money when they’re accepted into the program. 

6. X/Twitter

Unlike Pinterest, Snapchat and YouTube, you can’t earn money on X/Twitter through a creator fund. 

The platform is currently working on its Amplify Publisher Program. But as we write this, only publishers working with Twitter Partner Managers can apply. There are still a couple of ways content creators can make money through their Twitter feed: 

• X/Twitters’ Tip Jar. Followers can tip content creators using Cash App, PayPal, Venmo, Patreon, and Bandcamp if they like their tweets.

• Super Follows: Content creators with at least 10,000 followers who publish 25+ tweets a month can cash in with Super Follows. This is like a VIP club that subscribers can pay to access (either $2.99, $4.99, or $9.99), where creators share personal or exclusive tweets to their paying followers. Until the creator earns $50k, they can take home 97% of the subscription revenue; after that, they earn 80%. 

7. LinkedIn

Surprised to see LinkedIn on our list? 

You shouldn’t be. Microsoft owns the platform, and it has over 740 million active users. It’s also distanced itself from other content creation platforms—it relies on words to fuel engagement instead of images and video. 

Last year, the platform launched its “Creator Mode” feature to help users grow followers and build influence.

To use this feature, content creators must: 

• Connect their account and choose Creator Mode
• Display the topics they’re going to talk about using hashtags (it makes them easier to search for)
• Highlight any original content they’ve already published at the top of their profile

Once set up, creator tools like Live Video and LinkedIn Newsletter help you boost content and drive people to your site to earn revenue. 

Start your own channel. 

If none of these platforms appeals to you—why not start your own?

You have already done the hard work by creating content and uploading it to these platforms. Take back control of your content by repurposing it on your channel.

Over-the-top (OTT) platforms enable content creators like you to monetize their content by offering subscriptions. And a tool like Vimeo makes launching your own subscription business a cinch. 

Content creators can use Vimeo to: 

• Engage and grow your channel. Vimeo’s platform allows creators to nurture relationships by replying to comments and chatting to followers in real-time. Using Vimeo’s app, you can create exclusive community forums to help people feel like VIPs
• Stream to social and grow your audience. Publish content directly to your website Facebook Live, Youtube, and Patreon—or go live with a live stream. 
• Monetize content. Creators can earn revenue through on-demand videos and live stream feeds. They can even launch their own branded apps that can be streamed across Android, iOS, Apple TV, Roku, and Tizen.

Want to learn more about how you can earn money for your content on Vimeo? Take it for a test drive today.