In today’s time, everyone talks about becoming a content creator. Especially our new generation, i.e. Gen Z, is busy day and night in increasing followers, getting likes and making viral videos on their mobiles. Seeing funny videos, short reels or Instagram posts on social media, it may seem that everyone is earning a lot of money from this game. But is it really so.

In India, about 20 to 25 lakh people are engaged in making their identity by posting their content on mobile screens every day. Everyone among them thinks that they can earn money as quickly as possible through this. But the reality is that there are only a few people who are really able to earn good money from it.

The growing power of the content creator economy

The world of content creation in India started about 15 years ago. At that time people were hesitant in accepting it as a job or a way of earning. People considered content creators only as unemployed. But today the situation has completely changed. At the Waves Summit held in Mumbai in May this year, it was told that India’s digital creators are influencing customer spending of about $350 billion every year. In the next five years, this figure will reach 1 trillion dollars, that is, India’s content creator economy will be worth 1 trillion dollars in the future. The government is also taking it seriously. In March 2025, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnav said that 100 crore dollars will be invested to increase the creator economy, that is, it is clear that the small videos you see on the mobile screen are working as a new sales force for big brands and companies.

How many people earn real money?

The report of Boston Consulting Group shows that only 8-10 percent creators are able to earn well from their content, that is, out of 20-25 lakh active creators, only 2 to 2.5 lakh people are able to earn money. The remaining 90-92 percent of creators either earn very little or social media is not their main source of income. This clearly means that not everyone can write a story that goes viral or earns crores.

How do content creators make money?

Creators who are successful have large audiences. This opens up many avenues of earning money for them. Like brand partnerships, big brands sell products through their videos. Sponsorship, companies give them money directly to promote their product or service, they get money for ads on videos from platform ads YouTube or Instagram. Followers subscribe to exclusive content by sharing a link to an affiliate marketing product to earn commission on sales, subscriptions, and premium content. But the thing to note is that it is the platforms who are earning the most money, not the creators. YouTube India’s income in 2024 was Rs 14,300 crore. The turnover of Facebook (Meta) was also in thousands of crores of rupees. This means that even if a content creator becomes a millionaire, the real money goes to the social media platform only.

pressure of content creation

Content creation is not just a means of earning money, there is a lot of competition and mental pressure in it. People keep comparing themselves with the number of followers or likes. Many times the morale of creators falls when the content does not go viral. In such a situation, mere talent is not enough, strategy and hard work are also necessary.

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