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EMARKETER

Creator Economy Explainer 2025

Booming Growth Masks an Ecosystem That’s Both Fragmented and Consolidating

Report by Jasmine Enberg  |  Aug 11, 2025
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Table of Contents
Executive Summary
The creator economy is a pocket of growth in a slowing digital landscape
Creator content is at the core of the new media order
Every creator’s income sheet looks different
Brand sentiment is high, but spending is still uneven
More platforms are embracing (some) creators
Implications for brands and agencies
Sources
Media Gallery
About This Report
As the creator economy continues to expand, consumer attention is further fragmenting across a growing number of creators and platforms. But revenues are increasingly consolidating into top names, squeezing the long tail of creators and other creator economy stakeholders.
Topics
Influencer Marketing
US
Table of Contents
Executive Summary
The creator economy is a pocket of growth in a slowing digital landscape
Creator content is at the core of the new media order
Every creator’s income sheet looks different
Brand sentiment is high, but spending is still uneven
More platforms are embracing (some) creators
Implications for brands and agencies
Sources
Media Gallery

The creator economy is expanding and maturing. But behind the booming growth, a more complicated picture of a fragmented yet consolidating ecosystem emerges.

Key Question: What are the current market dynamics of the creator economy, and how is money flowing in and around the ecosystem?

Key Stat: If all US-based creators were to move their social media brand deals to a single, imaginary app, it would be the fourth-largest social platform in the US based on brand investments ($10.52 billion).

Total US Creator Revenues From Sponsored Content Are Comparable to Ad Revenues of Many Major Social Platforms
E-Mail ChartDownload

Here’s what’s in the full report

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16charts

Reliable data in simple displays for presentations and quick decision making.

Table of Contents

  1. Executive Summary
  2. The creator economy is a pocket of growth in a slowing digital landscape
  3. Creator content is at the core of the new media order
  1. Every creator’s income sheet looks different
  2. Brand sentiment is high, but spending is still uneven
  3. More platforms are embracing (some) creators
  1. Implications for brands and agencies
  2. Sources
  3. Media Gallery

Charts in This Report

Total US Creator Revenues From Sponsored Content Are Comparable to Ad Revenues of Many Major Social PlatformsSocial Media Creator Revenue Growth Will Remain in the Double Digits Through 2027, (billions in US creator revenues from social media and % change, 2023-2027)
Influencer Marketing Spending Growth Is Outpacing That of Most Digital ChannelsThe Creator Economy Has Many Stakeholders
Money Is Flowing Around the Creator Economy via Every StakeholderA Majority of US Social Media Creator Revenues Come From Brand Deals and Platform Payouts
YouTube Is the Most Popular Media Platform in the USRoughly One-Fifth of US Adults Regularly Get News From Social Media News Influencers (% of US adults who get news from news influencers* on social media, by demographic, Aug 2024)
Most US Creators Consider Their Monthly Income From Social Media Platforms to Be Unpredictable (% of US creators describing the predictability of monthly incomes from select social media platforms, Aug 2024)Total US Creator Revenues From Sponsored Content Are Comparable to Ad Revenues of Many Major Social Platforms
Social Video Ad Spend Will Exceed TV and CTV Ad Spend Combined by 2027YouTube Is the Top Influencer Marketing Platform Based on Sponsored Content Revenues (billions in US creator revenues from social media sponsored content, by social/video platform, 2025)
One-Fifth of Marketers Worldwide Dedicate 30% or More of Their Marketing Budget to Creators (% of marketers worldwide, by influencer marketing budget allocation, Oct 2024)Holding Company-Owned Influencer Agencies Are More Common Partners Among Marketers in the US Than in the UK
Creators Are Coming to the Small Screen in Several WaysCreators Will Generate More Than $1 Billion in Revenues From Podcasts Next Year (billions in US podcast creator revenues and % change, 2023-2027)

authors

Jasmine Enberg

Contributors

Kyndall Krist
Senior Copy Editor
Penelope Lin
Director, Data Visualization
Minda Smiley
Tracy Tang
Senior Researcher
Emman Velasco
Chart Editor
Paul Verna
VP, Content
Julia Woolever
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