What Makes Money for Content Creators

“Please like, repost, and share my content.”

“Follow me back.”

If you’re on social media, chances are you’ve seen and heard these phrases countless times.

They’re part of the daily routine for content creators trying to grow their audience and increase engagement.

Some content creators make it sound simple. Mokaya Junior’s mantra, as previously seen on Safaricom Newsroom, is to keep at it until something happens, even if people will initially think you are insane.

While getting seen and getting the numbers is important, it does not guarantee income.

A recent survey on Kenya’s Creator Economy done by Odipo Dev notes that views do not always convert to money.

The survey shows that creator Elvis Mushila has 1.29 billion views on TikTok, while Funny Team has 1.27 billion, but neither appears in the top 10 earners list.

Even so, the content creator economy is awash with cash, with the survey estimating that influencers collectively earned about Sh1.07 billion in 2025, reflecting the growing commercial weight of digital content as brands shift advertising budgets online.

So what makes money for content creators?

“There are creators who make money directly from their content, in terms of if you are doing YouTube and get monetised, but I can’t say that’s where most of us make the money. I think most of us make money from brand deals,” said Teddy James, a content creator more well known as TinjeyTJ.

On the other hand, Kevin Okeyo, the CEO at Mediakits.io, a firm that works with creators to help them monetize their assets, states that while views could mean money, the content creators need to structure their content in a way that will offer value to the client.

“I think we have an infrastructure problem in Kenya in terms of how we move those views into actual tangible value for a business that now gives the creator leverage. So I’d say we have an opportunity to be able to upskill creators in terms of how they structure themselves as businesses, and now that ends up turning those views into actual leverage that now turn into money,” he said.

For content creators to make money, platform payouts from YouTube, TikTok or Facebook also contribute, but they’re rarely the whole story.

Earnings depend on factors such as watch time, audience location and advertising demand, not just the number of views.

“According to the world and the social media platforms that we doomscroll on day to day, we’re still 1% of Facebook’s income. We’re still 1% or less than 1% of ByteDance, which is TikTok’s income. So you get to see they’re not coming to see how the African creator will be paid from their views. So we have to come in and solve the problem ourselves,” said Kevin.

Solving the problem means that a creator has to be strategic in their work to secure brand deals and get monetised on various platforms to be able to earn.

Watch the video below to learn more about what makes money for content creators.