The creator economy is the business built around independent people who make content online and earn money from the audiences they build. It includes the creators themselves, the platforms that host and pay them, the brands that partner with them, and the tools, agencies and managers that help them run like businesses.
So when people ask “what is the creator economy?”, the short answer is: it’s creators turning attention and trust into income, and increasingly into companies. Goldman Sachs estimated it was worth around $250 billion in 2023 and could approach $480 billion by 2027 (Goldman Sachs). For the full set of UK and US numbers, see our creator economy statistics guide.
What is the creator economy made up of, and who is part of it?
Think of it as five groups that all depend on each other.
Creators. YouTubers, TikTokers, streamers, podcasters, newsletter writers, Instagram creators and more. They make the content and hold the audience relationship, which is the most valuable thing in the whole system.
Platforms. YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Twitch, Spotify, Substack, Patreon and others. They host the content, help people discover it and, in many cases, share revenue with creators.
Brands. Companies that pay creators to reach and persuade their audiences, from one-off sponsored posts to long-term partnerships and co-created products.
Tools and services. Everything creators use to run their business: editing software, link-in-bio pages, email platforms, shop builders, course and membership platforms, analytics.
Agencies and management. Talent managers, creator management companies and influencer agencies that help creators find deals, negotiate and plan. If you’re unsure which is which, our explainer on creator management companies vs influencer agencies sets out the difference.
What ties them together is the audience. Every group is, in one way or another, paying for or serving the relationship a creator has built with the people who follow them.
How does money flow in the creator economy?
Money reaches creators through six main routes. Most established creators use several at once.
Ad revenue share. Platforms run ads on creators’ content and pass on a share. On YouTube, for example, members of the Partner Program receive a share of the ad revenue their videos earn.
Brand deals. Brands pay creators for sponsored content, ambassador roles or campaigns. For many creators this is still the biggest single source of income.
Subscriptions and memberships. Fans pay directly for extra content or community, through platforms like Patreon, Substack, YouTube channel memberships or Twitch subscriptions.
Products and brands. Merch, digital products, courses and, at the top end, full consumer brands the creator owns or co-owns.
Licensing. Creators license their content, characters, formats or name to other companies, from TV channels to toy makers.
Live. Tours, live shows, meet-ups and live podcast recordings, often with ticketing and merch alongside.
The first two routes mean someone else sets the price. The last four put more of the value in the creator’s hands. We go deeper on each one in our guide on how creators make money.
Is it called the creator economy or the influencer economy?
Both terms are used on both sides of the Atlantic, and they overlap. The difference is mostly about emphasis.
“Influencer” tends to describe the marketing side: influencer marketing, influencer agencies, influencer campaigns. It’s the everyday word in a lot of UK marketing and press coverage, and it’s what many brand marketers still search for.
“Creator” has become the broader industry term, covering anyone who makes content and builds an audience, whether or not they do brand work. Platforms and trade bodies increasingly use it. IAB’s US research, for example, is framed as the creator economy ad spend report, and UK industry measurement now talks about “creator partnerships”.
In practice, a creator can be an influencer, but not every creator is one. A long-form video essayist or a podcaster with no sponsors is still very much part of the creator economy.
How is the creator economy changing?
The biggest shift is from sponsorship to ownership.
In the early years, most creator income came from ad revenue and sponsored posts. That’s still a large part of the picture, and brand budgets for creators are growing quickly in both the UK and US. What’s changed is what creators do with that foundation.
More creators now treat their channel as the top of a business rather than the whole business. Epidemic Sound’s 2026 survey of 3,000 UK and US creators found 72% are actively building owned audiences through channels like newsletters and Discord, and 41% want to build a sustainable, independent business or grow into a media brand or creator studio (Epidemic Sound, 2026).
Platforms have followed this shift too, adding shopping, memberships and subscriptions that let creators sell directly to their audience. And brands are moving from one-off posts towards longer partnerships, co-created products and, in some cases, shared ownership.
What does the bigger picture mean for creators?
Here’s the simplest way we’d put it. A creator who only earns from ads and brand deals is renting their audience out. A creator who builds products, memberships or a brand of their own is building an asset that keeps its value between campaigns.
That doesn’t mean brand deals are the wrong choice. They’re often what funds the next step. But the creators with the most long-term options tend to own at least one thing their audience buys directly from them, and an owned audience they can reach without relying on an algorithm.
If you want the practical version, our guide on how to build a creator brand walks through it step by step. And if you’re a creator already thinking about what you could build beyond the next campaign, that’s exactly what we do at Modem Studios, and we’d genuinely enjoy hearing about it: start a conversation with us.
FAQ
Is the creator economy still growing?
Yes. Goldman Sachs projected the global creator economy could grow from around $250 billion in 2023 to close to $480 billion by 2027. Brand spend on creators is also rising quickly in both the US and UK, with creator budgets growing faster than wider digital advertising. Our creator economy statistics guide has the latest figures and sources.
What is the difference between a creator and an influencer?
A creator is anyone who makes content online and builds an audience around it. An influencer is usually a creator whose work includes promoting products or brands to that audience. Every influencer is a creator, but not every creator works as an influencer. “Influencer” often describes the marketing activity, while “creator” describes the person and their business.
Do you need millions of followers to be part of the creator economy?
No. Anyone who builds an audience online and earns from it, even in a small way, is part of the creator economy. Many creators earn from niche audiences through memberships, digital products or specialist brand partnerships. What matters most to brands and buyers is audience trust and engagement in a clear category, not follower count alone.
How do creators build businesses in the creator economy?
Most start with content and brand deals, then add income they control: memberships, digital products, merch, licensing or live events. The most ambitious go on to launch or co-own consumer brands. The common thread is an audience that trusts them in a specific category, plus an owned channel like email to reach that audience directly.
Tags
Creator economy, Creator business, Influencer marketing, Creator brands