Only 9% of influencers have internet as their only source of income, research shows

The 2025 Brazilian Content Creators Census’ showed that the dream of living on the internet is still far from being a reality for most. Conducted by Wake Creators, the survey revealed that only 9% of influencers have the profession 9creator’ as the only source of income, highlighting that the monetization of digital content is still a challenge, even though the influencer marketing market does not stop growing.

The survey detailed how much of the monthly income of the influencers interviewed is composed of their work on the internet. 26% answered that they have neither monthly income and have only one-off campaigns. Almost one fifth (19%) never even closed paid jobs. For 15% of the respondents, the internet is responsible for between 5% and 20% of the income. Already for 1% of the creators, the work as an influencer makes up 5% of the income and for other 11% of the web money represents only 101010T of the social networks.T of the income.

Director of international talent at Viral Nation and expert in the influence marketing market for more than ten years, Fabio Goncalves explains that the growth of the creators sector does not mean that they are all prepared or positioned to live exclusively from the internet: “Monetizing content requires strategy, constancy, professionalization and, especially, structure. Many creators still do not have access to a team that helps them to organize commercially, or even do not know how to turn engagement into billing. In addition, the lack of commitment is a preponderant factor in this equation, since in the end of the accounts this person needs to prioritize the biggest gain from it, which is often not the internet.

He says that reality is quite different from the vision that outsiders have of the internet: “There is a romanticized view that just have followers to live on the internet, but the reality is much more complex. The content creator needs to understand his niche, know how to negotiate, price, analyze contracts, issue tax notes, build authority and deliver real results for brands (it is not just about making a beautiful post. Professionalization is what transforms the influencer into a profitable personal brand. And this requires time, planning and often a support network that goes beyond creativity. Therefore,” creators who rely on agents or agencies efficiently get out of business opportunities, they tend to get out of way, and get more structured.

According to the professional, the trend is that more and more creators can live exclusively on the internet, but this will depend directly on the level of professionalization of the market as a whole. In Fabio's opinion, the market is moving towards a scenario in which brands are more judicious, seeking creators who deliver real results, who know their audience and know how to build brand narratives with authenticity.

“Therefore I say that those who are prepared 'with strategic positioning, structured data and responsibility in delivery 'Will reap the rewards.The projection is for growth, but with a greater requirement of professional maturity on the part of the” influencers, says.

It is at this moment that the role of agencies comes, in Goncalves' view. For him, their mission is precisely to help these creators become businesses, without losing their authenticity: At Viral Nation, our job is to prepare these talents to go beyond the post: we help develop personal branding, brand relationships, opportunity management and even financial education. We believe that the future will be dominated by influencers who have structure and strategy & that is exactly where we act to ensure that more creators can turn their passion into a stable and scalable source of income”.

METHODOLOGY

The survey 2025 of Content Creators of Brazil’ was conducted by Wake Creators, one of the largest platforms of influencers in Latin America. The study was promoted through a quantitative research, which included the responses of more than 4,500 creators and 6 in-depth interviews, seeking to understand the reality of content creators. https://campaings.wake.tech/censo-de-criadores-wake-creators-2025?utm_source=experience&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=CensoDivulgaAbril&utm_content=CTA1&utm_smid=11648211-1-1.