Not all creators are the same: How the creator economy breaks down by business model
Written by admin on January 20, 2026
In 2026 “content creator” is an umbrella term that could range in meaning from influencer, creator, journalist, blogger to streamer. With more than 207 million people worldwide considering themselves part of the creator economy (according to creative growth agency inBeat), that’s a very large umbrella.
But lumping all creators into one category obscured the real story: they’re building very different kinds of businesses, with very different economics.
Not only is there a wide variety amongst the kinds of creators and on which platforms they primarily create, but there’s more of a clear delineation between the tiers of creators.
According to a new report from advertising platform Agentio, those tiers (specifically on YouTube) are:
Micro creator: A channel averaging less than 50,000 views per video
Mid creator: A channel averaging 50 to 300,000 views per video
Macro creator: A channel averaging more than 300,000 views per video
Agentio CEO and co-founder Arthur Leopold believes brands “need a mix of micro, mid, and macro creators” to maximize reach on YouTube and elsewhere.
Understanding the variety and varying reach of content creators is crucial, so let’s break them down:
What they are: Creators who function like modern publishers
Traits:
- Multi-format output — video, newsletter, podcast, social
- Direct audience relationships — email, Discord, subscriptions
- Increasingly selling sponsorships like media buys
Examples: Large Substack writers, YouTube-first networks
Revenue mechanics: Ad sponsorships, paid subscriptions, events
Why it matters: This is the kind of creator that publishers have a right to fear because they’re essentially rebuilding media economics without legacy cost and structure. A recent Reuters poll revealed that 70% of respondents are concerned about creators “taking time and attention away from publisher content.”
Leopold believes it’s no longer about the “old school influencer marketing” considerations of how many followers someone may have, but instead taking a media-based approach to considering the value of influencer deals, like retention rates, view-through rates, and individual audiences’ trust in their creator of choice.
Platform-native entertainers
What they are: Creators whose businesses are deeply dependent on a single platform’s algorithm
Traits:
- Revenue tied to platform payouts and brand deals
- Highly volatile reach based on algorithms
- Fast growth
Examples: TikTok-first comedians, YouTube Shorts creators, Instagram Reels performers
Revenue mechanics: Platform monetization, sponsored content
Why it matters: Creators beholden to a single platform have increasingly found themselves running into similar algorithm headaches that have long-plagued traditional publishers (like the “YouTube Vibecession”, which has creators in a panic over falling viewership) which may cause them to take a multi-platform approach.
With shifting algorithms and an increased focus on ROIs rather than KPIs, it’s no longer just about getting the biggest one-off brand deal, or the most popular YouTuber or Instagram influencer anymore.
“Macrocreators drive more efficient reach. A larger creator who might have 300,000-plus views consistently on their content, they’re able to more effectively reach a larger audience on a consistent basis, and YouTube is more likely to recommend their content,” said Leopold. “Their audience is broader, meaning that for a U.S.-based brand, they might also be paying for some level of international viewership that might not be relevant for them.”
Influencers as distribution channels
What they are: Creators who are valuable less for content and more for reach and influence in specific demographics
Traits:
- Often interchangeable
- Campaign-based income
- Measured like media placements
Examples: Lifestyle and fitness influencers, beauty creators in brand ecosystems
Revenue mechanics: Affiliate revenue, paid sponsorships per post or campaign, flat fees
Why it matters: Brands increasingly treat creators not just as personalities but as distribution channels. This does present some challenges around measuring metrics, especially with a historical tendency to over rely on vanity metrics, which don’t paint a true picture of influence — views and likes aren’t as effective as impact and engagement.
Expert/authority creators
What they are: Creators monetizing credibility and specialist knowledge, not scale
Traits:
- Smaller audiences, high trust
- Revenue from courses, consulting, SaaS, events
- Often niche verticals or B2B
Examples: Marketing LinkedIn creators like Gigi Robinson, finance educators, tech analysts
Revenue mechanics: Premium content on platforms like Patreon and Substack, paid-for courses in their specific area of expertise
Why it matters: These are effective as an influencer vs. reach play, as you can see just how much an audience is willing to spend to support an individual, and how willing they are to subscribe or go to less-trafficked platforms.
Creator-led product companies
What they are: Creators using content as a top-of-funnel for owned products
Traits:
- Merch, CPG, apps, media AP
- Content exists to drive conversion
- Often off-platform revenue dominance
Examples: Mr Beast-style brands, creator-founded beauty lines
Revenue mechanics: Product sales, brand partnerships, subscriptions
Why it matters: These blur the line between media, retail, and brand and can signal where creator leverage is strongest.
Networked or studio-based creators
What they are: Creators operating within or adjacent to modern MCNs, studios, or collectives
Traits:
- Shared production, sales, legal infrastructure
- Often talent-first, IP-second
- Revenue split with operators
Examples: YouTube studios, podcast networks, creator incubators
Revenue mechanics: Studios take a percentage; merchandising or licensing deals
Why it matters: These echo early digital media roll-ups (where a company buys, aggregates or signs up multiple creators or content properties under one umbrella to increase scale for advertisers, and centralize sales operations).
Utility or service creators
What they are: Creators whose content provides audiences with something practical that they can use straight away (like a Notion creator providing a free project management template, or an Excel creator showing step-by-step spreadsheet formulas)
Traits:
- Not viral stars but have highly engaged audiences
- People keep coming back because their lives or jobs get easier thanks to the content
Examples: A coding YouTuber’s weekly tutorial might get consistent views every time, even without trending on the platform. A TikTok creator teaching advanced Photoshop shortcuts may only have 40,000 followers but they’re highly loyal because the content is indispensable. Or LinkedIn Learning or Coursera partnerships could expand as more utility creators prove audiences will pay for practical knowledge.
Revenue mechanics: Patreon, consulting, YouTube ad revenue, courses, Substack, and newsletters
Why it matters: Another example of quality versus quantity: fans are more loyal and likely to purchase recommended products because the creator has proven their expertise in a given field.
Livestream-first creators
What they are: Creators whose primary content is live streaming, often monetized in real time.
Traits:
- Content is highly interactive
- Revenue often comes direct from platforms
- Viewers are hyper-loyal
Examples: Kai Cenat, Pokimane, xQc, Hasan Piker
Revenue mechanics: In-platform subscriptions and donations (Bits on Twitch, Superchats on YouTube), creator merchandise, some brand deals
Why it matters: Streamers limited to just in-platform revenue don’t do branded content as often as other creators in a traditional sense (like mid-roll ads or sponsored streams), but can feature products in livestreams and answer questions in real-time, offering a unique kind of immediacy and brand recognition.
Hybrid journalists/independent reporters
What they are: Creators operating as journalist-creator hybrids, producing investigative or niche reporting while monetizing independently. They blend credibility with personal branding.
Traits:
- Often build personal brands as trusted experts — “News Daddy” Dylan Page has more TikTok followers (18.2 million) than the NYT (3.2 million), Tech reporter Taylor Lorenz’s User Mag Substack has nearly 100,000 subscribers
- Revenue comes from audience and selective sponsorships
- Content can be text, video, audio or a mix
Examples: Independent Substack writers covering politics or tech; YouTube or TikTok reporters that break or cover news in certain verticals, as well as specialist or investigative journalists.
Revenue mechanics: Paid subscriptions (Substack, Patreon), sponsored newsletters or videos, speaking engagements, licensing content to larger media
Why it matters: This is where creators compete directly with newsrooms and open up new opportunities for advertisers. It’s also why so many publishers have launched creator networks and have leaned into the public’s appetite for personality-led content.
The Reuters report also showed that four in 10 respondents worried they were “at risk of losing top editorial talent to the creator ecosystem,” and that, because of this worry, more than 76% of respondents would encourage journalists to “behave more like creators.”
Local and community creators
What they are: Creators who focus on hyperlocal or community content, often tied to a geography, neighborhood or specific interest group.
Traits:
- Small but loyal audience focused in a specific area
- Niche interests, engaged viewers
Examples: TikTok creators covering city news or events; neighborhood Instagram accounts; community podcasts.
Revenue mechanics: Local brand sponsorships, event promotion, affiliate revenue for local products.
Why it matters: Offers advertisers hyper-targeted, high-trust audiences, and points toward future trends in hyperlocal media monetization.
“Micro or mid-tier creators have a high likelihood of growing their audience at a rate that’s much faster than macro creators, because they’re working off a smaller base,” Leopold said.
Faceless/virtual creators
What they are: Creators who don’t appear on camera themselves, or they’re entirely digital personas like a VTuber. The audience engages with the content, brand or character, not a human personality.
Traits:
- Audience is attached to the content or character, rather than a real person’s identity
- High scalability: multiple accounts or AI-generated content can be produced fast
Examples: Lil Miquela on Instagram, AI-generated TikTok meme or trivial channels, VTuber Twitch streamers like Ironmouse and TheBurntPeanut
Revenue mechanics: Brand partnerships and sponsorships, ad revenue from platform monetization, licensing of virtual characters or branded IP
Why it matters: Faceless or virtual creators are great for brand tie-ins (VTuber avatars can be edited to wear branded clothing) and immediately recognizable, but there are some real downsides given some of these kind of edge into low-quality AI slop, and it can create brand-risk issues if there is no human accountability.
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