How online creators like Jools Lebron can turn social media fame into meaningful income

It is not just you. The word “demure” is being used to describe just about everything online these days. It all started in early August, when TikTok creator Jools Lebron posted a video that would soon take social media by storm. In just a few weeks, Lebron’s words have become the latest vocabulary defining the internet this summer. The skyrocketing fame of Lebron’s “very mindful, very demure” influence also holds significance for the TikTokker herself. Lebron, who identifies as a transgender woman, said in a post last week that she is now able to finance the rest of her transition. She is not alone. In recent years, a handful of online creators have found meaningful income after gaining social media fame – but it is still incredibly rare, and no easy feat for most to maintain. On the surface, it’s kind of widely hyped as a dream job … But I see this as a very superficial understanding of how the career works. Erin Duffy, of Cornell University, on being an online content creator Here is what some experts say. How can social media fame lead to meaningful sources of income? There is no one recipe. Finding resources to work as a creator full-time “is not as rare as it would have been years ago”, says Erin Kristyniak, vice-president of global partnerships at marketing collaboration company Partnerize. But you still have to make content that meets the moment – and there is a lot to juggle if you want to monetise it. On TikTok, most users who are making money pursue a combination of hustles. Brooke Erin Duffy, an associate professor of communication at Cornell University, explains that those granted admission into TikTok’s Creator Marketplace – the platform’s space for brand and creator collaborations – can “earn a kickback from views from TikTok expressly”, although that does not typically pay very well. Other avenues for monetisation include more direct brand sponsorships, creating merchandise to sell, fundraising during live streams, and collecting “tips” or “gifts” through features available to users who reach a certain following threshold. A lot of it also boils down to work outside the platform. University of Hong Kong marketing professor Ivy Dang cites the Hong Kong lifestyle content creator Torres Pit, who has over one million subscribers on YouTube. With a brand sponsorship from airline Emirates, the creator can gain an extra source of income by featuring the sponsorship in his vlogs about the airline’s first-class travel experiences. A Hong Kong YouTuber with 750,000 subscribers who posts under the username mingjai14 is another example, Dang explains. Specialising in intellectual deep dives about politics, history, technology and more, his income stream is generated partially from YouTube advertisement revenue. Is it difficult to sustain? Gaining traction on the internet is difficult, and while some creators have both tapped into trends that resonate and found sources of compensation that allow them to quit their nine-to-five jobs, it still takes a lot of work to keep it going. “These viral bursts of fame don’t necessarily translate into a stable, long-term career,” Duffy says. “On the surface, it’s kind of widely hyped as a dream job … But I see this as a very superficial understanding of how the career works.” Duffy, who has been studying social media content creation for a decade, says she has heard from creators who have months where they are reaping tremendous sums of money from various sources of income – but then also months with nothing. “It is akin to a gig economy job, because of the lack of stability,” she explains. Even social media content cannot be explained by science sometimes Ivy Dang, University of Hong Kong marketing professor “The majority of creators aren’t full-time,” Eric Dahan, the chief executive and founder of influencer marketing agency Mighty Joy, adds. Burnout is also very common. It can take a lot of emotional labour to pull content from your life, Duffy says, and the pressure of maintaining brand relationships or the potential of losing viewers if you take a break can be a lot. Ongoing risks of potential exposure to hate or online harassment also persist. Sustaining viral success is “a matter of luck”, Dang says. While there is science behind it – scholar Jonah Berger, in his marketing guide Contagious, points to social currency, triggers, emotion and practical value – she says “even social media content cannot be explained by science sometimes”. Is the landscape changing? Like all things online, the landscape for creators is constantly evolving. Demand is also growing. More platforms are not only aiming to court users but specifically bring aspiring creators onto their sites. And that coincides with an increased focus on marketing goods and brands in these spaces. Companies are doubling down “to meet consumers where they are”, says Raji Srinivasan, a marketing professor at The University of Texas at Austin’s McCombs School of Business. YouTube and other social media platforms, such as Instagram, have also built out offerings to attract this kind of content in recent years, but – for now – it’s “TikTok’s day in the sun”, she adds, pointing to the platform’s persisting dominance in the market. Additional reporting by Joanne Yau

How online creators like Jools Lebron can turn social media fame into meaningful income

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;}It is incredibly rare, but online creators can see content go so viral it earns them meaningful income. Just ask TikTok’s Jools Lebron

It is incredibly rare, but online creators can see content go so viral it earns them meaningful income. Just ask TikTok’s Jools Lebron