Are you wondering which companies raked in the most money in the booming creator economy in 2022? The creator economy is highly competitive, with thousands of companies trying to win a significant share of the market. Despite the many challenges in the past year, some companies have managed to stand out from the pack and achieve phenomenal success.
This post will give you a comprehensive overview of the top ten most profitable creator economy companies in 2022 and walk you through how much each company earned. You will also learn about what these companies do and the unique value they bring to the table. Let’s dive in!
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Top 10 profitable creator economy companies in 2022
Our experts’ research shows that the creator economy’s top earners in 2022 are Shopify, OnlyFans, BitClout, Impact, Jellysmack, Teespring, Patreon, Acast, Discord, and OpenSea.
1. Shopify
Source: techcrunch.com
Shopify, one of the world’s leading e-commerce and point-of-sales platforms, tops our table of the highest earners in 2022. The company generates $5.2 billion from various revenue streams, including merchandise sales, subscriptions, and more.
Shopify offers creators and businesses tools to create and distribute content to engage their audience and drive sales. For example, creators use Shopify to create blog posts, videos, and other content to inform their potential customers about their products.
Another area where Shopify plays a significant role in the creator economy is that it makes shopping possible on social media, helping creators sell products directly to their audience and earn income from their online presence.
2. OnlyFans
Source: influencermarketinghub.com
Another company that achieved great success in the creator economy in the past year is Only Fans, a subscription-based social media platform. The company grossed $2.5 billion in 2022, an outstanding performance considering it’s a relatively new kid on the block.
A significant portion of OnlyFans’ revenue comes from the commission earned on the subscriptions that creators generate from their fanbase. An OnlyFans search reveals that there are more than 50 million registered users on the platform. Launched in 2016, OnlyFans has become popular among creators in different industries, including adult entertainment, fitness, music, and more.
3. BitClout
Source: majr.news
BitClout, a renowned blockchain social media company that merged cryptocurrency with social media, follows OnlyFans on our list. It is a decentralized platform that grants users complete control of their social media accounts, data, and revenue.
BitClout aims to help creators earn income for creating an audience. Tokens are linked to users’ accounts, and the value of these tokens increases as they grow their audience. Founded by Nader al Naji in 2021, BitClout earned an estimated revenue of $1 billion in the past year.
4. Impact
Source: camo.githubusercontent.com
Another top earner in the creator economy in 2022 is Impact, an ads platform company that equips creators with the tools to monetize their online presence through affiliate marketing. Creators also leverage Impact to connect with businesses looking for influencers to promote their products.
Founded by multiple entrepreneurs, including David Yovanno and Per Peterson, Impact has been in business for more than a decade. The company generates revenue from the fees and commissions it charges advertisers and creators that use its ad platform.
5. JellySmack
Source: tubefilter.com
Next on our list of most profitable creator economy companies in the past year is JellySmack, a brand with impressive revenue of $233.6 billion. JellySmack runs a Creator Program that helps creators distribute and optimize their video content across multiple social media platforms, including TikTok, Facebook, YouTube and Snapchat.
The company currently partners with 500+ creators, boasting over ten billion monthly video views and six billion monthly story views. JellySmack revenue comes from brand advertising partnerships and revenue-sharing agreements with creators.
6. Teespring
Source: recruitbros.com
Teespring, also called Spring, is a social commerce platform that allows creators to create digital and physical products and sell them to their audience. Using the platform, creators can turn their idea into products, link the product page to their social media account, and sell to their fans.
Spring website received over 600 thousand visits in the past year and raked in an estimated revenue of $183.7 million. The company makes money by taking commissions on the sales creators make. In addition, Spring generates revenue by offering creators marketing and advertising tools.
7. Patreon
Source: engadget.com
Patreon is another company that holds its own despite the fierce competition in the creator economy. The brand is a subscription-based platform that allows creators to create exclusive content for their supporters and earn income through monthly donations from their audience.
The company earned $160 in revenue in 2022, outperforming thousands of other brands in the creator economy. Patreon generates revenue by charging creators a monthly fee for using their platform.
8. Acast
Source: radiotoday.com.au
Coming in at number eight on our list of most profitable creator economy companies is Acast, a brand that prides itself as the home of podcasting. The company earns about $148 million through advertising partnerships and commissions from revenue generated by the platform’s users.
Acast offers podcasters easy-to-use tools to create, edit and distribute their podcasts to several platforms, including Amazon Music, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts. Further, the company equips podcasters with the tools to analyze the performance of their content and make smarter decisions.
9. Discord
Source: videogameschronicle.com
Joining the ranks of the most profitable brands in this niche is Discord. The company recorded a massive $130 million in revenue, an amount it generated from subscriptions paid by users and sales made through the platform.
Founded in 2015, Discord is a hangout platform where friends can spend time together. Creators leverage Discord to create an invite-only place to interact directly with people who are passionate about their work.
10. OpenSea
Source: dpreview.com
Last but not least on our list of most profitable brands in the creator economy in 2022 is OpenSea, the largest marketplace for non-fungible tokens (NFT) and crypto collectables. The company generated $93.8 billion in revenue in the past year from fees it charges buyers and sellers on its marketplace.
Like other companies on our list, OpenSea plays a significant role in the creator economy. Its platform allows creators to sell their digital content directly to collectors, eliminating the need for galleries, auction houses, and other intermediaries.
Wrap Up
The competition in the creator economy was very fierce in the past year. However, Shopify, OnlyFans, and BitClout performed impressively well and stood out as the most profitable companies in 2022.
