Sought-after job earning just $500 a year

The average creator isn't even making enough to buy a few weeks worth of grocery over an entire year. (Credit: Yahoo Australia)

Many Aussies, especially young people, aim to have a career as a content creator or influencer, but the reality of the job, particularly in a cost-of-living crisis, is far from the idyllic lifestyle portrayed in our Instagram feeds.

In fact, according to this year’s Linktree Creator Report, only 75 per cent of creators earned more than $500 from their work in the past year and only 2 per cent of creators made more than $50,000.

For perspective, the average Aussie household is spending $199 on groceries each week, up from $184 per week in June last year.

The median rent for homes across the country is $585 a week, and $677 in capital cities.

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So, with a full year’s earnings, you couldn’t afford three weeks’ of groceries, or even a single week of rent.

Adding another layer to whether it’s worth diving into the oversaturated market, is the possibility of making far more money with a unique idea.

Yahoo Finance has spoken to people making $15,000 a month from a side hustle that started with renting out clothes, a home business netting one woman $21,400 a year and a set-and-forget project that earned a man $15,000 in nine months.

Standing out in an oversaturated and very competitive market

In one “internet minute”, 60 million minutes of content are streamed, 167 million TikTok videos are watched, 65,000 photos are uploaded to Instagram and more than 200 million creators are competing for a share of the market.

It does make it hard to compete for the average creator trying to make waves and some extra coin.

So, how can you stand out from the crowd? With more than 670,000 followers, TikTok coach and marketing creator Sam Despo, shared with Yahoo Finance his top tips for success online.

He recommended partnering with brands with the goal of becoming an ambassador, which would secure consistent revenue.

There’s also creating downloadable files or resources related to your niche, like styling guides, recipes, how to’s for social media templates or fitness programs.

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