Caitríona Redmond: How much can you earn from social media? Here's what I got for a viral video

Irked by social media advertising? Maybe the problem lies with the platforms not valuing the work creators do?

Caitríona Redmond: For the most part, generating views and followers on social media does not pay and takes an incredible amount of time. Picture: Emily Quinn

Consumers often complain about sponsored and affiliate content on social media, but the platforms seldom pay creators a fair price, so advertising is ripe for abuse.

If you read my column last week, you received a heads-up about the customs charges that will take effect on July 1 for all parcels shipped from outside the EU that are worth less than €150.

I shared a short social media video about the changes, and I ran some calculations.

After more than 500,000 views and 1,000 comments, I learned something.

I got caught up in the endorphin adrenaline rush of seeing the views and questions mount. It was fulfilling to see something I’d worked hard on ‘go viral’ online.

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Yet it had taken me over an hour to film and then edit what I’d recorded in to a short, consumable piece. The original video was 15 minutes long and packed with information, but both Instagram and TikTok prefer videos of less than three minutes.

So I had to omit some key information from the original column. That spawned oodles of comments from viewers who were at pains to tell me I’d forgotten or neglected to inform them of something.

Viewers rarely read the comments and many ask their questions before checking whether they’ve already been answered. Nor did many of them thank me when their question was answered. 

Yet pop-up messages encourage you to respond to all comments promptly, so I answered as many queries as I could, even if people hadn’t bothered to read other responses.

Then, I realised I was spending too much of my weekend responding to queries and comments. Far too much for what should be my time off. Last week, I spent six hours on Meta (Instagram and Facebook) and 10 hours on TikTok. For what?

The answer to that question lies in how people can monetise themselves on social media.

A reasonable person would assume that if an individual spent nearly 20 hours working on a viral video, they’d be compensated for their efforts. That person would, in fact, be wrong.

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Unlike creators in other countries, Irish TikTok users can’t get paid based on their views, leaving them with empty purses even if they get high view counts. Instagram is not monetised and Facebook allows creators to benefit from in-video advertising.

Though I had Facebook advertising switched on, I’ve earned a grand total of… $11.53 (€9.95) from all my engagement and responses to comments on the videos. That’s considerably less than minimum wage, I’m sure you’ll agree.

Therein lies the problem that creators on social media face. For the most part, generating views and followers does not pay and takes an incredible amount of time. Small wonder that those creators opt to partner with brands to generate income through affiliate links or online shopping, all to leverage their large follower counts and get paid for their hard work.

For the most part, generating views and followers does not pay and takes an incredible amount of time.

There are several ways to make money via social media in Ireland.

The longest established is the classic advertising or collaboration, where a creator advertises a product or service in exchange for a fee. Here, the earnings are generally linked to follower count and engagement results.

Brand ambassadors also come under this heading.

Affiliate marketing pays a percentage fee to the creator for links they share on social media. These are generally for clothing or other easily consumed items. They include a tracking cookie that can follow anyone who clicks the link for between 24 hours and 90 days, or longer.

Depending on the platform, the creator can continue to earn money from your repeat purchases or from items you buy that are completely unrelated to those they have shared.

TikTok shop is a form of affiliate marketing. Creators have to select products from an approved list of sellers, create videos or livestreams featuring those products, and earn a commission on sales.

Many don’t realise that those products are given to the creators for free, in exchange for promotion on the TikTok shop. Not all of those creators disclose the free products in their advertising, also, and may run foul of the CCPC.

Without a simple, per-view, earning system in Ireland across social-media platforms, creators are incentivised to over-egg, or ‘shill’, the benefits of the products they are advertising. This is detrimental to consumers and certainly something we can expect both the CCPC and Coimisiún na Meán to look in to in the months to come.

You might be wondering what I’ll do with my hard-won earnings? Well, I have to wait until my account balance reaches at least $25 (€21.60) before I receive a payout via PayPal.

Goodness knows if I’ll ever achieve such a viral moment again, but do you think it’s worth it?

Redmond Recommends

I was recently contacted by parents who were concerned about mandatory one-to-one digital devices at their school, which cost more than €500 per student. They told me that they were being pressured to buy a new device and a maintenance contract from a third-party seller, and that they were very concerned.

There are very few ways to opt out. However, if your school introduces one-to-one devices and you already have a similar device at home with decent battery life, this may save you money. Contact the school and offer to pay the far lower maintenance fee and hand over your existing machine to be switched onto the school systems.

Astonishingly, there is no requirement for schools to go out to tender for these service contracts, and that absolutely needs to change. Let me know what you think.