I started hearing more about creators and pay back in 2020. There was an Instagram account that started it all for me called influencerpaygap:
They post anonymous messages from creators that talk about their experience working with brands and the pay they received.
Then, the conversation got lit on fire on Tik Tok.
Creator like bysandylin and herfirst100K are talking openly about how much they make every month. I love that conversations like this are being encouraged.
And then this tool…
It’s called Influent and as a creator you can browse it for free to read brand reviews left by creators.
If you want to know the experience a creator had with a particular brand, you can search it on the site and they also track income so you can see what brands are actually paying creators.
And, more recently I’ve seen tons of different creators talk openly about their pay as a creator.
I think conversations like this need to be encouraged more. There should be transparency with creator pay.
I see it being a more talked about conversation in the corporate 9-to-5 world. First, Glassdoor. Now, communities like Fishbowl and others popping up where people can have real conversations, forum-style talking about their job, pay, etc.
I saw a message online recently from a junior tech person being hired at 100K more than a senior tech in the same company who had been there longer.
Why the wage gap?
My friend’s experience with wage gap in his workplace
My friends and I have always talked openly about pay.
One of my friends started a new role at a company with a degree behind his belt and military experience.
He started $2/hour less than his peers, at $19/hr instead of $21/hr from new hires who recently graduated with no military experience.
He only learned of the pay gap from open conversations he had with coworkers.
It led him to ask for a raise and put in his two weeks notice at work.
Ultimately his employer decided he was too valuable (and he is) to leave and now he makes $1/hour over his peers (making $22/hr compared to $21/hr that new hires are earning).
This would have never happened if open talks about pay weren’t happening.
Final thoughts
I love that many of us are being more open talking about pay.
That’s one of the reasons I try to be transparent when I talk about my earnings from Medium and how much I make from being a creator.
Do you think conversations about pay should be openly talked about? Or, is it taboo?