✦ Gigdesk field notes
What does a social account actually earn?
Everyone quotes a magic number — "$1,000 per 100k followers." Reality isn't one number; it's a grid. A page's monthly income depends on the platform, the niche it sells into, and the geography of its audience. Below is our working model of all three at once — pick a platform, scan the niche columns, and hover any cell to see how long that account takes to grow.
We build tools for people who run accounts for a living — virtual assistants, ghostwriters, and one-person agencies juggling a portfolio of personas. The first question every one of them asks a new client is the same: "what is this account worth per month?" There was never a clean answer, so we built one. Not a lookup table of hard-coded cells, but a single internally-consistent formula that treats every platform on its own yardstick.
Why one number is always wrong
Three things move the needle far more than raw follower count:
- The platform's yardstick. 10,000 YouTube subscribers, 10,000 Reddit karma, and 10,000 Substack subscribers are not remotely the same asset. Each platform monetizes a different unit — followers, karma, stars, subscribers, members, points — so the tiers and dollar scales differ.
- The niche you sell into. A SaaS or legal account can clear a few dollars a month from just ten of the right followers, because it sells rather than merely advertises. A hobby food page needs orders of magnitude more reach to make the same money.
- Audience geography. Most platforms geo-fence their ad payouts. The identical follower count earns very differently depending on whether the audience skews high-income or global — but grows faster in lower-income geographies.
How to read the grid
Each card is one platform, measured on its own metric. Rows are audience tiers, from seed up to elite; columns are niches, ordered high-value → hobby so the ones that pay from day one sit on the left. Every cell is an estimate of monthly earnings — ad or revenue-share plus sponsorships plus a floor of direct sales. Hover any cell to see the time to grow there: from zero, the step up from the tier above, and a ⚡ fast-mode estimate if you put in four focused hours a day. Where a platform geo-fences ads, use the toggle to flip between a high-income and a global/low-income audience.
💸 Monthly earnings per cell — ad-share + sponsorships + your own offers. High-value niches like SaaS & Services clear a few dollars from just 10 followers because they sell, not just advertise.
📏 Every platform has its own yardstick — followers, karma, stars, subscribers, members — so the tiers and scale differ per platform. Scroll the niche columns sideways →
⏱️ Hover a cell for time-to-grow: from zero, the step from the tier above, and ⚡ fast mode (4h/day).
🌍 Geography matters — most platforms geo-fence ads, so high vs low-income audiences earn very differently.
X (Twitter) by followers
Borderless reach; ads-revenue-share, paid subs & a warm DM pipeline for offers.
Audience skews🇺🇸 US🇮🇳 India🇬🇧 UK🇧🇷 Brazil🇩🇪 Germany🇵🇭 Philippines🇯🇵 Japan
| Followers | SaaS | Services | Finance | B2B | Consulting | Legal | Real Estate | Dev Tools | Crypto/Web3 | Ecom | Health | Education | Tech | Fitness | Beauty | Fashion | Travel | Hotels | Gaming | Food & Bev |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10seed | $7 | $6 | $7 | $8 | $8 | $8 | $5 | $4 | $3 | $3 | $2 | $3 | $2 | $2 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $1 | $0 | $0 |
| 100nano | $21 | $21 | $21 | $24 | $24 | $25 | $18 | $14 | $11 | $9 | $8 | $9 | $6 | $5 | $3 | $2 | $2 | $4 | $3 | $2 |
| 1kmicro | $73 | $71 | $74 | $83 | $84 | $85 | $62 | $49 | $39 | $32 | $30 | $32 | $23 | $21 | $12 | $11 | $10 | $15 | $13 | $9 |
| 10krising | $300 | $283 | $309 | $325 | $338 | $351 | $262 | $210 | $185 | $146 | $144 | $146 | $120 | $105 | $80 | $73 | $64 | $82 | $75 | $56 |
| 100kstrong | $1.7k | $1.5k | $1.8k | $1.8k | $1.9k | $2.1k | $1.6k | $1.3k | $1.3k | $968 | $1k | $968 | $921 | $786 | $724 | $664 | $564 | $657 | $635 | $503 |
| 1Melite | $15k | $13k | $16k | $14k | $16k | $18k | $14k | $11k | $12k | $9.1k | $10k | $9.1k | $9.3k | $7.8k | $7.9k | $7.2k | $6.1k | $6.8k | $6.7k | $5.4k |
LinkedIn by age & connections
B2B goldmine — a few hundred of the right connections beat 100k random followers.
Audience skews🇺🇸 US🇬🇧 UK🇨🇦 Canada🇦🇺 Australia🇩🇪 Germany🇦🇪 UAE
| Connections | SaaS | Services | Finance | B2B | Consulting | Legal | Real Estate | Dev Tools | Crypto/Web3 | Ecom | Health | Education | Tech | Fitness | Beauty | Fashion | Travel | Hotels | Gaming | Food & Bev |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10seed | $10 | $10 | $10 | $12 | $12 | $12 | $9 | $7 | $5 | $4 | $4 | $4 | $3 | $3 | $1 | $1 | $1 | $2 | $1 | $0 |
| 100nano | $36 | $35 | $36 | $41 | $41 | $42 | $30 | $24 | $19 | $16 | $14 | $16 | $11 | $10 | $6 | $5 | $5 | $7 | $6 | $4 |
| 500micro | $95 | $91 | $98 | $105 | $109 | $112 | $82 | $66 | $56 | $45 | $43 | $45 | $35 | $31 | $22 | $20 | $18 | $24 | $21 | $16 |
| 3krising | $342 | $312 | $357 | $356 | $379 | $401 | $305 | $245 | $231 | $179 | $185 | $179 | $160 | $138 | $118 | $108 | $93 | $112 | $106 | $82 |
| 10kstrong | $955 | $840 | $1k | $951 | $1k | $1.1k | $873 | $704 | $708 | $537 | $578 | $537 | $517 | $440 | $411 | $377 | $320 | $370 | $359 | $286 |
| 30kelite | $2.8k | $2.4k | $3k | $2.7k | $3k | $3.3k | $2.6k | $2.1k | $2.2k | $1.7k | $1.8k | $1.7k | $1.7k | $1.4k | $1.4k | $1.3k | $1.1k | $1.2k | $1.2k | $958 |
Reddit by age & karma
Karma ≠ cash directly — value is affiliate, lead-gen, launches & audience research.
Audience skews🇺🇸 US🇮🇳 India🇬🇧 UK🇧🇷 Brazil🇩🇪 Germany🇵🇭 Philippines🇯🇵 Japan
| Karma | SaaS | Services | Finance | B2B | Consulting | Legal | Real Estate | Dev Tools | Crypto/Web3 | Ecom | Health | Education | Tech | Fitness | Beauty | Fashion | Travel | Hotels | Gaming | Food & Bev |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100seed | $5 | $5 | $5 | $6 | $6 | $6 | $4 | $3 | $3 | $2 | $2 | $2 | $1 | $1 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| 1knano | $17 | $17 | $17 | $19 | $20 | $20 | $14 | $11 | $9 | $7 | $7 | $7 | $5 | $5 | $3 | $2 | $2 | $3 | $3 | $2 |
| 10kmicro | $67 | $64 | $69 | $74 | $76 | $79 | $58 | $47 | $40 | $32 | $31 | $32 | $25 | $22 | $16 | $14 | $13 | $17 | $15 | $11 |
| 50krising | $214 | $195 | $223 | $223 | $237 | $251 | $190 | $153 | $144 | $111 | $115 | $111 | $99 | $86 | $73 | $67 | $58 | $70 | $66 | $51 |
| 200kstrong | $693 | $607 | $736 | $687 | $751 | $816 | $635 | $512 | $518 | $392 | $424 | $392 | $380 | $323 | $304 | $279 | $236 | $272 | $265 | $211 |
| 1Melite | $3.3k | $2.8k | $3.5k | $3.1k | $3.5k | $3.8k | $3.1k | $2.5k | $2.6k | $2k | $2.2k | $2k | $2k | $1.7k | $1.7k | $1.6k | $1.3k | $1.5k | $1.4k | $1.2k |
YC Hackernews by age & karma
The hardest crowd to reach and the highest-income — aged, high-karma accounts convert to Show HN launches, hiring inbound, dev-tool deals & YC-adjacent intros.
Audience skews🇺🇸 US🇮🇳 India🇬🇧 UK🇧🇷 Brazil🇩🇪 Germany🇵🇭 Philippines🇯🇵 Japan
| Karma | SaaS | Services | Finance | B2B | Consulting | Legal | Real Estate | Dev Tools | Crypto/Web3 | Ecom | Health | Education | Tech | Fitness | Beauty | Fashion | Travel | Hotels | Gaming | Food & Bev |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10seed | $6 | $6 | $6 | $7 | $7 | $7 | $5 | $4 | $3 | $3 | $2 | $3 | $2 | $2 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $1 | $0 | $0 |
| 100nano | $20 | $20 | $20 | $23 | $23 | $23 | $17 | $13 | $10 | $9 | $8 | $9 | $6 | $5 | $3 | $3 | $2 | $4 | $3 | $2 |
| 500micro | $50 | $49 | $51 | $57 | $58 | $59 | $43 | $34 | $28 | $23 | $21 | $23 | $17 | $15 | $10 | $9 | $8 | $11 | $10 | $7 |
| 2krising | $123 | $116 | $126 | $133 | $138 | $144 | $107 | $86 | $75 | $59 | $59 | $59 | $49 | $43 | $32 | $29 | $26 | $33 | $30 | $23 |
| 10kstrong | $408 | $368 | $428 | $420 | $450 | $480 | $367 | $296 | $284 | $218 | $229 | $218 | $200 | $172 | $152 | $139 | $119 | $141 | $135 | $106 |
| 50kelite | $1.7k | $1.5k | $1.8k | $1.7k | $1.8k | $2k | $1.6k | $1.3k | $1.3k | $996 | $1.1k | $996 | $991 | $838 | $811 | $745 | $628 | $715 | $701 | $562 |
P
Product Hunt by age & participation
Reputation from launches & upvotes; converts to early users, hunts & advisory gigs.
Audience skews🇺🇸 US🇮🇳 India🇬🇧 UK🇧🇷 Brazil🇩🇪 Germany🇵🇭 Philippines🇯🇵 Japan
| Points | SaaS | Services | Finance | B2B | Consulting | Legal | Real Estate | Dev Tools | Crypto/Web3 | Ecom | Health | Education | Tech | Fitness | Beauty | Fashion | Travel | Hotels | Gaming | Food & Bev |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10seed | $7 | $7 | $7 | $8 | $8 | $8 | $6 | $5 | $3 | $3 | $3 | $3 | $2 | $2 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $1 | $0 | $0 |
| 100nano | $22 | $22 | $22 | $26 | $26 | $26 | $19 | $15 | $11 | $9 | $8 | $9 | $6 | $6 | $3 | $2 | $2 | $4 | $3 | $2 |
| 500micro | $51 | $51 | $51 | $59 | $59 | $60 | $43 | $34 | $26 | $22 | $19 | $22 | $14 | $13 | $7 | $6 | $6 | $9 | $7 | $5 |
| 2krising | $107 | $105 | $107 | $122 | $123 | $125 | $90 | $72 | $56 | $46 | $42 | $46 | $32 | $29 | $16 | $14 | $14 | $21 | $17 | $12 |
| 10kstrong | $267 | $259 | $272 | $300 | $306 | $313 | $228 | $183 | $151 | $122 | $115 | $122 | $91 | $82 | $53 | $48 | $43 | $60 | $53 | $38 |
| 50kelite | $769 | $718 | $794 | $826 | $863 | $901 | $674 | $542 | $485 | $381 | $381 | $381 | $320 | $280 | $221 | $200 | $175 | $220 | $204 | $154 |
TikTok by followers
Fastest audience to blow up; low $/follower until you sell your own product.
Audience skews🇺🇸 US🇬🇧 UK🇨🇦 Canada🇦🇺 Australia🇩🇪 Germany🇦🇪 UAE
| Followers | SaaS | Services | Finance | B2B | Consulting | Legal | Real Estate | Dev Tools | Crypto/Web3 | Ecom | Health | Education | Tech | Fitness | Beauty | Fashion | Travel | Hotels | Gaming | Food & Bev |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10seed | $4 | $4 | $4 | $5 | $5 | $5 | $4 | $3 | $2 | $2 | $2 | $2 | $1 | $1 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| 1knano | $53 | $51 | $54 | $59 | $60 | $61 | $45 | $36 | $30 | $24 | $23 | $24 | $18 | $17 | $11 | $10 | $9 | $12 | $11 | $8 |
| 10kmicro | $282 | $255 | $296 | $291 | $311 | $332 | $253 | $204 | $196 | $151 | $157 | $151 | $137 | $118 | $104 | $95 | $81 | $97 | $93 | $72 |
| 100krising | $2.2k | $1.9k | $2.3k | $2.1k | $2.3k | $2.6k | $2k | $1.6k | $1.7k | $1.3k | $1.4k | $1.3k | $1.3k | $1.1k | $1.1k | $1k | $842 | $950 | $936 | $755 |
| 500kstrong | $11k | $9.2k | $12k | $10k | $12k | $13k | $10k | $8.4k | $9.2k | $6.8k | $7.7k | $6.8k | $7.2k | $6k | $6.1k | $5.6k | $4.7k | $5.2k | $5.2k | $4.2k |
| 3Melite | $74k | $61k | $80k | $67k | $77k | $87k | $70k | $57k | $63k | $46k | $53k | $46k | $49k | $41k | $42k | $39k | $33k | $36k | $36k | $29k |
Instagram by age & followers
Reels reach + brand deals; older accounts with real engagement convert hardest.
Audience skews🇺🇸 US🇬🇧 UK🇨🇦 Canada🇦🇺 Australia🇩🇪 Germany🇦🇪 UAE
| Followers | SaaS | Services | Finance | B2B | Consulting | Legal | Real Estate | Dev Tools | Crypto/Web3 | Ecom | Health | Education | Tech | Fitness | Beauty | Fashion | Travel | Hotels | Gaming | Food & Bev |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10seed | $6 | $5 | $6 | $6 | $6 | $6 | $5 | $4 | $3 | $2 | $2 | $2 | $2 | $1 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| 100nano | $19 | $18 | $19 | $21 | $22 | $22 | $16 | $13 | $10 | $8 | $7 | $8 | $6 | $5 | $3 | $3 | $2 | $4 | $3 | $2 |
| 1kmicro | $76 | $72 | $78 | $83 | $86 | $90 | $66 | $53 | $46 | $37 | $36 | $37 | $30 | $26 | $20 | $18 | $16 | $20 | $18 | $14 |
| 10krising | $435 | $387 | $459 | $439 | $475 | $511 | $394 | $318 | $313 | $239 | $255 | $239 | $226 | $193 | $176 | $161 | $137 | $160 | $155 | $122 |
| 50kstrong | $1.9k | $1.6k | $2k | $1.8k | $2k | $2.2k | $1.8k | $1.4k | $1.5k | $1.1k | $1.2k | $1.1k | $1.1k | $958 | $942 | $866 | $728 | $823 | $810 | $653 |
| 200kelite | $7.9k | $6.6k | $8.5k | $7.4k | $8.3k | $9.3k | $7.4k | $6k | $6.5k | $4.9k | $5.5k | $4.9k | $5.1k | $4.2k | $4.3k | $4k | $3.3k | $3.7k | $3.7k | $3k |
YouTube by subscribers & watch-time
Slowest to grow, highest $/subscriber — AdSense stacks with sponsors.
Audience skews🇺🇸 US🇬🇧 UK🇨🇦 Canada🇦🇺 Australia🇩🇪 Germany🇦🇪 UAE
| Subscribers | SaaS | Services | Finance | B2B | Consulting | Legal | Real Estate | Dev Tools | Crypto/Web3 | Ecom | Health | Education | Tech | Fitness | Beauty | Fashion | Travel | Hotels | Gaming | Food & Bev |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10seed | $6 | $6 | $6 | $7 | $7 | $7 | $5 | $4 | $3 | $3 | $2 | $3 | $2 | $2 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $1 | $0 | $0 |
| 100nano | $24 | $23 | $25 | $27 | $28 | $28 | $21 | $17 | $14 | $11 | $11 | $11 | $9 | $8 | $5 | $5 | $4 | $6 | $5 | $4 |
| 1kmicro | $135 | $121 | $142 | $138 | $148 | $158 | $121 | $98 | $95 | $73 | $76 | $73 | $67 | $58 | $51 | $47 | $40 | $47 | $45 | $36 |
| 10krising | $1.1k | $910 | $1.1k | $1k | $1.1k | $1.3k | $998 | $806 | $855 | $639 | $710 | $639 | $651 | $547 | $542 | $499 | $419 | $472 | $465 | $376 |
| 100kstrong | $11k | $8.9k | $12k | $9.9k | $11k | $13k | $10k | $8.2k | $9k | $6.7k | $7.6k | $6.7k | $7.1k | $5.9k | $6k | $5.6k | $4.7k | $5.2k | $5.1k | $4.2k |
| 1Melite | $121k | $99k | $131k | $110k | $126k | $143k | $115k | $93k | $104k | $76k | $87k | $76k | $82k | $68k | $70k | $65k | $54k | $60k | $60k | $49k |
G
GitHub by stars & contributions
Stars & a green graph earn via Sponsors, dev-tool deals, bounties & hiring inbound.
Audience skews🇺🇸 US🇮🇳 India🇬🇧 UK🇧🇷 Brazil🇩🇪 Germany🇵🇭 Philippines🇯🇵 Japan
| Stars | SaaS | Services | Finance | B2B | Consulting | Legal | Real Estate | Dev Tools | Crypto/Web3 | Ecom | Health | Education | Tech | Fitness | Beauty | Fashion | Travel | Hotels | Gaming | Food & Bev |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10seed | $7 | $7 | $7 | $8 | $8 | $8 | $6 | $5 | $4 | $3 | $3 | $3 | $2 | $2 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $1 | $0 | $0 |
| 50nano | $16 | $16 | $16 | $18 | $18 | $18 | $13 | $11 | $8 | $7 | $6 | $7 | $4 | $4 | $2 | $2 | $2 | $3 | $2 | $1 |
| 200micro | $32 | $32 | $32 | $37 | $38 | $38 | $27 | $22 | $17 | $14 | $12 | $14 | $9 | $8 | $4 | $4 | $4 | $6 | $5 | $3 |
| 1krising | $76 | $75 | $77 | $87 | $88 | $89 | $65 | $52 | $41 | $33 | $30 | $33 | $23 | $21 | $12 | $11 | $10 | $15 | $13 | $9 |
| 5kstrong | $195 | $188 | $198 | $217 | $223 | $228 | $167 | $134 | $112 | $90 | $86 | $90 | $68 | $61 | $41 | $37 | $33 | $46 | $40 | $29 |
| 20kelite | $496 | $462 | $512 | $531 | $556 | $581 | $435 | $350 | $315 | $247 | $248 | $247 | $209 | $182 | $145 | $132 | $115 | $144 | $134 | $101 |
Facebook by page followers
Older, higher-income audiences; Groups & Reels bonuses pay steadily.
Audience skews🇺🇸 US🇬🇧 UK🇨🇦 Canada🇦🇺 Australia🇩🇪 Germany🇦🇪 UAE
| Followers | SaaS | Services | Finance | B2B | Consulting | Legal | Real Estate | Dev Tools | Crypto/Web3 | Ecom | Health | Education | Tech | Fitness | Beauty | Fashion | Travel | Hotels | Gaming | Food & Bev |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100seed | $6 | $6 | $6 | $6 | $7 | $7 | $5 | $4 | $3 | $2 | $2 | $2 | $2 | $2 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $1 | $0 | $0 |
| 1knano | $24 | $23 | $25 | $26 | $27 | $28 | $21 | $17 | $15 | $12 | $12 | $12 | $10 | $9 | $7 | $6 | $5 | $7 | $6 | $5 |
| 10kmicro | $163 | $143 | $173 | $162 | $177 | $192 | $150 | $121 | $122 | $93 | $100 | $93 | $90 | $77 | $72 | $66 | $56 | $65 | $63 | $50 |
| 50krising | $774 | $654 | $834 | $733 | $823 | $913 | $725 | $586 | $627 | $468 | $522 | $468 | $480 | $404 | $403 | $371 | $311 | $349 | $345 | $280 |
| 200kstrong | $3.3k | $2.7k | $3.5k | $3k | $3.4k | $3.9k | $3.1k | $2.5k | $2.7k | $2k | $2.3k | $2k | $2.1k | $1.8k | $1.8k | $1.7k | $1.4k | $1.6k | $1.5k | $1.3k |
| 1Melite | $18k | $15k | $20k | $17k | $19k | $22k | $17k | $14k | $16k | $12k | $13k | $12k | $12k | $10k | $11k | $9.8k | $8.2k | $9k | $9k | $7.3k |
T
Telegram by channel members
Channels & bots monetize via paid access, signals, ads & affiliate drops.
Audience skews🇺🇸 US🇮🇳 India🇬🇧 UK🇧🇷 Brazil🇩🇪 Germany🇵🇭 Philippines🇯🇵 Japan
| Members | SaaS | Services | Finance | B2B | Consulting | Legal | Real Estate | Dev Tools | Crypto/Web3 | Ecom | Health | Education | Tech | Fitness | Beauty | Fashion | Travel | Hotels | Gaming | Food & Bev |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50seed | $6 | $6 | $6 | $7 | $7 | $7 | $5 | $4 | $3 | $2 | $2 | $2 | $2 | $1 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| 500nano | $19 | $19 | $20 | $22 | $22 | $23 | $16 | $13 | $10 | $9 | $8 | $9 | $6 | $5 | $3 | $3 | $3 | $4 | $3 | $2 |
| 5kmicro | $84 | $78 | $86 | $90 | $94 | $98 | $73 | $59 | $52 | $41 | $41 | $41 | $34 | $30 | $24 | $21 | $19 | $24 | $22 | $16 |
| 50krising | $514 | $452 | $545 | $512 | $558 | $605 | $470 | $379 | $381 | $289 | $311 | $289 | $279 | $237 | $222 | $203 | $172 | $199 | $194 | $154 |
| 200kstrong | $1.9k | $1.6k | $2.1k | $1.8k | $2k | $2.3k | $1.8k | $1.4k | $1.5k | $1.1k | $1.3k | $1.1k | $1.2k | $978 | $967 | $890 | $748 | $842 | $830 | $671 |
| 1Melite | $10k | $8.3k | $11k | $9.3k | $11k | $12k | $9.4k | $7.6k | $8.3k | $6.2k | $7k | $6.2k | $6.5k | $5.4k | $5.5k | $5.1k | $4.3k | $4.7k | $4.7k | $3.8k |
W
WhatsApp by broadcast members
Broadcast lists & communities — intimate reach that converts to direct sales.
Audience skews🇺🇸 US🇬🇧 UK🇨🇦 Canada🇦🇺 Australia🇩🇪 Germany🇦🇪 UAE
| Members | SaaS | Services | Finance | B2B | Consulting | Legal | Real Estate | Dev Tools | Crypto/Web3 | Ecom | Health | Education | Tech | Fitness | Beauty | Fashion | Travel | Hotels | Gaming | Food & Bev |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50seed | $7 | $7 | $7 | $8 | $8 | $8 | $6 | $5 | $3 | $3 | $3 | $3 | $2 | $2 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $1 | $0 | $0 |
| 500nano | $24 | $23 | $24 | $27 | $27 | $27 | $20 | $16 | $13 | $10 | $10 | $10 | $7 | $7 | $4 | $4 | $3 | $5 | $4 | $3 |
| 5kmicro | $103 | $97 | $107 | $111 | $116 | $121 | $91 | $73 | $65 | $51 | $51 | $51 | $43 | $38 | $30 | $27 | $24 | $30 | $28 | $21 |
| 50krising | $649 | $569 | $689 | $643 | $703 | $763 | $594 | $479 | $484 | $367 | $397 | $367 | $356 | $302 | $284 | $261 | $221 | $255 | $248 | $197 |
| 200kstrong | $2.4k | $2.1k | $2.6k | $2.3k | $2.6k | $2.9k | $2.3k | $1.8k | $2k | $1.5k | $1.6k | $1.5k | $1.5k | $1.3k | $1.2k | $1.1k | $962 | $1.1k | $1.1k | $863 |
| 1Melite | $13k | $11k | $14k | $12k | $14k | $15k | $12k | $9.8k | $11k | $7.9k | $9k | $7.9k | $8.3k | $7k | $7.1k | $6.6k | $5.5k | $6.1k | $6.1k | $4.9k |
Substack by paid subscribers
Paid subscribers — a tiny list of true fans can out-earn 100k of ad views.
Audience skews🇺🇸 US🇮🇳 India🇬🇧 UK🇧🇷 Brazil🇩🇪 Germany🇵🇭 Philippines🇯🇵 Japan
| Subscribers | SaaS | Services | Finance | B2B | Consulting | Legal | Real Estate | Dev Tools | Crypto/Web3 | Ecom | Health | Education | Tech | Fitness | Beauty | Fashion | Travel | Hotels | Gaming | Food & Bev |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10seed | $9 | $9 | $9 | $11 | $11 | $11 | $8 | $6 | $5 | $4 | $4 | $4 | $3 | $2 | $1 | $1 | $1 | $2 | $1 | $0 |
| 50nano | $22 | $22 | $23 | $26 | $26 | $26 | $19 | $15 | $12 | $10 | $9 | $10 | $7 | $6 | $4 | $3 | $3 | $5 | $4 | $3 |
| 200micro | $54 | $51 | $55 | $59 | $61 | $63 | $47 | $37 | $32 | $26 | $25 | $26 | $20 | $18 | $13 | $12 | $10 | $14 | $12 | $9 |
| 1krising | $171 | $156 | $179 | $179 | $190 | $201 | $153 | $123 | $115 | $89 | $92 | $89 | $80 | $69 | $59 | $54 | $46 | $56 | $53 | $41 |
| 5kstrong | $671 | $585 | $714 | $661 | $726 | $790 | $616 | $497 | $507 | $383 | $416 | $383 | $374 | $317 | $301 | $277 | $234 | $269 | $262 | $209 |
| 20kelite | $2.6k | $2.2k | $2.8k | $2.5k | $2.8k | $3.1k | $2.4k | $2k | $2.1k | $1.6k | $1.8k | $1.6k | $1.6k | $1.4k | $1.4k | $1.2k | $1k | $1.2k | $1.2k | $937 |
Medium by followers & read-time
Partner Program pays per member read-time; SEO compounds slowly over years.
Audience skews🇺🇸 US🇮🇳 India🇬🇧 UK🇧🇷 Brazil🇩🇪 Germany🇵🇭 Philippines🇯🇵 Japan
| Followers | SaaS | Services | Finance | B2B | Consulting | Legal | Real Estate | Dev Tools | Crypto/Web3 | Ecom | Health | Education | Tech | Fitness | Beauty | Fashion | Travel | Hotels | Gaming | Food & Bev |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10seed | $4 | $4 | $4 | $5 | $5 | $5 | $3 | $3 | $2 | $2 | $1 | $2 | $1 | $1 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| 100nano | $13 | $13 | $13 | $15 | $16 | $16 | $11 | $9 | $7 | $6 | $5 | $6 | $4 | $4 | $2 | $2 | $2 | $3 | $2 | $1 |
| 1kmicro | $51 | $49 | $52 | $57 | $59 | $60 | $44 | $35 | $30 | $24 | $23 | $24 | $19 | $17 | $11 | $10 | $9 | $12 | $11 | $8 |
| 10krising | $262 | $237 | $275 | $271 | $289 | $308 | $235 | $189 | $181 | $139 | $145 | $139 | $127 | $109 | $95 | $87 | $75 | $89 | $85 | $66 |
| 50kstrong | $1.1k | $923 | $1.1k | $1k | $1.1k | $1.3k | $983 | $794 | $818 | $616 | $674 | $616 | $610 | $516 | $496 | $456 | $385 | $439 | $430 | $344 |
| 200kelite | $4.2k | $3.6k | $4.6k | $4k | $4.5k | $5k | $4k | $3.2k | $3.5k | $2.6k | $2.9k | $2.6k | $2.7k | $2.2k | $2.2k | $2.1k | $1.7k | $1.9k | $1.9k | $1.6k |
Pinterest by monthly views
Evergreen buyer intent; ecom, home & wedding niches shine on saved views.
Audience skews🇺🇸 US🇬🇧 UK🇨🇦 Canada🇦🇺 Australia🇩🇪 Germany🇦🇪 UAE
| Monthly views | SaaS | Services | Finance | B2B | Consulting | Legal | Real Estate | Dev Tools | Crypto/Web3 | Ecom | Health | Education | Tech | Fitness | Beauty | Fashion | Travel | Hotels | Gaming | Food & Bev |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1kseed | $13 | $12 | $14 | $14 | $15 | $16 | $12 | $10 | $10 | $7 | $8 | $7 | $7 | $6 | $5 | $5 | $4 | $5 | $5 | $4 |
| 10knano | $136 | $114 | $147 | $128 | $144 | $160 | $128 | $103 | $111 | $83 | $93 | $83 | $86 | $72 | $72 | $67 | $56 | $62 | $62 | $50 |
| 100kmicro | $1.7k | $1.4k | $1.9k | $1.6k | $1.8k | $2.1k | $1.7k | $1.3k | $1.5k | $1.1k | $1.2k | $1.1k | $1.2k | $970 | $1k | $923 | $770 | $851 | $849 | $693 |
| 500krising | $10k | $8.2k | $11k | $9.1k | $10k | $12k | $9.6k | $7.7k | $8.6k | $6.4k | $7.2k | $6.4k | $6.8k | $5.7k | $5.9k | $5.4k | $4.5k | $5k | $5k | $4.1k |
| 2Mstrong | $46k | $38k | $50k | $42k | $48k | $54k | $44k | $35k | $39k | $29k | $33k | $29k | $31k | $26k | $27k | $25k | $21k | $23k | $23k | $19k |
| 10Melite | $268k | $219k | $292k | $244k | $280k | $317k | $256k | $207k | $231k | $170k | $195k | $170k | $182k | $152k | $158k | $146k | $122k | $134k | $134k | $109k |
Twitch by followers & live hours
Subs, bits & sponsors reward the live grind and a loyal chat.
Audience skews🇺🇸 US🇬🇧 UK🇨🇦 Canada🇦🇺 Australia🇩🇪 Germany🇦🇪 UAE
| Followers | SaaS | Services | Finance | B2B | Consulting | Legal | Real Estate | Dev Tools | Crypto/Web3 | Ecom | Health | Education | Tech | Fitness | Beauty | Fashion | Travel | Hotels | Gaming | Food & Bev |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10seed | $6 | $6 | $6 | $7 | $7 | $7 | $5 | $4 | $3 | $3 | $2 | $3 | $2 | $2 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $1 | $0 | $0 |
| 100nano | $21 | $21 | $22 | $24 | $25 | $25 | $18 | $14 | $12 | $9 | $9 | $9 | $7 | $6 | $4 | $3 | $3 | $4 | $4 | $3 |
| 1kmicro | $94 | $88 | $97 | $101 | $105 | $110 | $82 | $66 | $59 | $46 | $46 | $46 | $39 | $34 | $27 | $24 | $21 | $27 | $25 | $19 |
| 10krising | $586 | $514 | $622 | $581 | $635 | $689 | $536 | $432 | $437 | $331 | $358 | $331 | $321 | $272 | $256 | $235 | $199 | $230 | $223 | $178 |
| 50kstrong | $2.7k | $2.3k | $2.9k | $2.6k | $2.9k | $3.2k | $2.5k | $2k | $2.2k | $1.6k | $1.8k | $1.6k | $1.7k | $1.4k | $1.4k | $1.3k | $1.1k | $1.2k | $1.2k | $967 |
| 200kelite | $12k | $9.6k | $13k | $11k | $12k | $14k | $11k | $8.8k | $9.7k | $7.2k | $8.1k | $7.2k | $7.5k | $6.3k | $6.4k | $5.9k | $4.9k | $5.5k | $5.5k | $4.4k |
Threads by followers
Early-mover reach is cheap; native monetization is still thin but growing.
Audience skews🇺🇸 US🇮🇳 India🇬🇧 UK🇧🇷 Brazil🇩🇪 Germany🇵🇭 Philippines🇯🇵 Japan
| Followers | SaaS | Services | Finance | B2B | Consulting | Legal | Real Estate | Dev Tools | Crypto/Web3 | Ecom | Health | Education | Tech | Fitness | Beauty | Fashion | Travel | Hotels | Gaming | Food & Bev |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10seed | $4 | $4 | $4 | $5 | $5 | $5 | $3 | $3 | $2 | $2 | $1 | $2 | $1 | $1 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| 100nano | $13 | $13 | $13 | $15 | $15 | $15 | $11 | $9 | $7 | $5 | $5 | $5 | $4 | $3 | $2 | $1 | $1 | $2 | $2 | $1 |
| 1kmicro | $44 | $44 | $45 | $51 | $51 | $52 | $38 | $30 | $24 | $20 | $18 | $20 | $14 | $13 | $7 | $7 | $6 | $9 | $8 | $5 |
| 10krising | $180 | $170 | $185 | $196 | $204 | $211 | $157 | $126 | $110 | $87 | $86 | $87 | $71 | $62 | $47 | $42 | $37 | $48 | $44 | $33 |
| 100kstrong | $1k | $911 | $1.1k | $1k | $1.1k | $1.2k | $931 | $750 | $741 | $565 | $602 | $565 | $534 | $456 | $417 | $382 | $325 | $380 | $367 | $290 |
| 1Melite | $8.6k | $7.3k | $9.3k | $8.2k | $9.2k | $10k | $8.1k | $6.5k | $7k | $5.2k | $5.8k | $5.2k | $5.4k | $4.5k | $4.5k | $4.1k | $3.5k | $3.9k | $3.9k | $3.1k |
The model behind the numbers
Every cell comes from the same formula, so the platforms stay comparable. In plain terms:
- Ad / revenue-share scales with audience size × a per-platform RPM ($ per 1,000 units of that platform's metric) × a niche multiplier × a geography factor. Bigger accounts also earn a premium per unit, because scale unlocks better deals.
- Direct sales add a floor that clears from the very first tier. It's driven by the niche's selling power and how well a tiny audience converts to paid — normalized to each platform's smallest tier so different yardsticks stay honest.
- Time to grow is a sub-linear curve: the step from 100k to 1M takes far longer than 0 to 10k, and slows further in low-growth niches, slow platforms, or high-income geos.
The high-value B2B niches — SaaS, Finance, Legal, Consulting — sit left for a reason: they monetize by reaching a handful of the right people, not by farming impressions. That's exactly the shape of work a Gigdesk operator does best.
What surprises people
- A Substack with 1,000 paying subscribers out-earns an Instagram page with 100k passive followers.
- LinkedIn's payout comes almost entirely from direct sales — a few hundred of the right connections beat a giant follower count.
- Reddit karma is worth roughly nothing directly; its value is affiliate, lead-gen, and launches.
- TikTok grows fastest but pays the least per follower — until you point it at your own product.
A working model, not a promise. These are estimates from one consistent formula, meant for rough comparison and planning — not a guarantee of income. Real earnings swing hard on execution, consistency, and luck. Treat the grid as a map of the terrain, not a forecast of your trip.
Run accounts like a machine
Gigdesk is the operating system for gigworkers — workspaces run by AI agents, a portfolio that converts, and a secretary on your Gmail. Invite only.
Request an inviteAll figures are model estimates produced by a single internally-consistent formula for illustration and planning. They are not financial advice and do not represent guaranteed or typical earnings. Platform payout rates, ad policies, and audience economics change constantly.