In the three short years it’s been around Vine has gone from an obscure and struggling app to a Twitter-owned social media juggernaut. Much like YouTube Vine has provided a platform for creativity and turned creators into social media super stars with millions of followers, and in some cases billions of looping views. Just like YouTube Vine stars aren’t just getting famous, they’re also getting rich. Unlike YouTube, it’s not quite as obvious how. Vine doesn’t have a partner program and it doesn’t share ad revenue with Viners. Instead, Vine’s biggest stars rely on their tremendous social clout to rake in the cash. Here’s 3 ways Viners Get Paid:
Brand Deals
Vine doesn’t actively sell advertising for its creators like other video sharing platforms, but that doesn’t mean there’s no advertising on Vine. Top tier Viners have tens of millions of followers giving them nearly instant access to millions of young eyes and that’s not something that advertisers are likely to overlook. Viners can earn bigtime cash by selling brands access to their audience. Advertisers will pay top dollar for a shout out, or even just a revine, from a popular creator.
Most creators are shy when it comes to talking about money, but we did fine a few cold, hard cash figures floating around on the internet. Back in December comedienne Brittany Furlan told The New Yorker that every million followers lets you add another $5,000 to the pricetag for a branded Vine. If she follows her own rule that means Brittany can charge sponsors like Benefit Cosmetics and Trident around $43,500 for one six second Vine to her 8.7 million followers.
Appearances
Top Viners have millions of fans online, and for many of those followers nothing could be more exciting than meeting their faves in the flesh, so much so that a whole industry has grown up around the idea of live shows and appearances for internet celebrities. Gatherings and conventions like DigiTour, SocialCon, MagCon, Playlist Live and dozens of others have generated huge ticket sales with the promise of putting fans in the same room with the superstars of Vine. Just like traditional celebrities, Viners are paid for their time, whether it’s on stage or at organized meet-and-greets. Digitour, a traveling road show of Viners and other internet stars, sold 130,000 tickets in 2014. With a standard ticket going for around $25 and VIP tickets reaching as high as $99, there’s plenty of cash to go around.
Merch
Since the time of the internet dinosaurs, there’s been at least one reliable way for online content creators to scrape up some cash: Merchandise. YouTubers, Musicians, and Vine Stars alike have relied on selling branded merchandise from t-shirts to coffee mugs to make ends meet. There’s a reason that shirt custom merch retailer District Lines is still one of the major sponsors of events like Playlist Live. Just like the live appearance circuit, fans of the internet’s biggest stars want something physical to connect them with their faves, and Viners don’t leave their fans hanging.
In short, successful Viners have plenty of options when it comes to earning a solid living on the app. This list doesn’t even include all the other opportunities that are sure to come your way if you make it big on Vine. Last year Brittany Furlan was asked to handle red carpet coverage for the Daytime Emmys, a gig that was sure to come with a respectable paycheck. Cameron Dallas recently fronted feature film, Expelled which topped the iTunes download charts. Vine musician Shawn Mendes has used the app as a launching pad for his music career, dropping a chart topping EP last year with the help of his social media following. Not only is Vine a reliable source of income for its top stars, but for many it may only be the beginning.
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You totally forgot jerome jarre! He has done many Red carpet events and he has done loads of charity work! Such as the light project brining lights to communities who don’t have electricity!