Part-Time Content Creator Income Breakdown for December

If you’ve ever wondered what it actually looks like to make money online as a part-time content creator, this post is for you.

In today’s income transparency, I’m sharing exactly how much money I made in December and where it came from. I’m talking real numbers, real platforms, what worked, what didn’t, and what I’m changing in 2026 so I can keep growing without burning out.

And just so we’re clear: this is not a “get rich quick” story. This is what happened because I stayed consistent even when the money was small.

Why I Share My Income Transparencies

Every single month, I do income transparency videos because I want to put y’all all in my business. Not to brag. Not to flex.

But to show you what’s possible when you actually treat content creation like a real side hustle.

I’m sharing what I got paid, from where, plus tips and little lessons I’m learning as I go. My hope is that it inspires you to start (or stay consistent) and build your own streams of income too.

My December Income Breakdown by Platform

Here’s every platform that paid me in December, plus what I learned from each one.

Instagram: $8.02

I have over 167,000 followers on Instagram, and let me tell you something that people don’t like to talk about.

Followers do not equal money.

Instagram paid me $8.02 for carousels and photos. I don’t post a ton of those because I’m usually focused on video formats, but Instagram does pay for photos/carousels sometimes, so I wanted to include it.

What I’m changing on Instagram in 2026

Instagram can feel “bougie.” People will watch, scroll, and save… but won’t always engage.

This year I’m focused on building more connection over there again. I used to go live all the time, and I’m bringing that back because I actually like talking to people, and I want my community to feel like a community… not just people grabbing outfit links and dipping.

If you’re posting consistently but your engagement is low, you might not need to post more… you might need to adjust what you’re posting and how you’re positioning it. That’s exactly why I created my Content Audit.

Facebook: $926.83

Facebook is hands down one of my favorite platforms right now.

Why? Because I’m getting paid for everything I do over there: text posts, stories, lives, reels, videos… all of it.

In December, I made $926.83 just from posting my content on Facebook.

Why Facebook is powerful for affiliate marketing

What I love most is how easy Facebook makes it to monetize with links.

If I’m talking about an outfit, I can drop a clickable link in the caption or even in a comment and people can actually click it and shop. That is not as easy on other platforms.

If you’re doing affiliate marketing and you’re sleeping on Facebook, I’m telling you right now… wake up.

YouTube (Google AdSense): $720.65

YouTube will always have my heart because this is where y’all actually connect with me.

Short-form platforms get little pieces of you. But on YouTube, people sit with you. They comment. They get to know you. And that’s how community gets built.

In December, Google AdSense paid me $720.65.

My thoughts on YouTube monetization

To be monetized through AdSense, you need 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours. (There are other ways to monetize too, but I’m talking specifically AdSense here.)

And in my opinion? Long-form is where the money resides.

That’s why anytime I get paid from YouTube, I usually make a separate video about it too. I want more people to focus on YouTube if they’re serious about building real income.

TikTok: $29.44

Me and TikTok do not get along… but TikTok still paid me.

In December, I made $29.44 on TikTok.

TikTok is one of those platforms where it feels like you have to post 5, 10, 15, sometimes 20 times a day to really see the money consistently. And I’m not doing that.

What I’ve learned about TikTok

TikTok seems to prioritize quantity over quality.

So, if your goal is to go hard on TikTok this year, my honest advice is focus on TikTok and let that be your main platform. Pump out at least 3 videos per day.

And if you’re doing TikTok Shop? Make sure you are including those links in every video a TikTok Shop video.

For me, I mainly use TikTok to drive traffic to my affiliate links and repost content I’m already creating for Instagram and Facebook.

LTK: $8,092.50

LTK is my platform. Me and LTK go together real bad.

In December, I made $8,092.50 on LTK, and that was my biggest month.

LTK is basically how I turn my short-form content into money. I post an outfit, link everything, then drive traffic there from Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, wherever.

The one downside to LTK, LTK payouts are delayed.

The money you make today is not the money you get tomorrow. Some brands pay out around 105 days, and some can take even longer (sometimes up to 250 days depending on the brand).

That’s why you have to understand your cash flow and not spend money today counting on commissions that won’t hit for months.

Amazon: $0

Amazon is a missed opportunity for me right now, and I’m owning that.

In December, I made $0 from Amazon because I’m not posting consistently over there.

But in 2026, I want to focus more on Amazon because I’m tired of the daily hustle of constantly posting everywhere.

I want that lowkey money. The kind where you can do product reviews and still earn without showing up every single day.

My goal is to build Amazon up to $1,000/month, and if y’all want me to share that journey, let me know.

Shopify: $0

My Shopify store is where my digital products live, but I don’t promote it much outside of YouTube.

Right now, I have my budgeting tools on there (bundle + individual items), but in December, I made $0 on Shopify and that’s fine because Shopify is not my main focus link.

Stan Store: $114.68

Stan Store is my main digital product link right now.

In December, I made $114.68 from my digital products on Stan Store.

I’ll be honest: I wasn’t promoting hard in December because people are spending money at the end of the year, not trying to get their finances together.

But Quarter 1? That’s when people are ready to budget, save, get out of debt, and get organized.

So yes… this is my time to shine, and I’m leaning into promoting my budgeting tools more in early 2026.

User Research Studies: $110

I love a good research study.

In December, I did two user research studies and made $110 basically free money for giving my opinion.

Sometimes it’s a Zoom call. Sometimes it’s a survey. Sometimes it’s testing a product.

It’s not “pay my bills” money, but it’s definitely gas money, food money, and a nice extra stream to have.

If you want to try it, you can literally Google “user research studies” or “research studies in my city” and see what’s available.

Brand Deals + UGC: $2,000

In December, I had a Walmart brand deal and made $2,000 from brand deals and UGC.

And I’m excited to do more brand work in 2026.

Real talk about brand deal insecurity

Sometimes I get in my head because I’ll see other creators with super aesthetic, studio-looking content and I’m like… “Do I look like I belong?”

But the truth is, I’m not renting a studio and spending money I don’t have to look a certain way for a brand. I can’t keep that up.

I want to do real life content in my real house. And if a brand wants me, they’re going to get the real me.

Blogging (Yahoo Creator): $763.88

Blogging paid me $763.88 in December, which is the most I’ve made from blogging so far.

As a Yahoo Creator, I get paid through a revenue share model, plus commissions when someone purchases through my affiliate links.

The biggest lesson I learned about blogging

Sometimes your blog post won’t take off right away.

It might take off months later.

That means I have to start thinking ahead when I’m writing content because I don’t want a post to blow up later and the product is out of stock or it’s completely out of season.

For example, my barrel jeans post did really well, and thank God they were still in stock.

But if I wrote a swimsuit post and it randomly took off in December… nobody’s buying bikinis in December, and it would probably be sold out anyway.

So now I’m thinking more strategically about what I write and when.

My Total Income for December

Alright, the grand total…

In December, I made $12,766 as a part-time content creator.

Yes. Part-time.

I don’t even post every single day (even though I’m working on being more consistent in 2026).

But this is what I want you to take from this:

I kept showing up when I was making $700.
I kept showing up when I was making $1,000.
I kept showing up when I was making $2,000 and $3,000.

And now I’m here.

Consistency is what changed everything.

What I Want You to Do Next

If you’ve been thinking about starting content creation or taking it more seriously in 2026, this is your sign.

You do not need fancy equipment. You don’t need a studio. You don’t need the “perfect” aesthetic.

Prop your phone up. Use a mirror. Sit by a window. Hit record.

Here’s my question for you:

What platform do you want to monetize this year, and what’s been your biggest struggle with showing up consistently?

Drop it in the comments.

And if you want me to help you speed things up, I created a Content Audit where I review your content and tell you exactly what to fix so you can start monetizing faster. You can grab it here.

If this blog post inspired you, do me a favor:

leave a comment and tell me what you’re working on in 2026
share this post with a friend who keeps saying they want to start
and check out my Content Audit if you want personalized feedback on what to improve so your content can actually start paying you

Because this is not just about me. This is about you too.