Creators rely on brand deals, but worry about the “tension” between sponsors and viewers–and just 15% say they fully trust sponsored content from other creators

CreatorIQ‘s latest State of Creators report puts creators’ relationships with branded content in a stark light.

Data from 5,095 creators showed 46% of videomakers rely on brand deals for the bulk of their income–but only 15% of respondents said they fully trust sponsored content from other creators when making a purchase for themselves.

Meanwhile, 53% of creators with 500K+ followers said they “feel tension between audience and brand desires.”

Then you have 35% of respondents saying a lack of consistent brand deals is the #1 barrier to growing as a creator, and more than 50% said their personal earnings from brand deals have only increased slightly from 2025 to 2026, or stayed flat.

All these points together tell a story: Creators feel they have to get brand deals to survive making content long-term, but they’re facing stagnant compensation from brands (21% said “low pay or undervaluation of creator content” was another big barrier to entry) and “tension” from viewers over endorsements. And, because of their personal experiences, a significant portion of them are leery of sponsored content from other creators.

This leaves creators walking the line between earning survivable income, ensuring their viewers aren’t put off by the sponsored content they choose to do, and navigating deals to make sure they’re representing brands they truly endorse, and have creative control in the partnership.

“Creator professionalization isn’t about building more systems but about expanding leverage for creators to do what only they can do: create content that resonates deeply with their audience,” CreatorIQ and partner influencers.club said in the report. “The number one thing that creators wanted brands to understand is that creator content takes real work.”

That work–and the payoff for it–looks different for everyone.

CreatorIQ and influencers.club found that two-thirds of creators make under $10K annually. Just 5% clear $100K per year.

For 62% of creators, content is not their primary source of income.

“Despite the rapid growth of the creator economy, content creation remains an emerging profession for most creators rather than a full-time career,” the duo said in their study. “While creator earnings have increased over time, the growth isn’t evenly distributed. Brands that focus only on today’s biggest creators risk overlooking tomorrow’s most valuable partners.”

Creators that have gone full-time told CreatorIQ and influencers.club that the reasons for doing so varied, but one stood out: 40% said they went all-in not because they were sure it would support them or replace a current salary, but because they “wanted creative freedom and autonomy.”

Another 16% said they wanted to jump on content while they had the opportunity, 17% said their earnings from content exceeded the salary at their day job, 8% said they weren’t happy at their day jobs, and 7% said a financial commitment from a brand gave them the confidence needed to change careers.

Brand deals, of course, contribute a significant amount to most creators’ earnings. 43% of respondents said they’re doing a mix of one-off deals and long-term partnerships; 42% said they’re doing primarily one-off deals; and 12% said they’re doing primarily long-term partnerships.

The issue of trust remains. As we mentioned above, only 15% of creators said they fully trust content from other creators when making a purchase. 11% said they’re skeptical and that “creators are paid to said positive things,” and 4% said they don’t trust it at all, because sponsored content “is rarely authentic.”

The largest chunk of creators, 48%, said they somewhat trust branded content from other videomakers, but “how much I trust depends on the creator.”

What makes one creator trust another?

• 25% said that happens when a creator acknowledges both pros and cons of the sponsoring brand/product
• 22% said they like seeing a brand and creator work together long-term
• 13% find trust in explicit, upfront sponsor disclosures
• and 14% want to see a “trustworthy persona” or track record of dependable reviews.

With most creators making under $100K a year, it gets difficult to hire help for scaling.

CreatorIQ and influencers.club found that 73% of creators handle everything themselves. Only 8% have a talent manager or agent. 3% have a dedicated video editor, 3% have a social media manager/content strategist, and 7% use AI to write or edit copy.

Which brings us to one of the hottest and most fraught topics in our modern age: generative AI.

• 28% of creators said they haven’t used AI tools at all
• 28% said they use an LLM for “brainstorming content ideas”
• 24% use AI for writing or editing video captions

Then the numbers drop sharply: 5% of creators use AI for video/audio editing; 5% use it for generating audio or visuals; 4% use it for “strategy or positioning”; 3% use it for analyzing content performance; 2% use it for scheduling or automating posts; and 1% use it for automating workflows.

Creators said they do not want AI for fully generating content (40%), copying their voice or likeness as a creator (14%), filming/editing (14%), scripting/outlining (8%), or engaging with their audience via generated comments etc (7%).

65% of creators said they don’t feel pressure to use AI. 26% said they feel somewhat pressured, and 9% said they feel a lot of pressure.

What about a content creator version of Tilly Norwood? We know creator content is competing with AI slop in the vertical scroll, but do creators worry about losing income to AI bots/avatars who have their own accounts, “make” videos, and “talk” to viewers in mimic of a human creator?

Ultimately, nah. 21% said they’re not concerned at all, and another 29% said they’re not very concerned. 27% said they’re somewhat concerned, and only 14% are “very concerned.” 9% said they think widespread AI usage in content creation will actually increase their own revenue.

We know this is all a lot to take in. There’s even more over at the full report. Our conclusion? Our industry is at its richest point yet in terms of content quality, brand spend, creator entrepreneurialism, and mainstream recognition–and creators are still scrappy, learning to navigate constant new developments in real time. As always, they’ll figure it out–but brands need to be willing to help pave the way.