Earning on social media: YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and Facebook

Social media is where many people spend several hours a day. It is natural to ask: how can you earn from YouTube, TikTok, Instagram or Facebook instead of only watching other people's content? You can, but almost always more slowly than success stories suggest.

This part of the guide covers the ways people earn on social media, what requirements the platforms set, why in Lithuania what matters most is not platform payouts but sponsors and affiliate marketing, and how to label advertising correctly.

Five ways to earn on social media

How to earn from YouTube

YouTube is the only big platform that shares advertising revenue with creators in Lithuania as well. To join the YouTube Partner Program, you need 1 000 subscribers and 4 000 public watch hours in the last 12 months, or 1 000 subscribers and 10 million Shorts views in 90 days.

The audience for Lithuanian-language content is small, so advertising revenue per view is modest. Those who earn from YouTube in Lithuania usually combine several sources: advertising, sponsors, affiliate links in the description and their own products. Guides, reviews and answers to questions work best – such videos are found in search for years.

Earning on TikTok

TikTok grows an audience fastest, but direct platform payouts are not available in all countries or for all accounts – check the conditions and availability in the app. That is why earning on TikTok in Lithuania usually means sponsored posts, affiliate links in the profile and directing traffic to your own product or service.

Earning on Instagram

Instagram is a platform for sponsors and affiliate marketing. Brands look not only for big accounts: small accounts with a clear topic (nutrition, travel, handicrafts, parenting) often have a more active audience. Affiliate links can be placed in Stories, the profile link and post captions, and a discount code works even when you cannot place a link.

How to earn from Facebook

Facebook is still the biggest social network in Lithuania, especially for the audience over 30. People earn from pages and groups: by recommending products with an affiliate link, publishing sponsored posts or selling their own services. A themed group that you run can be more valuable than thousands of random followers.

Affiliate marketing: a way that does not need a million followers

Platform payouts require thousands of followers, while affiliate marketing requires only people who trust you. If in an account with 500 followers you share a product that really fits your topic, a few sales a month is a realistic result. In track.lt programmes every product comes with ready-made post texts for different networks.

Labelling advertising: mandatory

The State Consumer Rights Protection Authority (VVTAT) reminds us in its guidelines that influencers must label advertising clearly – even when it is not paid for in money but a product or service is received. The most common mistakes are unlabelled Stories and advertising of products the influencers sell themselves. If you bought the product with your own money and have a document proving it, you do not need to label it.

How long it takes

Social media is a slow road. For the first few months you create content and learn what works, and the audience grows gradually. It is realistic to expect the first income from affiliate marketing within 1–3 months, from sponsors – when the audience becomes active, from platform payouts – often only after half a year or later.

Frequently asked questions