80% of Content Creators are Burnt Out, Struggle with Mental Health According to New Awin Group Survey Research

Awin and ShareASale, the fastest-growing affiliate marketing platforms in North America, announced  the results of its survey focused on the level of burnout content creators and online influencers are experiencing and what is driving it. Results of the survey showed nearly 80% of respondents suffer from burnout, with 66% saying it impacts their mental health, driving just under half (49%) to rely on alternative income streams to alleviate the stress and anxiety. Also Read: Fandom Acquires Leading Entertainment & Gaming Brands Including Gamespot, TV Guide And Metacritic Instagram was reported as the primary platform driving burnout according to 71% of respondents, with half saying the burnout was significant on the platform. In addition, over half (54%) of respondents said resources available from the platforms to cope with burnout have been no help at all, so they have found other ways to cope, including relying on other streams of income, dedicating specific times for posting and scheduling time off. In addition, over half (56%) of the influencers surveyed acknowledge that the pandemic has increased levels of burnout overall, while 53% admit their passion for content creation has decreased in the past year. About two-thirds (66%) of the surveyed content creators say burnout is impacting their mental health.

Top reasons for creator burnout include:

• 72% cited constant platform changes;
• 64% said it was due to a lack of quality and creativity;
• 58% of respondents felt burnout due to always being on social media;
• 47% noted it was the pressure of losing followers; and
• 44% said it was the pressure of making money on the platforms.

“As a company that partners with content creators, we wanted to better understand how the current social climate is impacting their mental health. Not surprisingly, there is a clear pattern of burnout among creators and many feel there is little support from social platforms to help them cope,“ said Carissa Finders, Influencer Partnerships Manager, Awin Group. “In order to combat the anxiety and burnout, brands will need to work closely with creators to develop the best resources for them to passionately create and engage their audiences. Our goal in working with our creators is to facilitate these brand partnerships to make sure the creation and execution of influencer campaigns continue to be as smooth as possible for both parties.”

With more than 33k content creators on both the Awin and ShareASale platforms, the Awin Group works with influencers in B2B and B2C industries. Awin surveyed over 300 creators to determine their mental health and burnout status, and how they work across major social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook. The majority of respondents are female between 25-44 years of age and use Instagram (92%), followed by TikTok (52%), Facebook (44%), and YouTube (31%). More than half of the respondents have between one thousand and five thousand followers.