New Report: Affiliate is Gen Z's Preferred Monetization Model

A new survey from Collective Voice reveals Gen Z creators are building their businesses with affiliate tools that prioritize speed, simplicity, and scale, favoring recurring income streams over one-off brand deals.

SAN FRANCISCO, July 8, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- A new report from Collective Voice, a leading creator monetization platform connecting over 140,000 creators and 22,000 brands, reveals a generational shift in how creators approach monetization. The 2025 Monetization Trends Among Next-Gen Creators Report reveals that 92% of creators, across all generations, view content creation as a professional pursuit rather than a side hustle, stating that affiliate is the core of how they will build their business.

Gen Z is ushering in a new era of business-first creators who prioritize speed, simplicity, and affiliate tools to monetize quickly, rather than relying on traditional brand deals, subscription models, or co-creation models.

"Millennials adapted to the rise of creator platforms, but Gen Z was born into them. That shift matters," said Clair Sidman, vice president of Marketing at Collective Voice. "Gen Z starts their creator journey with baked-in expectations around earning potential. They're choosing affiliate models because they offer flexible, repeatable income without waiting for brand deals."

The report in partnership with Suzy shows that when millennial and Gen Z creators consider success, it's based on meaningful connection. According to the data, 26% of creators define success as building an engaged community, the most common definition across both Gen Z and Millennial respondents. By contrast, only 3% define success by brand deals and just 2% by work-life balance, underscoring a shift away from vanity metrics toward purpose-driven growth, authenticity, and lasting impact.

Key Findings from the 2025 Monetization Trends Among Next-Gen Creators Report

• Content Creation Is a Career: 92% of creators, across all generations, view content creation as a professional pursuit rather than a side hustle, stating that affiliate is the core of how they will build their business.
• Affiliate as Main Income Stream: Approximately 64% of creators use shoppable content to supplement their income, while fewer than 30% rely on it as their primary revenue source.
• Education Matters: Over half of Gen Z respondents have less than one year of experience with affiliate platforms, underscoring a need for better mentorship and platform support.
• Community Over Vanity Metrics: For Gen Z creators, cultivating a passionate and engaged community is the ultimate measure of success. Factors such as personal impact, authenticity, and audience engagement are viewed as more significant than vanity metrics and financial gain.
• Diverging Affiliate Strategies: While Millennials seek to diversify their revenue streams through multiple sources, including merchandise, subscriptions, and ad revenue, Gen Z creators tend to focus more narrowly on native affiliate payout referrals and seamless product integrations.
• Skeptical of Paywalls: Gen Z creators overwhelmingly prefer affiliate tools with flexibility and transparency over subscription and gated content models.

In response to these trends, Collective Voice has launched new product innovations, programming, and tools designed specifically for emerging creators:

• Shop the Look automated DM replies with affiliate links, allowing creators to earn instantly when followers comment on posts or during lives.
• Creator-in-Residence Program, a flagship initiative designed to equip emerging creators with the tools, strategies, and mentorship needed to grow a sustainable affiliate business. This creator-led program offers real-time support through live workshops, platform tutorials, and ongoing guidance, empowering creators to monetize effectively from day one.

"For Gen Z, speed, simplicity, and control aren't optional - they're expected," Sidman added. "Emerging creators want tools that are effortless, instant, and designed for momentum. This survey reinforces what we're seeing every day: features like fast link creation, transparent analytics, and creator-led education are essential to building sustainable creator businesses."

Read the full 2025 Monetization Trends Among Next-Gen Creators Report here.

About Collective Voice
Collective Voice is a content monetization platform built for modern creators. Home to over 140,000 creators and 22,000 brands, Collective Voice provides affiliate tools, brand partnerships, and education that help creators earn on their terms. With features like link-in-bio storefronts, automated direct messages (DMs), and real-time analytics, Collective Voice is pioneering a more inclusive and intuitive future for the creator economy. www.collectivevoice.com

About Suzy

Founded in 2018, Suzy is changing the way research gets done by integrating quantitative analysis, qualitative analysis, conversational research and high quality audiences into a single connected platform powered by AI. Suzy enables teams to conduct iterative, efficient research with agency-quality rigor at a fraction of the cost of traditional market research. Suzy has been recognized on Forbes' list of America's Best Startup Employers in 2022, Inc. Magazine's list of Best Workplaces of 2022 & 2023, Inc. Magazine's Top 5000 list in 2024, GRIT's Top 50 Most Innovative Suppliers in Market Research and a Top 25 Innovator in 2024 by the Insights Association. Suzy has raised over $100 million in venture capital funding from investors that include Bertelsmann Digital Media Investments, Foundry Group, H.I.G. Capital, Rho Ventures, North Atlantic Capital, Tribeca Venture Partners, Triangle Peak Partners, and Kevin Durant's 35 Ventures. Learn more at www.suzy.com.

Media Contact:
Tiffany Knighten
[email protected]

SOURCE Collective Voice