
Kolsquare, a prominent influencer marketing platform, sought to expand its insights beyond platform data by listening directly to content creators. Kolsquare aimed to understand its work, earnings, and collaborations in 2025, especially as AI, burnout, and ethical influence are reshaping the industry.
Kolsquare needed credible, comparative data across five European markets and the UK market to underpin a high-impact thought leadership campaign.
Kolsquare partnered with NewtonX to conduct a quantitative survey of 783 verified content creators across France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK, and the Nordics. NewtonX used its custom recruiting engine and B2B survey expertise to ensure the sample’s quality and relevance.
Namely, all respondents were required to have over 5,000 followers on at least one platform, have completed at least one brand collaboration in the past year, and maintain an active presence in their regional creator economy.
This rigorous approach ensured a clean and reliable dataset, forming the foundation for Kolsquare’s “Voices of the Creator Economy 2025” report.
Kolsquare launched the “Voices of the Creator Economy 2025” report in July 2025, establishing it as a flagship research asset. It delivered insights such as:
Burnout is widespread: 65% of creators reported feeling stressed, attributing it to content pressure, tight deadlines, and the challenge of juggling content creation with full-time jobs.
Gender pay gap persists: The data revealed a significant disparity, with 38% of women earning less than €500 per month compared to only 23% of men; men dominated the higher income tiers.
AI is mainstream: 72% of creators are regularly using AI for various tasks, including ideation, editing, SEO, and analytics, with Spain and Italy leading in AI adoption.
Values over money: Creators consistently prioritized shared values and ethical considerations over compensation when evaluating potential brand collaborations.
Niche is rising: 54% of creators identified the increasing demand for micro and niche influencers as the most significant growth opportunity in the industry.
The “Voices of the Creator Economy 2025” report sparked engagement and helped solidify Kolsquare’s leadership in responsible influence. The study opened up essential conversations with creators, agencies, and brands around mental health, pay equity, and the role AI plays in content creation.
Kolsquare brought these insights to the stage at MAD//Fest London, leading a featured session on creator stress and the gender pay gap.
The report also generated industry buzz, earning press coverage in The Drum, Performance Marketing World, and other top publications.
The study became a cornerstone for Kolsquare’s market credibility—and showcased the power of NewtonX creator access in a fragmented, rapidly evolving industry.
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