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    This Cat Influencer Shared That They Made Over $40k In 2022, And The Transparency Is Refreshing

    "Seeing other influencers share their income made me reflect on when I started as a content creator and how it would've been helpful to know this information."

    Kailey Hansen
    by Kailey Hansen

    BuzzFeed Contributor

    Content Creator Nicole Wade isn't your typical social media influencer — she's a cat influencer! Her precious ginger feline, Honey, is the viral star of the @princesshoneybelle baking videos, which are pretty much the most wholesome, sweet, and mouthwatering videos you'll see on the Internet.

    Like many others on social media, Wade recently opened up about making a living as a content creator. In a video that's been viewed over a million times, she pounced on the pay transparency trend in hopes to shed light on the very real fluctuations of self-employment, along with the hard-earned benefits of knowing your worth when working with brands.

    @princesshoneybellex

    Pay transparency is so important, especially in social media where creators are still accepting gifts as payment. You deserve more & you are worth more! 💖 Our income is majority brand deals and merch sales, we don’t have access to TikTok creator program or any other bonuses, and this income does NOT include anything that was gifted to us (we don’t accept gifts as payment). We also only work with brands and products that we really like or use ourselves, or think our audience would enjoy. This means we turn down the majority of deals, and usually only do an average of 2 ads per month. We are grateful to be in this position to be able to choose which deals we do, and it took us many hours of hard work and investing in ourselves to get here. Here’s to a bigger and better 2023, and to more transparency in the creator community! 💖 #paytransparency #contentcreator #petinfluencer #socialmediamarketing #influencerpay #influencer #catinfluencer #whatimadein2022 #ugccreator

    ♬ The Months of the Year - The Kiboomers

    "Pay transparency is so important, especially in social media where creators are still accepting gifts as payment," the post said. "We also only work with brands and products that we really like or use ourselves. We are grateful to be in this position [...] and it took us many hours of hard work and investing in ourselves to get here. Here’s to a bigger and better 2023, and to more transparency in the creator community."

    On TikTok, Honey assisted in sharing their 2022 earnings which came to $43,137 USD ($62,355 Australian dollars) before taxes and expenses. Given the cat's massive social media following, Wade has the ability to be choosy about her partnerships. She only works with brands she loves and averages about two ads per month.

    Cat influencer Nicole Wade made $43,137 USD before taxes from brand partnerships
    @princesshoneybelle/TikTok

    The post garnered over 15,000 comments, with many viewers chiming in to say they appreciate the candid conversation surrounding salary. "Well done on promoting honest transparency in both the total [and] also the ethical reasons you work with companies," said one commenter.

    MTV / Via giphy.com

    Others lamented that their own feline has yet to earn their keep: "Why y'all not supporting me instead of me supporting you?" said one commenter of their "freeloading cats." Some even weighed in to say that Honey's baking videos earn more than their annual salary.

    Universal Pictures / Via giphy.com

    Across many industries, pay transparency is on the rise. With companies and workers adhering to this trend, it's less taboo to keep talk of salaries hush-hush. For self-employed individuals, like content creators, it can be especially difficult to know what to charge partnering brands.

    "Individuals get taken advantage of simply because they think they have no option but to accept a 'gift' in exchange for work when in reality they can be getting paid," said Wade in an interview with BuzzFeed. "Seeing other influencers share their income made me reflect on when I started as a content creator and how it would've been helpful to know this information."

    ABC / Via giphy.com

    While pay transparency can help creators or freelancers understand the typical salary in their industry, it can also show the very real month-to-month inconsistencies of being self-employed. "There is a lot of gatekeeping in the industry, and it can be difficult to know what to charge and what is possible," says Wade. "It’s also good for others to see that like any contractor job, there can be lots of fluctuations in pay."

    ABC / Via giphy.com

    For example, Wade's lowest monthly earnings totaled $346 USD in July, while her highest monthly earnings were $10,457 USD in August. 

    Wade says that those aspiring to build a personal brand that pays the bills will need to prepare to fully commit, but also remain patient. "It might take a while to earn an income," she shares. "It's helpful to connect with others that you can learn from, and help others when you can. Build genuine relationships and know your worth!"

    The content creator shared that Honey's viral videos came about when the cat was six months old and jumped onto her shoulder to watch a pie being baked. "She loves being involved in whatever we are doing, and I enjoy baking, so I decided to create a video of her as the chef," says Wade. "We had so much fun, and people seemed to enjoy it. We made it into a weekly series, and it grew from there!"

    For Wade and Honey (and Honey's feline siblings, Mocha and Kody), the most rewarding part of the job is hearing how much joy followers get from their content. "It's special to hear how it helps them get through their day, or how we inspired them to adopt a ginger kitty. It makes choosing this worth it."

    Follow Honey on TikTok and Instagram.