How much non-professionals earn on Pornhub as couple become most viewed amateurs of the year

It's no secret that the adult entertainment industry can be a pretty lucrative business for its biggest stars.

At the height of her career, Riley Reid earned up to $12,000 (£9,480) for one shoot and the award-winning adult film star has an estimated net worth of a whopping $19 million (£15 million).

But what about the amateurs out there doing it for themselves?

On Pornhub, anyone can earn some cash filming adult content with their amateur program, uploading content and making money through free-to-view videos.

Take Yiny and Leon - better known by their stage name Yinyleon - for example.

They are a married couple who became Pornhub's most-viewed amateurs in 2022.

Over the years, they have uploaded hundreds of videos onto the site and have racked up more than 1.2 billion views.

The earnings of the most viewed amateur couple on PornHub have been revealed (Nikos Pekiaridis/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

In an 2022 interview with BuzzFeed News, the couple opened up about how much money they earn from their videos.

During their first month on the platform, they had earned more than $2,000 (£1,581).

And as their fanbase continued to grow in size, Yiny and Leon have since been able to fund their lifestyles almost entirely through their earnings from the site.

They say they are now raking in between $15,000 (£11,850) and $25,000 (£19,760) a month for their content.

According to the site, creators earn a cut of the ad revenue generated by their videos by signing up and joining the 'Amateur Model Program'.

This is dependent on the video's performance, which is determined by its views and rating, and creators can expect to rake in $0.69 (55p) per 1000 views.

While that may seem like a meagre offering for your dirty work, it can soon add up.

Pornhub's most viewed amateurs Yiny and Leon earn up to $25,000 (£19,760) a month from the platform (YouTube/Chente Ydrach Clips)

In their interview, Yiny explained that they were inspired to pursue an adult entertainment career after watching a YouTube clip of a couple who'd enjoyed incredible success.

"We were always very sexual, and we said, 'Let’s do porn,'" she recalled.

Speaking of their own success, Leon said: "It’s ridiculous. I was in the military for 13 years, but I left because what I made in the Army in a year, here I make in a month and a half, two months."

But not everyone is so lucky, however.

Earlier this year, former porn star Lana Rhoades shared the shocking amount she was paid per scene during an appearance on the Curious Mike YouTube talk show.

Despite reaching fame during her eight-month stint in the job, her bank account didn’t reflect her popularity, with Rhoades making a measly $1,200 (£972) for each sex scene she filmed.