Build an audience first.

Here's the TLDR of how content creators become business owners: we create content we’re passionate about, build and engage with a supportive community, and generate multiple streams of income through AdSense, brand deals, merchandise, subscriptions, etc.

When I started creating content in 2016, it was an attempt to use food and poetry as therapeutic outlets, and I wanted to document the growth I was making in my mental wellness journey. Cooking and writing were and still are two of my greatest joys. My hobbies became more enjoyable when I discovered how to make money from my recipe videos on YouTube and the accompanying website that housed my poems – thefufucafe.com. I’ll share why I transitioned out of the food niche in a later post on asamorse.com; for now, let’s discuss how you can make money as a content creator or influencer. 

The first order of business is to cultivate and build a following or community that you can engage with and sell to. Many people presume you have to have a large fanbase to start making money from your content, but that could not be further from the truth. You can start making money from as few as 1000 followers, especially if you have a skill you share knowledge in and a product you sell.

Many creators and influencers create content consistently to build an audience – whether it’s one thousand or one million followers. The important thing is to have an engaged community. You have to immerse yourself as a creative, others to engage with you, you know? Do you need help clarifying your next steps when building your audience? Please don’t hesitate to contact us, and we’ll schedule a free strategy call.

After building an engaged community or fanbase, multiple paths lead to various income streams for creators and influencers.

1.      Sponsorships

Brand deals or brand sponsorships make up the bulk of many creators’ and influencers’ income. This is when we insert our custom-made advertisement for third-party businesses that have contracted us for this deal. Sometimes, the payment is in the form of cash. Sometimes it’s free products, and sometimes it’s both. The amount you (or your manager) can bargain for in a brand deal depends on the number of followers/subscribers you have and, more importantly, your engagement rate. The higher the two numbers are, the higher you can negotiate.

2.      Merchandise

Content creators and influencers (I’ll use “creatives” from here on) also sell merchandise. Some create their art and sell it on merchandise websites (it’s best to sell on your website), while others hire graphic designers to create the prints. The most common merchandise creatives sell are t-shirts, mugs, and stationery products that are easy to print on and ship.  

3.      Product Lines

After building a considerably large audience (500k and up), many creatives launch their product lines. This is most common in the beauty and food niches. Online courses and other digital products are also widespread.

4.      Native Platforms

How much money creatives make on native platforms is a contentious topic – this can be the bulk of some creatives’ revenue, while others don’t even count this revenue stream. Whether you’re part of the YouTube partnership program or monetized on TikTok, having at least one other income stream is best. But it’s always a good idea to become monetized on the native platform you create content on, then branch out. For example, if you’re on Instagram, they allow creatives to make money from reels!

5.      Affiliate Marketing

Companies contact creatives to use links featuring their products/services. Creatives are paid when people click on those links and buy products on those links. These affiliate links can be found in YouTube video descriptions, blog posts, tagged feed posts, and comment sections.

6.      Memberships

What if you make NSFW content? Can you still monetize your work? Absolutely! There are many paywall platforms creatives use. The most popular platforms are Patreon and Onlyfans. What if your content is safe for work, and you want to monetize your subscriptions? Platforms like Podia, Thinkific, and Kajabi allow you to create and share entire courses with your community.

Conclusion

This is not an exhaustive list; creatives monetize their content in many other ways. And as content creation becomes more mainstream, we’ll discover even more revenue streams. Which revenue stream are you taking advantage of next? Don’t hesitate to reach out; we can craft a content strategy for monetization this year. And remember, you don’t need a large following to start making money from your content. Let’s create a marketing plan best suited for you, the content you create, and the community you’re cultivating.