For a newbie influencer, there is just one way to make money as a content creator – brand collaborations. And that is true up to a point.
You post a Reel, a Story, a tweet, or even a static image or two showcasing a brand, and in return, you get compensated. This is the most basic way to make money on social media. But it is not the only way.
What are some other ways to make money as a creator besides paid posts?
There are plenty of avenues you can utilise to monetise your influence. For instance, you could sell custom branded content that a company can use any way they want, from billboards to social media ads. That’s what we explore here: alternative methods of earning money as a content creator.
Be a brand advocate
We said it once, and then we repeated it for emphasis. Be a brand advocate, not an influencer. A brand advocate is someone who genuinely loves a brand or product.
And because they are fans of it or already use it, their content is genuine. This makes the fit between the creator and the brand natural and authentic, which gives the brand a reason to form a long-term relationship.
In other words, while an influencer gets paid for just one post, a brand advocate can earn for a longer time, typically on a retainer basis.
Review new products
To create authentic content, you need to use products. That much is a given. But as beginners, you rarely have the moolah to splurge. Cue in product reviews.
You buy a product, you talk about it to your community through Facebook, Zomato, YouTube, Amazon, or Google, and the brand reimburses you. Not just for the product or service, but also for the review.
Why do brands pay reviewers? Because the majority of consumers prefer to buy a product after reading what others have to say about it. So, a good, honest, and earnest review from you helps them find more customers.
Think of affiliate marketing
Most creators are paid a lump sum amount for their content. In a few cases, the payment model is CPE, or cost per engagement, where the creator receives an X amount for X number of actions taken by users.
Affiliate marketing is a bit different. Here you earn a percentage of every sale made. Say you post an Instagram Story with a link to a wooden toothbrush and a unique coupon code. Now assume 1000 people use that link and code to buy that toothbrush.
In a normal brand collaboration, you get paid for the Story. In affiliate marketing, you earn every time someone buys the toothbrush. This commission-based earning offers a steadier source of income. The best part? It’s not limited to social networks. Amazon, Flipkart, and Shopify offer affiliate programs too.
Try blogging or writing guest posts
Today’s content creators are version 2.0. The very first creators were bloggers. The trend of long-form content that gives detailed information to a community is coming back.
So, if you want to earn more as a creator, try sponsored blog posts or even guest posts. The rule here is that the blog must be in-depth and offer real information to readers. You can even add shoppable links to the product in your blog post and earn even more through affiliate marketing.
Create courses, guides, and programs
Being a content creator means you are an expert in a particular niche, topic or passionate about a cause. Use that knowledge to earn more through e-products. These can be anything from an e-book on how to start blogging to Canva templates for Instagram Stories, to workout programs for pregnant women, to a course on how to set up a home studio.
These courses, guides, and programs are easy to make, and you can sell them through your social media or DYT. You create a course, upload it on DYT, and people pay you for access to it.
Branch into audio content
When we say content, most of us think of images, videos, or text. But the birth and popularity of Clubhouse has finally changed this picture. Content now includes audio. Podcasts and audiobooks are the two most common ways to earn money. You ask listeners for a small fee to listen to or download the podcast episode or book.
Innumerable ways to make money as a content creator
There are a dozen ways content creators can make money right now. And for most of them, you don’t even have to move beyond the confines of social networks. We talk more about how here.
We bid you adieu with one piece of advice. Dig deep into the channels you already use, be it Twitter or DYT. Once you exhaust those, move on to the ideas listed here. And, just in case, you have more ways to earn money, share them in the comments and do the creator community a solid.
