How Micro Content Creators Make Money
Many people dream of starting a YouTube channel, TikTok feed or Instagram account to become an influencer. The internet has made this possible, and it’s not as hard as it sounds to make money through content creation.
Influencers can earn six figures or more annually through a variety of income streams. Insider spoke with multiple influencers who make a living from their content.
Brand Collaborations
Brand collaborations are one of the best ways to monetize your content and make money as a creator. By partnering with brands that align with your message and values, you can provide your audience with quality products and services. Whether you are looking to increase sales, grow your reach, or build awareness, there is a brand out there that can help.
Having a clear vision and strategy for your brand will allow you to find the right partners to work with. It’s important to remember that not all brands are created equal, so it is crucial that you do your research and find a company that values you as much as you value them.
Some brand collaborations are simple product exchanges, while others are more elaborate campaigns. When collaborating with a brand, it is important to be transparent about what you expect from the campaign and how much time you will spend on it.
For example, if the brand is asking you to create an elaborate video that will take days or even weeks to plan and film, then you should be compensated fairly for your time and effort. It is also important to only partner with brands that you trust and have a positive relationship with. Otherwise, you may risk alienating your audience and damaging your credibility as a creator.
Sponsored Posts
Sponsored posts are one of the easiest ways for content creators to make money. Brands can pay to promote their products or services to your audience through a sponsored post on social media platforms like Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok. It can be challenging to figure out how much to charge for a sponsored post, and there are many factors that influence the rate you should charge. For example, your engagement rate is a key factor, as well as the size of your audience and how well-known you are in your niche.
You can also earn money through affiliate marketing by sharing a product or service with your followers through unique referral links that track clicks and sales. This type of monetization allows you to earn a commission on every sale, making it a great way to make extra income from your content creation business.
It’s not just big influencers who can monetize their content in this way, as many smaller content creators have landed sponsored post deals that pay them 5-figures. YouTube content creators are also making 6-figures or more annually through ad revenue on their videos, and even platforms like TikTok and Facebook are starting to offer ad revenue shares to their content creators. Merchandise sales are another lucrative monetization strategy, and some content creators have built their businesses around selling products related to their niche.
Sponsored Content
Sponsored content is a type of native advertising. The concept is that influencers partner with brands to create sponsored posts, videos and other assets that are then woven into the media that audiences already enjoy viewing.
The goal of sponsored content is to drive brand awareness and conversions among an audience that’s already predisposed to the brand’s message. It’s important for brands to work with influencers who have a following that aligns with their demographic, so the content created can feel natural and authentic.
When executed well, sponsored content can be highly effective. The problem is that it’s difficult to identify as promotional content, which can be a deterrent to some potential viewers. Fortunately, the industry is evolving, and new technologies are making it easier for creators to deliver sponsored content that’s recognizable as such.
YouTube, for example, offers a suite of tools called Brand Connect to help influencers and brands collaborate on sponsored content campaigns. And platforms like Snapchat and Facebook are experimenting with similar features to make it easier for creators to monetize their content with ads. For instance, TikTok’s ad-revenue-share program allows some creators to earn as much as $700 a month per video. This has helped some creators grow their income streams to six figures or more. The content-creator ecosystem has never been more diversified, which is a good thing for creators and the brands that work with them.
Affiliate Marketing
There are a number of ways content creators can make money as an affiliate. They can promote products through their blog or website using a special link (you know the kind with a long “/ref…” tail). They can also add product recommendations to their videos. If someone clicks through and buys a product, the affiliate earns a commission.
Many brands and retailers have affiliate programs. They provide content creators with a personalized link or code and pay them for every sale driven by their content. For example, beauty influencers can use their Instagram feed to feature and review specific makeup products from a brand like Sephora, earning a cut of each sale made by followers who click on the link or code in the post.
Other forms of affiliate marketing include paid search, which involves bidding on keywords to appear as a top result on search engines, and PPC (pay-per-click) advertising, in which you pay for each click through to your website. It can be a lucrative opportunity, but it takes time to build up your following and ensure you have the right content to attract customers.
Some content creators also create their own branded merchandise to sell to their audience. This can be anything from a deck of affirmation cards to a t-shirt or plushy. Some creators, such as lifestyle influencer Aisha Beau Frisbey and DIY influencer Emma Downer, have even launched their own product lines.