The content creator economy is a rapidly growing industry that is estimated to be worth 100 billion dollars. As a digital content creator, you can get a piece of the pie and make money online using various content creation channels.
This includes individuals and organisations that create and distribute content, such as videos, music, blogs, and other forms of media.
As a digital content creator individual, you’re a one person media house and there’s an ever growing demand for you in the industry.
As the demand for content continues to increase, it presents a significant opportunity for creators to leverage this growth and generate revenue from their creations.
The growth of the content creator economy has been fueled by the rise of social media and the increasing use of digital platforms for sharing and distributing content.
With the right strategies and tools, content creators can tap into this growing market and build successful careers as creators.
Let’s explore the different ways in which you can make money online as a digital content creator and even become a full time content creator:
Start a Blog
Old-school? Maybe.
But blogs are still one of the most popular and effective ways for content creators to generate income from their work.
This is because people still search online for information! And that’s how most people find answers to their questions.
68% of online experiences begin with a search engine!
By creating high-quality blog content, blog content creators can attract visitors to their website and generate revenue through a variety of methods, such as advertising, affiliate marketing, and the sale of products and services.
One of the key benefits of creating a blog is the potential to rank highly on search engines, such as Google.
By creating content that is relevant to the queries of your audience, providing valuable information and solutions, and optimizing your website for search engines, you can increase the visibility of your blog.
By ranking highly on search engines, you can increase exposure for your blog and reach a wider audience, which can help you generate income from your blog!
Below is an example of a search term Mapplinks ranks #1 on that helps us generate leads:
Another way to monetize the blog traffic is via Affiliate Marketing. This is great if you don’t have your own products or services.
Affiliate marketing involves promoting products and services of other companies and earning a commission on each sale that is generated through your affiliate links.
This can be a great way for you as a digital content creator to monetize your blog without having to create your own products and services.
By partnering with different brands and including their affiliate links in your blog posts, you can earn passive income by promoting products and services that are relevant to your audience!
Make YouTube Videos
Start a Youtube channel and create videos about the topics that you’re interested in.
As a video content creator, this requires hard work and a genuine commitment of time and energy.
But it’s not just fun, it’s also rewarding!
Looking at your channel pick up is a great feeling. Here’s a screenshot of the Mapplinks YouTube channel analytics as it’s just starting to pick up!
Consistently publishing high-quality videos in terms of content and production and optimizing them is sure to see a positive response from your audience.
These days, there are many handy tools you can use to optimize your videos and rank higher in searches.
Check out TubeBuddy, which not only helps you rank higher, but also allows you to test thumbnails and cut your publishing time in half.
Get your family and friends to subscribe to your channel, build a community and work your way up from there. Through YouTube, you can make money from video sponsorships, ad revenue and brand collaborations!
Become an Influencer
Nano-influencers are individuals who have a small but highly engaged following on social media.
While they may not have the same reach as larger influencers, nano-influencers have the advantage of being able to build close relationships with their audience and provide valuable advice and recommendations.
For content creators who do not have the time or energy to invest in creating and uploading regular videos to YouTube, starting as a nano-influencer on other social media platforms, such as Instagram, can be a great way to build an audience and generate income from their work.
As a social media content creator and social influencer, you need to find your niche, find your voice, create content consistently and develop a following over time.
By first building an influence within a small community, content creators can establish themselves as an authority on a particular topic and gain the trust of their followers.
This can help content creators to generate income through brand collaborations and sponsorships, as well as to build a loyal and engaged audience.
One of the key benefits of starting as a nano-influencer is that it allows content creators to test different strategies and approaches to building an audience, without committing a significant amount of time and resources.
As per InfluencerMarketingHub, Instagram digital content creators make the following amount per post:
- Nano influencers (1000 – 10,000 followers): $10 – $100 per post
- Micro influencers (10,000 – 50,000 followers): $100 – $500 per post
- Mid-tier influencers (50,000 – 500,000 followers): $500 – $5,000 per post
- Macro influencers (500,000 – 1,000,000 followers): $5000 – $10,000 per post
- Mega influencers (1,000,000+ followers): $10,000+ per post
By starting small and building a community within a specific niche, you can gain valuable insights, generate money through brand collaborations and sponsorships, expand your reach gradually and work your way to 10k+ followers and become a micro-influencer to increase your prices.
Monetize your Instagram Content
Instagram is a popular social media platform that is used by millions of individuals and businesses around the world to share photos, videos, and other forms of content.
For content creators, Instagram can be an excellent channel for sharing their work and building an audience.
One way for you to generate income from your Instagram account is by partnering with e-commerce brands and businesses within your niche.
This can involve promoting the products or services of these companies in exchange for payment or other forms of compensation. By partnering with e-commerce brands and businesses, you can leverage your community to generate income from your Instagram account.
Content creators can charge per post or reel, which means that they receive payment for each sponsored post or reel that they create and share on their Instagram account.
This can be a great way for you to monetize your audience and generate income from your content.
Additionally, by partnering with e-commerce brands and businesses, you can also gain valuable insights and feedback that can help you create more relevant and engaging content in the future.
Again, remember to focus on building a niche.
The advantage of building a niche is that you’ll be able to attract the right brands for collaborations:
Create Paid TikTok Videos for Brands as a UGC content creator
Paid TikToks are sponsored videos on the social media platform TikTok.
These videos are created by users who have been paid by a brand or business to promote their products or services.
Paid TikToks are typically marked as sponsored content and may include a call to action for the viewer to visit the brand’s website or make a purchase.
TikTok is also an excellent way to generate traffic on your website because the cost per click is comparatively low on this platform.
UGC content is a big thing for ecommerce businesses and they pay hundreds of dollars for tiktok videos. You can become a UGC content creator to cash in on this.
By building a following on TikTok, you can then reach out to brands and small businesses and secure sponsorships for your videos!
Start your own newsletter
As a content creator, creating a newsletter is a great way to share your work with a dedicated audience and build a stronger relationship with your followers.
You can start off by determining your goals for the newsletter, whether you want to promote trendy content, share insights into a particular topic or offer exclusive content to subscribers.
On that note, make sure you sign up to my newsletter here 🙂
Then, choose a platform to host your newsletter (such as MailChimp or Campaign Monitor). Use tools such as ConvertKit and ActiveCampaign to curate engaging content which must be published consistently.
Start off by building a following amongst your family and friends, and grow from there! You can track the success rate of your newsletter and analyse how you can make it better and more targeted towards your key demographic.
Create Online Courses
Creating courses on online learning platforms, such as Udemy or Skillshare, is a popular way for individuals to make passive income.
Here’s how I make passive income if you sign up to Skillshare from my link above:
These platforms allow content creators to create and upload their own courses, which can then be purchased by students.
The courses can cover a wide range of topics, including business, technology, design, language learning, and more.
By creating and uploading courses, you can earn passive income by receiving a percentage of the course’s sale price each time it is purchased by a student.
This can be a great way for you to monetize your skills and knowledge, and build a sustainable income stream from your creations.
It’s also a great way to improve your own skills as a content creator. When you teach something, you will always understand it better yourself.
Write and Publish E-books
Writing and publishing e-books online is another popular way for individuals to make money as content creators. E-books, also known as electronic books, are digital versions of books that can be read on electronic devices, such as computers, tablets and e-readers.
By writing and publishing e-books, content creators can share their ideas and knowledge with a wider audience and earn money from their work.
There are several ways for you as a content creator to publish and sell e-books. One option is to self-publish the e-book and host it on your own platforms, such as a personal website or blog.
Here’s an example of an ebook I published on Amazon though I sold most copies on my own website:
This allows you to retain full control over the publishing process and to set your own prices for the e-book. Another option is to sell the e-book through online marketplaces, such as Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing platform.
These marketplaces provide a platform for content creators to list and sell their e-books, and often offer a range of tools and services to support the publishing process.
Overall, writing and publishing e-books can be a great way for you to monetize your knowledge and expertise, and build a sustainable income stream from your publications.
Become an Online Consultant
Consulting online is a popular way for content creators to leverage their expertise and knowledge to generate income.
By offering consulting services, content creators can provide valuable advice and guidance to businesses, organizations, or individuals who are seeking expert advice on a particular topic.
This can include offering advice on marketing strategies, business planning, personal development, and many other areas of expertise.
You can offer consulting services through a variety of online platforms, such as personal websites, social media, or online marketplaces.
By providing consulting services, you can generate income from your expertise, as well as gather ideas and insights from your clients that can be used to create new content.
For example, a content creator who offers consulting services on marketing strategies can use the ideas and feedback from their clients to create blog posts, videos or other forms of content that provide valuable insights and advice on marketing.
This can help you build a loyal audience and earn money from your expertise.
Sell Subscriptions
Packaging all of your content into a monthly subscription service is a popular way for digital content creators to generate income from their work.
By offering a subscription service, content creators can provide their audience with access to all of their content, such as videos, podcasts, blog posts, and other forms of media, in exchange for a monthly fee.
This can be a great way for content creators to build a stable and sustainable income stream from their creations.
To create a subscription service, you can use a variety of tools and platforms, such as websites, email marketing tools, and payment processing services.
I recommend using Shopify to start your own subscription business.
You can use ActiveCampaign for managing the email marketing to promote your subscription business to your list.
By offering a subscription service, you can provide your audience with exclusive access to your content, as well as additional benefits, such as discounts, early access to new content, and other perks.
This can help you build a loyal audience and to generate regular income from your work.
Additionally, by offering a subscription service, you can gain valuable insights into your audience’s preferences and interests, which can help you create more relevant and engaging content in the future.
So those are some of the best revenue streams for content creators and a way you can transition from a part time digital content creator to full time content creation.
It’s important to try different channels and then go all in on the ones you get good at and that work for you.
