Learn How To Make Money On Social Media Besides Sponsored Posts

There are two categories of creators: Those who have built up an audience already and want to start monetizing and those who see the potential that exists on social media, but don’t have much social presence yet. Are you looking for ways to make money on social media? This post explains everything you need to know about how to make money as an influencer. More and more people are shopping on social media every day. Instagram has even started rolling out a “shopping” tab for some users.

How To Gain Influence

Let me tell you something you might be surprised to hear: you probably already have influence. Start with monetizing the audience you already have.

You’ve probably heard it before, but if you’re speaking to everyone – you’re speaking to no one. You need a niche. My first question for you is: who is your ideal follower? You need to define your specific target market and go after them!

Make sure your audience is engaging – posting high-quality photos with captions that include a call-to-action are more likely to get a response. People want to know you, relate to you and like you. Don’t let the fear that “someone won’t like you” deter you from posting though because here’s the thing – your tribe will find you. Your audience will likely be people who are very similar to you, living in a very similar life phase and with similar taste to you. When you start to feel that imposter syndrome creep up and feel like “who would ever want to follow me”, just remember that you have value! You have valuable content that others care to see. Learn how to make money on social media by taking advantage of these similarities!

Gaining influence often means gaining followers and that’s when the work comes in – see here how I grew my Instagram from 1,000 to 23,000 followers in just one year! And now I’m up close to 50k followers! It’s one thing to grow your following, but it’s another to know how to monetize it!

Let’s Talk Sponsored Posts

Don’t worry, we’ll get to the alternatives to make money on social media, but I do feel it’s important to touch on the topic of sponsored posts. Brands have realized that today’s consumers trust social proof and recommendations more than traditional marketing like billboards or internet ads. You’ve likely seen sponsored posts in your Instagram feed already. The best influencers can make their sponsored posts look like a regular feed post. It fits into their content seamlessly because they’ve identified brands that fit for their audience.

You can find sponsored post collaborations through influencer networks or pitch directly. An influencer network connects influencers that are looking for partnerships with brands that are looking for partnerships. These platforms are a great place to start. Some of my favorites include Tribe and Popular Pays.

Another way to connect with brands for sponsored posts is to send them a DM or email their PR department with a pitch.

Here are some examples of sponsored posts I’ve done:

Remember, you do need to disclose if a post is sponsored or includes commissionable links.

Learn How to Make Money on Social Media with Affiliate Programs

Affiliate programs pay you through commission when someone buys a product using your personalized link or code.

RewardStyle & LikeToKnowIt, now rebranded as LTK, is the number one affiliate link platform for influencers. If you’re already on LTK, see here how to grow your LTK in five easy steps. If you’re not on LTK, here is my step-by-step guide to getting started! Do you need an invite to LTK? I’m happy to refer you! Send me an email at hello@lovedbykait.com.

For some brands, it is actually more beneficial to enroll in their branded affiliate program because you get a much higher rate. For example, I am an affiliate of Perfect Supplements and their commission rate is 5x higher than I’d get through a third party affiliate website linking the same products.

Many platforms also have their own partner programs that you can enroll in, like Youtube and Instagram Reels. These are rolling out more and more as social media platforms try to help content creators get paid for their content. I don’t know about you, but I’m on board! I’ve seen content creators making upwards of $2500 in a month just for posting Reels. That’s a yes from me!

Sell A Product

If you run a side hustle or are involved with network marketing, Instagram is a great place for you to connect with new customers! Promote your small business through social media and connect with your existing customers in a new and exciting way.

If you’re an influencer and don’t want to be involved with network marketing, there are still other ways to make money. Sell something on Etsy or create a journal that you sell to your followers.

Digital products offer an advantage: you don’t have to hold inventory or ship out a product! If you have a wealth of knowledge on a subject, put it into and ebook or course and make some passive income. Are you a musician? You can sell your music online. Are you a photographer? Sell your images as stock photos. Promote your digital products on social media (for free!) and start building your customer base and your income.

Sell A Service

What are you already good at? What are your marketable skills? Use your platform to gain new customers. Create interesting, valuable, and educational content to draw people in and start building a community. Facebook groups are a great way to cultivate your community and start getting to know the people who really want to hear from you. You can even get certified and become a coach in your field!

Not into coaching someone? Let’s figure out what you’re good at and where your knowledge lies so you can make money on social media too. Now this is where people start to tell me “I’m not good at anything.” … Okay Karen, I’m not believing that for a second! You don’t need to be an expert at something to help someone else. If you know how to get from step A to G like a pro and your ideal client is stuck on step A or B, you ARE the expert to them. Keep that in mind as you start to think of monetization ideas.

Make Money on Social Media by Starting A Youtube Channel

Youtube makes passive income accessible for digital creators like you. Don’t be afraid to get in front of the camera! Now Youtube and video content creation are their own beast, but for many people, it’s worth committing the time and effort to putting together a successful Youtube channel. Like any other social media network, consistency is key. Once you hit 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 hours of watch time, you can start earning money when people watch your Youtube videos through Adsense.

Write Blog Posts

Having a blog or some sort of home page on the web is important – we’ve all seen Instagram’s servers go down. Give your followers a hub to find you – and start to monetize that hub! You can share affiliate links in blog posts, increasing the opportunity to earn commission through affiliate programs. If your website becomes big enough, advertisers will take notice and you can start earning passive income through ads! Not only can you write blog posts on your own website, but you can join partner programs like Medium to monetize your writing.

In the end, what will increase your income the most is hard work and consistency. Success doesn’t happen overnight. You’ve got this! Feel free to reach out to me if I can help along the way – I’m rooting for you!