Earning money in this digital age doesn't require you to be a celebrity.

With the right strategies and platforms, anyone with a smartphone, some creativity, and persistence can carve out a slice of the online revenue pie.

Let's cut through the fluff and talk about real ways to monetize on and off social media platforms.

Monetizing on social media

Here are the best platforms for newsletter growth AND for getting paid to make content:

X (formerly Twitter)

Creator fund: With the introduction of the Creator Fund, X has thrown open the gates for content creators. To qualify, you need to meet some baseline criteria: 500 followers, a verified badge, and 3 million impressions over the past three months.

Once you're in, you stand to earn based on the engagement and reach your content achieves. And given that the benchmark is impressions and not likes or retweets, this is a far more attainable target than it initially seems.

Exclusive subscriptions: X now allows users to have subscribers, where creators can offer exclusive content right on the platform.

The best part?

Creators pocket 100% of the revenue. This move has turned X into a microblogging, subscriber-based platform, offering opportunities similar to Patreon but without the middleman.

TikTok

The TikTok algorithm can make videos go viral in a matter of hours. While the platform itself has a partnership program, a lesser-known fact is its payment scale for longer videos.

If you make engaging content that's longer than a minute, you can earn between $40 to $400 for every million views. With the right content strategy, this could be a game-changer.

As long as your content isn’t prohibited and you get accepted into the creator fund, you’re good to go.

Affiliate marketing

While building a personal brand, you can always insert natural affiliate links when products come up. That’s because regardless of which social media you're on, affiliate marketing remains a staple monetization strategy.

Whether you're recommending books on X, beauty products on Instagram, or tech gadgets on TikTok, using affiliate links can fetch you a commission on every sale made through your link.

Platforms like Amazon Associates, ShareASale, or ClickBank offer a myriad of products you can promote. The trick? Be genuine and recommend products you truly believe in.

Monetizing off social media

Let’s cover standard off-socials way to monetize:

Online courses

We all have unique experiences and have overcome specific challenges. There's always someone out there looking to navigate a problem you've already solved.

Platforms like Teachable, Udemy, and Kajabi make it easy to create and sell courses. Whether it's photography, creating lawn mowing businesses, or even knitting, there's an audience out there.

Newsletters

The digital renaissance of newsletters is upon us. Platforms like Substack, Revue, and ConvertKit are making it easier than ever to build and monetize an email subscriber base.

By providing consistent value, whether it's in the form of industry insights, personal stories, or curated content, you can command a loyal readership willing to pay.

But it's not just about subscriptions. With a dedicated readership, you can also bring in sponsors who'd love to get in front of your audience. Just ensure that any sponsored content aligns with your newsletter's theme and provides value to your readers.

And that’s going to be all for today’s newsletter folks…

If you want to learn more about about monetization strategies, shoot me an email and I’ll see if I can help you out. :)

Cheers,

Andrew