There are 6 main ways to earn money through social media.
- sponsored content - this is where a company pays a set amount for you to publish content on your social platforms or blog promoting their products or services to your audience.
- affiliate marketing - You share affiliate links in your content (blog posts, videos, instagram bio or swipe-up stories) and earn a commission when someone buys something.
- ad revenue - you can earn money by displaying ads on your blog or during your youtube videos, generally only when you have a high volume of traffic.
- content creation - Content creators get paid to make visual content for brands. This could be through photography, videography, custom graphics, animations, etc.
- social media management - where brands pay you to manage their social media accounts, which could include curating content, scheduling posts, writing captions, community management, etc.
- selling your own products or services - social media can be used to sell your own products and services from launching a clothing line or ecommerce business, selling services like coaching or personal training, etc
Then there are 5 main career paths:
- blogger
- influencer
- content creator
- social media manager
- using your skills to build your own business
These are broad categories, but many people have a career that’s a little bit in multiple categories. There are pros and cons to each pathway, so to help you decide the right path for you this video will dig into what to expect with each option.
Becoming an influencer or blogger requires months if not years of unpaid work building up your personal brand and your following, but eventually becomes a huge asset that you can leverage through multiple different revenue streams. Read more about income potential as a blogger or influencer in our recent blog post.
Content creation and social media management on the other hand are skills that you can start using to earn an income right away, enabling you to become a digital nomad and work from anywhere or build up a side hustle to earn some extra cash.
Many people choose to do both – they start with content creation and/or social media management so that they can start earning money as soon as the course ends, and use that to support themselves while they build up their personal brand.