Anyone can make money as a content creator. Whether you’re a photographer or blogger, if you have something useful to offer, you can share it with the world and make money from it.
Making money as a content creator has always been a struggle, but hopefully, the struggle stops now. Content creators have a high value for the internet. Every time we visit a news site, blog, online magazine, or community forum, we read articles from content creators.
They share their knowledge and experience with us in the form of articles, images, and videos. In turn, we appreciate their work by sharing it on social media or by buying products they recommend.
Besides, in this increasingly digital world, content creators bridge the gap between brands and potential customers. Are you new to content creation or do you want to make more money creating content? This guide will give you effective tips on how to make money as a content creator.
Who is a Content Creator?
A content creator is a person with a creative idea that can be translated into creative work. Creative work can be a text, a digital video, an illustration – basically anything creative – with the author’s personality and style.
In addition, content creators help other people or businesses grow through the strategic use of their content.
So how can you make money creating content?
1. Get an Affiliate Program and Get a Commission for Sales
This is probably the best way to make money as a content creator, but only if you have good traffic. On your website, you can present information about a company and offer a link for people to purchase the product themselves.
You can also be creative by developing videos that promote the product or service. This would be something that you would want to send out to news stations and offer as an advertisement. Getting involved with an affiliate program will help you to make money as an independent content creator.
Also, it will cut out the need for any other expenses aside from maintaining your own website. Furthermore, a lot of websites, companies, and brands offer commission and pay anyone who brings them a customer.
Not only do they pay you, but if you use one of their referral links to help you track sales, then they sometimes give you a bonus for that as well
SEE: Best paying affiliates programs
2. Sell Custom or Stock Photos
Photographers have a very large, open market since most buyers don’t care where the pictures come from, as long as they’re fascinating and usable. Licensing your work provides a lot of opportunities for you to make money.
If you like to take photos and have good photography skills, you should consider selling your photos online. Selling custom or stock images is a great passive income stream. Consider 500px.com for commercial photos and Unsplash for non-attributive photos.
To sell these images as stock photography or as commercial photography, you need to find a niche within a niche. As an example, if my goal was to sell photographs of cars, I would take photos of cars with a certain feature or each car in a unique setting.
You could also focus on certain kinds of cars such as racing cars or roadsters.
SEE: How to make money with photography
3. Offer Your Services as a Consultant
I’m often asked, “how do you make money as a content creator?” It’s all about the business of content creation. Yes, there’s blogging, video, podcasting, but if that’s all you do then that will not do much for making money as a content creator.
You can also work as a content consultant to help businesses or individuals create and market content. We live in an age where people are looking for experts. You can position yourself as an expert by taking on some consulting gigs.
Whether you’re an expert in social media marketing, SEO, or customer service, there are plenty of people willing to pay for your services. It also helps you establish credibility within your niche or industry.
4. Sell Opinion-Based Pieces
You can make money online by offering your thought-provoking opinions or reviews. If people find them valuable, they will pay you. What is an opinion piece? It refers to content that you write to persuade readers to agree with your opinions or support your stance.
It is difficult to write an opinion piece as it requires the reader to relate to the writer’s emotion and passion for the topic, but it can be easier than you think. Since people are always looking for someone who will give them green lights to do something, these pieces are always in demand.
If you’re in a niche that is competitive, you need to create content that helps your audience find success in that niche.
SEE: How to get paid for opinions
5. Teach Content Creation Online
Have a knack for teaching? Capitalize on it. Content creation is an in-demand skill in the workplace. Thus, there’s a lot of demand for people who can create digital content.
Many people don’t know how to use a simple content creation software like Canva. Using online education platforms such as Udemy or Teachable, you can teach courses about how to use different tools that can be used to create great designs more efficiently.
There are always going to be people who want to learn, so you will make money. You can teach the strategies that you used to turn your existing blog into an income-making machine.
You can also guide them through launching their own blog, or point them toward content creation courses that they can do on their own. There are a lot of options to make money here.
SEE: How to create an online course like a professional
6. Get Sponsorships
Having a robust and engaging social media following is a sure-fire way to potentially get paid for your work. However, it’s not the only way. If you’re an attention-grabbing personality who knows how to spread your content virally, there are plenty of ways to get paid for that talent.
Channels and blogs are suitable for sponsorship by many companies, organizations, or individuals who are capitalizing on the popularity of the Internet.
You’ve got to live with your audience, uncover their pain points and solve them one by one. Getting sponsored is the best way to reach them with your content. It’s also one of the best ways to make money as a content creator.
SEE: How To Make Money With Your Social Media Followers
7. Give Paid Shoutouts on Social Media
The sad truth is that all social media celebrities need money. The good news is that this need translates very well into the possibility of content creators getting paid to promote products for companies. If you are a content creator, you can make money as a digital influencer.
Shoutouts are a form of endorsement which means you promote someone else’s business for a price. It is best to use paid shoutouts when you have thousands of followers on social media. There is always a surge of paid shoutouts on social media.
As a content creator, you can charge for putting your products in front of more eyes through your social media channels. Just make sure you are genuine when promoting them to avoid any backlash.
SEE: How to make money as an influencer
8. Handle Branded Accounts for Businesses or Celebrities
Create, manage and grow accounts for clients that contain more than just self-branding of themselves or personal promotion. These accounts require that the content creator builds trust with the followers by providing good content and engaging with the audience.
Businesses and celebrities pay a lot of money to content creators because they know they understand how to build a loyal following. When done, you hand over the access and move on to another account. You can charge a monthly fee for this service. Reportedly up to $500 or more per month.
9. Write Reviews or Test New Products
With so many products being released in the market today, there is a good chance a product manufacturer will send a free sample out to a blogger in hopes of getting a review.
Everyone has an opinion, and there are a lot of them on the Internet. If you’re a gamer, a bookworm, a techie, a fashionista – whatever your niche, you’re going to have something to say.
As a content creator, there are plenty of opportunities to make some extra money just talking about whatever it is that interests you.
SEE: Websites that pay you to review products
10. Write Guest Posts for Bigger Blogs
Guest blogging is getting popular day by day. Not only does it extends your audience, but also you can get paid some extra cash. The more the number of backlinks you have, the better are your chances of being ranked higher on Google.
This is a great way to raise your profile on sites with larger followings and more credibility than yours right now. You need to establish yourself as an expert with the larger blogs and demonstrate that you can write useful posts for your readers.
SEE: The nitty-gritty guide on how to vet guest bloggers
How Much Money Can You Make as a Content Creator?
A content creator can expect to make around $30,000 to $70,000 per year. Nonetheless, the money you can make as a content creator is entirely up to you.
The most successful content creators out there have a unique voice, a passionate audience, and the skills and aptitude to attract new fans on an ongoing basis.
FAQs
Why is a content creator important in today’s marketing strategy?
Developing a successful content strategy is critical in today’s marketing world. Content creation is key to generating the type of audience you want for your business. The audience will become more engaged, which can lead to increased profitability.
When it comes to reaching your target market, businesses want their audience to choose them over their competition, and this is achieved through an engaging and interesting story. You can provide this story by establishing yourself or your business as a content creator.
SEE: Why your content marketing strategy isn’t working and how to fix it
Is a content creator the same thing as a blogger?
No, there is a difference. While you can be both, they are different titles. A content creator is a much broader term than a blogger and the job title could encompass any type of person creating content in today’s Internet world.
Do you really need to use affiliate links to make money as a content creator?
Yes. In this day and age, making money as a content creator is more competitive than ever. You don’t have to use affiliate links, but you will make money more quickly if you do.
Affiliate links give potential buyers a path to a merchant’s website where they can learn more about your recommendation and potentially buy a product.
Final Thoughts
With the rise of YouTubers (not to mention the kids, pets, and even hamsters also making money online), becoming an online content creator seems like an easy way to make money. But how exactly do you make money as a content creator?
With the low barrier to entry to the industry, it’s important to know what avenues are out there (and there are many) before jumping into one without doing your homework. Here are the top legit ways to make money as a content creator. Take your pick and get started.
Now that you know how to make money as a content creator, you know you need to set up a payment platform to receive your cash flow. PayPal seems to be your top choice, isn’t it? Learn how to get free money on PayPal.
Furthermore, when you bill your client, you may need to send them an invoice. Even though this process can be time-consuming, tools can make it as easy as ABC. See the best invoicing software to explore your options.
Lastly, feel free to explore the blog for other guides and software you may need to make money online. Thank you for reading.
