How to make money with my digital content (Part 1)?

Throughout this article, I want to focus on how you can potentially start making money off of your digital content.

This is part one of a two-part blog series.

Throughout this article, I am going to assume that you are already consistently putting content out there throughout one or more of the following major content distribution platforms:

+ Social Media Platforms (Twitter, Facebook, Facebook Group, Instagram, Linkedin, Quora, etc.)

+ Blog

+ Podcast

+ Video

+ Major publication (such as Forbes, Huffington Post, etc.)

Consistency is THE most important factor when it comes to building up your online tribe.

Now, after you have put in the work and build up a certain influence on any one (or more than one) of the above distribution channels, how are you going about potentially monetizing your influence?

You are probably already aware of that but people that follow you and engage with your posts, are curious what kind of products and services you are using as well as how you have potentially built your influence.

As such, you can make money from your day-to-day digital content in a variety of ways:

(1) AFFILIATE SALES.

Let’s say you post a new post on Instagram about a product or write a blog post, record a Youtube video about a book review of a specific book on Amazon.

Amazon allows you to become an affiliate for them and get a percentage off the sales price when someone decided to go check out the product off of your content post and actually ends up buying it.

For instance, if you click on the ‘RESOURCES‘ section of my blog, you will see a list of products/softwares that I personally use and that will allow you to go check them out as well.

For referring them so to speak and by you clicking on the link, I have the potential to earn an affiliate commission.

(2) SPONSORSHIPS/ENDORSEMENTS.

Say you have a highly engaged, big social media audience on any one social media platform, or you have a lot of episode downloads of your podcast or views of your blog.

You have spent years building up your influence and are always creating and posting content daily.

Now, you can make money through sponsorships because companies and brands want to pay you to advertise their products to your audience.

The fashion blogger, Ciara Ferragni is literally making millions from that.

Not only that, her popularity has allowed her to launch her own line of high-end shoes as well as other highly successful ventures.

The different pricing of what companies and brands are willing to pay you for promoting any one of their products varies greatly.

It can simply start by you receiving free products.

Celebrity influencers such as Selena Gomez end up making more like $550,000 per post (Source: Adweek).

In case you’d like to learn more about the possibilities, here is another great article on the top paid Instagram accounts in terms of sponsorships:

http://mediakix.com/2017/04/highest-paid-celebrities-endorsement-rates-on-instagram/

Everything in between is game and your profit will depend heavily on the kind of engaged tribe you have as well as your negotiation skills.

(3) eCOMMERCE.

Yep, you can monetize your content pretty much everywhere if you have your own line of products, if you have a drop-shipping business or anything else related to eCommerce.

Take, for example, the Instagram account #BossBabe. The founder of it, Natalie Ellis, has also her own line of physical products in addition to digital courses.

And this brings me to the next way you can monetize your following…

(4) DIGITAL PRODUCT SALES.

Say you are a photographer and your audience on Instagram or Facebook keeps asking you how you edit your pictures because they always look so dang good.

Well, guess what?

Now you have an idea of what kind of digital program your audience or tribe might potentially want to invest in.

You have the tools. They want the knowledge.

Now, you can conduct a bit more market research on creating an editing course or a membership site for aspiring photographers in a particular niche, etc.

Pretty cool, huh?

(5) MONETIZE YOUR UNIQUE KNOWLEDGE.

Chances are that if you are producing content online, you are producing it on a particular subject – whatever that subject might be.

Think vegan food recipes, wedding photography tips, fitness instructor, hacks on getting published as a fiction author, interior design tricks, how to sell houses, how to improve your finances, you name it.

There is one very important thing that happens when you produce any type of content on a consistent basis, you slowely establish yourself as a premier expert in that field you are publishing content on.

People pay experts.

If it is through coaching, consulting or providing a particular service.

The sky is the limit. Just test it out ;). What do you have to loose?

As long as you are authentic and open in your approach with your tribe, only good things will come of it.

 

Now, I would love to hear from you, what has been the most creative or weird idea you have learned that someone is using to monetize their digital content?

P.s.: Stay tuned for Part 2 of this blog post where I am going to be diving into how to structure your content posts to get more engagement so you can be sure to make money from them down the road.

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