Eight Ideas for Monetizing Your Online Presence

There are so many interesting ways to make money through the use of the internet. Whether you’re someone who is passionate about antique cars or politics, there are ways to cultivate a large following. Once you’ve created the following, you can monetize it. In order to turn it into a lucrative endeavor, you’ll want to dedicate time and effort. Consider these eight ways you can monetize your online presence.

Monetizing Your Online Presence

1. Use affiliate links within a blog post

Affiliate links are so important when you’re writing a blog post that you want to earn money from. If your blog post is about all of the beauty products you like to use for your skincare routine, there’s a lucrative way to share this content. Create a list of your favorite beauty products. As you talk about each one and share the name of the product, include an affiliate link. In this case, your followers will be able to click on the link, shop around and buy items. As they purchase various items, your account will get credited with a commission. The commission amount will be based on what was purchased.

2. Use ads on your YouTube channel videos.

If you want to use video marketing as one of your tactics, it’s best to be consistent. In fact, it’s very important because the video is one of the best strategies to adopt. It’s taking over all social media platforms, and so many people love a good YouTube success story. Plan your content and run ads. Between holding livestream chats where people can donate money and the ad space, you can earn income.

3. Sell an e-book

If you have a phenomenal story that you’d like to share with the world, consider releasing an ebook on platforms like Barnes & Noble or Amazon. If you don’t want to write it, find a great ghostwriter who’s willing to do the dirty work for you.

4. Sell airtime on a podcast series

If you’re a really good communicator, start a podcast series. You can use the podcast series to talk about topics you’re really knowledgeable in. You’ll also want to create a bunch of podcast episodes in one sitting. When you batch the content together, you’ll be more likely to stay committed in the long run.

podcast

5. Prepare a course

So many people love to learn new things. As a result, they’ll do a Google search to see what they can find out about online. Consider creating a course that your target audience can find and consume. If you have the right hashtags and website URL, you can quickly get to the top of a niche. There are tons of platforms that will walk you through the process of creating your own course. It’ll be so easy that you might wonder what took you so long to get started.

6. Do a sponsored Instagram post

There are many celebrities who do sponsored Instagram posts and get paid hundreds of thousands of dollars. While you might not get that amount in the beginning, it’s still aspirational. Furthermore, you can get an Instagram post sponsored by a major brand as long as you meet the requirements for a particular number of followers. Also, the Federal Trade Commission requires influencers to show their followers that the particular post is an ad. You can take pretty pictures, get them approved by the brand and orchestrate a look that’s in line with your aesthetic.

7. Start an e-Commerce store

If you’ve ever wanted to own your own boutique, now is the time to get started. Thankfully, you don’t have to build a brick-and-mortar store. You can cut out the overhead, and begin your efforts at home. Take a close look at your following to get a good idea of what they like. If you use your platform to talk about remaining stylish as a mother, consider a t-shirt line with quirky sayings that moms would appreciate. Get laser-focused on a particular niche as it will help you gain the response you’re looking for.

8. Build an email list

It’s one thing to build a following. It’s another feat to maintain the following. If you solely rely on one particular social media platform to stay connected to your followers, this can lead to big trouble. If a time came where you were kicked off of the platform, you’d lose your entire business. Instead, it’s wise to build an email list. While your entire following might not join, you can regularly promote the email list. As people trickle over to the list, you might get 10% of your original following to join. However, that’s still a lot more than no followers. Once you have people on your email list, you can stay in touch with them. You can also use affiliate codes to recommend different products they should buy. Depending on the commission on the products, you can make a ton of money.

Lana Martinez is a freelance technical writer living in the Santa Clara. She's a gadget and tech geek who loves to write how-to articles about a wide range of topics. When she's not writing about technology, Lana loves watching and reading mysteries, cross stitching, and attending musical theatre. She's also an avid Doctor Who fan.