A few weeks ago, I posted these stories about paid partnerships not being a sustainable revenue channel for creators and influencers – and people unfollowed me after that!
Oh well, what can I say – we are here to drop the truth bomb. Unless you have over 100K followers and solid selling power, it is hard to make $10K a month with paid partnerships alone.
There are still thousands of people who make that $10K in just one set of stories – but realistically, for regular people like you and me with under 10K followers that’s not the way for us to build wealth.
Sure, the whole concept of having a brand pay you to post on your Instagram is so great, but when you consider how much work goes into getting a single partnership and then creating content — it sometimes barely covers a minimum wage.
The way I see it paid brand partnerships are a great way to supplement your income, but it is not reliable or sustainable enough to cover 100% of your living expenses, especially when you are just starting out.
Here’s how you can monetize your Instagram presence instead, even if you have under 5K followers:
Start Promoting Your Own Services
Whatever you do and whatever skill you have, there is always something that you do that people need. Then, why wouldn’t you promote it on your social media channels?
It’s much easier to hit the $10k number when you are selling your own services
You need to either:
✨ sell it to more people (like 10 clients at $1,000 rate)
✨ sell it at a higher price but to fewer people (2 clients at $5,000)
✨ sell different products to the same people
Start Selling Digital Products
Anything from guides, checklists, workshops, and online courses – that all goes under digital products
Your goal here is to help solve ONE problem for your audience — yes, just one. Your single product doesn’t need to help people to be a better parent, partner, employee, exercise, diet and sleep well all at once. Select one specific problem you have people reach out to you for and focus on that. For example, it can be:
- 10 tips to travel with your toddler on a budget
- Budgeting template for self-employed
- How to get your first freelance client
And anything else that can provide value to your community!
If you are unsure how to pick a topic for your digital product, see what are the questions that your audience consistently asks you and how you can shape it into a digital product.
If I were to rely solely on paid partnerships alone for my income, in 2023 I’d make only $3,000 lol. Likely, my primary source of income is a combination of services and digital products
For other ways to make money on Instagram, check out my free guide 15 Instagram Money Makers
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