Social media, for many people, can be a way to stay in touch with friends, an ego exercise, or a vehicle to argue with strangers. But for some especially focused users, it can be a side hustle with income potential. Converting your feed into something that generates cash isn’t the easiest side hustle—and it takes time. But if you can build a large enough following, it can be a lucrative side business.There are a number of social media-focused side hustles. Here are a handful to consider.
Social media is one of the most direct marketing paths for companies – and they’re regularly looking for exposure. Some companies will pay posters to feature or review their products. The amounts vary, depending on your follower count and the overall focus of your social media account. (If you tend to post about politics, for example, that could limit the products that want exposure on your feed.) Pay scales range from $50 to $500 per post for microinfluencers. Those with larger followings can demand a lot more. To find companies looking for sponsored posts, you can either reach out directly (usually to smaller brands) or join influencer marketplaces like AspireIQ or Collabstr.
Influencer
One of the nice things about social media is you can build a channel dedicated to something you’re passionate about—from toys to concerts to hobbies. If your content resonates with people, and you’ve built a good sized following, you’re likely to get on the radar of marketing professionals in that industry (or, again, could reach out yourself). You can also earn a percentage of ad revenues.
Once you get to 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours within a 12-month period, YouTube will let you join the Adsense program to earn a portion of the ad revenue on your videos. If TikTok is your outlet of choice, you’ll need at least 100K authentic video views in the last 30 days to be eligible to join the company’s Creator Fund. And Instagram offers monetization features like Badges and Subscriptions once you cross the 10,000-follower mark.
Live Streaming
Live streaming is especially popular in the video game world, and there are several ways to monetize that audience. Popular methods for doing so include TikTok gifts, YouTube SuperChats, or Twitch subs. If games aren’t your thing, consider using live streams to offer tutorials, host Q&As with notable people (or even yourself if you’ve gained enough followers) or focus on some sort of personality-driven project that captivates viewers.
Digital Product Sales
Just like QVC lets entrepreneurs show off and sell their products, social media can let side hustling creators show off their goods. Best of all, aside from the promotional work done on social media and the process of coming up with ideas, there’s not a lot of additional responsibilities you’ll need to shoulder.
Using a dropshipping company, you can set up an online store and have a third-party supplier manufacture and ship the product to the customer, freeing you from having to worry about things like storage, fulfillment or upfront production costs. Your responsibility will be to come up with a concept that appeals to customers and convince them, via your feeds, to buy those goods. Set up a site on Shopify (Basic plans cost $29 per month) or some other service to start.
Prefer to keep your social media feed uncommercialized, but you’ve realized you have a talent for developing posts that turns heads? That’s a skill companies are always on the lookout for, and social media consultants are a side hustle that’s increasingly in-demand. You’ll need to be able to do more than capture attention. You’ll also need to monitor engagement metrics and increase interaction. But this is a job that’s more creative than materials-intense. Sites like Upwork and Freelancer.com are a good place to start looking for clients.
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Chris Morris
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