With 3.8 billion active users, social media is a goldmine of opportunity. We can’t physically dig for you, but we can show you seven of the best places to bring your pick and shovel. That’s right – with our tailored tips, you can start earning from where you’re sitting right now. Learning how to make money on social media doesn’t need to be tricky, because our social media strategy tips are for everyone.
Whether you’re a social media newbie or tech powerhouse, you’ll find a money-making method to suit your style, along with our very own difficulty metric to help you decide which paths to pursue. The best ways to earn money on social media include:
- Set up an Instagram Shop
- Begin Affiliate Marketing
- Join the Influencer Community
- Become a Social Media Manager
- Start a YouTube Channel
- Promote Your Art on Pinterest
- Monetize Your Music on SoundCloud
Without further ado, let’s find out how you can make some social media money…
1. Set up an Instagram Shop
Difficulty: Easy
Requirements: Instagram Business Account and ecommerce catalog
Are you hoarding clothes? Stuck with leftover stock from your closed brick-and-mortar shop? Either way, you’ve got dollars lying around the house. In 2019, Instagram launched its Checkout feature. Alongside the Shopping tool (used to direct shoppers to your own online store), Checkout has made it even quicker and easier to make money on social media.
| Requirement | Description |
|---|---|
| Instagram Business Account | Allows for ecommerce catalog setup. |
| Ecommerce Catalog | Contains the products available for sale. |
2. Promote Affiliate Products
Difficulty: Easy
Requirements: A blog and/or strong writing skills
No products to sell? No problem. You can use affiliate links to direct social media users to another website, earning commission for each click or sale completed via your link. It’s one of the most popular ways to make money on social media, and one of our favorite online business ideas.
3. Join the Influencer Community
Difficulty: Medium
Requirements: Minimum 1,000 Instagram followers
Say you’ve been sharing social media content related to your hobby, golf for example, for some time. Thanks to your steady flow of valuable golf content, you’ve built a loyal base of 1,000-20,000 followers who are interested in what you’re sharing. Joining an influencer community site could lead to golf brands paying you to promote their products to your followers on social media.
4. Become a Social Media Manager
Difficulty: Hard
Requirements: Excellent writing skills
91% of retail brands are using two or more social media platforms, while 81% small and medium businesses use at least one. Social media advertising is more popular than ever and most companies will need assistance managing their social accounts. That’s where you (could) come in!
5. Start a YouTube Channel
Difficulty: Medium
Requirements: 1,000 YouTube channel subscribers
Around the world, 1 billion hours of YouTube video are watched every day. YouTube is the best place to make money through vlogging on social media. Just ask YouTube’s highest-earning user, Ryan, who earned a record-breaking $22m last year.
6. Promote Your Art on Pinterest
Difficulty: Easy
Requirements: Online store
What if you could turn your passion into a full-time or part-time career? Ambition is good for everyone. You can start making money by promoting your arts and crafts on Pinterest. Shopify is a great option for selling on Pinterest because it allows you to attach ‘buyable’ pins to your photos.
7. Monetize Your Music on SoundCloud
Difficulty: Easy
Requirements: Online store to sell downloadable products
SoundCloud Premier subscription pays artists $35 per 1,000 streams. Another option is to link your SoundCloud music to your online store, where you can then sell your songs as downloadable products.
Anyone can make money using social media if they put their mind to it and work hard (cliche but true!).
