The idea of generating an income using online content used to be laughed at, but we’ve come a long way since then. Nowadays it’s the best idea if you have a creative flair, if you haven’t got much work experience yet, or if you have a sparkling personality.
If you like the idea of streaming your content to create another form of income, there are a lot of avenues you can go down. We’re breaking them down here.
Memberships
If you’ve ever heard of Patreon, you’ll know what we’re aiming for here. Patreon and other membership platforms were designed to give content creators, which streaming comes under, another means of generating an income, which was particularly lifesaving during the apocalypse.
These membership systems are essentially a subscription to additional content. Creators can post content that didn’t make it to the platforms and are exclusive to their members, as well as insights into their lives to appease their fans. Any bloopers, endearing content or special pieces can be posted here, or you can post it early for your members to enjoy before you let the general public have access to it.
Donations
If you’re interested in streaming from the stream central, Twitch, you’ll have a tool that will allow you to gain donations. Donations are typically matched with a graphic and a comment, so viewers can use them to make sure their point is heard on screen.
And as the name suggests, you’re not doing anything more than you would usually do, although you always can, you are simply receiving donations.
If you don’t want to go the Twitch route, you can always set up a Venmo account or an equivalent and use OTT services to stream wherever you want to. People are willing to donate to quality creators, so if you are offering something of value, viewers will donate.
Merchandise
Merchandise is a great way to flex a creative finger and make sure that your fans get something tangible for their money. The merchandise industry has been holding up the music industry for decades now, so why not creators. And all the usual suspects are there: hoodies, t-shirts, caps, badges, etc.
However, the concept does allow you freedom to sell whatever you wish, and some creators have definitely gotten creative with the idea. For example, you’ve got a lot of beauty influencers selling make up, a lot of fitness influencers selling nutrition and exercise plans, and a lot of knowledgeable influencers selling courses on their skillset. Emma Chamberlain sells coffee, Mr. Beast sells burgers, etc.
Ad revenue
The simplest way to make money online is also the most unreliable. You’ll hear a lot of content creators complain about “demonetization”. What they mean is that the brand behind their ads deemed something in their content not fit for consumption by their audience and pulled their money from the content.
Ad revenue can be as simple as clicking an option on the platform. Once you have enough followers, you will qualify for it, and you will be paid every time an advert appears on your content – in theory.
Affiliate marketing
Due to the shaky nature of this rate of income, a lot of creators investigate brand deals and sponsorships as well as affiliate marketing. The idea is to flog a link which will send users to the affiliate site. Some of them come with an exclusive offer which means you won’t get paid until someone takes you up on it, some of them are simply generating traffic. The latter is more common in blogging, but you can look into affiliate deals that appeal to the streaming side of content.
