I think we can collectively agree that we’re all a little addicted to social media. Whether you’re glued to Instagram or obsessed with scrolling on TikTok, social media has consumed many aspects of our daily lives. We check our phones when we get up and right before we go to sleep. Social media has even started to become a part of brand strategy and an integral part in big corporate marketing schemes. However, what if you could start personally benefiting from all that time spent scrolling, posting, or liking? The addition of creator funds that quite literally exist to pay users to create and push out more content on these apps have become the answer to melding a passion for posting with monetary gain, aka paying you to do what you love and are already doing 24/7. Here are some of the top platforms to start getting more involved on.
TikTok
When lock down took over, TikTok became a popular pastime for many of us. With over 650,000 new users joining daily, TikTok has easily become one of the top platforms to blow up. The app that once started as something of a fun joke has evolved to be able to support content creators and many call TikTok their full time job or at least consider it to be one of their streams of incomes. Since going viral and gathering a following is fairly achievable by monitoring the algorithm and paying attention to trending topics or audios, the app has established the Creator Fund. Creators who are a part of the Fund receive funds based on a variety of factors from their videos and because the dynamic is ever changing this can be a viable option. However be warned, this is not an entirely consistent cash flow option unless you have built up a substantial following. The exposure that TikTok offers is also a great avenue for micro influencers. There are ample opportunities to catch the attention of popular brands and establish relationships that can lead to sponsorships and further help build a following.
Pinterest is another great platform that provides its users ample opportunities to grow. Pinterest has launched a new initiative called Creator Rewards, which will compensate creators for posting engaging and meaningful material. New editorial prompts will be added to the creative hub on a regular basis. Each prompt will include engagement objectives, such as a specified number of clicks, replies, or addition on your Idea Pin. You’ll notice prizes in your bank account the next month if you fulfill the engagement criteria. Pinterest also has a feature to make your Idea Pins stoppable. By tagging products in your Idea Pins you’re able to let people shop the products you love. You can essentially attach any product to a Pin by adding affiliate links. This allows you to earn a commission off of your posts when people shop on that website. However, take into account that Pinterest is not associated with these affiliate agreements so the commission price is entirely dependent on the partnering merchants or programs.
YouTube
While this option is a bit more time consuming, it can be very rewarding for those who are super creative. YouTube does have a Partner Program that allows creators that fit the qualifications outlined to earn revenue off their videos. To qualify you must have at least 4,000 watch hours over a 12 month span and 1,000 subscribers. Once in this program you can earn multiple ways including through Ad revenue and YouTube Premium. Something to consider before choosing to pursue YouTube would definitely be the commitment in terms of work that goes into creating videos. Remember that because this is a long form content platform you will need to set aside time to plan, film, and edit videos.