As a brand, small creator monetization shouldn’t be overlooked in favor of larger platforms with millions of subscribers. However, as a creator, you also want to keep the audience’s trust with branding and ads that speak to their interests. So how can you make money and remain trustworthy? From solution-based products to paid subscriptions, here are some examples.

Highly Relevant Affiliate Marketing

Marketing is the bread and butter of the web, and is the primary way most bloggers and content creators make larger sums of money. Even with relatively little traffic or video views, securing paid placements can be lucrative. However, affiliate marketing remains a true source of income for small and large creators alike. Placement through a newsletter sponsorship, inside email campaigns, and strategically aligned content, such as video and blogs, offers income potential.

Digital Products that Solve a Problem

Digital products have become almost a default method of generating extra revenue from a niche. eBooks, specialized templates, and even custom software are among the most popular. As a content creator, you are already creative and logical, and it shouldn’t be too hard to come up with an idea that solves a problem for your users. For example, as a video game developer blogger, you could create template starter frameworks for developers learning to use Unity.

Small Creator Monetization with Brand Deals

Unfortunately, up to 90% of content creators have never been offered a brand deal. However, the outlook is positive as a recent survey found that 69% of brands are looking to secure deals with smaller creators as they try to maximize exposure. Whether you are a business building your brand or a creator looking for revenue streams, relevant brand deals can be among the most lucrative for both parties, so long as the content fits the niche and speaks to the audience.

Paid Subscriptions and Newsletters

It isn’t a good idea to dive straight into asking for money before an audience has even been established, and this has been the downfall of a few recent online magazine startups lately. However, once you have an established and steady traffic, you can develop partner content that is highly relevant to the audience. Some creators break from the confines of YouTube with extra paid content on Patreon, but you can also offer exclusive content through your blog.

Paid One-on-One Consultation

If you are starting a platform because you have specialist skills and/or knowledge, there are a few ways to generate some income from them. One of the most lucrative is a one-on-one consultation. While this isn’t anything new, it has taken off since COVID as people got used to using video calling apps like Zoom. Like paid subs, you can use video calling to provide extra services to a niche audience that offers more value than is generally presented in content.

Summary

Highly relevant affiliate marketing is a powerful method of small creator monetization that speaks to the audience. Of course, if you can secure a brand deal relevant to your niche, this is a solid way of generating steady income, alongside consultation if you have specialist skills.