“F*ck! My Campaigns are Canceled!” | 5 Tips for Making $$ as an Influencer with Coronavirus
As someone who is an influencer, coaches influencers AND manages influencer campaigns for brands –
this last week has been a CLUSTER FUCK. Excuse my French, but this is SERIOUS.
Brands are having to reposition and pause campaigns, out of respect for stressed and freaked out customers. Campaigns are being canceled and paused right and left, and influencers are watching their income, their LIVELIHOODS, be put at risk.
Okay, so, what’s an influencer to do to make up for that lost revenue? Below, I’ve shared 5 actionable ways to help influencers get through this stressful time.
Quick Note: Wave Goodbye to Your Comfort Zone
Stressful times require us to try new things, and get outside of our comfort zones. Remember that taking action, even if it is imperfect, is better than having a freakout and spiraling into nihilism.
Let’s make some shit HAPPEN!
<< Ready to learn how to pitch and negotiate with brands? Check out my course! >>
Method #1: Taki & Cameo
This method will probably be most useful for influencers with VERY engaged readers or those with large followings. You can set up a Taki or Cameo account, and have people pay for personalized birthday messages or other videos. You can charge whatever amount you want, from $5 to $1,000+.
I’d probably do a soft launch of this, sharing on IG Story that this is now available. Then I’d promote it every other day with a few frames.
Method #2: Make Money from Affiliate Links
If we hang out on Twitter, you know that I *OFTEN* critique people whose entire income or follower base is on 1 platform. If your income is dependent entirely on sponsorships, with content posted on 1 platform, it’s time to buck up and start using affiliate links.
You can start with Amazon Associates, and start sharing reviews on a FB Live, your IGTV or even Twitter.
Now would be a great time to brainstorm some blog post or YouTube listicle recommendations, and begin diversifying your income through affiliate links.
Method #3: List on Poshmark or Host a Closet Sale on Instagram
A lot of content creators have “Closet Sale,” on their to-do list. Let’s get those items listed!! I wrote a post on using Instagram to sell clothes here.
Method #4: Launch an Online Class or Release an eBook
I’ve been teaching online classes for years, and it’s been a great way to diversify my income.
But how do you choose a topic?
I recommend that you take 10 minutes to “brain dump” on a piece of paper, and list the most common questions you get from your readers. Boom. A course.
An ebook generally starts around 15,000 words, and a good solid course has about 5 hours of content to learn. Ready to research how to do this? I’d start with Jenna Kutcher’s podcast episodes on how to start an online course.
You can check out my courses and ebooks here.
Method #5: Host an Online Event with a Cover Charge
There are a variety of platforms that let you do this (Eventbrite + Zoom comes to mind?), but the general idea is to host an online event and add a ticket fee or cover charge. You can get as creative as you want with this, from doing a hangout with you on Twitch to a VIP wine tasting party.
I’d advise going with tickets over $50 for smaller guest lists (a VIP type of situation), and a $1 — $5 ticket fee for events where you can have 100+ people.
Need Help?
I can’t publish a step-by-step guide to each of these (that would take.. weeks)! If you feel uncertain or want to get one or more of these ideas going ASAP, I am available for one-off consulting phone calls! We’ll discuss strategy, and you’ll leave our session with an actionable plan to implement.
Send me a message here.
