Going Beyond Sponsorships: Making More Money as an Influencer
In my course, The Art of Negotiation for Influencers, I talk about how important it is to have a diversified income stream as an influencer.
Brand sponsorships largely follow the retail calendar, meaning brands spend a LOT for specific holidays (New Grads & Dads, Christmas, etc) while other retail periods are dead (ie January).
Controlling Your Money
Because of the feast/famine nature of sponsorships, it is critical to have other income streams as an influencer. Below, I’ve shared a few ideas on new income streams to add.
NOTE: These income streams will really only work for established influencers, who are creating high quality content and engaging with followers. If you haven’t quite figured out how to create that content — focus there. Cart before the horse, people!
New Stream #1: Merch
Hold up, don’t go purchase that t-shirt press! You can partner with a variety of drop shippers to brand merch with your logo // any catchphrases you have. The drop shipper takes care of it all, and you promote it.
Be sure to get samples of the merch before you offer it, and do a few photoshoots — posting the items often.
I haven’t found a merch drop shipper for influencers I LOVE yet, but I’m looking! If you have a rec, tweet at @The_Huntswoman.
New Stream #2: Write an eBook
I have a few eBooks I sell, and it is a freaking blast to get notifications that the eBook has sold while I’m sleeping.
I create the eBook in Canva, and then sell it through my consulting site on Squarespace. Squarespace takes care of delivering the download, and I collect payments.
You can make an eBook on almost any topic, and you don’t need to be the #1 expert. I have a number of eBooks in the works, that answer questions I get a lot from my readers and clients.
If you find yourself explaining the same topic a LOT (anything from how to thrift to picking baseboard for your house), boom. You have an eBook.
New Stream #3: Consult for Brands
As an influencer, you have a front row seat into what customers in a specific niche/industry want. Maybe you create a lot of content about what your dog wants, or your a men’s style blogger.
Brands need that feedback, and it’s HARD to get. Add consulting services to your website. This is a wholeee industry, but when you get started you can just have “Pick My Brain” sessions where brand owners ask you loads of questions.
You talk to your followers and readers all day long about products and give recommendations. You have a LOT of knowledge that most brands don’t! Creating that kind of relationship with customers can take years, and you already have it!
Don’t take these calls for less than $100 per hour. I’m serious. You have knowledge, but it’s up to you to monetize it.
Struggle charging for your time? Check out my eBook, “No, You Can’t Pick My Brain” where I teach you how to turn inquiries into consulting sessions.
New Stream #4: Online Class
I started offering online classes because I wanted to buy a dress form. Online classes mean I’m more accessible to lower income folks (I charge minimum $225 an hour), which makes me feel good.
Similar to eBooks, you should offer an online class for topics you get ASKED about. You may want to teach a class, but it doesn’t mean people will take it.
I offer my online classes live via Facebook Groups, and I’m currently recording them. I mayyyy take Amy Porterfield’s class on creating classes — but we shall see!
New Stream #5: Styling Services!
Do people tell you that they love your style? You can offer services as a stylist to help them pick clothes. This isn’t a service I offer, so do some research to decide how you want to do it!
New Stream #6: Design Partnership with Brand
There’s this aisle in Target (usually in the home goods or fashion section) where celebrities or influencers do a mini collection with the brand.
You can do this with smaller brands!
If you have a brand you love, you can send a full on proposal to them for a co-branded mini collection. As the influencer, you take a percentage of all sales from the collection, and you can also charge promotional fees.
If you’re interested in spinning off your own goods company from your current platform, it’s a good idea to try this first and learn about the process from an established company.
New Stream #7: Events
I’ve done a lot of event planning in my life, so this one does NOT appeal to me, personally.
However, many a blogger has teamed up with a cruise line, hotel, etc, to create a retreat for their followers. I would recommend starting small with meetups before committing to something large, but if you love events — this could be great for you!
How to Become an Influencer — Ebook!
I’ve coached a TON of people on how to become an influencer, and I found that people had the same questions:
- How do I make an invoice as an influencer?
- What do I charge as an influencer?
- How do instagram influencers make money
- How do I plan a photoshoot?
- How do I pitch brands as an influencer?
Seeing this, I decided to write a book on becoming an influencer, with ALL of the information I wish I had access to! Check out this ebook HERE!
Need Help Executing?
I sometimes feel weird about writing these posts, because I share around 500 words of ideas and then.. peace out, basically. If you’d like to set up a coaching call with me to create an actionable plan to further monetize your work as an influencer, drop me a line here!
You can absolutely use trial and error and take longer to figure it out, or you can utilize me as your fave shortcut. ❤
