One of the questions I am constantly asked is, “Brendan, when can I start monetizing my social following?”
It’s a great question, and the answer may come as a surprise: Right now.
Even if you’re just starting out on digital platforms, or haven’t reached your follower goal yet, it can be enormously beneficial to begin planning and making steps towards monetization now. It might be too early to get major brand deals, or generate a lot of money. But, having monetization in mind today can help set you up to achieve the success you want to have in the future. There are also a number of brands that work with micro influencers, or people with smaller followings.
Start by identifying the ways that you can monetize, and pick what fits your brand and audience. Contact the companies you want to work with and ask them what they want to see when choosing partners for deals. Find out how they structure these relationships, and what follower number they focus on.
Not only will it help you start building your contacts to seed future relationships for monetization, you’ll be able to determine how big your audience needs to be to secure opportunities with brands and partners. You may find companies that are willing to work with you in some capacity today. And, as your audience grows, you’ll have the steps and strategy in place to start to maximize it.
The above can work if you already have a big following as well.
A lot of people think that monetization automatically happens once they have an audience. That’s not always the case, and why many fail at making the most of their platforms. I share how to get started with little or no budget here.
