When I started on Instagram, almost 7 years ago now. I had no idea the potential there was to make income via the platform (or any platform).

It all started and small brands would reach out and ask me to be a ‘brand rep’ for them. They would send me clothes and I would take pretty pictures of myself or the kids in them.

It was great, some cute clothes for the kids and something for me to do. I loved taking photos and being creative so it was an outlet for me.

I would team that with a funny or relatable caption and voila!

Then slowly, bigger brands would start to reach out. But after a while, the offer of a free product, while lovely, didn’t really cover the time and effort I was putting into the content. Plus, the free product doesn’t pay your mortgage.

I remember my first paid gig! It was with Target and I charged them $50 for a post.

It was surreal, but awesome to be working with such a well known Aussie brand and also making money from something I enjoyed doing!

And from there, it just took off!! Seven years later and I’ve been able to make a full time income from this and found multiple ways to monetize my social media platform.

It has meant that I can have a job that is flexible around my family, affords us wonderful opportunities and I can contribute financially to our household in a time where I may not have been able to return to a traditional workforce.

But how do you get started? I feel like my journey has been a stumble through. Trying new things, failing, learning, adapting and trying again.

So here are some tried and tested ways you can start to make an income online from social media…

Branded Content/Sponsored Posts

The way most people assume money is made online is via sponsored posts.

That is basically where a brand or agency engages you to create content for a specific campaign or product.

This would usually involve the negotiations of what content will be created, the number of pieces of content, and a fee according to that content.

Whether it is the brand that comes to you or perhaps you reach out to them. It is important that you make sure it is something that aligns with you. Where you feel you can authentically and positively share it with benefit to you and the brand.

It is important to also recognize your worth and value, which does not always correlate to # of followers you have.

Look at your engagement and the demographic of your audience – this is what brands (and you) should care about.

Influencer Marketing Apps

If you are unsure where to start with making money from sponsored posts, then try a influencer amrketing app or platform?

This is a good way to get yourself into Influencer Marketing and sharing products you know and love while getting paid for it.

It is always a great way to get yourself noticed and on the radar for agencies and brands.

Apps and networks like Tribe, Social Soup, Hypetap, Vamp, and TheRight.Fit have lots of local campaigns and work with some big brands.

Most of these platforms act as a middle man between the brand and influencer, taking a small fee from the transaction.

It can be a good way to dip your toes, start creating some engaging content for these brands and hopefully nurture longer term relationships and begin to become noticed by other brands and agencies.

Photography/Content Creation

If you are a creative who likes taking beautiful imagery, and you are already taking multiple high-quality images of products – Then why not get paid for it?

Brands are often desperate for content for their socials and website of their products. And staging their own involves a lot of time and costs.

Come to an arrangement with these brands to license your images. And while they might not ever make it to your own social feed. There is a lot of value in those images for the brand.

This also doesn’t require you to have a lot of followers.

Check out some top influencers like Miss Kyree Loves and Jessika Wilson as examples.

Freelance Writing

Not directly social media. but if photos are not your thing, then why not get paid to write articles or content for people.

In my early days of building the blog, I would submit articles to websites like Mamamia and Kidspot. And I’m sure there are still lots of publications that will pay you to write for them.

Obviously this means your article is owned and exclusive to their publication if they have paid for it. But it also comes with good exposure when your images and byline are included.

You can also write content/blogs for people and a quick Google will help you find people who pay well for articles in particular niches.

Affiliate Programs

Another way to make money promoting products is via an affiliate program. You could run this via any social platform or even via a blog if you have one.

Basically, it means you share a unique code or link, people purchase via that link, and you make a commission on that sale/sign up (performance-based advertising method)

A great way to share these is via reviews on products, where you authentically share them. Or having a discount code/goodies tab on your socials, so people can easily come back to it.

If you are not sure where to start, there are some websites that you can sign up to multiple like ClickBank & Impact.

Otherwise, keep your eyes peeled for Affiliate programs run by your favorite websites. I often share Shopback, CashRewards, Origin,

Digital Products

This is a great way to make money from a skill or education you already have in a specific niche!

Whether it’s a course, eBook, photo presets, or printables. There are lots of ways to make money from a digital product.

It also requires little to no ongoing costs. Once that resource is created it can make you passive money for a long time.

Some great examples of people nailing digital resources are health and wellness influencers like Revie Jane, Sophie Guidolin, and Brit Noonan.

YouTube Partner Program

Obviously specific to those on YouTube, this can be a great way to make a decent income if you are producing regular videos.

This comes from views and advertising revenue on your videos. Obviously the bigger your channel and more views you get, the more money you can make.

I personally have never monetised YouTube as there are a list of requirements to reach monetisation on the platform.

But I do know many people who make a significant income. A lot of which is passive when videos have good longevity and are continued to watch over time.

To find out how to become a Youtube Partner you can have a read here.