Content creation as a source of income

Content creation is not just a great hobby; it can also become a source of income. I would like to detail some ideas and methods you can use to monetize (or earn revenue from) your content. Many have written on the topic of content creation for monetization, but I think they often lack clarity on the subject. For example, I have read countless lists on the topic that start like this:

1 - Make a Youtube channel

2- Start a blog

3- Use Amazon Affiliates

The list provides ideas, but are a little confusing as they contain two very separate concepts in a single list. There are two aspects of content creation for monetization: The creation of the actual content itself. And the method of monetization. Amazon Affiliates, for example, is just a method of monetization on content. To make money with Amazon Affiliates, you need traffic first, which means you need content. Likewise, a blog doesn’t inherently make money, it needs to be paired with a monetization method.

So, here are some possible content creation ideas:

-Blog

-Podcast

-Youtube

-Course

-Book

As far as content creation goes, the sky's the limit. But just making it isn't enough. You need to monetize it. Here are some methods:

-Affiliates

-Ads

-Paywalls

-Own product or service

To cover each one briefly:

Affiliates pay you based on actions. Someone buys something after using your affiliate link, someone signs up for a service after they click your link, or they use your promo code.

Ads are advertisements that are shown on your content material and will pay you based on views or on clicks or both.

Paywalls are restrictions on who can view your content. For example, If you have a Patreon, you have exclusive content that visitors need to pay to see.

You also can sell your own product or service and use your content as a way of marketing it.

There are very different flavors of content creation. For example, famous Twitter accounts, or Instagram influencers. Pretty much all they are is short form content creators or aggregators, who might make money promoting brands or other products.

The basic idea of content creation for profit is to combine a content creation method with a monetization method. Some ideas are easier to combine together, but with a little clever thinking you will be surprised at all that you can do. You do have to make considerations though. For example, on Youtube, if you include too many ads in your video, people may not watch it. Of course, if you don’t have any ads, you are probably leaving some money at the table. If done incorrectly, monetization can take away from your brand and image. You might be sacrificing the long term growth of your audience for a few bucks right now.

Personally, I do almost all of the methods mentioned above. I use ads on my blog and podcast. I have my own ebook I sell. I also use a number of affiliate programs. However, I do everything I can to make my host-read ads on my podcast fun and engaging, like part of the content. Likewise, I try to make my display ads on the blog unintrusive to the reading experience.

For years, writing has been my number one method of content creation, from blogs to ebooks to the online bitcoin news site I once wrote for. A critical part of the writing process is editing. I recommend you find an editor other than yourself. I am terrible at editing my own writing. So this post has been sponsored by Dylanna Fisher, Dylanna is a phenomenal editor and would love to work with you. Check her out at her website https://www.dylannafisher.com/ or email her at dylannafisher@gmail.com.