Money! Money! Money!

As Salam Aleykum Everyone!

Let’s talk about monetising content!

When they ask highschoolers what they want to be in the world a common answer nowadays is a YouTuber.I get the hype, I’m a YouTuber myself, and as a creative/storyteller I truly believe it’s the best job in the world (for me at least 😀), but I say this having worked at sea on a ship for several years followed by a corporate job for almost 8 years, so I have something to compare to. But sometimes I think people are fascinated by being a content creator because they think it’s easy, and that just because it’s not a “regular job” it won't involve much effort.

But, just like any other job, if you want content creation to be your career, your success is directly linked to how much effort you put into the work, just like any other career you want to be successful in.

Before we get into ways to monetize your content, I think I’d like to break some misconceptions about the money-making process in content creation.

Misconceptions vs. Truths

🔮 Myth: "Content creation is easy money"
💡Truth: I didn’t make money from content creation the first year, my whole focus was on building a community and making entertaining videos. I didn’t have the experience or a large enough platform to engage advertisers or make money through ad revenue from the platform. It took me years to build both trust and credibility with my audience and sponsors to earn a meaningful income online. It takes work, strategic planning and being ready to adapt based on what people like while also staying authentic. Just like any other job, it's not always easy money.

🔮 Myth: "I'll get rich just from ads!"
💡Truth: Relying solely on ad revenue will not cut it. While ads can bring in some money, it's not a guaranteed path to riches. Many factors affect ad revenue, like the number of views, clicks, and what mood the algorithm is in that day 😂. It's smarter to diversify your income by exploring options like sponsorships, affiliate marketing, or selling your merchandise. It's like having multiple streams feeding a river – it keeps things flowing more steadily.

🔮 Myth: "I need a large following to monetize." 
💡Truth: Having a big audience is good, but it's not the only factor for earning. What's really important is how much your followers engage with your content. Brands and sponsors like it when your followers are actively interested in what you share. You can check out this guide by Google Creators that breaks down audience engagement. So, even if you have a smaller group of dedicated fans, you can still have great opportunities to earn, and in many instances smaller, more engaged audiences, equate into bigger income opportunities. It's like how a few genuine friends are often more valuable than many acquaintances.

Reaching Out to Brands 

Collaborations with brands can be a large portion of your income. But how do you even begin? It's not about bombarding brands with emails or messages, it's about building a bridge between your content and their products.

💌 Cold-Calls and Pitches: Think of reaching out to brands like sending a special invitation to a party – concise, personalized, and focused on them. Keep it short to catch their attention quickly. When you contact a brand, your message should be brief, but also unique to them. You need to talk about how your content aligns with the brand's message and target audience. I like this step-by-step by Haley Ivers, it covers the important parts of pitching yourself.

🕵️‍♂️ Research Is Key: Know the brand inside out before reaching out. Understand their values, campaigns, and previous collaborations. If your community is in the target demographic for their customers, you should mention that too. This shows genuine interest and can lead to important conversations.

💬 Building Relationships: When you work with brands, think beyond just one deal. Try to make an ongoing partnership - like how people have law firms and agencies on retainer. Show how both sides can gain from the partnership. This means understanding what the brand wants, making sure your content fits, and explaining how working together can be helpful for a long time.

🚀Go Above & Beyond: If you do work with a brand on a campaign, the work doesn’t end at the campaign once you have been paid for your work. Take some time after the campaign to follow up with them, send an email, jump on zoom call, or better yet meet them in person to go over the campaign, how it performed, what can be improved, how the brand felt about the work, and explore any opportunities in the future. This shows the brand that you truly care about the work and their happiness, rather than it being a simple pay day for you.

💼 Sponsored Content: I have gotten the opportunity to do a lot of sponsored content these days, I really enjoy making them too. This one was for Lavish Perfumes, my biryani trip to Calicut was also sponsored.

🔗Affiliate Marketing: Share products you love and earn a commission when your followers buy through your special link.

📚 Online Courses & Webinars: Turn your expertise into paid online courses. If you're great at something, like making iPhone videos, you could create a course. People pay to learn your skills and you earn while teaching. There are quite a few platforms to do this, this article takes you through the top ones and their pros & cons.

🛍️ Merchandise: Create and sell branded merchandise that resonates with your community. Suppose you're known for a particular catchphrase for example, ahem “Much love & God Bless”.

💰Fan Support Platforms:  Platforms like Patreon or Buy Me a Coffee let your fans contribute monthly to support your work. In return, you can offer them exclusive content like bonus videos or behind-the-scenes looks.

There are many ways to make money from your content. The world of content creation is full of ways to turn your passion into a sustainable income. While these methods can be super rewarding, building trust with your audience is key. Only promote products or services that genuinely align with your content and resonate with your followers. This way, you not only monetize your content but also stay true to yourself and your community.

In Other News 📰

I went to Hyderabad last week to film what might be my final Biryani video 🙁 (maybe hahaha) and I got to meet Indian tennis star, Sania Mirza

Much love & God Bless ❤️✌️,
Khalid