How are creators making money in 2024? For many, the answer might just be ads and sponsorships. But creators looking to make a living don’t need to rely on ad revenue alone. Both small and large creators are turning to alternate revenue sources to fend off algorithmic uncertainty or ever-changing ad rates.

For many, alternative revenue streams are essential on their path towards becoming a full-time creator. They allow even smaller niche creators to make enough for a sustainable business in ways that simple ad revenue wouldn’t. For larger creators, alternate monetization streams lessen the risk of losing everything if a platform implodes or ad revenues plummet. 

“Almost every creator has an opportunity to diversify into at least 3–4 different income streams if they really want to,” creator coach Roberto Blake said, “But a lot of them struggle with the idea of promoting something other than free content.” 

Newsletters

Newsletters are a great way to build an audience that won’t disappear if an algorithm changes or a platform shuts down. Maybe the most popular option for a newsletter platform is Substack, but many creators are now increasingly turning to competitors. Colin and Samir run their newsletter, The Publish Press, through, Beehiiv. Others like Ali Abdaal prefer Ghost.

Creators may offer a free and paid tier of their newsletters while others may put the whole thing behind a paywall. Newsletters may also generate additional income through affiliate marketing, paid sponsorships, or driving readers to courses and products offered by that creator.

Courses and coaching

Many creators are making money with online courses and coaching. There are a ton of platforms to choose from: Kajabi, Teachable, Thinkific, and Mighty Networks, to name a few.

Roberto, who also runs his own channel, said courses are his most exciting new opportunity. 

“There are so many areas of content creation that lack a convenient and structured way to learn, and free content has a lot of built in distractions and problems such as ads, and algorithms that recommend unrelated content,” he said.

Lauren Kay, an author and creator, makes content that provides writers with “transparent and empathetic advice.” ‎

Lauren has skipped sponsorships and instead makes her money through online courses aimed at aspiring authors, along with live workshops and events and an agency that pairs writers with development editors and book coaches. “Over 95% of my leads come from Instagram, TikTok, and Youtube,” she said.

Lauren, who has a little over 100,000 followers between TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, doesn’t think educational creators need a huge audience to make a sustainable living from content creation. “I would say a really engaged, loyal following of 10k could lead to a full-time income in the right industry.”

Courses and coaching often pair well with creators who share professional skills. Creators who cover social media marketing, selling a book to publishers, or starting a business may not get the biggest audiences, but those audiences may be more likely to pay for content that will accelerate their career or businesses. 

Affiliate marketing

Affiliate marketing is a strategy where creators promote links to products and then get paid a commission for purchases made through those links. It’s particularly popular on TikTok, where creators can promote products through TikTok Shop and receive commissions from sales.

“Affiliate marketing is a huge opportunity a lot of creators are overlooking,” Roberto said. He pointed out additional opportunities with YouTube’s Shopping Affiliate and Amazon’s Influencer Program.

Affiliate marketing can be a great option for some creators in the fashion or hobby space to share products they’re excited about to their audience. But like any sponsored content, creators should be careful not to abuse the trust of their audience by promoting unrelated or poor-quality products.

Selling products

Marques Brownlee may have received backlash for his wallpaper subscription app, but plenty of other creators have had better luck. Productivity creator Thomas Frank has pivoted to selling Notion templates. Artist Sarah Renae Clark sells her Color Catalog as well as her physical product, the color cube. Hot Ones even started selling hot sauce, and Mr. Beast launched his own Lunchable.

Physical products can be cumbersome for smaller creators who don’t have time for things like order fulfillment and customer service. Some creators turn to dropshipping, or partnering with various merchandise companies, but those come with their own downsides, especially if your audience starts receiving poorly vetted and low-quality goods. That’s why digital products like ebooks or Notion templates are appealing to creators who want to make a product and move on to other creative endeavors.

Subscriptions and memberships

Though over a decade old, Patreon is still a popular option for creating predictable income for creators. While these are the breakout successes, some of the platform’s top creators bring in over $100,000 monthly on the platform.

Patreon lets creators choose membership levels for a subscription fee that come with various levels of perks. Creators might offer additional content, access to a Discord, or physical swag. Fans sometimes also shell out just to support their favorite creators. 

There are alternatives: YouTube now offers its own channel memberships. There are also single-time donation platforms like Ko-Fi that offer membership options.

💰 Learn more: How to Start a Patreon for Your Podcast: Tips from a Patreon Vet

User-generated content

For creators who want to limit how much sponsored content they post on their own channel, User-Generated Content (UGC) deals are a good option. UGC deals involve brands paying creators to produce and host content that will live on the brand’s own social media channels. “It has brought in significant income for me the last two years,” Roberto says.

Creators can land UGC deals by doing direct outreach to brands, working with agencies, or using platforms like Brands Meet Creators or Aspire.

How soon should you start monetizing your channel?

“I would first and foremost focus on providing free value and building an audience,” Lauren says. “Get to know them and what their needs and pain points are, and establish trust before jumping into promotion.” 

Ultimately, driving viewers to courses, newsletters, or anything off the platform will create some friction with the best viewing experience. Smaller creators should likely focus on growing through good content while laying the groundwork for a sustainable business.

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