How to earn an income as a social media blogger: 17 tips for attracting jobs
If you’re thinking about diving into the world of becoming a social media blogger, UGC creator or content creator, here are some tips to get you started.
If I’m completely honest, writing these tips scares me a little bit.
It’s because it opens you up – people may criticize you, or judge you for how little or how much you earn, and I don’t want that sort of attention. What I want to do is support the community that has helped me so much – I love connecting with so many of you, I’m always grateful for your travel tips or life tips… and I had a number of you ask for these tips, so here we are!
This article is for ANY type of content creator, and I hope the tips helps you become more visible to brands.
Don’t also miss my tips on the Instagram Algorithm in 2024 and my free guide to the Instagram algorithm after you’re done!
When I first started I saw all these bloggers making a living from social media and I didn’t know how to do it. It seemed like such a challenging task.
I accepted jobs where I earnt well below the normal rate, or the terms were less than ideal. Well, I’ve made a few changes and I’ve started to earn an income from social media, and I want to share these tips with you.
I would honestly say that I’m still in the early stages of my social media career. I’ve made it no secret that when I was travelling around Asia last year, I wasn’t really earning much of an income. But last year we took a year off and it wasn’t our top priority, and I was moving around every 2 weeks, so it’s nearly impossible to plan jobs in if you’re never in one place, and can never plan press trips etc. It was our year off and we loved it.
Now it’s different. We’re attracting more jobs and frankly, I’m so grateful for every one of them. I love working with partners and showcasing the excellent tours/adventures/hotels/brands that we’re fortunate enough to work with.
Income earning on social media is HUGELY inconsistent, some people earn a lot, some people don’t and hopefully I’ll address some of this in this post.
The Hard Truth – it can be hard, and it can take you time to achieve your goals. It can take people years to develop their skills, to build up a network. For the people that are consistent and determined, it will happen for you.
But before we start first, read the myths. The earning potential is pretty much infinite online (people like Mr. Beast, for example!), but equally, it can be so hard to stand out and be noticed.
Myths About Earning as a Creator:
- “They have huge amounts of followers, they must be earning loads” – Nope. This is not true AT ALL. Conversely, I know people that have less than 20k followers online and make a very good salary – some make 6 figures or more. This might be because they sell courses, or sell photography services or are UGC creators. So brands might find them on social media, and pay them to create content.
- “It’s easy money.” Nope, it takes hard work and consistency. I put more work into all my travel guides and photography than I did my full time job ( I basically work all the time now), but I love it so it doesn’t matter to me. I also have been blogging for 5 years.
- “You need millions of followers.” Quality over quantity matters more. I know people that have less than 20k followers online and make huge amounts – 6 figures or more.
- “You can only make money from ads.” There are many revenue streams like sponsorships, affiliate marketing, and selling your own products, TikTok shop etc.
- “Once I have a big following, I’ll have lots of work” – also not necessarily true. Be prepared for maybe 2 months with no jobs, then potentially being overwhelmed with jobs during busy periods.
- “I need a professional camera” – not really. I know people that create from their smart phone. I sell my services as a photographer, so I have professional equipment and I personally prefer the photography quality.
How to earn an income as a social media blogger
This can be a little overwhelming as it’s hard to know where to start! If you’re a beginner, think about starting with UGC as you don’t need any following, and no equipment other than your phone!
What kind of creator do you want to be? This is super important! Do you want to be a professional photographer? Do you want to be an internet personality?
- Sponsored posts – brands will pay you to advertise on your page.
- Affiliate marketing – An affiliate income means you earn a very small commission when you recommend a product or service. I recommend the tours that I do, or what hotels I stay in. I earn a very small commission from the brand that costs NOTHING to the person buying it. There are thousands of affiliate programmes out there. I used to sign up to lots of different affiliate programmes (Booking, Expedia, Trip Advisor etc.), but it’s very hard to keep track of them all and to be honest, super time consuming. It’s a pain having to log into lots of different programmes every time you want to recommend a service. I now use Travel Payouts which basically combines all the affiliate programmes into one place and would recommend you use it too! It’s super easy, and the team at Travel Payouts also sometimes have calls with you, giving tips on how to improve your income.
- Selling digital products – eBooks, travel guides, photography presets.
- UGC Creators – create content for brands to use on their social media. This can be photographing products (like perfume, or skincare products) so the brand can post on their own pages. UGC creation will require a whole different article as it is its own job.
- Creator funds – You can get paid to post on TikTok, YouTube and even on Threads. Some of these are country dependent, however, like the Threads creator Programme.
- Online courses or workshops – you have to become an expert in your field though!
- Brand partnerships – You may have ongoing partnerships with brands with companies like Expedia for 6+ months.
- Display advertising – if you have a blog you can monetise by having Ads on your page like Google AdSense, Mediavine. I write travel guides and social media tips on my blog and it is now monetised with mediavine. You can expect to earn around $20 – $65 for every 1000 page views, meaning you will start earning a starter salary of $700-1000 per month (you need 50,000 views to join). My website joined a few days ago so I don’t know how much I’ll be earning yet but when you begin it’ll be on the lower side. The great thing about this is that it’s passive income. It generates money for you in the background.
- Press trips and sponsored trips
- Freelance writing
- Freelance photography or videography
- Subscriptions – Patreon or Ko-fi support from followers. Creating and selling exclusive content (memberships, subscriptions) where people pay a monthly subscription to see your work/learn tips!
- Hosting webinars or virtual tours
- Selling physical products (merchandise, travel gear)
Top tips for becoming more visible to brands & jobs:
1. Clear Bio and Profile:
- What kind of creator are you? This is possibly the most important part.
- Are you a crochet blogger, fashion blogger, or UGC (user-generated content) creator? Be specific. Brands and PRs will be searching ‘Ethical fashion blogger’ or ‘London Food Blogger’ and you need that in your bio so you pop up when they search for you.
- Are you based in London, LA or another location? This helps local brands find you.
- Make sure PRs or companies can find you easily when they search!
I’ve screenshotted my bio below and the key points here are:
- My name
- UK Travel blogger & photographer
- Photography & Video
- Londoner
2. Email in Your Bio:
Do not just rely on the email button on Instagram or any other platform. Write your email in your bio so companies can contact you directly.
Many PRs have confirmed that if they can’t see your email in your bio, they’ll skip your profile!
3. How Attractive is your account to brands and partners?
How ‘attractive’ is your Instagram/TikTok/blog to people who may want to advertise on your account?
I do not mean aesthetically attractive. I mean, if you only post about travel, then you may attract travel brands. If you only post about hair, you will attract hair product companies. If you’ve never recommended a single product, then maybe you won’t be picked as a potential partner (which leads me to the next point!)
If you don’t have a clear account, or you post very controversial topics, then maybe companies may not choose to work with you.
4. Practice
Practice! Start recommending products or services that you find genuinely helpful.
Start photographing products as a practice. If you want to be a UGC creator, look up examples of UGC creators on Youtube, Instagram or TikTok.
Imagine you want to work with BA airlines, or a hair product. The next time you use the product service, consider turning it into a recommendation on social media and make a photo/video about it.
Practice photographing whatever product or service you want to feature. Practice videoing or reviewing the product. Practice, Practice, Practice!
My first attempts were terrible, but it’s part of the fun! Growth is possible for everyone!
5. Start Pitching:
Don’t wait for companies, brands and PRs to find you.
Start pitching. Companies wont know who you are until they do.
You can wait for them to come to you, or you can reach out to companies first. Nothing might come of it, but they might keep you in mind for their next campaign 3 months down the line.
This is how I’ve got jobs previously – I reach out to brands and several months later, they get in touch.
6. Write down your List of dream Clients:
- Write down your dream list of clients and write a plan for how to be noticed by them.
- What kind of creators do they work with currently? Have a look at their account. See if they’ve tagged anyone, or if anyone is on their profile.
- Analyse what kind of content the brand currently has. Improve your skills if you need to, and ask yourself if you fit in that niche.
- Do you genuinely follow or interact with your dream clients? If not, maybe you should!
7. Sign Up to influencer Platforms:
Join as many relevant platforms as possible. Type in ‘influencer platforms for fashion bloggers’ or ‘UGC beauty creators’ into Google and see what comes up. There are many different influencer platforms for different fields – beauty bloggers, fashion bloggers, travel bloggers, etc.
Even if you don’t get jobs right away, you will probably get on their radar for future opportunities.
8. Engage with Your Audience if you have a following
Respond to comments and messages to build a loyal community. BE GENUINE. Be honest! People are more likely to connect with you if you are your true self.
9. Consistent Posting Schedule
Post regularly. People will get to know you and you can attract new followers (if that’s what you want). Use tools like Buffer or Hootsuite to schedule posts in advance, or make drafts direct to Instagram or TikTok (this is what I do).
10. High-Quality Content
Invest in good equipment for photos and videos, at the very least a decent camera or smartphone. Use editing tools like Adobe Lightroom (free photo editor), InShot (video editor, free and paid version) or Canva (to make posters & graphics – also free!) to make your content pop. I use both of these.
Learn how to edit aesthetically. There are thousands of tutorials online! This means no dull photos, unless the client you’re working for is after grey 🙂
11. Stay Updated with Trends
Follow industry news and trends, themes and more to keep your content relevant. You can choose to take part in popular challenges and trending audios to increase visibility.
For example, I have an article on the latest instagram algorithm updates – stay up to date!
12. Network with Other Creators and brands
Collaborate with other bloggers or Brands to reach new audiences. Attend events and join online communities to make connections.
I recently mentioned I’m part of a number of different Facebook groups that are for creators. But some of these groups are location specific (i.e. London travel bloggers) and I know many of you are based around the world.
I was thinking of setting up a group for people that might be interested in connecting with other bloggers. If this is something you’d be interested, please DM me on Instagram.
13. Analytics
Use analytics tools on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube or your blog to track your performance. Understand what content works best and adjust your strategy accordingly.
14. Legal and Financial Aspects
Understand the basics of contracts and make sure to get agreements in writing. Keep track of your earnings and expenses for tax purposes. Consider consulting a professional, but if you’re interested I can write a guide on things to look out for in contracts. DM me if this would be of interest!
15. Authenticity
Be genuine in your content. Authenticity resonates with audiences and builds trust. Don’t promote products or services you don’t believe in just for the money.
As I have a background in nutrition, I have personally chosen not to work with certain supplement companies (there is no evidence they work at all). They may work – but I can’t recommend it.
I know a story of one blogger who recommended alcohol brands for an ad, despite being teetotal (I.e. did not drink alcohol). The campaign backfired and there is distrust between the creator, brand and audience.
Do not do this. It’ll wreck your reputation!
16. Professionalism & get a Media kit
Treat your freelancing like a business. Be professional in all communications and meet deadlines. Create a media kit that includes your bio, stats, and examples of past work to send to potential clients.
Use Canva to create a template media kit of your experience and examples of your photography & videography.
17. Going Viral
Let’s face it. Going viral is going to put you on the radar. PRs and Brands are on social media. They will see your posts if they perform well!
Now, you don’t have to go viral, there are many creators I know who don’t go viral and make an income. But it’s one of the ways that helps put you on the map, and when I had a manager, she mentioned for me this ought to be one of my main strategies for attracting new clients.
With these extra tips, you’ll have a solid foundation to grow your presence and start earning as a social media freelancer or travel blogger.
You’ve got this!
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