Have you ever wondered how people make money on social media?
Indeed, there are several ways to monetize social media and it is not only reserved for those with a huge following. Multiple findings show that micro-influencers or social media users with between 10,000 to 100,000 followers dominate the scene. A past study found out that images posted by micro-influencers gain about 20% ROI. That is almost 7% more than what macro-influencers make. You too could be a part of the action, with the right strategies and consistency.
As social shopping continues to gain prominence, posts on sponsored products and influencer marketing are proving to be goldmines. One of the best things about social media monetization is that there is no standard way of doing it. Creators and marketers can get as creative as they wish and experiment with various strategies to make money on social media.
The following article discusses proven strategies to enable you to make money on social media in 2025 and beyond.
What is Social Media Monetization?
Social media monetization simply refers to the process of making money on your social media accounts. It is a common practice among social media influencers and content creators who have built a significant and engaged fan-base.
While different social media monetization strategies exist, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to it. Success often requires a combination of a large and committed audience, authentic engagements and strategic partnerships with businesses or brands.
Creators, influencers and marketers must give proper thought to their audience and brand image when exploring different monetization strategies. That will ensure they align with their values and the interests of their followers.
How to Make Money on Social Media in 2025
Social media is fast-paced landscape, with constantly shifting trends and user behaviors. As such, creators and marketers must be hot on their heels with strategic moves to make money on social media successfully. The following are proven strategies for effective social media monetization.
- Partnerships and Sponsored Content
Most of the creators and influencers who have made money on social media owe a greater part of their success to partnerships and sponsored content. Collaborating with like-minded brands in your niche offer opportunities for curating content to promote their products and services. Many brands out there are continually looking for influencers to help promote their products and, finding the right partner could see you earn lots of money over time.
Brands can hire you to curate content in the form of photos, videos and written texts to showcase them in a positive light. That will see you get paid and, also provide the opportunity for engaging with your followers. However, you should work with brands that align with your values and resonate with your audience to maximize the earnings from sponsored content.
The following video is an example of sponsored content on YouTube. In the video, the brand Hellcase sponsored creator, Kenny S to announce giveaways of its products. The creator carefully puts links in the video description to direct viewers to take part in the giveaways. It generates leads and potential customers to the brand while also generating income to the creator.
Partnerships and sponsored content have the ability to increase your revenue potential significantly. That is because they allow you to monetize your platforms beyond conventional ads. It could also be a great strategy to diversify your income sources. Besides, partnerships and sponsored content can drive authentic brand alignment.
2. Selling Online Courses
Selling online courses is also a great way to make money on social media while providing value to your audience. It is becoming a popular strategy, attracting several experts today.
Online courses are learning programs whereby the creator helps people to learn new skills and transform their lives or achieve certain desired results. The courses typically comprise of lessons, modules and other learning resources including downloadable content, classes and even live events.
One of the things that make this strategy a fantastic way to monetize social media is the possibility of earning leveraged income and scaling your business without trading time for money. Once you create an online course, you can sell it to many people over and over again without recreating it every time you make a sale. Unlike ordinary products, online courses do not have an expiry date, allowing you to maximize earnings effectively.
Creating and selling online courses do not need a large budget like most online business ideas. All you need is an online course platform such as Udemy. It is a dedicated platform for teaching and learning, with a reach of over 35 million students and 100 million minutes of video in 65 languages. Most platforms will allow you to use their resources for up 30 days for free. Then, you can decide to join the platforms, based on your experience and expectations.
Selling online courses also comes with greater flexibility since you can structure the business as you want. Besides, you can create and sell the courses on your own schedule from any part of the world. However, you should have a better mastery of the courses that you produce. Your content should demonstrate expertise, experience, authenticity and trust to attract as many people as possible.
3. Affiliate Marketing
Online shopping has made it possible for people to purchase almost anything with just the click of a button. Thanks to the continued rise of e-commerce, affiliate marketing is now a lucrative way to make money on social media and other online platforms.
Affiliate marketing mainly involves directing or luring potential clients to an online seller, known as the affiliate, for commissions. The seller will give you a unique link to promote on your social media platforms. Then, you will receive a commission each time someone makes a purchase on the affiliate website using that link.
However, you must first join an affiliate program to start earning through this strategy. Various affiliate programs exist today that you can choose from. A good example is the Amazon Associates Program. Registered marketers are required to create impactful content about the various products and services on Amazon. You are also expected to provide links to the items that you promote to give customers a more convenient shopping experience.
Your followers who click the provided links on your social media platforms will be redirected to the affiliate website. You will receive a commission a s soon as the customer makes a purchase.
4. Selling Merchandise
Merchandising is also becoming a very popular way for influencers and content creators to make money on social media. Selling merchandise is a smart move to generate income, strengthen your brand identity and engage with your audience on a more personal level. You can design and sell merchandise related to your content or brand such as t-shirts, accessories, hoodies or even digital items like online courses and e-books.
Influencers and marketers can also use print-on-demand services to create and sell customized merchandise without the hassles of inventory management. For example, you can partner with designers or artists to create eye-catching and unique designs to attract lots of customers online.
You can leverage your brand to promote the merchandise through social media posts, partnerships with other creators and exclusive giveaways to your most loyal followers. A well-executed strategy can significantly boost your revenue stream and build a strong community around your brand.
Apart from the money that you can make, selling merchandise is also a cost-effective way to market and advertise yourself. It allows you to create targeted ads, influencer collaborations and sponsored posts at a fraction of the costs. Merchandising is also great for enhancing customer engagement and loyalty.
5. Make Money from Ad Revenue
Almost all the major social media platforms today including Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, X and YouTube have various ad revenue options for content creators and marketers. If you meet the eligibility requirements, they can be incredible avenues to make money on social media.
Creators with a significant following on social media can share special content using Instagram’s subscription service. That gives your most loyal fans access to exclusive content. Subscriptions allow you to provide premium content, set a preferred subscription fee and receive payments conveniently on IG.
If you are on TikTok, the TikTok Creator Fund is a direct gateway to making money from your content. It is an official platform designed to pay creators for their unique content, based on follower count, views and engagement. The Fund focuses on promoting creators who curate authentic and original content, excluding sponsored content.
For creators who are interested in brand partnerships, check out the TikTok Creator Marketplace. It is an ideal platform to connect with brands seeking influencers to create promotional content.
YouTube offers YouTube ads, which you can also leverage to generate additional revenue from social media. Displaying ads on your content will enable you to earn money whenever viewers watch them. However, your content must meet certain requirements to make money.
Checkout this link to find out more on how to make money on YouTube in 2025.
6. Paid Exclusive Content and Premium Deals
Offering special and exclusive content that the audience needs to pay for is also a smart way to make money on social media platforms. Instagram is a good example of how this strategy can work. However, it only works well if you have already proven to your audience that you can deliver valuable content that they want more of.
You can ask your followers to register as members and pay a stipulated fee to gain access to your exclusive content. On the other hand, you could also ask them to pay for content, based on what they watch. Nonetheless, platforms such as Instagram already have subscription services that you can use to monetize your social media audience.
Content creators may also set up their own branded sites and charge members a subscription fee to join and access exclusive content. This approach ensures that you are not tied to any social media platform, thereby offering greater independence and flexibility.
Premium deals like early access to new products or services, personalized shout-outs and exclusive discounts to your most loyal followers can also be great for monetizing social media. Think of creating behind-the-scenes footage, exclusive interviews and bonus tutorials that only your subscribers can access. That creates a sense of exclusivity and value that encourages more people to subscribe to your pages.
Providing unique deals can go a long way in building a solid and dedicated community willing to pay for access to your content.
The Bottom Line
Thanks to the rapid adoption of social media and technology, there are endless opportunities for creators, influencers, marketers and brands to make money on social media. Whether you are a beginner or a seasoned creator looking to monetize social media, this article has outlined proven strategies to help you succeed. Implementing all the strategies at once may not be an easy feat. However, experimenting with multiple strategies can enable you to get the right plan and maximize your earnings. At Superior Social Boost, we can help you to drive your social media presence and engagements organically. We offer customized packages for individuals and businesses to boost social growth on Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and Google Business.