A lot of creators start posting on social media as a side hustle. They want to become an influencers and monetize their content, but being a content creator isn’t the only side hustle social media has to offer. It’s one of dozens! And as a content creator, you’ve already got the skills needed to succeed! Here are five of the best side hustles for content creators.
Research the Best Side Hustles 🏆
While we think these five are really solid options for creators, there are tons to choose from! We recommend doing some research into the industry as a whole or at least reading about the ones you like the best. You’ll also want to get some inspiration from other creators with your side hustle. Knowing their process and how they work will help you decide what’s best for you – and give you a jumping-off point!
Without further ado, let’s get into the best side hustles for content creators!
User Generated Content (UGC) 🎬
UGC is huge! So big, in fact, that you might not even know you’re seeing it. UGC is original, branded content created by high-quality influencers and content creators. In a lot of contexts, UGC is made by the creator (usually for a fee) and given to the brand to post on their official accounts. UGC can also include sponsored or partnered posts, but we’ll get to those in a minute. For this article, just think of UGC as content you create specifically for a brand to repost.
If you want to start creating UGC content, you’ll need to already be creating high-quality content regularly. You’ll want to have a portfolio of work to show off. Try creating UGC for brands you love; no need to ask or partner with them, just grab a few products and film! This will let you show off your conceptualization skills, your attention to detail, and your technical skills. Brands will give you a brief to go off of when you officially start working with them, but they’ll want to see your creativity, too.
Partnerships and Sponsorships 🤝
This includes affiliate marketing, too! On this route, you would work with a brand to help promote their products. With a sponsorship, the brand will pay you to create content promoting their brand. This is often an ongoing deal. With a brand deal, the brand would send you a specific product for you to promote. This can be a one-off deal. You can learn more about the differences (and how to land both) here!
Partnerships and sponsorships will require you to build an engaged community. You’ll also need to hone your influencing skills and add some polish to your brand. It’s also good to have an idea of what your community would need or be interested in. This will help you find brands you want to work with – and that will want to work with you.
Hashtag Researcher 📊
Hashtags are one of the oldest vestiges of social media and they’ve stuck around for good reason. They’re a great way to find new content and discover new communities. Some platforms even have algorithms that use hashtags when recommending new content to you. If you can master hashtags, you can master social media.
A hashtag researcher will find hashtags for creators to use. These can include hashtags in their communities or niches, new and trending hashtags, or other hashtags they may not have considered. You’ll also develop content and hashtag strategies for them to use. For this side hustle, you’ll need to be up to date with the latest trends, understand how each platform uses hashtags, and be able to deep dive into community or niche hashtags.
Video Editor 🎛️
Let’s be honest: editing is one of the worst parts of content creation. No one looks forward to it, but some people excel at it. If you’re one of those talented creators, try offering your services to other creators!
What do you need? You have to be proficient (or expert, if possible) in at least one video editing platform. You should have at least one signature style that you’ve perfected, and ideally, you should be good at a couple of editing styles, too. Basically, you want to be so good at editing that other people have to come to you. You’ll need to put the hours in and be on top of any new styles or tools, but this is a great way to make use of your editing skills.
Social Media Coaching 📣
If you’re a successful creator, you should start considering coaching other creators! You’ll teach new or burgeoning creators (or growing creators looking to perfect their content) who want to become a successful creator. This can include how to grow their audience, creating a content strategy, and anything you have experience in that other creators will need help with.
You’ll find a lot of social media coaches online if you know how to look for them. They’re often the creators posting “how to understand the algorithm” videos or breaking down new trends in their content. They’re usually experts on all things social media but may specialize in a platform or two.
Show Us the Money 🤑
You probably read this article (or jumped to this point) and are wondering when we’d start talking about the money you can make. The short of it is that we don’t know. The long of it is that it all depends on you, on the side hustles you think are best, and the people you work with. If you’re just starting out, you may want to offer your services for free. You charge a little more if you have years of experience and a portfolio half a mile long.
You’ll need to do some research into freelance work, social media experts, and what people with your side hustle tend to charge. Sadly, we can’t do that for you! Plus, it’ll give you a much better idea of the kind of work you’ll be doing and how much you’ll be able to earn.
Want to learn more about making money online? Check out our series for creators and small business owners and our Creator’s Guide to monetizing on Clapper. You can also learn what to do with the money you make on Clapper here!