How to Make Money as an Influencer | 13 Ways No Budget Required

Turning your social media presence into a profitable business is more achievable than ever. With the influencer industry thriving, there are countless ways to monetize your online influence and build a sustainable income stream. In 2025, the global influencer marketing platform market is projected to reach $22 billion, with no signs of slowing down.

Whether you’re just starting or looking to scale, this guide covers proven strategies to help you make money as an influencer-without spending a dime out of your pocket. Let’s dive in!

13 Ways to Make Money as an Influencer

1. Get paid directly from social media platforms

There are 2 main ways to get paid via the social media platforms where you’re posting content:

1. Get paid by the platforms themselves

Many social media platforms have built-in monetization programs that pay creators to produce engaging content. These programs typically require creators to meet certain eligibility criteria, such as reaching a minimum number of followers or being in specific countries. Here are some of the most popular partner programs:

• YouTube Partner Program: Creators can earn ad revenue once they reach 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours in the past year or 10 million Shorts views in 90 days. Some regions allow early access to monetization features like channel memberships, where subscribers pay for exclusive perks, and Supers, which lets fans buy Super Chats, Stickers, or Thanks to support creators. YouTube Shopping also allows creators to sell their merchandise directly through their channel.

• TikTok Creator Fund Program: TikTok pays eligible creators based on engagement, watch time, and video performance. However, payouts vary significantly and are best suited for creators who consistently produce viral content. Some creators find that TikTok’s revenue share isn’t as high as other platforms, so it’s often recommended to combine this with other income streams like sponsorships or affiliate marketing.
• Note that the Instagram Reels Play bonus program, which rewarded creators for views on Reels, was discontinued on March 9, 2023. However, Instagram is testing other monetization opportunities, such as ad revenue sharing and new features for creators to earn.

2. Get paid by your audience

Many platforms allow influencers to earn directly from their followers through features like donations, tips, and gifts. These tools provide a way for creators to generate income without relying on brand deals or platform payouts.

• Twitch: Viewers can send Bits, Twitch’s version of virtual tips, to support streamers during live sessions. To access this feature, you’ll need to apply for the Twitch Partner Program, which also unlocks additional revenue opportunities like channel subscriptions and ad revenue.

• YouTube: Creators can earn through Super Chat and Super Stickers, where viewers pay to highlight their messages during live streams. YouTube has also introduced Jewels, a feature that allows viewers to purchase digital gifts that can be exchanged for real earnings.

• Facebook: The Facebook Stars feature lets followers support their favorite creators by purchasing and sending Stars as virtual gifts. This feature applies to various types of content, including live streams, gaming sessions, reels, photos, and even text posts.

• TikTok: Viewers can send virtual gifts during live sessions, which creators can convert into real money.

• Instagram: Instagram enables creators to earn through Badges, a feature that lets viewers purchase and send monetary support during live videos.

2. Secure brand sponsorships

Sponsored posts are one of the most common ways influencers make money. Brands pay you to promote their products or services through posts, stories, or videos. To land high-paying brand deals, you need to position yourself as a valuable partner. Here’s how to do it:

• Pitch directly to brands via email or social media with a media kit showcasing your reach and past collaborations. You can create your content creator portfolio or website for free using Payhip. This will show brands that you mean business, and make it simpler for them to choose you as their next collaborator!

• Maximize the value or size of your deals

• Offer to include a link in your bio to drive traffic and boost conversions for the brands you promote

• Instead of a single sponsored post, propose a long-term collaboration with multiple pieces of content covering different aspects of the brand

• If a company wants to use your content in ads, negotiate higher rates to reflect its extended reach

• You can also offer cross-promotion on platforms like TikTok and YouTube for an additional fee, increasing exposure while maximizing your earnings.

• Be transparent by disclosing paid partnerships with #ad or #sponsored as required by FTC guidelines.

Sponsored content pricing varies based on niche, engagement rate, and audience size. It’s also not just about follower count, content production quality matters too. Things like great photography, comprehensive research, engaging captions, and storytelling can make you more attractive to potential collaborators because you’re more likely to be able to convert your audience into loyal customers for those brands.

3. Become a brand ambassador

Unlike one-time sponsored posts, brand ambassadorships involve long-term collaborations where influencers continuously represent a brand over an extended period. These partnerships provide consistent income while enhancing credibility and trust with your audience.

Ambassadorships offer stability in an influencer’s income while fostering deeper connections with a brand. The consistent exposure helps solidify your authority in a niche, making your recommendations more impactful.

Many brand ambassadorships come with exclusivity agreements, meaning you may be restricted from promoting competing brands within the same niche. Being affiliated with multiple competitors can hurt your credibility, as followers expect genuine brand loyalty. Before committing, weigh the long-term benefits and ensure the partnership aligns with your brand.

4. Earn commission through affiliate marketing

Affiliate marketing is similar to brand deals, but instead of receiving a flat fee, you earn a commission for every sale made through your unique affiliate link.

One of the biggest advantages of affiliate marketing is that you don’t have to negotiate with companies individually. Many programs are self-serve, meaning you can sign up, start promoting products, and earn commissions without any direct interaction with the company. If you prefer a hassle-free way to monetize your content, this is an excellent option.

To find a variety of companies offering affiliate programs, explore networks like ClickBank, ShareASale, Awin, CJ Affiliate, Amazon Associates, Tribe, and JoinBrands.

Useful tip: Payhip offers an affiliate program with 50% lifetime commissions. If you’re interested, visit partner.payhip.com to sign up.

One of the best ways to maximize affiliate earnings is by creating honest, in-depth reviews of products or services you already use and trust. Transparency builds credibility, making your audience more likely to take action on your recommendations. Always disclose affiliate links with a simple disclaimer like, “This post contains affiliate links,” to maintain trust and engagement with your followers.

5. Sell digital products online

Selling digital products is one of the most cost-effective ways to start an online business as an influencer. Unlike physical products, digital goods require no inventory, shipping, or production costs after the initial creation. You make them once and can sell them endlessly, whether to 10 customers or 10,000, without additional effort. Since digital products can be purchased by anyone with an internet connection, your potential audience is virtually limitless.

Some of the most popular digital products include eBooks, templates, PDFs, presets, and so much more! The key to success is creating something that provides real value to your audience. For example, if you’re a fitness influencer, you could sell meal plans or workout guides. If you’re a content creator, video editing templates or Instagram presets could be great options.

Your choice of eCommerce platform plays a huge role in your success. Payhip is an excellent option because it handles automatic and instant product delivery for your customers, ensuring a seamless buying experience. It’s also incredibly beginner-friendly, with a free store builder that allows you to create a professional online shop without any technical skills. Even better, Payhip doesn’t charge monthly fees-just a small 5% fee per sale, meaning you only pay when you make money. Plus, Payhip’s online marketplace helps you get more visibility without any extra cost.

Once your store is live, make sure to share your product link in your social media bio.

6. Sell physical products via print on demand

If you want to sell physical products but aren’t ready to invest in inventory, print-on-demand is a hassle-free way to start. This business model allows you to sell custom-designed items like T-shirts, mugs, tote bags, notebooks, and phone cases-without the risks of upfront costs or managing stock.

Here’s how it works: You create your design and list the product in your online store. When a customer places an order, the print-on-demand service prints the design onto the item and ships it directly to them. This means you don’t have to worry about packaging, storage, or fulfillment-allowing you to focus on marketing and growing your brand.

For influencers, print-on-demand offers a fun and creative way to launch personalized merchandise. You can turn your catchphrases, viral quotes, or inside jokes from your content into T-shirts, hoodies, or stickers that resonate with your audience. Not only does this create a stronger connection with your followers, but it also gives them a chance to support you in a meaningful way.

7. Charge a subscription fee for exclusive content

Offering exclusive, subscription-based content is a powerful way to create a steady, predictable income as an influencer. By charging a monthly fee, you provide premium content and special perks, keeping your audience engaged while ensuring consistent earnings. This approach not only strengthens your community but also gives you greater control over your monetization.

This is especially valuable if producing your content requires a significant budget, allowing you to sustain your work while delivering high-quality content with the support of your audience. Tips to build a membership program that people would want to pay for:

• Provide exclusive value – Offer premium content they can’t access for free, such as behind-the-scenes footage, in-depth tutorials, live Q&As, or exclusive resources.
• Create multiple membership tiers – Give subscribers options based on budget and access level, from basic memberships with early content access to VIP tiers with one-on-one interactions.
• Deliver content consistently – Keep members engaged by uploading fresh content regularly, whether it’s weekly updates, monthly masterclasses, or exclusive behind-the-scenes insights.
• Encourage community participation – Let members vote on future content, participate in polls, or join private live streams to create a sense of exclusivity and involvement.
• Reward loyal members – Offer perks such as discounts, early access to new content, personalized shoutouts, or exclusive member-only giveaways to retain long-term subscribers.

Influencers can launch anything from simple to advanced multi-tiered memberships using free platforms like Payhip. To begin, we recommend learning how to build a membership website for free.

8. Offer online coaching or consulting services

If you have expertise in a specific field, offering online coaching or consulting can be a highly profitable way to monetize your influence. Many people are willing to pay for personalized guidance and expert advice from someone they trust, making this an ideal income stream for influencers who have built authority in their niche.

One of the biggest advantages of coaching is that you don’t need a massive following to succeed-you just need a dedicated audience that values your expertise.

To get started, platforms like Payhip, Calendly, and Zoom make it easy to set up booking systems and offer paid consultations. With Payhip, you can even sell coaching packages or bundle multiple sessions for ongoing support. This helps build long-term relationships with clients and provides a steady income stream.

Marketing your coaching services is crucial. Promote your offerings by sharing testimonials, case studies, or success stories from past clients. Highlight the benefits of working with you and showcase before-and-after transformations if applicable. Offering a free consultation or a discounted first session can also help attract new clients and build trust.

We recommend starting by learning how to start an online coaching business without spending a dime upfront.

9. Monetize your knowledge by selling online courses

If you have valuable skills or expertise, selling online courses is one of the best ways to monetize your knowledge while creating a scalable and passive income stream. Unlike one-on-one coaching, online courses allow you to teach an unlimited number of students anytime, anywhere, making it a great option for influencers looking to maximize their earnings without constantly trading time for money.

We recommend starting by learning how to sell online courses, so you can deliver high-quality courses that can be wildly successful when launched.

Choosing the right platform can make or break your online course business. Fortunately, Payhip offers a free, no-monthly-fee platform where you can create a beautiful, fully streamable course with ease. It comes packed with powerful features like surveys, polls, assignments, certificates of completion, and drip lessons, all designed to enhance your students’ learning experience and keep them engaged.

10. Collaborate with brands to launch products

Partnering with a brand to co-create and launch a product is one of the most lucrative ways to monetize your influence. Instead of simply promoting a brand’s existing product, you become actively involved in product development, allowing you to offer something uniquely tailored to your audience while benefiting from the brand’s resources and distribution. Influencers will typically receive compensation in the form of royalties or revenue share.

The key to a successful product collaboration is ensuring the brand and product align with your personal brand and audience’s interests. Followers can tell when a collaboration is forced, so it’s essential to work with companies that share your values. The most successful influencer-brand partnerships feel authentic, well-integrated, and mutually beneficial.

11. Create UGC (User-Generated Content)

If you enjoy creating high-quality content but don’t have a massive following, licensing and user-generated content (UGC) can be a great way to make money as an influencer. Unlike traditional influencer marketing, where brands pay you to post on your own platform, UGC involves creating content for brands to use in their ads, social media, and marketing campaigns-without you needing to post it yourself.

Many brands prefer UGC because it feels more authentic and relatable than traditional ads. This means you don’t need a huge audience to succeed, just strong content creation skills.

To get started, sign up for UGC platforms like JoinBrands, Cohley, and Billo, where brands actively seek creators to produce content. You can also pitch brands directly by showcasing a portfolio of past work. Having a website with your UGC portfolio can make it easier for brands to see your skills and hire you for content creation.

12. Organize Paid Events

Hosting paid events is a great way to monetize your influence while offering valuable experiences to your audience. Virtual events are especially convenient since they require little to no overhead costs. You can run masterclasses, coaching sessions, or interactive panel discussions through platforms like Zoom, Google Meet, or Instagram Live with ticketed access.

Selling digital tickets is simple with Payhip, which has no monthly fees and only charges a small 5% fee per sale. You can easily incorporate this cost into your ticket price, making it a hassle-free way to generate income from your events.

13. Accept Donations & Tips

If your audience enjoys your content and wants to support your work, accepting donations and tips can be a simple yet effective way to earn money as an influencer. Many fans appreciate the effort that goes into creating free content and are willing to contribute voluntarily as a way of saying thank you.

To encourage donations, you can create exclusive perks or recognition for supporters. For example, giving donors a personalized shoutout, offering bonus content, or giving access to behind-the-scenes updates can incentivize more contributions.

The key to earning through donations is building a strong connection with your audience. When followers see the value in your content and feel personally connected to your journey, they’re more likely to support you financially. This income stream works especially well for creators who offer free educational, entertainment, or artistic content and want to continue producing high-quality work without relying solely on sponsorships or ad revenue.

If you choose to accept donations, be sure to make it easy for your audience to contribute by linking your donation page in your bio, video descriptions, and social media posts. A small but dedicated group of supporters can significantly contribute to sustaining your content creation efforts.

How much do influencers make?

An influencer’s earning potential is limitless, but there’s no fixed formula that guarantees a specific income based on likes or views. Your revenue depends on various factors, including the type of content you create, how many views and interactions your posts receive, your engagement rate, advertiser appeal, and the affiliate programs or sponsorships you leverage.

In general, here are the numbers that you might expect: Nano-influencers (1K-10K followers) typically earn $10-$100 per post, while micro-influencers (10K-100K followers) can make $100-$1,000. Macro-influencers (100K-1M followers) earn $1,000-$10,000, and mega-influencers (1M+ followers) can command $10,000 or more per post.

How many followers do you need to be an influencer?

There’s no set number of followers required to be an influencer. Even with a small audience, you can earn money if your engagement is strong. Many brands now prefer to work with micro-influencers (10K-50K followers) because their engagement rates tend to be higher than those of larger creators.

How much do influencers make per post?

Influencer earnings vary based on niche, engagement rate, and platform. On average, here’s how much influencers can make per sponsored post:

• Nano-influencers (1K-10K followers): $10-$100
• Micro-influencers (10K-100K followers): $100-$1,000
• Macro-influencers (100K-1M followers): $1,000-$10,000
• Mega-influencers (1M+ followers): $10,000+

Income isn’t limited to brand deals. Many influencers diversify their earnings through other means such as affiliate marketing, selling digital products, online courses, and paid memberships.

Final thoughts

Monetizing your influence is more accessible than ever, and with the right strategies, you can turn your online presence into a thriving business. Whether you’re leveraging social media platform payouts, brand deals, digital products, or online courses, there’s no shortage of ways to generate income-without needing a big budget to start.

Related read:

• How to become a content creator
• How to make money on Instagram
• How to make money on Facebook
• How to make money on TikTok
• How to make money on YouTube