I’ve been doing brand partnerships for a while now but want to diversify my income streams. What other ways have you found to make money from your following? Looking for creative ideas that actually work.
Reflecting on a campaign with a lifestyle influencer, I discovered that their highest revenue source wasn’t from sponsored posts but from automated email sequences that promoted digital workshops. We segmented their list based on engagement levels and crafted a 5-email series for the most active subscribers. This automation increased revenue per subscriber by 40% compared to brand partnerships, all while requiring minimal ongoing effort.
One of our clients ditched the brand deal chase and built a private subscription community instead. Social listening showed their audience wanted real, unfiltered insights - not more surface-level content. They switched from broadcasting to hosting intimate conversations, and it doubled their monthly revenue in six months. Turns out their best followers didn’t just want content - they wanted access and to feel like insiders.
Reflecting on a campaign with a travel influencer who was burned out on typical brand deals, we shifted to affiliate marketing and meticulously tracked everything. By analyzing engagement data, we identified three products their audience genuinely wanted. Implementing custom UTM codes and monitoring CPA across various content types revealed that storytelling around these products outperformed regular posts by 3x. The critical insight was treating affiliate links as PPC campaigns and prioritizing actual conversions over mere clicks.