How do influencers make money in 2026: 45 proven income streams

Becoming an influencer today is a legitimate business that generates billions of dollars. No wonder research shows that its market size has more than tripled since 2020.

It was even estimated to reach $33 billion in 2025.

That’s why influencers make money. From Instagram creators and YouTubers to TikTokers and newsletter writers, they are all building audiences and turning that attention into income.

Now, if you want to make money as an influencer, you should know that there are many ways to monetize an online audience.

And I’ll share 45 of the best ones to help you do so.

Let’s get into it.

TL;DR

• Influencers make money through:

• 1. Brand partnerships
• 2. Affiliate marketing
• 3. Selling digital products
• 4. Memberships and paid communities
• 5. Creator platform revenue
• 6. Education and consulting
• 7. Selling physical products
  
  

• Typically, influencers make from $500 to $100,000+ per month, depending on monetization strategies, niche, and audience size.

How much do influencers typically make?

On average, influencers earn between $1,000 and $100,000+ per month, depending on their niche, audience size, and income streams.

For example, Instagram influencers who focus on brand partnerships typically earn between $400 and $10,000+ per sponsored post, depending on their reach and engagement. On the other hand, YouTubers or TikTokers relying on affiliate marketing earn between $150 and $50,000+ per month.

Creators who sell digital products, memberships, or coaching services may earn more because they often keep a large share of the revenue.

How influencers make money - Brand partnerships

Brand partnerships are one of the most lucrative income streams for influencers. Here, brands pay creators to promote products, create content, or represent their company to a targeted audience.

Here are the typical earnings:

• Micro-influencers (10K–50K followers): $200–$1,000 per post.
• Mid-tier creators (50K–500K followers): $1,000–$10,000 per post.
• Macro and mega influencers (500K+ followers): $10,000–$100,000+ per campaign.

1. Sponsored posts

You can make a lot of money through sponsored posts, especially if you have a large audience.

Many brands pay influencers to create social media posts featuring their products or services. That’s because brands want to increase exposure and trust with potential customers.

You will be surprised to learn that influencer Alix Earle earns $450,000 per sponsored Instagram post.

But like I said, you will make more when you have a large audience.

2. Sponsored videos

Similar to sponsored posts, brands can also pay creators to produce dedicated sponsored videos. These videos typically feature, review, or promote their products or services to the creators’ audiences.

The compensation can be cash, free products, or commission.

There is no specific amount you can make. But once you have an audience, brands reach out, and you could make some cash like Dana Hasson.

When she reached 100,000 followers on TikTok, she started charging about $1,000 for a sponsored video.  

Most types of sponsored videos include: dedicated videos, tutorials, integrated, mentions, unboxing, and hauls.

3. Brand ambassadorships

A brand ambassadorship is a long-term partnership in which a brand pays an influencer to represent and promote its products, services, and corporate identity for a few months or years.

YouTuber Shannon believes that becoming a brand ambassador is rewarding. In a YouTube video, she shared how she had just received a cheque of $1,180.

She said even though she did not have a large following, she was able to make such amounts. This is once again proof that you don’t always need 100,000+ followers to start making extra cash.

4. Product placements

As a creator, you can get paid to feature a brand's product within your content naturally. This strategy is called product placement. You don’t make the brand’s product the main focus of your post.

Many influencers that you see on social media do that. One example is Katie Steckly.

She posted a YouTube video discussing how to earn your first $1,000 as an influencer. In that video, she revealed that she charges $2,000 for a 60-second ad spot for your brand.

That’s how much she makes anytime she offers product placements on her YouTube channel.

5. Sponsored newsletters

The advantage of email newsletters is that you can sell advertising space to brands. Having sponsored newsletters means sponsors pay to be featured in dedicated sections of an email sent to subscribers.

When Simon Cave discovered this monetization method, he made $300/month with just 30 minutes of work.

Though it is a sponsored message, you should write it in your natural tone rather than as a corporate sales pitch.

[fs-toc-omit]6. Sponsored podcast episodes

Many influencers also make money podcasting through podcast sponsorships. If you are into podcasting, brands can pay you to promote their products during podcast episodes.

The influencer Shelby Church, for instance, shared on YouTube how she made $1,400 from a single sponsored podcast episode.

You can promote these brands’ products or services through pre-roll, mid-roll, or post-roll advertisements.

[fs-toc-omit]7. Sponsored livestreams

Sponsored livestreams usually occur when brands pay creators to feature products, demonstrate services, or mention a company during a live broadcast.

Such sponsorships mostly happen on platforms like Twitch, YouTube Live, TikTok Live, and Kick.

The first sponsored livestream of Logan Boisvert got him $439.51. He was sponsored by a gaming company called Raid.

His advice was to only accept livestream sponsorships from products you already use and love.

[fs-toc-omit]8. Event appearances for brands

Event appearances for brands are another way influencers make money. Brands pay them to attend product launches, conferences, trade shows, and promotional events.

For example, Khaby Lame was paid $450,000 by Hugo Boss to walk in the Milan Fashion Week show. The deal also meant he had to publish an accompanying TikTok video.

Sometimes, influencers also receive travel expenses, accommodations, and content creation opportunities.

[fs-toc-omit]9. User-generated content (UGC) creation for brands

Unlike traditional influencers, UGC creators get paid to create content that brands will use in their marketing campaigns. Such content includes photos, videos, testimonials, and product demonstrations.  

Becoming a UGC creator isn’t really about your number of followers. For instance, when Trazey had a community of 4,700 followers on Instagram, she made $540 in a month as a UGC creator.

You simply have to be natural and good at creating content.

[fs-toc-omit]10. Brand collaborations on product launches

If you are an influencer with a decent following, you can collaborate with brands on product launches. This helps brands boost sales when they launch new products.

That’s what Dunkin did when they collaborated with the influencer Charli D’Amelio for their product launch. The company got great engagement, while the influencer earned $100k+ from that deal.

Brand collaborations can also include co-branded products, limited-edition collections, affiliate commissions, or revenue-sharing agreements.

How influencers make money - Affiliate marketing

With affiliate marketing, influencers earn commissions whenever someone purchases a product or service through their referral link.

Typical earnings:

• Beginners (0–12 months): $0 – $1,000
• Intermediate (Side Income): $100 – $1,000
• Serious Creators (Mid-Tier): $1,000 – $10,000
• Top Creators (Full-Time): $10,000 – $100,000+

[fs-toc-omit]11. Affiliate links

Affiliate links are unique tracking links that allow influencers to earn commissions when someone makes a purchase through their recommendation.

Creators like Victoria Kurichenko use that method to make money. After adding her affiliate links to her content, she got about 40 clicks in 2 months. This made her $3,110.40.

This is one of the easiest ways to generate passive income.

[fs-toc-omit]12. Amazon Associates commissions

Simply put, Amazon Associates commissions are earnings you receive for promoting and referring sales to Amazon. So, Amazon pays you a percentage of the qualifying revenue when someone clicks your custom affiliate link and makes a purchase.  

Spencer Haws, for instance, made $2,298.50 in a month from this monetization method.

One thing you have to keep in mind is that commissions range from 1% to 20% depending on the product category.

[fs-toc-omit]13. Software affiliate programs

Software affiliate programs are programs where software companies pay creators or affiliates to refer new customers.

Thanks to these programs, E. John was able to make his first $1,000 faster.

You should know that such programs often offer recurring commissions, making them especially attractive to creators in business, technology, and marketing niches.

[fs-toc-omit]14. Course affiliate programs

Similar to software affiliate programs, course affiliate programs reward you for referring students to a creator’s programs.

Christina, for example, makes money blogging with course affiliate programs. She adds course links to her blog and lets the readers know about it.

She shared how she made over $1,500 in 30 days, and has now been consistently making $500+ every month.

The good thing with this monetization method is that commissions can be substantial because courses have high profit margins.  

[fs-toc-omit]15. Referral bonuses

Referral bonuses are rewards given to influencers or existing customers for introducing new users to a product or service. These bonuses can be financial or non-cash incentives.

Digital creator Matthew Martin shared in a YouTube video that he once made $1,000 from an Acorns referral bonus.

But don’t fall into the trap of recommending to your followers products you are not familiar with. It can destroy your reputation, especially if the product isn’t good enough.

How influencers make money - Selling digital products

As an influencer, you can package your expertise into digital products such as courses, e-books, templates, PDFs, presets, software tools, and more.

Below are the typical earnings:

• Beginner creators: $100–$1,000 per month.
• Established creators: $1,000–$20,000 per month.
• Top creators: $20,000–$100,000+ per month.

[fs-toc-omit]16. Online courses

Influencers with expertise in a specific topic can monetize their knowledge by selling online courses. You’ll teach your audience through video lessons, worksheets, and guided training programs, and make money off it.

Being an influencer can be an advantage in marketing your course.

Design Practice, for example, used Easytools to promote and sell its online course for designers. That course made them $240,000+ in 2 weeks.

Now, if you want to create an online course, you first need to have a profitable course idea. This ensures that people will pay for your course.

You will also need a good online course platform. The good ones will even save you time by generating your curriculum with modules and lessons.

They also help you organize your videos, whether you already have them on YouTube or any other sources.

[fs-toc-omit]17. E-books

An e-book is a digital book that shares knowledge, advice, or a step-by-step process. You can create an e-book once and sell it over and over.

If Thomas D. was able to make $5,000 from selling his e-book, what makes you think you wouldn’t?

It’s not that difficult to sell e-books.

You simply need to ensure that the platform you use allows you to create customizable, conversion-focused checkouts. That will be great for your brand and help you turn more visitors into customers.

On Easytools, for instance, you can add a countdown timer to your checkout page to create urgency and encourage potential customers to buy your e-book.

[fs-toc-omit]18. Templates

Templates help people complete tasks faster by providing ready-made frameworks they can customize. As an influencer, you can sell templates for content creation, project management, or social media planning.

For Suman, creating an HTML template started like a game. But the template was ready two hours later and was very functional.

So, he sold it and made $1,084 in 2 months.

People buy templates because they solve practical problems.

[fs-toc-omit]19. Notion dashboards

Notion dashboards are pre-built workspace systems that help people organize their projects, finances, goals, productivity, content calendars, and more. If you’re skilled with productivity tools, you can make money as an influencer selling Notion templates.

I always think of Thomas Frank anytime I discuss Notion dashboards. This creator made $1 million in a single year selling them, and he shared it on X (formerly Twitter).

These Notion dashboards save buyers hours of setup time. That’s why Frank was able to make such a large amount of money.

[fs-toc-omit]20. Digital planners

A digital planner is simply an interactive, electronic version of a traditional paper planner. People can use them on phones, laptops, or tablets.

Examples of digital planners include calendars, goal trackers, habit trackers, and productivity systems. As an influencer, you can make extra cash selling them.

Regina Blane started with only one digital planner and made $780.

To maximize your sales, your checkout should be attractive and professional. Therefore, use a platform that lets you customize the checkout’s themes, colors, and logo.

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The truth is, digital planners are inexpensive to create and cheap to distribute.

[fs-toc-omit]21. Printables

Printables are downloadable files that your customers can print and use at home. Examples of what you can sell include worksheets, checklists, meal planners, educational materials, and budgeting tools.

You may sell them at lower prices, but the more you sell, the more money you’ll make.

Even after making only $45 in her first month of selling printables, Kayla Warner did not get discouraged. That’s how she was able to hit $1,000 four months later.

Aside from digital platform fees, almost every sale is pure profit.

[fs-toc-omit]22. Stock photos

Influencers with photography skills can make money by selling stock photos to businesses, marketers, and content creators.

Take Peter Orsel, for example. He’s a travel photographer who made about $1,900 In his first year of selling stock photos.

You can distribute your images across many platforms, like Shutterstock, Adobe Stock, and VSCO, to maximize exposure and sales.

Another good thing is that a single image can be sold many times. This allows photographers to earn more.

[fs-toc-omit]23. Presets and filters

Presets and filters help people apply a specific editing style to their photos with a single click. As an influencer, your followers sometimes want to recreate the look and aesthetic seen in your content.

This is an opportunity to sell your presets and filters.

The creator, Oliur, took it very seriously over the years. He’s been selling Lightroom presets, and they’ve generated $200,000+ in revenue.

Whether you are a travel or lifestyle influencer, you can, for instance, sell your Lightroom presets to help followers achieve similar editing results.

[fs-toc-omit]24. Website themes

Website themes are pre-designed website layouts that users can install and customize. If you are an influencer with design skills, you can try building and selling them.

Hamza Ehsan discussed how much he made selling website templates in a YouTube video. He shared a dashboard showing he generated $12,000+.

In addition to your followers, you can also sell premium website themes to entrepreneurs, bloggers, and small businesses.

[fs-toc-omit]25. Software tools or apps

Now, say you are an influencer with some technical knowledge. You can go beyond digital downloads and create software products or mobile apps.

The idea is to create a tool that solves a specific problem for your audience. People or followers will be willing to pay for that.

For example, Josef Cruz made $4,000 by selling an app.

The thing with selling software tools or apps is that they can generate recurring revenue through subscriptions or one-time purchases.

How influencers make money - Memberships and communities

Through memberships and communities, creators can generate recurring revenue from their most engaged followers. Subscribers pay for many reasons: exclusive content, networking opportunities, coaching, or direct access to the creator.

Below are the typical earnings:

• Beginner creators: $100–$1,000 per month.
• Established creators: $1,000–$15,000 per month.
• Top creators: $15,000–$100,000+ per month.

[fs-toc-omit]26. Paid communities

Paid communities bring together people with shared interests under a subscription model. With your influence, you can create a community where members pay for access to discussions, resources, networking opportunities, and support from both the creator and other community members.  

That’s what the creator Jay Clouse did. He built a paid community called “The Lab” and made $1.25+ since its launch.

But remember that people should find value in your paid community. If not, they will simply stop paying.

[fs-toc-omit]27. Membership websites

Membership websites provide subscribers with exclusive content that is not available to the public. That exclusive content could be videos, tutorials, articles, downloads, or educational resources.

When Gillian Perkins started her membership site, she grew it to 10,000 members a month in 6 months. The video she posted on YouTube is a walkthrough of how she did that.

Like in paid communities, when you create a membership site, you always need to update your content regularly.

[fs-toc-omit]28. Subscription-based content

Some influencers offer subscription-based content to make money. It gives followers access to exclusive videos, articles, podcasts, behind-the-scenes updates, or other premium content in exchange for a monthly fee.

Sierra uses Patreon for her subscription-based content, and it’s been rewarding. She makes $800+ every month.

This method is particularly good because it creates recurring income while rewarding loyal fans with content they cannot access elsewhere.  

[fs-toc-omit]29. Exclusive newsletters

With exclusive newsletters, you give subscribers access to premium insights, industry analysis, investment ideas, or educational content that is not available in free newsletters.

You make money by charging subscribers for that access.

Ankit Aswal started with only 17 paid members for his newsletter. But the number grew, and within 3 months, he consistently made $2,000+ every month.

To make it work, start with free newsletters before upgrading to exclusive ones.

How influencers make money - Creator platform revenue

If you look at many popular social platforms, they share advertising revenue with creators or offer programs that reward content performance. Additional income may come from various sources: subscriptions, donations, crowdfunding, and creator funds.

Below are the typical earnings:

• Micro-influencers (10K–50K followers): $50–$500 per month.
• Mid-tier creators (50K–500K followers): $500–$10,000 per month.
• Macro/Mega influencers (500K+ followers): $10,000–$100,000+ per month.

[fs-toc-omit]30. TikTok creator rewards and similar platform payouts

If you are an influencer, it’s no news to you that many social media platforms reward creators for generating engaging content. The TikTok creator rewards program is one of them, and it rewards influencers based on factors like views, watch time, and audience engagement.

Erika Kullberg wanted to see if the program really works. So, she posted for 2 years on TikTok and made a total of $5,756.

You should also know that payouts vary, but it doesn’t change the fact that they still provide an additional revenue stream.

[fs-toc-omit]31. Podcast advertising revenue

This is for podcast creators. You can make money by selling advertising space within your episodes. Advertisers mostly pay based on the number of downloads or listeners.

Earlier on, I shared an example of Shelby Church discussing her podcast income. In the same video, she revealed that she earned $12,998 from host-read ad reads.

And remember that podcast advertising often becomes more valuable as a show's audience grows.

[fs-toc-omit]32. Crowdfunding

Crowdfunding allows creators to receive financial support directly from their audience. There is no shame in asking supporters to contribute toward a project.

The author Brandon Sanderson did just that because he wanted to self-publish four secret novels. While his goal was $1 million, fans delivered $41M+ from over 185,000 backers.

You can also ask your audience for support for a business idea, creative work, or ongoing content production.

[fs-toc-omit]33. Donations and tips

If you are an influencer, chances are you have followers who genuinely care about what you do and want to support you financially. You’ll be amazed at how people can give, especially to their favourite influencer.

A streamer named Penguinz0 shared his estimated lifetime revenue, and $508,702.78 was from donations and gifts.

Platforms such as YouTube, Twitch, TikTok, and Buy Me a Coffee allow audiences to send tips or donations during livestreams and through creator profiles.

Alternatively, you can embed a Buy Me a Coffee widget on your website. Of course, you’ll first have to customize it by adding a title, a description, and choosing whether to show buttons with predefined amounts.

[fs-toc-omit]34. YouTube ad revenue

It’s no longer a secret that many influencers and creators make money on YouTube. Once a channel is monetized, creators earn money when viewers watch ads displayed before, during, or alongside their videos.

The same influencer, Erika Kullberg, that we discussed earlier, made $45,000 from a single YouTube video after 3 years.

YouTube only shares a portion of advertising revenue with eligible creators. So, you first need to join the YouTube Partners Program.

For more details, you can watch this video.

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[fs-toc-omit]35. Licensing content

Licensing content means allowing companies to use your content for specific uses while retaining ownership. Companies pay for that.

I came across Wordsmith’s personal story and found it interesting.

When he heard about licensing, he made a copy for a company’s landing page and licensed the design. Since he was the licensor of that work, he sold it to over 300 websites and made $20,000.

Examples of content you can license are photos, videos, music, and articles, just to name a few.

How influencers make money - Education and consulting

As a creator, if you establish yourself as an expert, you can make money by coaching individuals, consulting businesses, hosting workshops, or speaking at events.

These are the typical earnings:

• Beginner creators: $500–$2,000 per month.
• Established creators: $2,000–$20,000 per month.
• Top creators: $20,000–$100,000+ per month.

[fs-toc-omit]36. Group coaching

Starting a coaching business as an influencer can be highly rewarding. As an influencer with followers, you can teach many people at the same time and make a lot of money.

Trena Little did that and made $20,000 in 30 days. She shared the results in a YouTube video.

This works best if you're a coach in business, fitness, and career. It’s very scalable because creators can help many people simultaneously.

[fs-toc-omit]37. Consulting services

With consulting services, influencers make money by advising individuals or businesses using their knowledge, expertise, and experience.

Influencers can offer consulting services on marketing, social media, business, startups, personal branding, finance, investment, and more.

Take creator and marketing executive, Amanda Goetz, for example. She reported $450,000 in annual sales as a solopreneur offering consulting services as a fractional CMO and executive advisor.

You should consider this monetization strategy if you have expertise that solves a valuable problem. It also works if you’ve already built trust with an audience that’s already asking for your advice.

[fs-toc-omit]38. Workshops and webinars

Workshops and webinars allow influencers to teach a topic to a group of people in a structured format. You can host these sessions live or record them and sell them later as a standalone product.

And who knows? You can run a webinar and make $10,000 in 60 minutes like Tim Denning.

Don’t host workshops just for the fun of it. You also should teach specialized skills such as content marketing, SEO, or social media growth.

[fs-toc-omit]39. Speaking engagements

It’s very common for brands, organizations, and conferences to pay influencers to speak at their events. Speaking engagements can include keynote speeches, panel discussions, interviews, and educational presentations.

Doctor K.C Foxx said she was paid $500 for her first professional speaking gig. But things have changed. She now charges 10k for a 30-minute keynote.

This shows that you may start with a low rate but eventually end up charging higher with more experience.

[fs-toc-omit]40. Paid interviews

Influencers can appear as guests on podcasts, business events, online summits, or industry programs for a fee. Organizers pay you because your expertise, reputation, or audience can help attract attendees, viewers, and attention to the event.

The podcast Guestio, for instance, has already paid four podcasters more than $20,000 for appearances. There was even one who made $50,000.

Companies will start reaching out to you when they see you online. That’s why you should work on your visibility and build a strong audience.

[fs-toc-omit]41. Host paid events

Many influencers organize live events, retreats, workshops, networking meetups, or conferences for their audience. They make money from ticket sales, sponsorships, merchandise, and premium experiences.

Now, you are an influencer. You can think of any event and organize it.

It can be a simple influencer dinner like the Instagram creator saypoca hosted. That event generated $10,000 in profit.

Hosting paid events is not just about making money. You also bring members of your community together for learning and networking.

[fs-toc-omit]42. One-on-one coaching

Unlike group coaching, 1-on-1 coaching provides customers with personalized support and guidance. It’s one of the highest-paying services because customers receive direct access to the creator's expertise and attention.

Lou Redmond, for instance, made $53,385.55 from 1-on-1 coaching in 2023.

You can charge hundreds or even thousands of dollars per customer because you are offering personalized coaching programs.

How influencers make money - Selling physical products

As an influencer, you can sell merchandise, books, or e-commerce products to your audience. Selling physical products can generate substantial revenue, especially when sold at scale.

Typical earnings:

• Beginner creators: $100–$2,000 per month.
• Established creators: $2,000–$25,000 per month.
• Top creators: $25,000–$100,000+ per month.

[fs-toc-omit]43. Selling merchandise

Influencers have the advantage of their audience. They can sell products such as clothing, mugs, notebooks, phone cases, and other branded items.

With a large following, you will definitely break the bank.

I was going through the full breakdown of MrBeast’s income sources when I stumbled upon his merchandise income. He makes about $10 million from that.

It’s possible to generate $10M in merchandise sales only with a large audience. Fans will always purchase because they want to support that influencer and want to feel connected to them.

[fs-toc-omit]44. Dropshipping

Dropshipping is a simple business that allows influencers or creators to sell physical products without holding inventory.

Here, you are the middleman: a customer places an order from your store, and a third-party supplier ships the product directly to the buyer.

Even as a writer, Mohamed Maher made $20,000+ in just 3 months of dropshipping.

The risks are not high because you simply act as a storefront and keep the profit margin.

[fs-toc-omit]45. Publishing books

Publishing books helps influencers to monetize their expertise while strengthening their personal brand. With an audience ready to always receive from you, publishing a book will guarantee you sales.

You might break the world Guinness record like the creator Alex Hormozi. He sold about 3.6 million copies generating $106M.

The advantage of books is that they can generate revenue through direct sales, speaking opportunities, consulting work, and additional product sales.

Start making money as an influencer

This article shows that there isn’t a single way to make money as an influencer.

Also, having 5,000 or 1 million followers isn’t really what matters the most. The key is to focus on building trust with your audience first.

Once you have that, you can experiment with different monetization methods and choose the ones that align best with you.

Now, it’s time to win. Go easy.

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