Top 20 ways to make money as a content creator in 2026! With real examples

Content creation has its perks. For one, it can make you very rich. They don’t call it the creator economy for no reason, right?

But it has some downsides. For example, only 4% of creators worldwide make more than $100,000 per year.

Even more surprising, many people who try to make money as a content creator typically earn less than $500 per month on most platforms.

That’s disappointing, but it’s exactly why I wrote this article.

In this guide, I’ll show you the top 20 ways to make money as a content creator, backed by real examples.

And I’ll also help you choose the methods that best suit you.

Let’s get into it.

TL;DR

• You can make money as a content creator through:

• 1. Digital products
• 2. Brand partnerships
• 3. Coaching and expertise
• 4. Creator commerce

• A few tips for making money as a content creator include:

• 1. Diversifying your income stream
• 2. Focusing on providing value
• 3. Building trust with your audience
• 4. Staying consistent with posting

• To choose the best ways to make money as a content creator, check your expertise, your audience size, and the platform you use.

Top 20 ways to make money as a content creator

A. Digital products

[fs-toc-omit]1. Sell online courses

The first way you can make money as a content creator is by selling online courses. If you have some expertise in a particular field, you can turn it into lessons and sell them.

Many people pay to learn skills like business, content creation, and fitness, to name a few. What’s more, it is highly profitable because you can sell it repeatedly.

Take the example of Michelle Gardner. She created “Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing”, which was her first online course. After two and a half years, she generated $1,100,000 from it.

• What you need to start: Expertise in a specific topic, recording tools like a camera or a phone, and a course platform like Easytools.

• How much it costs: $0–$200.

• How much you can earn: $1,000 – $100,000+ per launch, depending on the niche and promotion.

• Time to first revenue: 1–5 days if you already have an audience. 1–3 months if you’re getting started.

• Main growth and marketing channels: YouTube, email newsletters, LinkedIn, affiliates, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok  

• How to start: Pick a specific skill to teach, record lessons, upload to a course platform like Easytools, and promote.

[fs-toc-omit]2. Sell e-books

You can also sell e-books to make money as a content creator. It simply means writing a digital book, a PDF, or a guide and selling it online. The size doesn’t really matter.

The most important thing is that it should focus on solving one specific problem. Once you have that, you will definitely make money.

This is exactly what the coach and marketer, Lori Ballen, did in 2025. She launched an e-book line that now does $1,000 a month.

One thing with her is that her first sale came on day one because she already had an audience.

• What you need to start: A laptop, writing skills, writing tools (Google Docs or Microsoft Word), editing tools (Grammarly or Hemingway Editor), and self-publishing platforms.

• How much it costs: $0–$3000+, depending on the setup.

• How much you can earn: $100 – $6,000+ per month, depending on the niche and promotion.

• Time to first revenue: 1-3 days with an existing audience. 1-3 months without one.

• Main growth and marketing channels: Twitter/X, email marketing, Medium, affiliate program, blogging, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook

• How to start: Pick an e-book topic people actually want, write, edit, and design a cover. Then use Easytools to create a checkout and storefront.

[fs-toc-omit]3. Sell stock photos or videos

Selling stock photos or videos is another way to make money as a content creator. Photographers simply upload original photos or videos to stock platforms and earn money every time someone downloads them.

Interestingly, companies and individuals pay to download and use images of business scenes, travel, lifestyle, or even nature.

Photographer and archviz creator Daniele Carrer, made $1229,46 from a single stock photo and had about 1670 downloads.

• What you need to start: A camera or smartphone, editing software, and an editing style.

• How much it costs: $0–$5,000+, depending on the setup.

• How much you can earn: $50 – $5,000+ per month, depending on the number of stock images sold and promotion.

• Time to first revenue:

• Main growth and marketing channels: Shutterstock, Pinterest, Adobe Stock, Getty, website, Search Engine Optimization (SEO)  

• How to start: Upload high-quality images/videos to stock websites consistently.

[fs-toc-omit]4. Sell templates or digital assets

Simply put, templates or digital assets are ready-made files people can use, like Notion planners, worksheets, graphics, and designs.

They save people time by preventing them from having to start from scratch. And anything that saves time is worth paying for.

The perfect example I have is Thomas Frank, who made over $1,000,000 selling Notion templates. He shared on X how he did it in a single year.

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• What you need to start: A laptop, a clear niche, a creation tool (Canva or Notion), and a selling platform.

• How much it costs: $0–$100. Tools like Notion and Canva offer free versions you can use.

• How much you can earn: $200 – $10,000+ per month.

• Time to first revenue: 1-3 days with an existing audience. 1–2 months without one.

• Main growth and marketing channels: Email marketing, Pinterest, Reddit, Discord, Twitter/X

• How to start: Choose a clear niche and a problem to solve, use a creation tool like Notion or Canva to create your template, upload to Easytools, and promote your checkout and storefront.

[fs-toc-omit]5. Sell presets or editing tools

As a creator, you can sell presets or editing tools to help others improve their content quickly. They are simply filters or editing settings for photos or videos.

For instance, if you’re very good with Lightroom, you can sell presets that make photos look professional with a single click.

That’s exactly what the creator and designer Oliur did. He made $200,000 in revenue by selling Lightroom presets over the years.

• What you need to start: A laptop or phone, a specific style or result people want, editing software (Adobe Lightroom, Adobe Photoshop, or DaVinci Resolve), and a platform to sell on.

• How much it costs: $0–$3,000, depending on the setup.

• How much you can earn: $500 – $5,000+ per month.

• Time to first revenue: 2–6 weeks.

• Main growth and marketing channels: Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, email list, influencer collaborations

• How to start: Create a specific style or result people want, share the before and after on social media platforms, package the preset, and sell to your audience.

B. Brand partnerships

[fs-toc-omit]6. Sponsored content

Making money through sponsored content simply means allowing brands to pay you to create posts about their products or services. It can be in the form of a video, a post, or an article.

This reminds me of the social strategist Jayde Powell.

In an interview with CNBC Make It, she shared that Sprout Social paid her $1,000 to create a single sponsored post for their event on LinkedIn.  

• What you need to start: A laptop or smartphone, a content platform (YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, or blog), a growing audience, basic content creation skills, and analytics tools (YouTube Studio, Instagram Insights).

• How much it costs: $0–$3,000+, depending on equipment (phone vs. camera setup).

• How much you can earn: $100 – $10,000+ per post, depending on audience size and niche.

• Time to first revenue: 1–6 months (after building some audience).

• Main growth and marketing channels: YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, blogging, personal brand

• How to start: Grow an audience in a niche, create consistent content, then pitch brands or join influencer platforms.

[fs-toc-omit]7. Brand ambassadorships

Unlike sponsored posts, becoming a brand ambassador involves a long-term partnership in which you regularly promote the brand. This gives you a recurring income.

In a YouTube video, Shannon explains that she receives a regular cheque of $1,180 as the brand ambassador for WonderFold Wagon.

• What you need to start: A strong personal brand, consistent content, social media platforms, audience trust, media kit, and communication tools (email, DM outreach).

• How much it costs: $0–$1,000+.

• How much you can earn: $500 – $10,000+ per month, depending on the brand.

• Time to first revenue: 3–12 months.

• Main growth and marketing channels: Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, blogs, personal brand building

• How to start: Build authority in a niche, pitch brands in that niche, work with them short-term, then turn those into long-term deals.

[fs-toc-omit]8. Affiliate marketing

One of the easiest ways to make money as a content creator is through affiliate marketing. You simply promote a product and earn a commission when a customer buys through your affiliate link.

If you do affiliate marketing, you can make money like Christina. She was only a few months in when she made $4,000.

• What you need to start: Laptop, website or social media platform, affiliate accounts (Amazon Associates, ShareASale), content creation tools, and tracking tools.

• How much it costs: $0–$1,000+.

• How much you can earn: $500 – $10,000+ per month.

• Time to first revenue: 1–3 months.

• Main growth and marketing channels: Blogs/Medium, YouTube, SEO, email marketing, Substack

• How to start: Pick a niche, create helpful content, join affiliate programs, and include your links.

[fs-toc-omit]9. Sponsored reviews

Brands understand the power of reviews. They can make or break your business. That’s why they pay creators to test and review their product honestly.

If it weren’t worth it, Matt McWilliams wouldn’t make $300,000 from product reviews in a single year.

• What you need to start: A camera or smartphone, editing software (Premiere Pro, CapCut), a content platform (YouTube, TikTok), and reviewing skills.

• How much it costs: $0–$2,000+, depending on equipment.

• How much you can earn: $200 – $15,000+ per review.

• Time to first revenue: 3–6 months.

• Main growth and marketing channels: YouTube (product reviews), TikTok, blogs, website, SEO

• How to start: Review products in your niche, build trust, then approach brands.

[fs-toc-omit]10. User-generated content (UGC) for brands

Another way you can make money is by creating content for brands that they post on their own pages. It can be ads, videos, or images.

For that, you don’t even need to have a big audience. You just need to be good at capturing people’s attention.

As a content creator, you can make some extra cash from it. Page Walker, for instance, explained she has been paid anywhere from $100 for reading a few lines to $1,000 for 1 minute of content.

• What you need to start: a smartphone, good lighting, basic editing apps (CapCut), communication skills, and a portfolio of sample videos.

• How much it costs: $0–$1,000.

• How much you can earn: $100 – $5,000+ per month.

• Time to first revenue: 2–6 weeks.

• Main growth and marketing channels: TikTok, Instagram, UGC platforms (like Billo, Influence, Trend, Collabstr, JoinBrands, and Insense)

• How to start: Create sample content, build a portfolio, join UGC platforms, and pitch brands.

C. Coaching and expertise

[fs-toc-omit]11. 1-on-1 coaching

You can do 1:1 coaching if you know how to offer personalized guidance to solve a specific problem or reach a goal.

You work directly with a customer and can even charge a premium price for that.

Don’t fall into the trap of undervaluing your work. It’s a mistake. Luisa Zhou showed us it was possible to get paid $5,000 even on your first 1:1 coaching deal.

• What you need to start: Laptop, Zoom or Google Meet, expertise in a topic, payment tool (Stripe/PayPal/Easycart), scheduling tool (Zencal, Calendly), and a simple landing page.

• How much it costs: $0–$1,000+.

• How much you can earn: $500 – $10,000+ per month.

• Time to first revenue: 1–2 weeks with an audience, 1–2 months without one.

• Main growth and marketing channels: LinkedIn, Twitter/X, Facebook, personal brand, blogs, email newsletters, webinars

• How to start: Pick a niche, define your offer, and set a price. Then, use Easytools to create your landing page and a simple checkout, and promote it.

[fs-toc-omit]12. Group coaching programs

Now, when you have many customers who need your coaching, you can offer group coaching programs. You teach many people at once in a structured program.

The sky is the limit. There is no limit to how much you can make with group coaching programs. The creator Jenni Maroney made up to $900k in a year.

• What you need to start: A laptop, experience in a specific niche, a video conferencing platform (Zoom, Google Meet), a community platform (Circle, Skool, Discord), a payment system, structured program content, and onboarding materials.

• How much it costs: $50–$1,000.

• How much you can earn: $1,000 – $20,000+ per launch.

• Time to first revenue: 1–2 weeks with an audience, 1–2 months without one.

• Main growth and marketing channels: YouTube, live sessions, webinars, email newsletters, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, blogs

• How to start: Create a program, set a timeline (4-8 weeks), enroll a group, and deliver sessions.

[fs-toc-omit]13. Consulting services

Offering consulting services can really be profitable, especially if you really master your field.

Your role here is to analyze a business or individual’s situation and give expert advice or strategies they can implement.

Henry Wei does very well with it. His consulting business is now valued at $10 million.

• What you need to start: Laptop, deep expertise, presentation tools (Google Slides), case studies, communication tools, and a professional website.

• How much it costs: $0–$1,000+.

• How much you can earn: $2,000 – $13,000+ per month.

• Time to first revenue: 4–9 weeks

• Main growth and marketing channels: LinkedIn, cold email, referrals, personal website

• How to start: Identify a problem businesses will pay to solve, create a clear offer, build a professional website, and pitch customers.

[fs-toc-omit]14. Workshops or masterclasses

With your expertise, you can organize workshops or masterclasses to teach a focused topic in a short, intensive session, whether live or recorded.

My example now is Kayla Lee, a creator and writer. She made over $1,000 on her first run hosting a workshop.  

• What you need to start: a laptop or phone, Zoom or webinar tool, slides (PowerPoint/Google Slides), a payment system, a landing page, and an email tool.

• How much it costs: $0–$3,000+.

• How much you can earn: $500 – $10,000+ per workshop.

• Time to first revenue: 1–3 days with an existing audience. 2-4 weeks without one.

• Main growth and marketing channels: Zoom (hosting), email marketing, Twitter/X, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok

• How to start: Pick a topic, create a simple presentation, sell access, and host the session.

[fs-toc-omit]15. Speaking engagements

As a content creator with good speaking skills, you can embrace the idea of getting paid to speak at events or organizations.

They pay you to share your expertise or insights with an audience.

For instance, the creator Anna Guenther, the highest she’s been paid is $1,000 for a 15-minute talk.

• What you need to start: Strong speaking skills, a laptop, presentation slides, a personal brand, a speaker portfolio, and networking channels.

• How much it costs: $0–$1,000+.

• How much you can earn: $1,000 – $20,000+ per event.

• Time to first revenue: 3–12 months, depending on your network.

• Main growth and marketing channels: LinkedIn, conferences, personal brand content, YouTube, webinars, Facebook, and Instagram.

• How to start: Start with free speaking, build credibility, build a professional website, and then pitch paid opportunities.

D. Creator commerce

[fs-toc-omit]16. Sell merchandise

To sell merchandise is to create branded physical products like t-shirts, hoodies, or phone cases, and to sell them to your audience. You can easily sell when people trust your content and want to support you.

Just be creative like Benny Hsu, who designed his own T-shirt called Teespring. He made over $150,000 selling them in 5 months.

• What you need to start: A laptop, design tools (Canva or Photoshop), print-on-demand service (Printful, Printify), a platform to sell your products, product mockup tools, and an existing audience.

• How much it costs: $0–$500+, depending on tools and store setup.

• How much you can earn: $200 – $20,000+ per month.

• Time to first revenue: 1–2 weeks with an audience, 1–3 months without.

• Main growth and marketing channels: Instagram, Facebook groups, Pinterest, YouTube, email list, TikTok, fan communities

• How to start: Create simple designs people relate to, launch your store on Easytools, and promote to your audience.

[fs-toc-omit]17. Print-on-demand (POD) products

With POD products, you simply design items like mugs, t-shirts, hats, and sneakers, among others. They can only be produced after a customer places an order.

This way, you don’t hold inventory or handle shipping.

A YouTube creator, Money with Mak, shared how she made $129,190.59 selling print-on-demand products in her first 6 months.

• What you need to start: Laptop, Canva for design, POD platforms (Redbubble, Merch by Amazon, Printify), keyword research tools, product listing skills, and a storefront.

• How much it costs: $0–$300+.

• How much you can earn: $100 – $10,000+ per month.

• Time to first revenue: 1–5 days with an audience, 1–3 months without.

• Main growth and marketing channels: Instagram, Amazon, Pinterest, YouTube, email list, TikTok, Etsy, Shopify

• How to start: Create designs, upload to POD platforms, optimize listings, and scale winning products.

[fs-toc-omit]18. Launch a physical product

You can create your own physical product and sell it. That’s another way to make money as a content creator.

Take YouTuber Emma Chamberlain. She launched a physical product called Chamberlain Coffee.

The product has generated $32 million in revenue since launching in 2020.

• What you need to start: a laptop, a validated product idea, an ecommerce platform or storefront, a payment processor, and a marketing channel.

• How much it costs: Anywhere from $0 to $500+

• How much you can earn: $500 – $4,000+ per month.

• Time to first revenue: 1-7 days with an audience. 1–3 months without one.

• Main growth and marketing channels: Shopify, paid ads, influencer marketing, email list, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook

• How to start: Validate your idea, create a prototype, source a supplier, launch a store, and market your product.

[fs-toc-omit]19. License your content

Licensing your content means allowing others to use it for a fee or royalty, without having to sell it directly every time.

You can license written content like articles or blog posts, videos, design assets, audio, music, or even photography.

This reminds me of Jessica Chen, who decided to license her weekend photography hobby. Even though she made $127 in her first month, she went on to make $65,000+ from this activity.

• What you need to start: A camera or smartphone, editing software, a portfolio of content, licensing platforms (Shutterstock, Artgrid), contracts, and rights management knowledge.

• How much it costs: $0–$1,000+.

• How much you can earn: $100 – $20,000+ per deal.

• Time to first revenue: 1–5 months.

• Main growth and marketing channels: Getty Images, Shutterstock, agencies, networking, direct outreach

• How to start: Create high-quality content, upload to licensing platforms, and pitch brands or agencies.

[fs-toc-omit]20. Build a creator agency

As a creator agency, you help other creators with content, growth, and deals. It’s all about representing them.

Take Billion Dollar Boy, for example. It’s a creator agency delivering social-first influencer marketing campaigns.

They generated $40 million in revenue in a single year.

• What you need to start: Laptop, service skills (content, marketing, outreach), contracts, CRM tools, communication tools, and a network of creators or brands.

• How much it costs: $0–$3,000+.

• How much you can earn: $1,000 – $50,000+ per month.

• Time to first revenue: 1–2 months.

• Main growth and marketing channels: LinkedIn, Twitter/X, referrals, cold/outbound outreach

• How to start: Choose a niche, define your services, reach out to potential customers, and close your first deals.

Now that you know the top ways to make money as a content creator, here are a few tips to help you get started and going.

Tips for making money as a content creator

We’ve discussed the top 20 ways to make money as a content creator, but let’s also consider these 4 tips.

1. Diversify your income streams

Don’t rely on just one way of making money as a content creator. The most successful creators combine many monetization methods to increase their earnings.

Take Daniel Vassallo, for example. He shared on Product Hunt that:

“Don't focus on one project. Do many at the same time.”

And he has earned 400,000+ selling educational info products, physical products, online courses, and more.

2. Focus on providing value

You have to go beyond posting and create content that solves real problems and improves lives. People are more likely to follow creators who help them this way.

And if the creators offer online courses or e-books, they will pay for it because they already trust them to deliver.

Fitness influencer, author, and entrepreneur Pamela Reif offers practical, results-driven content to her audience. Because of this, she has been able to monetize through fitness programs and brand deals.

Pamela has over 8.8M followers on Instagram.

And has made $7M to $12M as a content creator.

3. Build trust with your audience

You can build trust with your audience by maintaining consistent, authentic communication. The audience also has to see that you care about solving their challenges.

Trust turns followers into paying customers.

Graham Stephan built a following on YouTube by sharing insights about investing. Now, he has 5.1M+ subscribers on YouTube.

By building trust, he’s monetized his content through courses, ads, and sponsorships.

4. Stay consistent

By being consistent with creating and posting content, you grow and stay relevant. You also become aware of what works and what doesn’t.

All this helps you to quickly start making money as a content creator.

In 2023, Sahil Bloom shared on LinkedIn that he started posting consistently and, as a result, crossed 100,000 followers.

Over time, this consistency has helped build a loyal audience and monetize with many methods.

He even made $70,000 per month from a paid newsletter called Curiosity Chronicle. And in 2023, he built a business that brought in $10M in revenue.

These four tips will get you started, but you have to choose the best ways to make money as a content creator.

Let’s get into that.

How to choose the best ways to make money as a content creator

Here are three factors to help you choose the best ways to make money as a content creator:

• Check your expertise
• Consider your audience size
• Assess the platform to use

Now, let’s look at each point in more detail.

1. Check your expertise

If you want to make money as a content creator, you have to start with what you can do very well.

You don’t have to be world-class or perfect at this expertise. Your skills only have to be useful to a specific group of people.

Take YouTuber and content creator Roberto Blake. In 2021, he earned $400,000+ in gross income.

He had $ 100,000+ from his coaching business. Obviously, he’s great at public speaking and helping other creators.

And the remainder of the money he made came from getting into what he’s good at in the first place.

You can see the same thing with YouTuber Graham Stephan. He was a real estate agent who started sharing investing and money advice.

He was an expert on that topic. Graham made $5.1M in 2020. In 2021, he was well on his way to earning $6M.

Now, to know what you’re good at, ask yourself:

• What do people already ask me for help with?
• What have I done consistently for months or years?
• What results have I achieved that others want?

If you’re good at writing, you can sell e-books, offer copywriting services, or create a paid newsletter. Like what Sinem Günel does on Substack.

If you’re skilled in fitness, you can sell workout programs or create video content to help people train with proper form. Just like Senada Greca's programs on her website and fitness app.

Here’s a table to help you choose what to do to make money as a content creator based on your expertise and skills.

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Pro tip: You may be tempted to chase trends, but don’t. Start with what you already know.

2. Consider your audience size

To choose the best ways to make money as a content creator, consider your audience size. If you have about 0 to 1,000 followers, focus on high-value and direct offers like:

• E-books
• Consulting services
• 1-on-1 coaching
• Other digital products

Creator Daniel Vassallo began with no audience but started writing and publishing articles online. Then he sold an e-book on Amazon Web Services (AWS) after he had about 11,000 followers on X (formerly Twitter).

Apart from the e-book, he also sold an online course and a subscription-based (or membership-based) group coaching program. He made $417,000+ selling these.

Now, if you have a growing or large audience of about 1,000 to 10,000+, you can combine:

• Digital products like online courses, e-books, templates, and guides
• Affiliate marketing
• Workshops or masterclasses
• Brand deals and memberships

Famous YouTuber Ali Abdaal has about 6.5M+ subscribers.

He offers workshops.

He also offers a self-paced online course called LifeOS.

And another online course and community called Part-Time YouTuber Academy (PTYA).

According to writer Joseph Mavericks, in 2021, Ali Abdaal made:

• $26,750 in podcast sponsorships
• $200,000 in book deals
• $208,201 in affiliate marketing
• 523,000 in sponsorships and brand deals
• $716,691 on Skillshare (so for online courses)
• $2,595,306 from PTYA

All of these methods of making money as a content creator, along with other income streams, generated $4.8M+ for Ali in 2021 alone.

‍Pro tip: Consider your audience size, but don’t wait to grow before you start making money as a content creator.

3. Assess the platform you use

You should assess the platform you use to choose the best ways to make money as a content creator.

For digital products, coaching, and expertise, you can use Easytools. Why? It’s an all-in-one platform with a suite of tools for selling and marketing digital products.

It has a courses feature that helps you create, sell, and market online courses and coaching programs. You can add unlisted YouTube videos.

Or videos from your website, Vimeo, Wistia, and Bunny.net.

You even get recommended lesson modules, which you can build your online course on.

You can also create a checkout for an e-book.

You can sell Notion templates on Easytools. Creator Pascio recommends our platform.

You can also sell webinars, workshops, and consulting services.

Apart from checkouts, you can create a storefront and a landing page for all of the digital products and services you offer.

Landing pages can have sections for donations, testimonials, lead capture, legal pages, FAQs, cookie banners, logos, and more.

Easytools also has built-in marketing tools. You can add discount codes to your checkouts and use the email feature to send out campaigns.

You can use set automation on your product checkout to add a customer’s email to your newsletter list after a purchase.

To increase sales, Easytools lets you add cross-sells, order bumps, upsells, and price variants.

Our platform has checkout recovery to help prevent cart abandonment.

It also offers affiliate marketing and a robust analytics tool to help you track every purchase. The tool lets you see yearly, quarterly, monthly, fortnightly, and weekly sales analytics and history.

Here’s a table to help you choose the best platform for each method for making money as a content creator.

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When you’re assessing the platform you use, you need to understand why it works for the monetization method you choose. This helps you position your content effectively and increases your chances of making money as a content creator.

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Choose the best ways to make money as a content creator

We’ve made it to the end all too soon.

In this guide, I walked you through the top 20 ways to make money as a content creator. Then I discussed three key factors to help you choose the best monetization method.

You should check your expertise, your audience size, and the platform you use. With the right methods, you can start making money as a content creator.

If monetizing your content felt like rocket science before, it’s easy now.

The only thing left is execution. So pick two or more methods. After that, match them to the platform.

Start today.

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