As we look at the current and future job market, we can identify a few career paths that will seemingly become more and more popular. Certainly, the rise of social media influencers has carved out a brand new path that didn’t exist before. These days, thousands of young kids and teenagers are desperate to have a job as full-time influencers. While this initially seems like a poor career choice, it quickly becomes an idea that can provide a lot of success.

Influencers can earn a lot of money without even being one of the biggest and most well-known creators on the planet. Sure, you have Charli D’amelio, Addison Rae, and Khaby Lame who amass millions of dollars per year. But, they have millions of followers across multiple accounts. An influencer with just a few thousand followers can still earn a lot of money. How? Here are the main ways most influencers make their cash:

Sponsorships:

The majority of money comes in the form of sponsorships. Brands pay the influencer to promote their products, services, or just the brand itself. This is usually in the form of sponsored posts, with payments made per post. Alternatively, influencers can have sponsorship contracts where they represent a brand. This means that they regularly post about them, wear their clothing, and so on. It’s more of a long-term thing with money paid regularly as part of the contract.

Ad Revenue:

Most influencers will also make money from advertising revenue. It’s rare that you will see an influencer only work on one platform. In most cases, they’ll have a YouTube account or another platform that allows them to monetize their content. The more views they get, the more advertising revenue they earn. As they become more popular, advertising companies pay more money to get their ads shown on their videos. Why? Because these companies know that thousands of impressionable eyes will be watching, which is a huge opportunity for them.

Merchandise:

Finally, you have money earned through merchandise sales. Once an influencer gains a following, they’re in a very unique position. They will have thousands of people who pay attention to them and want to support them. So, the influencer can create merchandise or other products to sell to their followers.

The followers want to show support or represent the influencer, so they’ll be more than happy to make purchases. In a lot of cases, influencers use their platform to create products that extend beyond brand merchandise. Many will develop their own clothing lines that attract attention from people outside their following, helping them make even more money.

You see, the money making opportunities are very diverse here. This is why smaller influencers are still able to earn decent wages. Of course, one benefit of this career choice is that you get back what you put in. The more effort you make to grow your brand and the bigger you get, the more money you could end up making. Just remember to work hard because influencing doesn’t become an instant career over night!

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