Welcome to back to the Focused Creator

The influencer marketing industry is projected to reach US$35.09bn in 2024 and is estimated to reach $199.6 billion by 2032.

The market is booming and people are quitting their jobs right and left to get a piece of the pie.

Yet — here is the hard truth: around 12% of full-time creators earn an annual income exceeding $50,000, whereas 46% earn less than $1,000 each year.

How can this industry grow extraordinarily, yet creators struggle simultaneously? How can so many of us struggle, which others build empires digitally?

I ask myself these questions a lot because I wonder if pretty privilege or skin color has something to do with how successful your business will get in the online space.

Through all of my research, as it turns out, it comes down to this one thing: poor monetization strategy.

When you begin your influencer journey, you are starting a business. Yet many of us, myself included, have no monetization strategy.

We are told to pick a niche, start creating content consistently, and hope it will magically come together someday — out of thin hair. Basically, you are operating as a hobbyist, not a business.

If you do not get som traction, we are told to double down even more, post more videos daily and... pray. Keep praying.

But the goal of this strategy is to start working with brands.

What if I told you that you would shorten your career as a creator if that is your only strategy? Don’t believe me?

There is the stats.

Influencers and content creators are returning to their “regular jobs,” in other words, escaping the grin of entrepreneurship for the “9–5 soft life” (the irony) — because they never monetized beyond brand deals.

They depend on another business to notice them in a sea of creators and pay them. To make matters worse, they don’t even have an outreach strategy to start a relationship with said brands that will ultimately result in paid partnerships.

Would you keep going to work if you were not guaranteed a paycheck on a biweekly basis?

What if you were told — “maybe we will pay you one day — let’s just see how it goes first.”

Would you be motivated to wake up daily, get dressed, and go to work?

The answer is no. That could never be me.

Yet, this is the monetization strategy for most creators. It isn’t sustainable, and it is all out of your control.

Don’t get me wrong; brand deals are a fantastic way to monetize your platforms, but it shouldn’t be the only way. You can only pedal someone else’s products for so long before your audience starts to zone out.

Or before you do! So many are stuck promoting products they don’t use because we need the money.

We now have a sea of desperate creators.

Desperate for brands to notice them AND pay their “worth.”

But wait — what is my worth anyway?

I have been an influencer for 13 years, and this has been my number one mistake. But the whole point of building a personal brand is connecting with others. And that statement has never been more true than it is right now.

People crave connection and authenticity. People connect with stories. And once you build a personal brand, you have the power to monetize in many ways. You can control your future.

What would an additional 5K, 10K, or 20K a month do for you and your family? You get to choose the amount if you do this right, and the best part is that you can keep your 9–5 if you want. I have a feeling you won’t though, but that’s just an assumption.

Ultimately, it sounds like we have a lot of work to do.

MY TOP ADVICE TO INFLUENCERS:

Focus on building your brand. Remember, the goal is connecting with your people. Who do you want to talk to, and who do you want to find you? Build an engaged community of like-minded people. That is your top priority.
Monetize your knowledge. Yes, you know something that you can teach. What is it? I’m sorry, did you just say you don’t know anything? Doubtful. But say I give you the benefit of the doubt, but you can start to learn something today and then begin to teach it. Give yourself six months. Learn something you’ve always wanted to do, but didn’t have the time, the energy or any other excuse that you’ve given yourself. I do know there is something, though. Learn it, all while building your personal brand. Remember, that's your number one goal for now.
The brand deals will come — don’t worry. Let’s say it’s a bonus for focusing on step 1 and doing it well. The more engaged your audience is, the more valuable you become. You don’t have to “work in exchange for exposure” because you’ve already handled the exposure piece yourself. No, thank you — next!
Create multiple income streams such as affiliate marketing, ad revenue, digital products, subscriptions, coaching, rental properties, investment, etc. Start with the most familiar one because you can make better decisions quickly. Ideally, you want to create passive income, which allows you to earn money even when you are not working. This will free up your time, and you can reinvest in your new business; we are working smarter — not harder. That said, there are MANY ways to monetize once you build your tribe. Lucky for us, right?

It all starts with building your personal brand through authenticity.

Connect with your people through your content — spread joy, light, and love with others. Teach them something. Help your younger self. What advice do you want to pass along? What mark do you want to leave through your creation?

Now more than ever, the world needs it.

3x3

Building a personal brand

Pick a topic that you love
Start talking about it, consistently
Keep track of your analytics. What is working?
Iterate and grow

Don't quit too early

Anything in life requires perseverance
You can build your audience all while you work a 9-5.
When you quit your job prematurely, with no monetization plan in place, you become a desperate creator.

Consistency is still key

Show up weekly to your audience
You consistency will build trust with your readers/views
Being consistent also allows your to get the repetitions in so that you have enough date to iterate.