The Creator’s Guide to Getting Paid: Money-Making Tips for Creators from Chanel Tyler
3 minute read time
Let’s be real, making money as a creator isn’t just about going viral or landing a brand deal. It’s about turning your content into a business, and that takes more than cute posts and product hauls. We asked Chanel Tyler, Collective Voice Creator in Residence, strategist, and certified monetization queen, to spill her top tips for turning scrolls into sales. From underrated money moves (hi, affiliate income 👀) to building a storefront your followers actually use, this Q&A is packed with real advice you’ll actually want to implement. Get ready to screenshot.
What are your top 3 money-making tips for creators turning their passion into profit?
Community has to be your first and top priority, remember WHO / WHAT you are serving and have a clear reason WHY you are doing this
Consistency is absolutely key, if you want your creator business to drive revenue you have to be consistent across audience engagement, linking activity, and content generation
Diversify your revenue streams across formats and platforms, this way your income has more balance and stability
What’s one underrated way creators can make more money that people don’t talk about enough?
Honestly affiliate, affiliate is an always on passive approach to earning income 24/7 without the pressure from brand guidelines or waiting for deals, you have full creative autonomy to market the products you love and earn money from it
Any advice for creators looking to diversify income streams?
Create content across as many platforms in as many formats that make sense, if you’re a short-form creator post your videos on Instagram Reels, Tiktok, AND YouTube shorts; play around with new formats like Substack. Have your core (the 1-2 platforms and formats you’re heavily invested in) and then have your add-ons and amplifiers that contribute additional revenue streams. Every platform or format type doesn’t require the same level of investment but you want to be strategic and you want to have money coming in from as many places as possible.
Is there anything you wish you’d done differently earlier in your monetization journey?
Yes, I wish I started monetizing as soon as I made my first product recommendation. I left a lot of money on the table for about 2 years because I didn’t understand the power of my platform or my community. Do not be like me and don’t give away your recommendations for free because that is keeping the brand profitable, keeping your followers satisfied, but very little for you. Content is a job, doesn’t matter if it’s full-time or part-time, you are providing a service and you should be compensated for that. If you have an engaged, supportive community you can bank on the fact that they want to see you win!
What’s one tip for creators trying to master “selling without selling” – making product recs feel natural and authentic?
Don’t sell, integrate your product recommendations in a natural, authentic way that connects to your everyday life, you want it to be genuine and not pushy. I take a very casual approach to linking and I collaborate deeply with my audience to reinforce recommendations so that my community knows that you’re getting a community driven recommendation, not just a Chanel recommendation. If you have followers asking you either via DMs or comments about something you are wearing or something you have featured in your content, repurpose that for your audience and throw up a link.
How do you create content that converts, any tricks when it comes to linking products or building your storefront?
It all starts with audience preparation, your audience has to have an interest and a desire to “shop with you” and you must always be in service to their needs, it’s a reciprocal process. You also have to make it easy for them to convert which includes consistently linking, having your links readily and easily available, teaching them about where your links are housed so they know where they can find them without you (this is where storefronts / Tap to Shop comes in play), saving your stories with affiliate links to highlights, and leveraging automation tools like Shop The Look to get your audience links when they request them.
If you could give one piece of advice about building a profitable, sustainable brand, what would it be?
Care deeply about what you do, it shouldn’t feel like a chore. Let that care show in everything you do – care about the brands you partner with and their values, care about the community you’re building and how you nurture it, care about you and how you manage your business in digital spaces, and absolutely care about your mental health.
Learn more about Chanel Tyler by following @buymechanel.
