How to make money with social media?

There are many options that involve creating additional content or selling products. However, these options aren’t optimal: they often require more work, or force you to build a brand and a full commercial offer.

Here, we focus on a more direct approach: monetizing your content as it is (videos, photos, images, text and articles). The idea isn’t to find a hack, but to choose a model that matches how you create—and most importantly, your pace.

Making money without charging your followers

Making money on social media with your content, without charging your fans, is the most natural model: your content remains free, and you earn income around that content.

Not charging your followers has several advantages:

• Your entire community can earn you money (not just a paying minority).
• Your content stays accessible to everyone, with no barrier.
• The more influence you gain, the more your content can generate income.
• The journey is simple: no payment, no subscription, no extra step.

This model is often ideal… as long as you find a revenue source that doesn’t degrade the fan experience.

That’s why some approaches are growing: instead of charging the user, they can access content for free via simple mechanisms (ads, rewards, unlocking), while the creator is paid for each interaction.

Monetized platforms

Monetized platforms are platforms where you earn money based on your content’s performance. In general, monetization is native: you publish, the platform measures, and you can receive income under its rules.

Most often, this monetization comes from advertising: as followers consume your content, they see ads, and you receive a share of ad revenue (depending on the platform and your eligibility).

Here are a few examples of monetized platforms:

• YouTube (with requirements)
• Snapchat (with requirements)
• TikTok (with requirements)
• Happew (from sign-up, no requirements)

If you’re interested, we wrote a comparison article about revenue across platforms: Which social network pays the most?.

The advantage of monetized platforms is that you earn income without changing your job: you keep publishing for your audience, without necessarily selling anything.

Things to check before relying on them:

• Many platforms impose eligibility requirements (followers, views, activity, country, etc.).
• On some platforms, your followers must have an account and log in to access your content.
• Format matters: some platforms favor video; others leave more room for images and text.

That’s why alternative platforms can become interesting.

For example, Happew lets you publish content as grids of unlockable items. Your fans unlock your content, and you earn revenue.

Another detail that changes conversion rates a lot: on Happew, fans can unlock your content without creating an account, anonymously. In some cases, that removes a big friction point (especially when you send traffic from Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube).

If you’re interested, you can also read What is Happew?.

Product placements

Product placements consist of publishing content that highlights a product or service. The company pays you because, thanks to you, it reaches your audience.

Concretely:

• On Instagram, this can be a story where you present a product.
• On YouTube, this can be a segment in a video where you demonstrate or review it.

Product placement has a big advantage: the payout is known in advance. Usually, the brand offers a fixed amount.

That payout often depends on:

• Your notoriety (followers, engagement, consistency).
• The format (story, post, short video, integration into a long video…).
• Your ability to negotiate.

It’s also a “free” model for your audience: your fans pay nothing to watch the content.

Drawbacks to keep in mind (to stay realistic):

• Negotiations can be long (briefs, back-and-forth, approvals).
• Placements can be poorly received if too frequent or poorly integrated.
• “Special” production (the content looks less like your usual posts).
• Transparency obligations (clearly stating the commercial intent).
• The featured product isn’t always aligned with your values.

Our advice: prioritize partnerships aligned with your editorial line and keep your monetization “clean.”

Many creators use a simple approach: fewer partnerships, and alongside that, more consistent monetization via monetized platforms (or free-access formats funded by ads).

Making money by charging your followers

You can also set up solutions where your fans pay. Financially, it’s often effective: your followers pay, and you collect part of that revenue.

Two main families:

• Premium content (paid access to part of your content).
• Donation pools (your fans support you voluntarily).

The downside is obvious: your fans must pay, and not everyone will follow.

Premium platforms

Premium platforms let you publish content that is accessible only if your followers pay.

Main advantage: you earn income directly tied to your content, and it can become more stable if your community follows.

But there’s a key point: your paid content shouldn’t be available for free elsewhere. As a result, you often need to produce exclusive content, which can cost time.

If you have enough fans willing to pay, this model can be very effective. The core work then becomes: convincing—and delivering over time.

Build a sustainable strategy (and avoid pitfalls)

The best way to earn income from your social networks is often to combine multiple solutions without spreading yourself too thin.

A few simple combinations (without taking on a “second job”):

• Publish your “strong” content on your usual platforms, and offer a lighter, faster-to-consume experience on the side (for example: easy-to-produce content on Happew).
• Use a monetized platform as a base, and occasionally add well-chosen product placements—without turning your account into an ad showcase.
• Reserve premium for a small part of your audience, while keeping most content free so you can keep growing.

The goal is simple: avoid relying on a single lever, and keep monetization compatible with your creation pace.

And above all: be transparent with your audience! Your fans won’t mind you using platforms that pay you, as long as it doesn’t degrade the content they normally see.

Conclusion

Making money with social media using only your content isn’t a hunt for hacks—it’s a model choice. You can start without charging your audience (native monetization, partnerships, monetized platforms), then strengthen it with a more stable approach (premium, donations).

And if you want an option where your fans keep free access while still generating revenue, unlockable-content formats (like Happew) can complement your strategy.