So you’re growing your following as a sports media presence, and you want to monetize your work. Sponsorships are a viable option, especially if your content is heavily targeted and holds a connection to certain brands. But since sponsorships can be hard to come by, you might need to search for other ways to monetize.
With that in mind, what are some other methods for monetizing your content following without sponsorships? Here are some avenues to keep in mind.
4 Ways to Your Content Beyond Sponsorships
1. Use Affiliate Programs
The first monetization method to cover is affiliate programs and affiliate marketing. When engaging with this kind of monetization, you essentially agree to promote a product or brand as a third party on your channel. Influencers and content creators can receive commissions from companies to engage in this kind of promotion.
Though affiliate marketing may seem adjacent to sponsorship, it’s different in the sense that influencers and content creators get commissions based on their rate of conversion. Affiliate commissions are much more based on success rate than that of sponsorship commissions, which are more fixed.
2. Offer Subscriptions
If you want to find ways to be self-sufficient with your monetization, and expand beyond partnerships with brands, you can set up subscriptions for your content. A paid subscription gives your users access to premium, exclusive content, often in exchange for monthly fees.
There are many different ways to perform subscriptions. Many platforms – like YouTube and Patreon – offer tiered benefits based on different subscription levels. As the creator, you can set these tiers, and give users additional content or engagement opportunities based on how much they pay.
An additional benefit of subscriptions, beyond simply being a revenue stream, is that you can build communities around your brand from your subscribers.
3. Incorporate Programmatic Advertisements
A more passive form of monetization – but nonetheless effective, particularly if you have a steady stream of page views or video views – is programmatic advertisements. With programmatic advertisements, you can set aside ad space or ad slots to play targeted content to your viewers.
There’s no brand exclusivity with programmatic advertisements, which ultimately lowers its potential in relation to sponsorships and affiliate programs. That said, for sites and profiles that have an abundance of view-generating landing pages and tools, programmatic advertising can be a reliable path.
4. Open the Door for Tips and Donations
The three options above will be your most consistent avenues for monetization, but if you have a particularly loyal following, you can also open the door for tips and donations by linking a PayPal or Venmo account to your works.
This revenue stream would serve more as a bonus. You’re not pressuring your followers to pay or requiring them to do so as you would for subscription tiers, but rather leaving the door open if they decide to do so. Look at donations like this: If you receive them, it means you’re doing something right, and your content is resonating well with your base.
Playbook
- Use affiliate programs
- Offer subscriptions
- Incorporate programmatic ads
- Accept tips and donations
