If your goal in 2024 is to make money online, there are a million ways to do so. It can be overwhelming to look at all the options, and there’s no guarantee that any of them will work. We sat down with Criya CEO and Founder, Deb Dutta, to find out her top 5 tips for making a living with your online creative business. Keep reading to find out more!

Affiliate Marketing

Popular affiliate networks like ShareASale and LTK (formerly known as RewardStyle) empower creators to make money when they link their followers to the products they know and use every day. Though Deb has amassed a following of over 100,000, she says you don’t need a huge following to monetize your audience. “It’s really about providing value, and making sure you’re genuinely in love with the products you’re recommending,” she says. “They’ll grow to trust you, and share your tips with their friends. That’s powerful whether you have 500 followers or 5 million.”‍

Advertising Revenues

Platforms like YouTube have been well known for letting creators earn advertising revenues for years, but now even more social networks like TikTok with their Creator Fund and Instagram with their Reels Bonuses are providing opportunities to earn cash right within the app. Though it may be pennies for a single view, consistent posting and staying on top of trends can provide your online presence with the momentum it needs to see those dollar signs start stacking up in no time.

Product Sales

On the flip side, rather than wait for content to earn them money, plenty of creatives have turned to launching their own merchandise, or merch, in the form of clothing, products, or artwork to be sold to their adoring fans. The downside is there are logistics like shipping and packaging to figure out, but Deb says even that can be solved relatively quickly. “There are lots of dropshipping companies and whitelabel product sites where you can quickly and easily launch a product that won’t be gathering dust in your garage,” she says. “When you don’t have to purchase the inventory up front, it takes a lot of the pressure off.”

Brand Partnerships

To make money online, it can sometimes show up in the form of a brand proactively reaching out to creators and securing a brand ambassador deal. Beware of scammers though, as many of those Instagram DM’s are phony companies with shady business practices. A more reputable way to work with brands is to apply to influencer networks like Upfluence and IZEA to make applying and being selected for campaigns a breeze. The downside is these platforms take a cut and offer lower payments, which may take a longer pay period to arrive. There’s also no guarantee that you’ll be accepted to a campaign, so you may apply for hundreds to only land a few.

Criya

You knew we weren’t going to leave ourselves off this list, right?! For all the negatives associated with the options above, Criya has launched a platform that solves all those issues and more. That’s exactly what inspired Deb to create this community in the first place. “I’ve seen so many creators become frustrated with trying to monetize their business, and I knew there had to be an easier way,” she says. “Criya gives you all the tools you need to present yourself professionally, establish your brand, and land lucrative deals in no time.”

For more information or to sign up for your FREE Studio, visit criya.co