Turning your passion into your job must be the true dream of every content creator. The goal of many creators is to make a living out of the time that they put into their creations. For some creators, this is already a reality or it is beginning to become reality. For other creators, there is still a long way to go, because of the increase in online competition. A broadly discussed topic among starting creators is content monetization.

It's becoming more and more common to ask your followers a financial contribution for your content. Many creators are currently experimenting with this, but there is still a large number of creators that didn’t yet take this step. They often question themselves how to get started with content monetization and whether their followers will be willing to pay for their content. In addition to this, many creators fear the possibility of losing followers if they start asking a financial contribution for their content. Uhmi is there for all content creators, especially for those interested in content monetization. That's why in this article we’ll cover one of the many methods on successful content monetization: content series.

Why content monetization?

Content monetization is interesting for all types of content creators and it creates opportunities for both small and big players in the field of content creation. Creators that have been creating for a longer period and have a larger online reach, are more likely to already use their content as a source of income. Here, ad revenues play a big role in the income of content creators. We don’t have to explain to these creators that the increase in the use of ad blocks can complicate a steady income. Therefore, content monetization can be an interesting alternative for bigger content creators, but it can also create opportunities for smaller content creators. Starting creators usually have a small online reach, which prevents them from generating significant ad revenues. Through content monetization, the loyal fans and followers of starting creators will secure the creator’s income and allow them to make a living out of creating their content.

In addition to this, content monetization is an effective method (when applied correctly) to offer your followers exclusiveness. The pith of the matter with content monetization is not about asking your followers money, but rather the way you apply content monetization as a creator. Uhmi is more than happy to assist you as a creator with this. Are you currently investigating the various options and possibilities concerning content monetization and how you can apply it? Feel free to contact us so we can provide you with customized advice.

Start with a content series

A constructive way to start with the implementation of content monetization that we’ll share with you in this article is by creating a content series. You can best create this content series in addition to your usual content. When implementing content monetization, you are not obligated to ask for a financial contribution for every piece of content you create. Moreover, we advise against doing so and recommend creators to create a good blend of both paid and free content as part of their strategy to increase their online reach.

The first step in getting started with paid content is thinking about a special content series within your area of expertise. The series should have a clear start and end date and should provide your followers with more than what they get from your free content. Maybe now your followers are not (fully) used to paying for your content, but by creating a content series you can easily introduce this to them.

You can constructively use your current free content to promote and introduce your content series to your followers. When doing so, state a clear start and end date of the series. By clearly stating the start and end date of the series, your followers are more likely to experience the series as a kind of limited edition that they need to be in time for.

What elements does a good content series consist of?

In order to create a successful content series, you need to think of a theme or subject of the series. Make sure to think of a theme of which you know that many of your followers are interested in. For example, if you are a motivational speaker and you create motivational content, try creating a content series on frequently asked questions you receive from your followers. In case many followers want to know more about how to motivate teams, act in accordance with this and surround your content series on team motivation.

You can also go a little further when thinking of a theme for your content series, by going live on one of your Social Media platforms. This way you can directly interact with your followers. When you plan on going live, you can announce this to your followers in advance so they know when to be online. Ask your followers during the live stream what their needs are and what they would like to see in your content. All participating followers can see each other’s responses as well, which will lead to additional interaction. If someone comes up with an interesting topic or theme, try asking the rest of your followers whether they would like to see this theme return in your content.

Besides having a clear theme for your content series, it's of high importance that you think of a proper structure to process your series. You want to avoid highlighting too many topics in your series because this way it's harder for your followers to identify why they want to see your series specifically and why they would pay for it. Try imagining your content series as a learning module. How do your followers enter the series and what did it contribute to your followers at the end of the series? Identify why people would want to pay for the series and how it can be distinguished from the rest of your free content. Additionally, it's recommended to structure the series so that people can join in from any point within the series.

When thinking of a proper structure of your content series, try to identify the importance of every individual piece of content and how it contributes to the entire series. Don’t forget to use your content pieces to announce your upcoming creation, so your followers have something to look forward to.

To make the most of your content series, an appropriate marketing strategy is essential. Make sure that you provide yourself with enough moments in which you can announce your content series to your followers and make sure that you do this in your pieces of content from the series as well. An effective method that you can apply to promote your content from the series is by having live streams in which you discuss the content with your followers. This will not only allow you to interactively engage with your followers, but it also allows you to promote your paid content with those who haven’t seen it naturally.

The content of your content series

Before you start creating your content series it's important to decide in what ways the content series coincides with your free content, but remains distinctive on its own. For every creator, it's possible to create a content series. If you require any additional help with this or if you have the need to brainstorm on how you can manage your content series, feel free to contact us any time. For now, we’ll provide a few examples of content series that you can use when you would like to start with content monetization. 

A content series on fashion advice per body type

If you create fashion-related content you can think of creating a content series in which you give fashion advice depending on what body type people have. Per individual piece of content, you can cover a new body type or body part. Based on the type of body that you discuss in your content, you can advise how to apply the latest fashion trends, where your followers can obtain the clothing and you can talk about examples of people who have similar body types and dress accordingly. 

A course on meditation

If you create content concerning happiness, mindfulness, motivation, and inspiration, you can try to create a content series on meditation techniques. Nowadays more and more people are interested in meditation and learning about how it can be advantageous for your body and mind. There are multiple free meditation videos online, but you can offer your followers exclusive content by adding instructions on how to successfully apply certain meditation techniques and provide information on the importance of these techniques. These and similar themes are perfect for a content series.

A course on photography for vacationers

Are you creating content on the travels that you make and would you like to offer your followers something extra? Try creating a series on the photography basics and explain how people can apply these techniques during their holidays. In your series, you can add “Insta-worthy” pictures to back the information you provide.

An abs training for beginners

Do you create sport-related content and do you want to give you followers additional guidance and support when they want to achieve certain goals? Try turning these goals of your followers into content series. For example, you can create a content series for beginners on how to properly train abdominal muscles. Your content series can contain individual pieces of content on different exercises, nutrition and other aspects concerning training.

We can endlessly continue with this list, but we hope that we have inspired you to think of ideas for your content series. Uhmi offers multiple options for creators to work with content monetization. It's important that you choose a method that suits your style of creation and we're always happy to help you with this!