Ways to make money from content creation - 'Online careers are the future'

If there was ever a time to become a content creator, now would be it.

Technology continues to dominate the way we receive information, so why not capitalise on that through your own platform? 

The world is fascinated by content creation and although some are still confused by it, many are raking in the cash that comes from it. South Africa’s content creator scene is still on the rise and, although, we still have a long way to go to catch up with those societies that have fully embraced this trend, we are not far off the mark.

Lelo Boyana started her own blog of the online magazine Just Curious in 2009 and has made a name for herself.

“I felt that it was about time I had my own voice in the entertainment industry and I needed a platform where I could just voice my opinions without worrying about whether it fitted into anyone’s strategy or vision,” she says. 

But the question was, how was she going to get an income? “We generate income now through banner ad campaigns and editorials, but we could still do way better,” Lelo says. 

Regardless of this, she says the blog has created many opportunities in the industry. “It has opened doors for everyone who has worked on it. That to me counts more than the cash.” 

Rikki Hibbert was named runner-up for best photography blog in South Africa in 2011, 2013 and 2014. He is one of the few who have made their blog a financial successful. Rikki Hibbert Photography is a blog that’s found its niche as it focuses on a specific market.

“My blog is geared to generate business leads for my commercial photography business. I have put a lot of time and energy into writing about photography-related information, and the hard work paid off,” says Hibbert. 

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Although he doesn’t sell any products or advertising space on his blog, he’s been able to generate an income based on the photography he does, which is what he advertises on his blog. He has also established good relationships with clients.

“I’m often given free photography gear in exchange for a review and sharing that review with the rest of my social media network. 

“I have been sponsored with really cool gear so far – black rapid camera straps, Gary Fong flash diffusers, Triggertrap cables for shooting time lapses, beautiful photography books, and even two Sony Xperia Z3 tablets, one for myself and one that I was able to give away to a lucky reader.” 

Despite his success, it’s difficult to start off and immediately make money from blogging. Lelo says: “If you are looking to make money immediately from blogging, it is simply not going to happen. Like any online platform, you first have to grow your audience – make sure they’re engaged and keep coming back.

“This is a challenge, given that today blogs compete with social networks whose popularity keeps growing. So how do you get people to ignore their Twitter, now known as X, addiction and log on to your blog? Your blog has to live beyond your URL.” 

Lelo has retired from running Just Curious, but the blog is still active. Her love for online hasn’t diminished. 

“I still think online careers are the future. We just need creative thinkers who are willing to work hard. Making money with your blog is not as hard as it was three years ago because more and more brands are looking to partner with bloggers and online influencers. All you need are numbers and engagement,” she says.

On the international front, celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow continue to earn top dollar with their blogs. The award-winning actress has been running her successful lifestyle blog, Goop, since 2008. Although she is a rare case in terms of bloggers who get a substantial income from their sites, her achievement is worth mentioning. The Fast Company reported that Goop receives 3,75 million page views. The site also sells home and fashion products, adding to the revenue it receives. 

“The beauty of blogging is that one doesn’t have to have one’s own products or services or membership site to make money online,” says website experts and bloggers Teresa Schultz and Tony Flanigan of tant.co.za. “One can earn from promoting other people’s products, services and sites.” 

To really capitalise on your blog, Teresa advises, “Besides placing ads or writing information about one’s own products or services, blog owners can join advertising programs like Google Adsense or can become an affiliate for one or more sites, like Amazon.

“You flight adverts on your blog – the ads may be placed at the top or bottom of a blog, in the sidebar of a blog, or within the main content area – the actual blog post on that page. The code in these ads contains a reference number that identifies the blog owner as the ad publisher. This is so that the advertising program or affiliate program can know who it was that promoted their products or services, so that they can get paid. 

“Blog owners can also rent advertising space directly. People who are interested in advertising their business on a certain blog might contact the blog owner with their ad and they pay a monthly (or other pre-determined time period) fee to have their ad appearing on that blog. Ads can also be displayed that invite people to become a member and be active at certain sites.” 

An important thing to note is that without people visiting your website you can’t make any money from it. “Traffic is very important,” says Teresa. “Without traffic the ads on a blog are not going to be seen. With only a little bit of traffic, the ads are not going to be seen enough to earn the blog owner much of an income. 

“One can use time, effort and free methods to get traffic to a blog or one can use paid methods of getting traffic, or a bit of both,” Teresa says.