Everyone wants to be a creator these days — it’s the bucket term used to describe podcasters, YouTubers, streamers, bloggers, designers, and others working in the creative fields. This used to be a lane occupied by large corporations in industries like Hollywood, but now it’s an open lane for any entrepreneur or small business to compete in.
Platforms like Clubhouse, TikTok, Instagram, Spotify, and even Facebook and Twitter provide platforms for anyone with talent to succeed. It doesn’t matter what you do, you can work a creator-first career.
Of course, monetizing yourself as a creator isn’t easy, and even a massive platform like YouTube’s Partner Program doesn’t pay enough to survive. Even massive YouTubers like Ryan Kaji and TikTokers like Addison Rae have merchandise (known as merch in some circles) at the foundation of their revenue streams.
Merch is a key ingredient in any creator’s business, and personalized, branded stickers are the best way to make that personal connection. Here’s why.
Dawn of the New Creator Economy
The creator economy is less than a decade old, and it encompasses over 50 million people. The internet decentralized traditional media, and today’s creators can now succeed on any number of platforms that allow them to flex their creative muscles.
Instead of signing to a major music label, for example, musical artists can gain popularity and fans on a platform like SoundCloud. Podcasters are using Spotify, while streamers opt for Twitch, Facebook, and YouTube. Some influencers are even willing to try new platforms like Clubhouse or Substack to find an audience.
In each of these cases, the platform allows them to showcase their creative abilities. But these creators also need to focus on the business end if they want to survive. Nobody reaches a six- or seven-digit following without a keen sense of how to monetize their platform, so let’s breakdown how these creator-run businesses flourish.
How Creators Monetize Their Platforms
Regardless of whether you’re a writer, artist, voice, or on-screen talent, you can monetize your platform. It takes multiple revenue streams, including sponsorships or product placements, affiliate marketing, crowdsourcing, and merchandising.
Each of these revenue streams is important, and it’s the sum of all that ultimately makes being a creator a viable business.
YouTube Partner ads, for example, pay an average of $5 per 1,000 views. But you can earn another $10-$30 per 1,000 views through a brand sponsorship, and an affiliate program can potentially earn even more. On top of this, every subscriber you’re successfully able to convert to a member can support you through a monthly subscription.
You’re not just limited to the platform itself — Patreon is a great place for any type of creator to gain paid subscribers. This crowdsourcing is a great way to monetize yourself as a creator, and some creators find success by selling tickets to live and virtual events too.
But the most successful marketing and monetization strategy is always going to be merch, which you should be selling at all events and across your content. That’s because it’s more than just merchandise — it’s a physical bond with your fans.
The Importance of Merch for Creators
Branded merchandise is important to have — every fan who buys your branded merch is not just supporting you financially. They’re also marketing you everywhere they go, and friend-to-friend marketing is the strongest form of viral marketing you can find.
People believe the recommendations of their friends and family over any other type of review. It’s typically an easy conversion, as they can already see their friends enjoying your content. They may even introduce your content directly to them while they consume it together.
Merchandise makes the digital physical, and it gives your fans a way to emulate you. They can show off their connection to your brand through a variety of everyday items. But you have to be careful when putting your brand on other items.
There’s a funny story arc of The Simpsons where Krusty the Clown is a notorious sellout who will put his brand on anything. But you need to ensure you have quality merchandise that doesn’t break down and associate your name with low quality. That’s why stickers are a great choice for every creator.
Why Choose Stickers?
Stickers are an iconic part of everyone’s childhood around the world. When you do a good job in school, your teacher gives you a gold star sticker. As you get older, stickers are used to personalize your gear and showcase where you’ve been.
People put stickers of all the places they’ve been on their luggage, stickers of bands on their instrument cases or skateboards, and more. They’re even used in street art, and big artists like Obey and Banksy often employ stickers in their creative businesses.
Because stickers are a part of every culture, they’re easy to distribute and have a wide variety of uses. You can sell them directly on their own or include them with any merch you sell (personalized tissue paper is also a great option) to provide an extra layer of detail to any package you send to your fans.
And unlike a business card, stickers are easy to apply to whatever item the person wants. The value of the sticker is then attached to the computer, record player, wall, or whatever else the sticker is placed on. Even if your fan doesn’t like the sticker, they’re likely to give it to someone else. It’s the ultimate in swag for any event.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Brian Penny
I've been published in Cracked, High Times, Forbes, Paste Magazine, Huffington Post, Fast Company, and more. I'm also a ghostwriter and involved with a variety of blogs. My main passions in journalism are technology, finance, and agriculture.
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