Forget about your Youtube channel. Heres how to actually make money as a creative in the side hustle economy

Forget about your Youtube channel. Heres how to actually make money as a creative in the side hustle economyForget about your Youtube channel. Heres how to actually make money as a creative in the side hustle economyAsk any vlogger, artist, or musician- its really, really difficult to make money as acreative.People often think that if they just post decent content occasionally, or sign up for the right platforms, theyll blow up just like Alessia Cara or Bo Burnham. But thats really hard to do.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreThere are more social media platforms today than ever, but each platform only does one or two things well. For example, Instagram is good for pictures, but less so for videos. Twitter is good for writers, but not great for photos.And even if you do everything right on the platforms youre using, algorithms can bury visibility by limiting reach- meaning youll o nly make it so far.In other words, the digital side hustle economy just isnt working the way it should.My company,Collide, was designed to fix it. Specifically, we handle the infrastructure, logistics, and administration so creatives can better monetize their connections, interactions, and expertise.But platforms aside,there are a few basic, tried-and-true steps creatives can take to maximize their reach and keep their fans interested.Heres howMake sure youre in it for the long haulA side hustle is more than just a side gig.Picking up a few extra hours at the coffee shop is not a side hustle. Jumping on TaskRabbit or Uber when you feel like it isnt a side hustle, either. A yard sale isnt a side hustle. A side hustle is neither a hobby nor something youre just doing to earn some extra cash- its a living.You dont work for your side hustle your side hustle works for you. No one can pull the plug on your side hustle either. You control what you create, how you share it, and when you pos t. And it takes care of you.To make this work, you have to believe that youre in it to win it.Be strategic about how you market your side hustleTo make a side hustle profitable, you basically need two essential elements.First, you have to let people know what your side hustle is. In other words, you need to market it.There are a number of ways to go about getting the word out- some more useful than others. You can use email lists. You can use Instagram or Snapchat. You can reach out to your friends and extended family, or network. You can buy ads. Whatever you do, youve got to find a way to tell a lot of people youre doing something.Second, you need a platform.This is where I think the current digital side hustle economy is broken. The only people who can really make money right now are the top .1%. And while there are a ton of apps out through which you can market your art, music, or photos, most of them deliver poor value for your time and effort.If youre going to makerealmoney fr om your side hustle, you need a distribution policy to do commerce- much like a brick-and-mortar store. You need a place where you can bring people to what you do. If youre on a bunch of digital platforms and making no money, youre no different from The Gap- which is closing down storefronts all over for lack of sales. If you have multiple storefronts but are gleaning no value, you have to consolidate.And in the digital world, your storefront is whatever platform- or platforms- youre most active on. But to really get the most value for the least effort, narrow your digital side hustle to just a few.The point is no matter what your digital side hustle, treat it like a brick-and-mortar store. If your multiple storefronts arent generating business- consolidate.Show up andbe consistent.You cant just show up to an office job whenever you feel like it, and thats true of side hustles as well.Say theres a guy on Collide who creates homemade candle holders. To make a living, he has to consis tently post for his fan group. He also has to set up reliable expectations for them, perhaps by telling them Hey, Im going to post new candlestick designs every Monday or Tuesday. Consistency and managing expectations are a must if he wants people to come back regularly. If his fans show up at his page and theres nothing new, theyll lose interest. Even brands wont come back to established influencers who arent consistent.To make your side hustle into a money-maker, you have to be consistent and to let your fans know what to expect. Its essential to build trust.Give your fans a glimpse into your lifeRemember that your followers arent just interested in your craft- they also want to know whats behind the curtain.In other words, they want to get to know you.Whats an average day like for you? What are your habits? Who are your friends? Hows your love life? What motivated the latest piece of content you created? If youre a fashion-related account, they want to know where you shop. If you re a wellness brand, they want to know what toothpaste you use. If you make perfume, they want to know where your scents come from.Everyones craft is repetitive to some degree. Audiences want to know aboutyou, and how it translates into those pieces of content or advice they really like. Thats why tabloids and paparazzi exist- so people feel like they have access to the person behind the veil.Be willing to evolve, but dont alienate your core supporters in the processA lot of creators dont understand how to evolve with their fans taste.You cant capture fans for the long-haul if your content becomes tedious. You need to branch out to other avenues and avoid just sticking with whats worked in the past. Take risks. If you mostly share photos, experiment with video.But you also dont want to alienate your core group. Keep your original point of view, but branch out with the surface stuff. If you make candle holders, for example, start recommending candles to put in them. If youre recommen ding great products, experiences, art, food, and blogs, people wont leave.Dont be afraid to showcase whats inspiring you.Your fans are more interested in a multi-faceted approach than in seeing the same kind of content over and over again. If you do a good job and do it regularly, your fans will stay with you because they love your point of view.If youre strategic about it, manage expectations, show yourself, are dedicated to putting in long hours- you can make your side hustle work for you.This article first appeared on Minutes.