The #1 Thing that Will Help You Earn $4313/month from your Blog or YouTube

I am not going to promise you millions. Or hundreds of thousands. However a 4 figure income north of $4000/month is certainly possible from your blogs and vlogs. And remember if you are an independent creator you don’t pay the heavy tax of a salaried employee. So realistically your $4000/month is equivalent to $6000/month of a salaried employee. Plus, you are location independent and, free from corporate politics.

So we have established that $4000/month is not exactly pocket change, right?

So how do people earn this income? Can I prove it?

Yes to both. Read on!

Sales is a numbers game

The key to earning income from your blog or vlog is to have a critical mass of subscribers. So if you have 100,000 subscribers on your YouTube channel, your message will go out to so many people everytime you post a video. The same applies to Facebook posts, Instagram and Twitter updates.

Say you have written a new book, and you then post a video on your YouTube channel inviting people to check it out. 100,000 people will see it.

When you ask 100,000 people to buy a book, perhaps 10,000 will actually be interested enough to check it out.

Out of that 10,000 people, perhaps 1000 will actually buy.

So the more subscribers you have, the more books you will sell, right?

How do you get more subscribers to your social media channel?

The #1 thing you can do to increase your subscriber base by 10 times

Consider for a moment, the YouTube channels you like and follow. You will note that these are channels run by people whom you like. You rarely go and watch a channel run by someone whom you don’t like.

We follow the blogs and YouTube channels of people whom we like. Yes, we are titillated by entertainment (or education), the blog/vlog provides – but we are first and foremost interested in who the presenter is. The content of the presentation, writing or video is secondary.

That’s why the #1 think you can do to increase your subscriber base by 10 times is to refine your persona on social media.

So how do I pull out the magic number $4313/month?

That number, $4313/month – reflects the money my friend Payal was making the last time I spoke to her. In mid 2013, back Payal started a YouTube channel to post book reviews, and inspirations for the books she wrote. Over time her subscriber base grew to 100,000+ on YouTube. Payal then opened her Patreon page, and also set up her YouTube for sponsored videos. Very soon her Patreon started growing when it the magic number of $4000/month, Payal felt that she had crossed a real milestone. This was in addition to her income from sponsored videos and of course, book sales.

Payal says, the #1 thing which helped her to be successful in making money online as an author and vlogger was her image on social media.

Think of the image you want to project in your own persona.

The following section gives you some examples of social media personas and images.

Example Social Media Personas

The social media persona you want to communicate goes beyond just creating a profile with keywords. All your blog posts, videos and pictures need to sustain the image you want your audience to remember you with.

Here are some examples of social media stars – authors, vloggers and bloggers – who have cultivated their unique personas online.

One illustrator who launched her YouTube channel in 2016, shares everything about herself, her boyfriend and her dogs on YouTube. Occasionally, she posts art tutorials, and information about her new stickers and prints on Etsy. However, her channel is primarily focused on personal interactions – her videos speak about her being depressed or happy, about her house hunt and her vegan beliefs. Her videos are very well composed mini stories about the day in the life of an illustrator including her personal life. The image that we go away with is that of a stylish, independent entrepreneur, who cares about living creatures.
Another author has chosen to put only a few YouTube videos and instead focuses on her Facebook page. In her Facebook page, she shines spotlight on her upcoming books, her daily inspirations, and the workshops for writers that she organizes. She keeps her personal life completely separate from her online image. Every post is carefully crafted to convey a sense of style and dignity. The image this author communicates is that of an elegant, noble thought leader who is very talented, and is widely admired for her works.
In yet another example, we see an author who is very creative and completely extempore in her YouTube videos. Her videos are fun to watch and many of them are just talking heads. She speaks about her books, her patreon page and is completely open about other work related things. However, though you occasionally she her husband and her family, she does not share her personal life or her beliefs in much detail. The image we get is that of someone who is cool and creative, and fun to be with.

Each of the above solopreneur makes a living out of their individual efforts. Social media works for each of them. But the persona – online image of themselves – that each has chosen to craft is completely different.

The image a solopreneur communicates, in turn attracts the customers who can relate to that image. Your online image is the #1 thing which can help you in making money from your creations.

In Conclusion

Your social media image, i.e. your online persona, is more than just what you write on your profile.

Your image is the sum of the themes you choose for your blog and videos, the causes you support and your likes and dislikes you share.

Consciously cultivating a positive persona – which you are most comfortable with – is the surest way to aim for a regular 4-figure or 5-figure revenue from your social media channels, blogs and YouTube.