In this blog post, I will be going over my 2021 Social Media Strategy, the pros and cons of each platform, and how I make MONEY on each platform.
Suppose you haven’t checked out my other blog posts. In that case, I highly recommend giving them a look as I go over How I make Money as a Food Creator ($25K+ every month), my transition from a Corporate 9-5 to a full-time food creator, and also a step by step tutorial on How to start a blog that MAKES MONEY!
Currently, I am running in total 6 social media platforms that help me build my brand,
Each platform has its purpose, and I do not recommend anyone starting to be on more than 2-3 platforms as each platform is a full-time job.
As mentioned in my first blog post explaining how I make money, I shared that it is super important to DIVERSIFY YOUR INCOME continuously. Which is why, within the 6 social media platform I am on, I make money through 5 different incomes streams.
This month April 2021, I made over USD 30K, and it is spread out through,
- Website Ads (40%)
- Brand Deals (30%)
- Merchandise (10%)
- Affiliated Links (5%)
- Live Events (15%)
As you can see, most of my income comes from the ads on my website, which is my most STABLE income. Since going full-time, 40-50% of my income comes from the ads on my website, which is why I HIGHLY recommend anyone starting to start a blog as soon as possible.
Having a website allows me to continuously make HIGH QUALITY and FREE recipes without relying on brand deals and selling products.
Since 40% of my income comes from my ads on my website, “driving traffic” is my number one priority for my social media strategy.
Let’s start by talking about the platform that I started on and the platform that I have the most following: TikTok.
TikTok is a platform that has a great algorithm that gives every creator a chance to grow. Regardless of how many followers you have, every video has its opportunity to go viral.
TikTok also a great platform to start as relativity is affordable and accessible to create videos since all your need is your phone. Unlike other platforms that have been around for a long time, you don’t need any fancy filming equipment or microphone; all you need is your passion and your phone.
TikTok is currently a huge traffic driver for my website. When I was starting, I use to post every single day for 3 months. However, I have now scaled back to only 3 high-quality recipe videos a week.
Depending on how you make money as a content creator, you may have a different strategy. Still, since my goal is to drive traffic, I ensure that all my videos and recipes grab my audience’s attention and drive the audience to get the full recipes on my website. I currently make money on TikTok through brand deals, driving traffic to my website, and hosting live events.
Positive:
- High chance to GROW, every video has an opportunity to go VIRAL
- A NEW platform, therefore, alot of room to grow your niche
- AFFORDABLE and ACCESSIBLE to start, all you need is a phone
- High REACH with a brand new demographic
- Strong COMMUNITY
Negative:
- Unstable traffic – regardless of how many followers you have, doesn’t guarantee views.
- Lacks Features – unlike IG, it doesn’t have alot of features such as stories, therefore hard to grow engagement
I go into more details on tips and tricks on how to grow your TikTok on my YouTube video and go into more information on trends, viral sounds, and brand deals.
Instagram is my personal favorite platform and the one that I spend the most time on.
Instagram has many features available such as stories, direct messages, IG Reels, IGTV, IG posts and so much more! I love that you are able to build engagement and relationships with your audience through so many different features.
While I have fewer followers on Instagram, I find that I have a more engaged audience on Instagram since I can get more direct feedback and suggestions. Instagram also drives more traffic to my blog versus TikTok, which is interesting since I have a larger audience on TikTok and more views. This just shows that views are not important, but instead, engagement is the most important piece!
My strategy on Instagram is to build a strong relationship with my audience and drive traffic to my blog. I answer 90% of my messages and try to get feedback as much as I can. I also post alot of stories to show more of my personality and interests beyond just recipes.
HIGHLY recommend anyone trying to grow on Instagram to use IG Reels as it has amazing reach compare to their other features. Since Instagram is highly focused on “aesthetics,” I recommend making a cover photo for all your IG Reels videos. Make sure NEVER to repost any video with your TikTok handle on it, as I find it can lower your reach and also comes off as unprofessional.
I make money on Instagram mainly through brand deals; since Instagram has been around longer and has a more detailed analytic report, brands tend to pay higher in deals on Instagram.
Since Instagram has so many features, you can “bundle” your package better. For example, versus just one video on TikTok, you can now offer 1 IG Reel, 3 IG Stories, and 1 Post. the more you can offer, the higher the deal is.
Positive:
- Higher paid BRAND DEALS
- More FEATURES (IG Story, IG Reels, IGTV, etc.)
- Stronger Engagement since more features available
- 10K IG Swipe Up Function drives direct traffic to your blog and for brands
Negative:
- Harder to grow versus TikTok
- Heavily focused on aesthetics
- Saturated
Pinterest is a platform that I LOVE and find super underrated.
It is a search engine but with pictures only. I know alot of bloggers that only use Pinterest and have excellent results without any support from any other social media platforms.
I am still testing out different methods on Pinterest. Still, since being on Pinterest and committing time towards it, I have already seen great results from the platform that drives direct traffic to my website. Once I have more details, I will share my Pinterest Strategy.
YouTube is a platform that I will eventually want to grow one day; however, currently, I do not have the resources or the time to commit to it. I highly recommend being on either Youtube or owning a Blog as both provide Evergreen content and help provide a more stable income, especially for content creators.
However, Youtube can be a little bit expensive to start since many of the creators on Youtube have excellent camera equipment and professional filming sets. If you love creating videos and editing videos is your creative outlet, I would highly recommend starting a Youtube channel versus a blog; however, if you prefer to write and don’t have as much time commitment to edit videos, I recommend starting with a blog.
Currently, I do not make any money from Youtube. I use Youtube as a platform to repost my recipe videos for my blog to provide video tutorials for my audience, and I will also post long educational videos to share tips and tricks about blogging.
Been a follower for a while now. You inspired me to start my own page @whatrosineeats. My kids love it when I make your recipes. Keep doing what you love.