Ada is a content creator on Instagram. She has gotten over five thousand followers by posting her nice, fashionable outfits, and making videos of her adventures in Lagos. But now, she is wondering: what next? Beyond getting gifted clothes from fashion brands, how else can she make money as a Nigerian content creator?

Like Ada, many Nigerian content creators have the same questions. With social media becoming a significant part of our lives, there are a lot of opportunities for creators to monetize their craft on the internet. From influencer partnerships with brands to monetization programmes on platforms like YouTube and TikTok, there are many opportunities to make a living available for Nigerian creators. 

In this article, we’ll explore ten practical ways Nigerian content creators can make money.

1. Brand sponsorships and partnerships 

Television ads are so 2009, and with more brands looking to connect with Nigerians online, content creators are in high demand for influencer marketing. Brands are willing to pay creators to promote their products or services on collaboration posts, sponsored posts, videos, or even live streams.

As a creator looking to secure brand sponsorships and partnerships, the key to doing this is by building a loyal audience and maintaining a high level of engagement with them. When your audience cares about what you share, it naturally translates into an interest in the products and services you share. However, you should partner only with companies that align with your personal brand and the interests of your audience otherwise said partnerships will ring insincere and are likely to not convert for the brand.  

How to get started:

1. Create a media kit or rate card with key details like your niche, your engagement, and the audience you cater to.  If you are unsure of what to have on your media kit or rate card, we’ve written a guide here for you. 
2. Don’t wait to be headhunted. You can reach out to brands directly with your media kit, highlighting the value you are willing to offer to them, by partnering with you. 
3. Don’t be scared of rejection. As with job offers, cold emailing brands can be a long-term game. Be persistent and leverage personal connections, if necessary. 
4. When you get the opportunity, do a fantastic job, so brands are encouraged to retain you and build a long-term creator partnership. 

For nano-influencers (influencers with under 10,000 followers), sometimes you might have to take products in exchange for content, especially at the start of your creator journey. This is a great way to show both your audience and brands what you can do. It’s all part of the journey, so keep your content great and focus on providing value. 

To learn how to create a rate card, read this article 

2. YouTube ad revenue

YouTube remains one of the most lucrative platforms for content creators worldwide, including Nigeria. By consistently creating engaging video content, Nigerian creators can join the YouTube Partner Program (YPP), which allows them to earn from ads placed on their videos. The key to success on YouTube is finding a niche, whether it’s lifestyle, tech reviews, music, or comedy, and consistently creating quality content that resonates with an audience.

Good examples of Nigerian content creators who have been able to hack YouTube ad revenue include Fisayo Fosudo and Tayo Aina. These creators have been on the platform for a long time and have been able to build a large audience through quality and consistent video content. 

To qualify for the YouTube Partner Programme, you need to have at least 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours within the last year. However, once you meet these requirements, your revenue potential depends on the amount of time people spend watching your videos. So make lengthy engaging videos that allow you to place multiple ads, so you can get higher ad payouts from them. There’s a lot more to eligibility and requirements that you can find out by checking out this link.

Pro tip: Use captivating thumbnails and titles to drive higher click-through rates and increase visibility on the platform.

3. Affiliate marketing

Affiliate marketing is a practice that allows Nigerian content creators to earn commissions by promoting products and services of other brands. To become an affiliate, all you need to do is request an affiliate link from the brand you want to work with, then create content, directing your audience to that link. This way, when your followers purchase through those links, you can earn a percentage of the sale. For Nigerian creators, platforms like Selar offer great earning opportunities.

The Selar Affiliate network is one of our top features here at of Selar. Members of the network are either merchants or affiliates. Merchants list their products on the site, and affiliates sell on their behalf, earning commissions that increase their revenue. Commissions can be as high as 50%, so being an affiliate can be a very lucrative venture!

DISCOVER: How to Start Affiliate Marketing in Nigeria

Affiliate marketing as a strategy works best when creators promote products that resonate with their audience. So for a life coach or motivational speaker, it probably might not be the best idea to sell gadgets, beauty products, or fashion items unless they resonate with your audience. Being transparent about affiliate links also builds trust with followers, which can lead to higher conversions.

4. Selling digital products

Another highly profitable avenue for Nigerian creators is selling digital products. It’s also an avenue with a lot of promise, due to the range of products that one can sell. As a creator you can choose to sell products that range from e-books to courses, photography presets, and design templates, to exclusive content on platforms like Selar.

There are a lot of advantages to selling digital products. For one, while they require an upfront investment of time and effort, the initial effort gives way to passive income potential that can be sold repeatedly without any other production costs. 

There are other advantages to selling digital products: 

1. Global accessibility: Digital products can reach customers anywhere across the globe, which expands your potential market significantly. Unlike physical products that can only be advertised and used by your local audience, or might need to be shipped, digital goods can be accessed with a few clicks, which makes their allure for reaching an audience outside Nigeria very high.
2. Process automation: E-commerce platforms like Selar make it easy to automate tasks like order processing, reminders, and delivery, allowing you to focus on creating while sales happen seamlessly in the background.
3. Higher profit margins: Since there’s no cost for reprinting digital products, you can make much higher profit margins compared to physical goods. All you need is to make your product once, and that’s it. 
4. Easily adaptable: Digital products can be quickly updated or modified with minimal stress. 
5. Convenience and quick delivery: Digital products offer unmatched convenience, with no shipping required and instant delivery. The rise of mobile payment solutions has also simplified the process for consumers to buy digital goods online.

Let’s say you are a beauty influencer, you can create an e-book on the best types of makeup to use, and sell them to your audience. If you are a mobile photographer, you can sell editing presets for people to use. These products don’t only provide value to your audience but also serve as a steady source of income.

To sell your digital products, you need an online store platform. This is where Selar comes in. Beyond its vibrant affiliate marketing platform, Selar also enables creators to sell digital products and makes this process easy with its simple interface, secure payment options, and marketing tools that can help you reach a wider audience. 

Selar is optimized for selling all types of digital products including eBooks, courses & memberships, event tickets, digital art, and more. By using Selar, you can focus on creating high-quality digital products while the platform handles everything else. 

5. Crowdfunding with platforms like Show Love

Crowdfunding has become a viable way for content creators to earn a steady income, especially for those with a loyal fanbase. Platforms like Buy Me a Coffee, and Show Love by Selar, allow creators to offer exclusive content, such as behind-the-scenes footage, early access to videos, or personalized shout-outs, in exchange for monthly subscriptions or donations from their supporters.

Show Love by Selar is a great option to explore as a Nigerian due to its relative ease and mode of payment. With Show Love, your audience can send you gifts and notes to show appreciation and support directly through the Selar platform. All you have to do is log in to your Selar account and create a Show Love profile. To find out all the steps, click this link.

This model of earring money usually works best when you are able to provide value to your most engaged followers, who are willing to pay for a more intimate experience or are just willing to support you in any way. With crowdfunding, you can maintain creative control while earning a stable income stream.

6. Offering freelance or consulting services

Many Nigerian content creators have honed valuable skills such as video editing, graphic design, copywriting, and social media management that can be used to earn income. Offering your freelance services to other businesses and creators can be a lucrative side hustle as a creator since not every creator has the same range of skills. Websites like Upwork are platforms where you can market your skills to a global audience and secure remote gigs.

In addition to offering services on freelancing platforms, you can also directly market your skills to your social media audience. For example, a content creator skilled in video editing can offer to edit videos for other smaller creators, agencies, or businesses that need help with content creation.

7. Starting a business

A lot of Nigerian creators leverage their platforms to start a small business or two. Having an active social profile can be a great opportunity for you to sell physical products or services to your audience. A good way of doing this is by taking them through the journey with you, of what it takes to start and run a small business. This can be done through engaging content showing the process of creation and realization. 

Many content creators build fashion brands, sell beauty products, and even open restaurants by capitalizing on the goodwill of their audiences to sell. As a creator, starting a business can be an expensive venture, but with the right strategy, a great value offering, and a lot of resilience, it can also be potentially life-changing. 

Take Pasheda for instance. In her #SelarStory, she shares how she started a jewellery business as a content creator. “One of the things that I used to worry about in my earlier business endeavours was how do I make sales? How do I do this? I’ll give partial credit to building a personal brand unintentionally. I’ve never had to worry about sales because I put all my energy into making sure everything runs on its own system and I can put my energy into other things.”

READ Failure Stories: Pasheda Talks Failing in Business, Growing a Spine and a Lot More.

8. Hosting webinars and workshops

Sharing knowledge and expertise through webinars and online workshops is another profitable income stream. Creators can charge a fee to attendees or offer paid replays of their webinar sessions. Whether you are a fitness trainer, a business coach, or a digital marketing expert, offering webinars and workshops tailored to your audience can provide both value and income.

Platforms like Zoom, StreamYard, and Google Meet make it easy to host these sessions, while social media and email newsletters can help you drive traffic to these events. If you’re going to host paid webinars and workshops, be sure to use content to drive attendance by highlighting the value of such events to your attendees, and leveraging on testimonials. 

9. Selling merch

For creators with a dedicated fanbase, selling merchandise is an effective way to monetize. This could include branded T-shirts, hoodies, mugs, or even custom-made items that reflect the creator’s personality and niche. Merchandise can be sold through e-commerce platforms like Selar, allowing you to focus on design and promotion. Nigerian creators who have strong community support can leverage this income stream by offering limited-edition drops or pre-orders to gauge demand before going ahead with production. 

Examples of Nigerian creator brands who have successfully sold merch include Salem King, and I Said What I Said. 

10. Podcasting

Podcasting is gaining traction in Nigeria, and content creators can take advantage of this growing audio medium to expand their audience and monetize. Podcasts in Nigeria are usually monetized through sponsorships from brands and support from listeners. As a creator looking to start and grow a podcast, the focus should be on building a dedicated audience of listeners by creating high-quality content and collaborating with other creators or brands. 

Podcasts offer a unique way to deliver in-depth content, and with the right strategy, they can become a significant revenue stream. Examples of podcasts that are doing well in Nigeria include I Said What I Said, a podcast hosted by FK Abudu and Jola Ayeye, where conversations on current affairs happen and guests are invited periodically, and Free The People, a podcast by Culture Custodian.

READ: A 10-Step Guide To Starting A Podcast In 2024

In 2024, Nigerian content creators have more opportunities than ever to monetize their passion and creativity. From digital products to freelance services, each of these methods offers creators the chance to diversify their income streams. The key to success is consistency, understanding your audience, and leveraging multiple platforms to reach and engage with your followers. By adopting these strategies, Nigerian content creators can not only make money but also build sustainable careers in the digital economy.