If you are reading this post, I am going to assume that you are either currently a curly hair blogger or you aspire to become one. In either case, you are slightly confused about How To Actually Make Money As A Curly Hair Influencer.
But before we get started, if you feel a bit overwhelmed about the blogging process, I have a special gift for you.
I created a simple cheat sheet that breaks down the blogging process in 6 simple steps.
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I am here to tell you that you absolutely can talk about curly hair and generate revenue without having an insane amount of followers or email subscribers.
Here are some more posts I think you’ll love!
When I first started blogging about curly hair, I followed tons of Instagram and youtube accounts that had valuable content as well as many followers.
But so many of them were not monetizing their platforms to be paid for their hard work.
By doing a ton of market research beforehand, I was absolutely certain that the specific curly hair niche had a ton of room for influencers and that there was a huge opportunity to serve the curly world while getting paid for my research and time.
Because that’s the goal right? Talking about things that matter to people that will listen. I knew I wanted to niche my content down to something I loved talking about and offer valuable information to other curlies around the world.
There just seemed to be a missing link in almost all of the curly accounts I followed. Curly influencers haven’t figured out how to monetize their platforms as much as they could be. I became determined to break the code and learn how to make money doing something I love.
Today, I am sharing the top four things I did to make money as a curly hair influencer within six months. And trust me when I say if I can do this, so can you.
How To Actually Make Money As A Curly Hair Influencer
This post may contain affiliate links. Meaning that If you purchase through clicking a link, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.
Start A Blog
I know what you are thinking…..”Aren’t blogs a thing of the past?” and the answer is heck no!
Blogging about your daily life is absolutely anything of the past. The days of gaining mass amounts of followers by posting about vague topics are over. But there is a huge need for bloggers who are willing to niche down and create quality content about very specific topics.
My theme throughout this process has been “talk about things that matter to people that will listen”. My blog, for instance, talks primarily about very specific curly hair topics. Because of that, I have been able to connect with curly-haired people that are very interested in what I have to say.
In contrast, someone who doesn’t have curly hair would probably feel lost within my blog. Because it doesn’t apply to them. And that’s the point.
To stand out in the online world, you need to become very specific about what you blog about and the people you reach.
By doing this, you will be able to monetize your platform with a much smaller audience because they are so much more likely to hear what you have to say.
All of that to say that if you are willing to niche your blog down to helpful, specific topics, there is a TON of room for you in the blogging world.
The biggest mistake most influencers make (including myself) is to start with a social media platform. This is common because it can be easy to grow quickly, but in the long run, you are shooting yourself.
Social media ebbs and flows. It always has and always will. You as the creator need to put your hard work where you own it and have a say of how you want to use it.
If you are in for the short game of getting a lot of likes, then post your little heart out on Instagram, but don’t expect to get paid for it anytime soon.
But if you are interested in serving a community while creating a sustainable income, then start a blog TODAY.
I use siteground and highly recommend it. Click here and you can claim your blog name and self hosted website for a small investment.
I made the HUGE mistake in putting all of my work into social media for over three years. Had I done the work to get my blog up and running, I would be way ahead of the game at this point.
Do not make the same mistake that I did. Because it will end up costing you a ton of money and a lot of waisted time.
Invest In A Blogging Course
I know this is the last thing you want to hear when you are starting a blog. Because it can be really hard to wrap your mind around the idea of spending money before you make any.
But the truth is, you have to spend money to make money. It’s always been that way and always will be.
I casually blogged for seven months and became incredibly frustrated by the lack of results. Part of the problem with blogging is not that there isn’t enough information out there. It’s that there is too much information.
The first seven months I ran around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to figure out how the heck to make money blogging.
But the truth about blogging is that it is actually fairly simple. There are just a few things you need to know and develop before you can have a profitable blog.
After seven months of research, I finally caved and purchased the Elite Blog Academy Program.
It was an investment but can honestly say that I would have never been able to build my blog to where it is today without following the program.
EBA is designed to walk you through a blogging step by step and teach you to build the core fundamentals that you need to create a sustainable income.
It only opens for enrollment once per year in the spring. Click here to get on the wait list. I cannot recommend EBA enough.
Get On Pinterest
Pinterest is the best way to grow your blog in the first year. Google typically won’t start sending traffic to your blog until you have been blogging consistently for a year.
For new bloggers, the best way to drive traffic to your blog is through Pinterest. Pinterest is the best social media platform when it comes to clicks that land on your blog.
Most other social media platforms are designed to keep the user on the platform, Pinterest’s intent is to serve their audience with high-quality content creators.
I took the Pinterest ninja course after several months of blogging with barely any traffic. Five months later, my blog traffic reached 31k sessions with the majority of the traffic coming from Pinterest.
I cannot recommend Pinterest ninja’s enough if you are just starting out, or wanting to grow your blog traffic. You can purchase pinterest ninja here.
Manage Your Time Wisely
Creating quality content takes time and research. Learn to manage your time wisely by using a third-party scheduler to publish posts.
I use and love tailwind to schedule my post to Pinterest. I can schedule posts out for weeks at a time which enables me to spend the majority of my time creating new content rather than resharing old content.
You can sign up for tailwind here. Is it super user-friendly. I cannot recommend it enough.
Utilize Affiliate Programs
Finding and participating in affiliate programs is one of the best ways to monetize your platform.
Many company’s offer affiliate programs which mean you can make a commission off each sale made. As your traffic grows, it adds up quickly.
Amazon is a great affiliate program to start with because there are dozens of products to choose from and they are easy to incorporate in your blog. However, they typically have a low commission percentage.
The best (meaning highest payout) affiliate programs to promote are smaller companies that offer a higher commission percentage.
I am an affiliate for a company called Scrunch It and it’s a super-easy way to lace into my content. They create high-quality curly hair products that I use and love.
Being able to refer my curly friends to their products is a win-win.
Another great affiliate program is the My Miracle Curls Daily Tracker and My Miracle Curls Step By Step Video Guide. These are such great tools for every curl girl’s journey to truly help her along the way.
You can apply to become an affiliate my sending an email to colleen@colleencharney.com.
Modere is another great affiliate program. Their products are super high quality and you can make up to 30% commission. I use and love their collagen line and am happy to promote it. You can sign up as an affiliate here.
A note on affiliate programs: It is so very important to only promote brands that you use and love. Your reputation is far more important than making a sale.
Work With A Quality Ad Company
Let’s be real, content creation takes time and hard work.
There is absolutely no reason to not monetize your content via ads. It is free to your user and allows you to get paid for your time.
Working with a high-end ad company like Mediavine will allow you to customize your ads so they work well with your website.
Installing high-quality ads on your blog is another stream of revenue that will allow you to diversify your income.
In Conclusion:
The beauty industry and specifically the curly hair niche is rapidly growing and in need of content creators that are willing to take the time to create high-quality content.
You as the creator deserve to get paid for your time and effort.
If you take the time to create a blog, invest in a blogging course, distribute your content via Pinterest, manage your time wisely, utilize affiliate programs, and are willing to work with an ad company, you will be able to actually make money as a curly hair influencer even with a small following.
Xoxo
