If you’re in full Black Friday mode right now, I feel you.

It’s hard to look forward to a “restful” holiday season when you work in social commerce or the creator economy. Especially when 2025 budget planning is in full swing concurrently.

So let me make it easier for you.

I’m breaking down the five ways to make money as a creator in 2025.

If you don’t represent creators and you’re simply an aspiring B2B creator yourself, I hope this still feels relevant to you. I’m throwing in a few that are specifically for you.

1. TikTok One

TikTok has announced the merging of their Creator Marketplace and Creative Challenge.

In the past, eligible creators could apply for brand deals directly through the TikTok Creator Marketplace. Other eligible creators could also create ad content for brands to run and get paid by TikTok for it.

Now, these two powerful tools are coming together and creators are already starting to bring in profit. Below is a table explaining how these each work.

As a creator myself, I’ve been playing around with it and have received TikTok Creative Challenge work from brands including Jolie, beehiiv, Native Pet, and more. As for the Creator Marketplace, I got my first deal with Pet Honesty this week.

The earnings take time to roll in, as brands need to approve the content. So far my earnings are only sitting around $466, but I’ve met creators who net five-figures each month after only two months.

2. Make a Stan Store

Stan is a monetizable link-in-bio tool that allows creators to sell their digital products, courses, or their time. Imagine Intro meets Linktree meets Etsy.

The most successful creators on here have unique or strong niches, like chefs sharing guidebooks to grow an at-home bakery with low-cost recipes. If you have something to sell, this is the place to store it all.

Stan has a one-tap checkout that makes it easy for fitness coaches, financial advisors, or tarot readers to sell to their audience.

Even B2B influencers can more effectively sell their time as consultants or any digital resources that they’ve created.

3. Beehiiv Newsletters

Talk about bee-lieving in this newsletter. If you’re reading this, please know that it took me no longer than an hour to launch Socially Acceptable.

I’m no web wizard. I had no understanding of email marketing.

And I still have yet to monetize this.

But I see the potential. Especially for B2B folks.

If you’re an expert in your field and can build an audience of aspiring professionals, SaaS platforms and brands will want in. Sponsorships are lucrative.

Also, beehiiv has a built-in ads platform to make it easier for creators.

If you want to check it out, please use my link, but know that I will keep sharing it even if I get zero commission from this. I believe in it.

4. Affiliate Marketing

This one takes a lot of time as an investment, but not a lot of followers. You’ve probably already been bombarded with TikTok Shop content (sorry about that lol).

But there’s a reason why.

Affiliate content is helping lower the risk of influencer marketing, ensuring that creators are rewarded only when their content drives results.

However, this means that your content better be killer and your audience needs to have enough income to spend.

Or it must reach new audiences who are willing to spend.

TikTok Shop is a great tool for this. I have friends making $8-28k every month from TikTok Shop alone.

But it is also extremely unreliable.

So I recommend diversifying across platforms if you choose to test this out.

Start exploring LTK, Amazon storefronts, and emerging affiliate platforms.

5. Creator Brands

This one has a high barrier to entry but has massive potential.

Larger creators have shifted from promoting products to building their own.

Prime, Chamberlain Coffee, and Feastables are some of the more household names.

But creator-founders are building in public now and growing their reach as they develop their product. I’ve witnessed matcha and beauty founders succeed in doing this.

I currently represent a celebrity MUA-owned brand built after seeing his following rise after doing iconic makeup looks on public figures.

The opportunity is huge. But usually takes a solid minimum investment that can’t be satisfied by a friends and family round.

Unless your friends and family are Richard and Emily Gilmore.

Have your own predictions on the top ways to make money as a creator in 2025? Email me at [email protected]!

News 📰

Ready for this week’s social commerce and media news? Grab a cup of coffee, tea, or a shot, and dive in.

TikTok Shop

• TikTok has filed a new trademark request for a service called PayLater that likely will split up payments into monthly installments (Social Media Today)

• TikTok has released a new affiliate linking tool allowing creators to link to LTK, Amazon storefronts, Walmart, etc (TechCrunch)

• TikTok Shop’s Black Friday Cyber Monday festivities have begun with many celebrity moments, including Nicki Minaj on November 13, 2024 (CSA)

Twitch 👾

• Antisemitism has been an increasing concern on Twitch, causing advertisers to limit spend budgets (Dexerto)

• Twitch was fined 2 million lira (~$57k USD) in Turkey for a hack from 2021 (Android Headlines)

Amazon

• Amazon attempts to rival TikTok Shop, Temu, and Shein with a discount storefront called Amazon Haul (GeekWire)

Meta 🌐

• Meta is facing an FTC lawsuit for creating an illegal monopoly with Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp (CBS News)

YouTube 🎧

• YouTube launched a gifting feature for vertical livestreams (AOL)

About Me

Hi, I’m Nicole! I’m a Gen Z social commerce entrepreneur and TikTok creator. I’m the Co-Founder of Ghost Agency, a social commerce company that supports brands and influencers with content and livestreams. Ghost Agency is one of the first TikTok Shop Partner agencies and we’ve been mentioned in The Information and Business Insider.

Thanks for reading my newsletter. If you’d like to connect with me, you may do so via email or LinkedIn. Feel free to reach out if you have any requested topics, general inquiries, or Ghost Agency questions.

LinkedIn | [email protected]