Influencers on TikTok, YouTube sell tips and tricks of the trade – and the coaching can make them millions
- Social media influencers are capitalising on their fame and expertise by selling online courses, from marketing to cooking to viral videos, to followers
- While the courses can diversify influencers’ incomes, not all find them worthwhile. Others charge a monthly rate to advise companies and individuals one-on-one
As a travel vlogger and social media influencer, Christina Galbato got a lot of messages from her online followers. They requested tips for hotels and restaurants, but many sought another kind of advice.
“A lot of what they were asking was: how can I do what you do?” the 29-year-old recalls.
That’s why Galbato launched “The Influencer Bootcamp”, 20 hours of pre-recorded lessons in how others can monetise their social media presence.
It’s such a big business, influencers are now selling courses to each other on a variety of topics.
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Chefs with big followings give online cooking lessons. Financial strategists peddle money planning tips. And others, like Galbato, teach about the art of viral marketing itself.
Simple tricks – like posting often and consistently – can help users increase their followings, according to Moravcik. “If you study the formula, anyone can do it,” he says.
Kristen Bousquet, a 28-year-old “influencer mentor” who created a course in January 2021, sells weekly live lessons as well as access to planning materials like organisational calendars and templates outlining how best to negotiate with potential sponsors.
Like Moravcik, many of the lessons are easy to implement. Bousquet advises her students to limit TikTok videos to 10 seconds to increase the chance viewers will watch them multiple times, for example.
Successful online courses can diversify influencers’ incomes. “If you want to be a creator, you need to be doing multiple things,” says Mae Karwowski, chief executive officer of influencer marketing agency Obviously.
For TikTokers, multiple revenue streams can be especially important. Creators like science commentator Hank Green and technology reviewer Safwan AhmedMia have publicly complained that TikTok underpays its influencers, especially relative to other sites such as YouTube.
They allege that TikTok’s “Creator Fund” doesn’t offer enough resources to pay all of its successful content posters, especially as more people go viral on the platform.
TikTok said its fund is just one way creators get compensated, and the social media app’s tools allow the creators to be compensated directly by their fans.
Not all influencers have found online courses worthwhile, however. A year and a half ago, social media strategist Caitlin Jenco paid US$200 to take an Instagram management course.
“The information was generic and lacked value beyond what I could find on Google for free,” she says. Jenco, who has over 110,000 followers on TikTok, describes herself as “anti-course”.
Instead of teaching online classes, she charges a monthly rate to consult for companies and individuals one-on-one. The fees range from US$500 to US$4,500, based on the clients’ needs.
Sometimes she can answer questions in an email or text message. Other students require a more substantial review of things like the scripts for videos.
“It’s very much tailored to where the creator is,” Jenco says.
While students risk wasting money, the social media teachers are ultimately increasing their own competition. Bousquet, the influencer mentor, sees that as a benefit, with more people negotiating higher fees from sponsors.
“I won’t have to fight with brands that don’t want to meet me at my rates because another influencer is OK doing it for free,” she says.
