3 Smart Ways Content Creators Can Diversify Their Income

A while back, I worked with a creator who had a brilliant idea for a product line. She spent months perfecting every detail from choosing materials, designing packaging, and mapping out her launch. She poured her heart and thousands of dollars into making it “the thing” that she thought would finally expand her income.

Launch day came. Her audience showed up, cheered her on… but almost no one bought.

Over the years, I’ve watched countless creators repeat the same pattern. They’d pour enormous time, energy, and money into ideas that simply can’t survive today’s market. And the problem was rarely their effort level; it was choosing a path that looks exciting but isn't actually profitable.

Creators don’t need bigger audiences. They need better business models. And that’s exactly why income diversification, done the right way, matters so much.

In this blog, we’ll cover:

• Why creators get stuck at certain income levels. 

• The difference between hard work and smart work in today's market. 

• 3 smart ways creators can diversify their income. 

• For the love of God, please don’t do this. 

• How to get started diversifying your income with your expertise. 

Why creators get stuck at certain income levels. 

Creators are some of the hardest working business owners I’ve come across. They’ve mastered habits and consistency. They’re creative and they have exceptionally great taste. The problem is, most creators arrive at a certain income level and feel stuck. 

This happens because of two things; the nature of Instagram and the limits on your time.

Here’s what I mean:

When one platform like Instagram controls your reach, it naturally controls your revenue. And social media is intentionally designed to be erratic. Similar to slot machines, the inconsistency is exactly what makes the platform so addictive for consumers. 

But when your business relies on a constant cycle of performing, hoping, and refreshing, it’s tiring, stressful and unpredictable. Instead of running your business, you’re riding an algorithm. 

The second issue is the limits of your time: Most creators assume the only path to increasing revenue is to create more: more content, more posts, more visibility. But visibility alone doesn’t build stability, and it definitely doesn’t build freedom. 

When your income depends on you constantly documenting your life, I’m willing to bet the hourly rate for your time spent creating content is embarrassingly low. 

So here’s my opinion; creators don’t need more hustle. They need smarter revenue streams.

The difference between hard work and smart work in today's market. 

Wouldn’t it be nice If…

…your income didn’t crumble when engagement dipped?
…you didn’t feel pressured to take cringy brand deals just to hit your goals?
…you had simple, smart revenue streams that strengthened your brand’s perception?
… you didn’t have to work 10x harder or wait months to see results in your business?

Well, it’s totally possible when you focus your brand deeper, not wider. That's where the boutique service provider model comes in: fewer moving parts, higher profit margins, and offers that honor your skillset instead of diluting or dumbing-down your brand. 

Your brand needs what I call “lightweight leverage.” It’s about monetizing your expertise by leveraging what you already know, already love, and already excel at.  

These types of offers grow with you and strengthen your reputation. And they create a much faster path to consistent revenue because instead of starting from zero, you’re building from your expertise.

3 Smart Ways Creators Can Diversify Their Income

1. High-End Services or Consulting

High-end services give you the quickest path to revenue, while also positioning you as a trusted leader in your space. You get to shape deeper relationships, work with dream clients, and charge for the transformation you deliver, not the hours you spend.

This is the simplest and most reliable place to start because it uses skills you already have. Whether you’re great at design, storytelling, strategy, editing, coaching, or content creation…someone else is willing to pay for that expertise. 

2. Memberships Like Substack

A membership or paid Substack turns your ideas, insights, and unique perspective into a consistent experience your audience can subscribe to. It doesn’t require a massive audience; it simply requires consistency and value. And unlike product lines, it scales beautifully because you’re not juggling physical inventory, you’re simply showing up with the knowledge you already have.

3. Digital Products

Digital products create leverage without the weight. Once you make something, whether it be a guide, template, workbook, or short course, it can continue selling long after you’ve created it. This is one of the most powerful ways creators earn revenue while they sleep without compromising their brand identity or burning themselves out. Your digital product becomes a natural extension of your expertise, not a distraction from it.

For the love of God, please don’t do this. 

Physical products, merch lines and mobile apps are rarely my first recommendation to diversify your income.

They require cash up front, time you already don’t have, and a level of risk that most creators underestimate. And even if you do use services like dropshipping, the quality is rarely consistent, which can quickly cheapen the premium brand you’ve worked so hard to build.

Plus, consumers today are more skeptical than ever. They want quality. They want purpose. They want alignment. And when a creator launches a product that feels random, low-quality, or “just for fun,” it can accidentally shift the perceived value of their entire brand.

Before jumping into products, creators are almost always better served by strengthening and monetizing their expertise first.

How to Get Started Diversifying Your Income with Your Expertise

The good news? You don’t need to reinvent yourself or launch something massive to diversify your income. The easiest place to begin is with what you already have. Think about your skills, your process, your perspective, and the transformation you naturally help your audience create.

Here are three simple prompts to help you uncover your most profitable, aligned opportunities:

1. What transformation do you want to help your audience achieve?

Think about the end goal your work makes possible. Do you help someone lose weight? Make healthy eating sustainable? Build confidence? Create a peaceful home? Strengthen their online presence?

When you’re clear on the transformation, it becomes much easier to design services, newsletters, and digital products that guide your audience toward that specific outcome. Your offers become a journey. You are the guide who helps your audience reach the destination they desire most.

2. What are people already coming to you for help with?

Look at your DMs, emails, comments, or conversations. What do people consistently ask your advice about? That’s often the clearest indicator of where your natural demand already exists and a prime space for services or consulting.

3. What’s the one easiest thing to bring to life:

I’m a big believing in taking action and learning, refining and getting better as you go. That said, I want you to start with the one option you could launch in the next two weeks, not the next six months. For example:

• A 1:1 consulting call
• A mini service
• A simple digital product
• A short paid Substack series

 The better you get at working with clients, the more you develop your expertise and the stronger and more profitable your business becomes. 

Want help choosing your most profitable next step?

Selling your expertise is how you move closer to the “dream creator life” you picture. Where you work less, earn more, and finally stop worshipping the algorithm. 

If you’re ready to build a brand that supports your life, your creativity, and your long-term vision, book your Brand Dig. Together, we’ll define the revenue stream that elevates your brand, strengthens your positioning, and expands your income without expanding your workload.