1. Sponsorships and brand deals
Brands pay you to feature their product. Easy to start once you have steady views.
Downside: you are paid per post, so income stops when posting stops, and you own nothing afterwards.
2. Affiliate links
You earn a commission when followers buy through your link. Low effort and good for product-heavy niches like tech, beauty and fitness.
Downside: commissions are small and the retailer owns the customer.
3. Digital products and e-books
Templates, presets, guides and e-books sold through a storefront. High margin once made.
Downside: sales spike at launch and fade, so you keep making new products.
4. Online courses
Package what you know into lessons. Works well when your audience follows you to learn a skill.
Downside: a lot of work to make and update, and most buyers purchase once.
5. Paid communities and memberships
Subscriptions for exclusive posts, chats or a community. Recurring income.
Downside: members expect a steady flow of new content from you personally.
6. Merch
Clothing and physical products with your brand. Good for audiences with a strong identity.
Downside: thin margins, stock and shipping, and sales depend on drops.
7. Coaching and consulting
One-on-one or group sessions. High price per customer.
Downside: it is paid by your hours, so it does not scale.
8. Your own app
An app that solves something your audience needs every day, often paid by subscription. It can keep earning when you stop posting, it can reach people far beyond your followers, and it is a company you can own part of.
Downside: building and growing an app is hard. It takes product, engineering and a growth engine most creators do not have.
When an app beats the rest
- Your audience shares a daily need, like training, learning, money, health or creativity.
- You want income that keeps going without making every piece yourself.
- You want to own part of something that can grow past your own following.
Three ways to get an app built
| No-code app builder | Hire an agency | Partner with a venture studio | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to you | Monthly subscription | Development fees | Terms agreed with the studio |
| Who grows it | You | You | The studio |
| What you own | Your app and content | The app you paid for | Equity and a revenue share |
Airplane Mode (apmode.co) is a venture studio that does the third option: we build and grow an app for your audience, and you get equity in the app and a share of its revenue. See how the creator partnership works.
Full disclosure: this guide is written by Airplane Mode. For another view on building apps for an existing audience, read RevenueCat's Building apps for an existing audience.
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