Get Paid to Promote Products: Your Complete Guide (Online + In Person)

One way you can earn a little extra cash is by getting paid to promote products. It’s like advertising only less formal and more creative. Many companies are eager to connect with social influencers to share the company’s products with their followers. But how can you get started in product promotion? How much can you earn? What kind of products can you promote? Those questions and more will be answered in this article.

Table of Contents

Promoting Products on Social Media

In today’s social media age, it’s common for businesses to seek an extra boost in sales by asking customers to promote products through social networking and pay them for doing it. This strategy works because friends tend to have similar interests and tastes. Companies also recognize that consumers are more likely to purchase a product that has been recommended by a friend.

Most commonly, social media users work through third-party platforms in order to get paid for promoting products. These platforms connect advertisers with social media influencers who promote products on social media in exchange for money. The amount of money you can make ranges from just a few bucks to thousands of dollars, depending on the size of your platform and the company’s budget.

The more social media followers you have, the more likely you are to get paid well. While celebrities with large followings can earn thousands of dollars to promote products on social media, that’s the exception and not the rule. Depending on the size of your social media following, some advertisers may not want to work with you, or may offer you only a small fee or free product in exchange for a post. Note as well that instant success isn’t to be expected when working as an influencer/promoter — it takes a large time commitment to product quality content, build your following, and make connections with advertisers.

Leveraging Facebook

Facebook users can share all sorts of content, from links to static videos to Facebook live sessions. You can share privately among friends or publicly to the world. These companies help you leverage your Facebook friends:

Find Your Influence: Log in to find out personalized details, but this company boasts big name companies as advertisers for the influencers (Tylenol, Hallmark, Honda, Budweiser, Nivea, etc). Find out more information on the Find Your Influence website.
Social Spark: Log in to find out the details about how you can share on Facebook and connect with the list of top brands. Find out more information on the Social Spark website.

Leveraging Instagram

Instagram is a great place to share chic photos of promotional products. Here are companies who will help you leverage your Instagram followers:

AspireIQ (formerly Revfluence): This company connects you with big name companies like Calvin Klein, bareMinerals, ipsy, HelloFresh, etc. You can promote through Instagram or YouTube and payments are quick through Paypal. Find out more information on the AspireIQ website.
TapInfluence: This platform is looking for influencers in fashion, food, and beauty. Find out more information on the TapInfluence website.
Open Influence (formerly InstaBrand): This company boasts the use of a more human approach for influencers. Open Influence works with companies like Colgate, Kia, Pizza Hut, Samsung, and more. Find out more information on the Open Influence website.

Leveraging Snapchat

Snapchat is a great place to share photos and videos of products you want to promote. These companies will pay you to share on Snapchat:

Viral Nation: This platform represents influencers as a top marketing agency. Viral Nation has worked with McDonald’s, Sony, Jolly Rancher, and many more companies. Viral Nation is one of the few companies to list out their top influencers, who could people for you to emulate. Fill out the form on the website for more information.

Leveraging Twitter

Twitter is all about what you can say in 280 characters and the now-ubiquitous hashtags. Sponsored Tweets will pay you to tweet and will pay you to refer friends to their system:

SponsoredTweets: Users earn a fixed rate for each post. The process is pretty straightforward: companies select relevant social media users and provide the users with a short overview of the product to promote. Social media users then author promotional tweets in their own style and voice. Find out more information on the SponsoredTweets website.

Leveraging YouTube

YouTube is a great way to share products in longer videos and “unpacking the box” videos have really become popular on this platform for influencers. These companies will pay you to share your experiences on YouTube:

Peg: Peg is a unique platform that allows companies to search directly for creators or influencers like you. You can join for free at first to be listed as an influencer. Find out more information on the Peg website.
FameBit: This fun and flashy platform offers deals to creators of content. FameBit has worked with Sony, Canon, Adidas, and many other companies. There are no contracts with FameBit and you can set your own price. Check out more information on the FameBit website.

Leveraging Multiple Platforms

Have a large following on multiple platforms? These websites help you promote posts on a variety of platforms, depending on what each advertiser is looking for from an influencer:

Tribe: Tribe is one of the few influencer companies that lets you set the rate yourself for a post. If you have 3,000-20,000 followers (on any one account), you can earn between $75 to $300. The numbers only go up from there. Find out more information on the Tribe website.
Linqia: This company helps you promote across platforms after being paired with companies that align with your followers. Linqia advertises the average earnings are $220 per program and it only takes 10 days to receive that money. Find out more information on the Linqia website.
SHE Media Partner Network (formerly Momentum): This platform asks you to promote products on your social media platforms, become a publishing network member, or become one of the leaders in the community by becoming an expert. Find out more information on the SHE Media website.
GOSnap: A third-party company that helps you find promotions on Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter. Clients include Ben & Jerry’s, Burger King, Canon, MTV, McDonald’s, Unilever, and more. Request an invitation to join on the GOSnap website.
NeoReach: This platform is focused on paying no commission, across platforms. NeoReach works with companies like Walmart, Airbnb, Amazon, The New York Times, and more. Find out more information on the NeoReach website.

Promoting Products in Person

All of that talk about social media platforms may have you wondering if you can still promote products in person. In fact, plenty of companies love local, in-person advertising. Here are two ways you can leverage in-person promotion:

Fiverr: This website is typically viewed as a place to get $5 gigs, but you can use this website to promote yourself as an influencer. Many people on Fiverr have mentioned walking around with a product t-shirt in a crowded mall or putting a sticker on their car for advertisement. Get creative with your offering so small businesses can find you.
Make a list of your favorite local companies and show up with your offering. For example, maybe you love the vintage boutique store in town and buy from the store regularly. Ask the store for interest in promotions. Make it super easy for the store — give a handout of exactly what you offer and for what price. Think outside the box too — maybe you get a discount from the shop instead of upfront payment. And don’t forget, many company chains have local franchises with local owners who can negotiate with you.

Examples of People who Have Earned Serious Money Promoting Products

While the marketing agencies themselves don’t release how much promoters are paid, some bloggers are willing to share their real numbers online. Here are some examples:

Hannah the blogger says, “I went from occasionally making $50 every few months to consistently having the opportunity to make around $200 a month on Twitter.”
Danielle Bernstein, a fashion blogger, told Harper’s Bazaar that she earns between $5,000 to $15,000 per Instagram post with just under one million followers.
Essena O’Neill wrote about how she earned $400 for posting an Instagram photo of a brand’s dress when she had 150,000 followers.
The Economist charted out several social media platforms, with YouTube posts earning approximately $12,500 with followings between 100,000 to 500,000 people.

Many influencers do not want to share their exact dollar amounts publicly because they want to continue to receive endorsements. However, influencers must disclose they are being paid in some way. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has clear rules and regulations about the required disclosures. The website states, “Under the law, claims in advertisements must be truthful, cannot be deceptive or unfair, and must be evidence-based.” So a good rule of thumb to follow is being as honest and clear as possible when sharing a product. In your social media description of the product, reveal up front that you are a paid influencer or affiliate. Most of the companies you will be working for have templates about how to word your statement.

In Summary

There’s a long list to help you get paid to promote products in a variety of ways. Remember to leverage the social media platforms that you already love and use, especially if you have a large following. Think about the products you use every day and reach out to those companies as well. Whether you’re sharing products with your followers on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, across multiple platforms, or even in person, you’ll have the chance to influence others to try something new and be aware of brands they might never have discovered. There are many options out there for the creative thinker and influential trendsetter, so be courageous and get started today.