With the options shrinking for commercial photographers in the wake of AI everything, some of us have to turn to other avenues such as social media to try to make some money.
But even that is fraught with danger as the recent spat between the US government and TikTok illustrates.
While we don’t know what’s going to happen with TikTok moving forward, that hasn’t stopped the competition from moving into their space and, in this case, Substack expanding its offerings to include TikTok-esque monetization options.
For those of you who might not be aware of Substack, it is a newsletter platform that lets creators sign up subscribers and publish content directly to them. It is somewhat like Patreon but with more of a writing and, now, media bent.
Discussing their expansion beyond their foundational niche, Substack co-founder Hamish McKenzie told CNBC: “If TikTok gets banned for political reasons, there’s nothing to do with the work you’ve done, but it really affects your life… The only and surefire guard against that is if you don’t place your audience in the hands of some other volatile system who doesn’t care about what happens to your livelihood.”
It might be a smart move on Substack’s part and could attract a broader audience from our community where people often enjoy insights into the process as well as the personalities behind the camera. And let’s not forget that the creator economy is currently estimated at $USD 290 billion per year and growing, CNBC notes. Given how fragmented the media landscape is becoming, there is little reason to believe that this trend is going to reverse any time soon.
Any thoughts that you might have on monetizing your creative work are welcome in the comments.
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