Can You Really Make Money Online With Social Media?

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If you’d asked me this question a couple of years ago, I probably would’ve “ummed” and “ahhed” and told you it was possible, but probably not likely for most of us. But honestly, that’s because my mindset was limited, and I didn’t know then what I know now.

When I first started looking into ways to make money online, social media was actually one of the things that put me off at first, because I assumed the only people who could make money with it were the influencer types. People building huge brands around themselves, constantly posting content, speaking on camera, and doing all the things a private, easily overwhelmed person like me just wouldn’t be interested in doing.

Truth is, though, that’s only one way to build a business and make money using social media. And the good news? There are other, calmer, more private ways to build an income online.

So, can you really make money online with social media? Absolutely. The real question is: how?

Before I really started learning about ways to make money online, I’d get so confused about how people actually did it. I’d heard that people were making large incomes online, but was always asking myself, “But HOW?” I didn’t understand how people were getting paid real money by posting images and videos online.

What I eventually understood once I started learning more is that, most of the time, they aren’t getting paid for posting the content itself. They’re getting paid because of what the content is promoting. For example, they might post a video talking about a product they’re selling, a service they offer, or a product they’re recommending in exchange for a commission.

And THAT’S where the money comes from. Social media is simply the vehicle that helps them reach an audience. The content builds awareness and trust, and then directs people towards whatever it is they’re promoting.

Once I understood that, making money online with social media started to make a lot more sense and, more importantly, didn’t feel unachievable like it once did.

So, you may now be thinking, “Okay, that sounds great, Soph, but surely I need thousands of followers to be successful?” This is something I used to think too. I mean, logically, it makes sense. If the role of social media is to reach people, then surely more followers equals more income? Right?

Welllll… not necessarily.

Having a larger audience can help, but it’s not the only thing that matters. The most important thing is building the right audience. For example, someone could build up a huge following on Instagram by creating entertaining videos, but then when they try to sell to that audience, they hear crickets. Because that’s not what those people are there for. They’re there purely for entertainment.

On the other hand, you could have someone who’s grown a much (MUCH) smaller following, but because those people trust them and are genuinely interested in what they’re sharing and selling, they’re far more likely to make a purchase.

It’s important to build an audience that’s relevant to what you’re talking about and actually interested in what you’re offering.

So while growing an audience is important, I think it’s a mistake to believe you need tens of thousands of followers before you can start seeing results. In many cases, it’s far more important to focus on attracting the right people than attracting the most people.

As I said earlier, my biggest roadblock with getting started myself was that I did NOT want to go the “traditional” route: showing my face, talking on camera, and just being constantly visible. For me, that would absolutely be a short road to overwhelm and burnout. So my biggest question was “But can I do this without showing my face?”

And luckily for me, the answer was YES!

In fact, one of the biggest things I’ve learned over the last few months is that showing your face and growing a business on social media do not have to go hand in hand like I once believed. How do I know? Because I’ve seen it inside the community I’m part of. I’ve seen women from different parts of the world, different walks of life, building successful businesses online without doing any of those things I once thought I had to do. Leah’s story below is just one example.

Instead of making themselves the focus, they’re creating content around the products they promote and the problems they help their audience solve. Some use stock footage to create their content, some use screen recordings, graphics, photos, or text-based content. Others choose to show parts of their lives while keeping their faces completely out of it.

The important thing to understand, though, is that you still need to show up (even if not visibly), provide value, and build trust with your audience. The difference is that you get to decide how much of yourself you want to share.

I don’t think I can say there’s one “perfect” way to start an online business, as what works best for one person won’t necessarily work best for another; we’re all different.

But what I will say is if you’re like me, you don’t want to “become the brand” and you want a simple, accessible way to start making money online without having to worry about things like having experience, inventory, and expensive equipment, it’s as close to perfect as you’re gonna get.

Of course, that doesn’t mean easy, and it doesn’t mean effortless; you still have to put in the work and have patience, which can be really hard, especially in the beginning when momentum hasn’t built yet, and it feels like nothing’s happening.  

But I genuinely do believe if you commit to learning, implementing, and adjusting when necessary, anyone can be successful. For some people, it’ll happen quicker than for others (frustrating, but just the way it is), but the important thing is not to give up when you’re feeling like it “should’ve happened by now.”

The great thing about building a business this way is that all you need is a phone or a laptop, access to your social media platform of choice, and you can start learning and building as soon as today, for free.

The challenge usually isn’t getting started. It’s knowing what to do once you do start.

My advice for getting started is simple: focus on one thing, and go all in on it.

One of the biggest mistakes I made over the years was constantly jumping between different ideas, thinking the next thing was going to be “the one.” The truth is, I was just avoiding the uncomfortable early stage I spoke about earlier, where nothing was happening yet. I’d take that quiet stage as proof it wasn’t working and set myself back weeks or even months by starting all over again with something new. What I wasn’t taking into account was that this uncomfortable, uncertain stage is part of building any new business; you can’t avoid it!

Something that finally helped me stop flip-flopping and stick with it was realising that my problem wasn’t a lack of knowledge, it was a lack of direction. I kinda knew what I was doing, but I was also trying to piece information from different sources together, which just led to confusion, frustration, and overwhelm.

I knew I needed one resource, one plan, one roadmap, and to just stick with it no matter what. So I decided to finally join the digital marketing course that I’d been eyeing but also trying to avoid purchasing. I’d purchased so many courses by this point that I really didn’t want to invest in another one. But I prayed that this one would be different and finally give me what I needed to make progress, and luckily for me, it was (phew!).

What made the biggest difference was having a clear path to follow. Instead of constantly wondering what I should be doing next, I could focus my energy on actually implementing what I was learning.

Create Faceless Wealth is designed for beginners who want to build an income online using social media without showing their face (though there are plenty of women in the community building face-forward businesses, too!).

Having the step-by-step guidance it provides made a huge difference for me and really helped me stay on track and not do my usual of panicking and throwing in the towel in moments of uncertainty. Having access to the women in the community, some who were building alongside me and some who had already seen success, was also a big help. It allowed me to see that other women were also going through the same things I was, and what was possible for me if I persevered and stuck with it.

If you’d like to learn more about the course I learned from, you can check it out here. And if you’d prefer to take a look inside first, you can also download a free sneak peek here to see whether it looks like it might be the right fit for you.

At the end of the day, social media is just a tool. What matters most is what you choose to do with it. Whether you decide to learn through a course, free content, or simple trial and error, the important thing is to stop waiting for the “perfect” moment and start building. You don’t need to have everything figured out today. You just need to take the first step and keep taking the next one.