How To Make Money Online: Brands & Partnerships

How I Make Money Online Partnering With Brands

Working with brands and partnerships is one of my favorite ways to earn online—and sometimes even get valuable perks without spending a dime.

Whether it’s in exchange for a paid promotion, product review, shoutout, tutorial, or sponsored social media post, I’ve had both big-name companies and smaller businesses reach out asking me to promote their products. These collaborations come in different forms:

  • Cash payments for creating and sharing content
  • Free products or services in exchange for an honest review
  • Exclusive access to tools, memberships, or experiences that I can use without paying

Even when I’m not getting paid in cash, free products or services still save me money—which is essentially making me money. If I don’t have to buy it, that’s money staying in my pocket.

How I Get Brands to Work With Me (Even Without a Huge Following)

Sometimes I don’t wait for brands to find me—I find them! And I get brands to work for me! This is sometimes called “Authority Hacking”.

Here’s what that means:

  • Tagging brands in my posts using their hashtags
  • Mentioning them directly with @theirhandle
  • Posting honest reviews or tutorials featuring their product
  • Creating YouTube videos that highlight their brand
  • Building genuine connections with their marketing teams through social media

This strategy is like free advertising for them, but it’s also a way for me to get noticed. Networking online in this way builds credibility, expands my reach, and increases my chances of being contacted for paid opportunities.

A Real Example: My Trip to Atlantis in the Bahamas

On a recent trip to The Atlantis, I decided to tag and mention the resort in my posts. I shared stunning photos, behind-the-scenes videos, and snippets of my experience.

Guess what happened?
They noticed! The brand liked my posts, commented on them, and even reached out asking if they could share my content with their audience.

Did I make direct cash from that? No.
But here’s the thing—I still got something valuable: brand awareness and publicity for myself. 🙋‍♀️

When a big, well-known brand shares your content, it puts you in front of thousands (or even millions) of people who may have never heard of you before. You never know who might see your work—a future collaboration, partnership, or paid gig could be just around the corner.

They just had a HUGE blowout party with big-name celebrities and they were probably sitting in this same swing! 😉

Why I Never Post Without a Purpose

I don’t just post for the sake of posting. Every photo, video, and caption I create has a goal:

  • Build my brand
  • Connect with a specific audience
  • Attract the attention of companies I want to work with
  • Create long-term opportunities

So even if I’m spending money on a trip, product, or event, I’m looking for ways to get something in return for my time, creativity, and effort.

How You Can Start Working With Brands

You don’t need hundreds of thousands of followers to start. You just need to:

  1. Create quality, engaging content in your niche.
  2. Tag and mention brands you love and already use.
  3. Engage with their content—comment, share, and show genuine interest.
  4. Be consistent so they see you as a serious creator.
  5. Reach out directly with a professional pitch once you’ve built some rapport.

💡 Takeaway:

Working with brands isn’t always about instant cash—it’s about building relationships, growing your audience, and creating opportunities. Sometimes the biggest wins start as small, unpaid moments of connection.

Other Side Hustles To Start Making Money Online:

There are a lot of other ways I’ve learned to make money online, which I mentioned in a prior blog post about: How I Make Money Online & You Can Too, tons of different ideas that might spark your interest from:

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