How people like Gabby Epstein got rich off the internet
FROM Instagram to cryptocurrencies to cam work, here’s your guide from the experts on how to make moolah on the internet
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WHEN the robots take our human jobs – and they will – you better have a backup plan. Since the internet seems to be the answer to everything these days, it’s only fitting that we turn to our overlord for answers ... and pay packet. We ask successful internet moneymakers how they do it
GABBY EPSTEIN — INSTAGRAM INFLUENCER
While making money off Instagram these days might not seem so crazy, a decade ago it would have been impossible — Instagram didn’t exist.
It wasn’t even commonplace five years ago, when a young Gabby Epstein, studying biomedical science on the Gold Coast, decided to start an account.
14 OF THE GC’S FAVOURITE INSTAGRAM ACCOUNTS
Flash forward to 2018 and the 23-year-old has 1.7 million people following her every move on Instagram, is paid to travel to far-flung destinations and earns thousands of dollars for a single post.
“I think I was really lucky because I started before Instagram was a thing,” she says.
“I was going to some cool locations for modelling and it just blew up.
“I think I was just in the market before it became over-saturated.
“I was getting free clothes and then I got my first paid post – I think it was $30 for a dress – and I was happy with that, but then I thought there could be something in it.
“My passion is travelling, so I reached out to a few hotels and they really wanted to work with me, so now I work for Four Seasons, Shangri-La, Hotels Combined and I’ve been with them for a few years.”
Gabby puts it down to luck, and maybe at the beginning it was, but she’s so business savvy she could write the book on making money through Instagram — oh wait, she did.
Last year she launched CrushFame, a step-by-step guide on how to build a profile and, eventually, make money from Instagram.
THE GC INSTAHUSBANDS BEHIND SOCIAL MEDIA SUCCESS
It begins with basics — clearly documenting what hopefuls’ passions are, what they’d like to experience, what they’re good at and what inspires them. Ultimately, these things will create their entire persona and the industries they’ll make money in. It’s underlined by the question “If you could get paid to do absolutely anything in the world, what would it be?” which is exactly what Gabby did with travelling.
It comes with advice on how to create content, how to build a theme, how frequently to post and when, how to use tagging for extra exposure, photography tips, even what filters to use and ultimately, how to get a huge following. In less than a year there have been 2000 graduates.
Even if Gabby was in the right place at the right time (as well as being objectively genetically blessed), she’s not relying on luck anymore.
“I just wanted to be a young, financially stable person and social media has given me this freedom to do it,” she says.
“I’m well aware this opportunity isn’t going to be around forever, I figure I’ll ride the wave while I can. I’ve only got this short amount of time.”
While Gabby says she won’t have this opportunity forever, creating additional revenue streams, including CrushFame, a bikini line and a jewellery line, have supplemented her income.
GABBY’S TIPS FOR CREATING A POPULAR INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT
1. Aim to create the best content (imagery, video etc) in your field/chosen passion topic. This means getting creative when it comes to your content, planning photo opportunities but also being spontaneous if an opportunity comes along.
2. Only use high-quality imagery. Invest in a good camera or smart phone and don’t post a photo you’re not totally happy with. If it’s blurry, out of focus, the lighting is bad or composition is off, people won’t resonate with it as strongly as they could.
3. Aim to make your captions as engaging as possible. Feel free to use quotes or song lyrics (Gabby says to write down some of your favourites) and humour goes a long way – people sometimes relate to the caption just as much as the photo! If you have a funny thought, write it down.
4. Post at the right times for your audience. This will come down to not only identifying who your target audience is but also researching their peak times. For example if you’re targeting Australians, your best time to post will be greatly different than if you’re targeting the US or UK. This information is all available online, but identifying who you want to reach is totally up to you.
5. Research other accounts that stand out and aim to do what they do. They’re successful for a reason. It’s OK to take inspiration from their strategy – they might have an effective posting pattern or you might see them doing things you hadn’t thought of. You can take those lessons and apply them to yourself.
KELSIE SMITH — VO GROUP
Owner of creative agency VO Group and digital marketing expert Kelsie Smith says Gabby’s additional streams of revenue is the smartest way to use the internet to a business-owner’s money-making advantage.
“If you have a dog grooming business, for example, and that is your passion, there are so many ways to bring in extra revenue online,” he says.
“Is there a specific breed or cut that you do brilliantly, and can you create an ebook, video tutorial, how-tos, or viral video that could be sold or shared online?
“The fantastic thing about ecommerce is once you have created the content, the revenue is passive, just a little time is needed for admin and to update content.
“But this is just one example of how an average business can use the internet to boost their profits.”
If you want to live and earn purely in the online stratosphere, be prepared to leave your comfort zone.
“We are living in a world where it’s possible to make or lose, a fortune, without leaving your living room,” Kelsie says.
“Successful online entrepreneurs have to be quick thinking, willing to take risks, and well versed in the online tips and tricks.
“At the end of the day, people are making six to eight-figure incomes from eating on camera, cleaning houses on camera, and even playing video games.
“So you can turn your habits, hobbies and skills into shareable and lucrative income streams.”
KELSIE’S TIPS FOR ONLINE MONEY-MAKING WEBSITES
“Sites like Userlytics and UserTesting pay a low rate in exchange for feedback in regards to sites and performance. You can review a website for thirty minutes and earn $20, for example, which is great way to earn some cash on the side. The pros are you don’t need a lot of skill or experience, but the con is it’s mundane work for a very low income, and you will need to be staring at a screen for hours on end to even crack $100.”
“Foap (selling photos online) is an amazing way for bloggers and photographers to create additional income streams from a skill set they already know and are passionate about. In the age of influencers and hi-tech smart phones, anyone can be a great photographer of organic and natural photography for the real world curation of user based content for products and brands specifically.”
“Presto (real time help) and Udemy (tutorials) are great ways to sell your expertise on mass. Again, if you are passionate about what you are doing, this is superb for adding another source of income, but can be time consuming. With Udemy you create your own digital courses and tutorials at your own pace and sell to a much wider audience. With Presto, you are only receiving one task at a time, and each task could be vastly different.”
“Younow and Ustream are based on video streaming and are brilliant for promoting brand awareness for businesses. In terms of the average user making money — it’s definitely not an easy dollar. Plus, sites like Youtube, Facebook and Instagram are more user friendly for everyday business owners and entrepreneurs.”
HEIDIV — CAM WORK
Cam girl Heidiv was holidaying in New York at the time of this interview, a lifestyle her online career funds.
A cam girl is, by definition, a woman who poses in front of a live webcam to tuned in strangers all over the world for money. And good ones, like Heidiv, make plenty of money.
When asked for an annual income figure she declined, however, in response to the question, “You’re doing OK though, aren’t you?” the 24-year-old lets out a little giggle and simply says, “Ah, yes.”
One of the top models for MyFreeCam, Heidiv basically turns her webcam on and waits.
“Mostly I get paid in tips, in the same way you’d pay a busker on the street,” she says.
“If someone sees me online and they like what I’m doing they throw some money at me.
“Just chatting online I can make anything from nothing to $1000 an hour.
“For requests I’ll say you have to pay me this amount, but it’s less to do it live than it is to make a video. So a video could be around $500 but to do it live could be as little as $10.”
Depending on your knowledge of cam girls, the biggest misconception is that every second is X-rated.
“Most of what I do is chatting with people, making people laugh,” Heidiv explains.
“I definitely do sexual stuff but it’s not the main focus. It’s more like a girlfriend experience – you don’t have sex with your girlfriend 100 per cent of the time.
“I’m always interacting, I’m actively participating in conversation with them. Most of the focus is on me, I talk about my friends, my job, my life.
“I always want them to talk about themselves, they ask about my life. Talk about anything that’s interesting.”
While Heidiv can make $1000 an hour for simply chatting, the weirder requests bring in the big bucks.
“One person recently had a very strange fascination with my feet and picking things up with my feet,” she recalls.
“He loved watching me pick up pencils or a remote control or a torch to see how big of a thing I could lift.
“Another guy was really insistent of me taking photos of myself with sweaty armpits, wearing a shirt with sweat showing through.
“He just burst in the room and said hi can you sweat through your T-shirt. He just loved it, it’s what he wanted.
“Sometimes I sell underwear and socks if people want them and one person had a very specific request. He wanted four pairs of socks — the first pair I wore for one day, the second I wore for two days and so on. Then he wanted them all individually wrapped and sent.”
While she acknowledges that these requests are weird, she also considers them to be wonderful.
“I love that people know what they want and if I can make it happen for them I love to,” she says.
“It takes a lot of confidence to ask for what you want.
“I wouldn’t consider it to be degrading at all, it’s not even on the scale. It’s empowering, I guess because I’m completely in control.
“I love what I do and to be financially stable at the same time is just an added bonus.”
INVESTING IN CRYPTOCURRENCY
You’d have to be living under a rock to have not heard the word ‘Bitcoin’ over the past year. Created in 2009, it was the first digital currency to really reach the mainstream (albeit originally being used as an untraceable means of payment for drugs and weapons on the dark web) and people who originally invested for less than 1c per Bitcoin saw the value peak at just under $20,000 for one coin.
The aftermath was people started taking cryptocurrency seriously as a viable means of investment and income, and according to Onyx Trading co-founder and head of trading Luke MacDonald, we ain’t seen nothing yet.
He sees so much potential in the market he’s started Australia’s first crypto only retail investment fund.
“Cryptocurrency markets are just getting started and the volatility makes them a favourite for traders. The current market cap of cryptos is $425B. To put that into perspective Apple Inc. is over double that at $887B. The growth potential in this space is enormous.”
So how does one get involved in this ludicrous industry?
“There are a few building blocks a budding cryptocurrency trader will need,” Luke begins.
“First is fiat currency e.g. AUD, USD, £ or € to purchase Bitcoin.
“Next, an ID verified account at an exchange that has an on/off ramp with the fiat of their choice, for example btcmarkets.net. These are market places where people can exchange fiat for “blue chip” cryptos like Bitcoin and Ethereum. Most exchanges only take fiat of the country where they are a registered business.
“Lastly is an ID verified account at an ‘alt coin exchange’. These are marketplaces that allow people to exchange only blue chip, cryptos, not fiat currency.”
That’s the (very) basic outline of how to get into the market and start making, ideally, some serious coin online.
For more info or crypto help get in touch with Luke at onyxtrading.io
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