6 Monetization Strategies For Large Facebook Pages
I see a question repeatedly on Quora asking how to monetize large Facebook pages.
If you have a large fan base, why not leverage the audience and generate some income? All the big kids are doing it.
A good rule of thumb for monetization is having at least 300,000 US fans. Smaller numbers can be sufficient if you have a strong engagement. Also, larger brands seem to like a weekly average of 5 million reach.
I somehow ended up in a niche, consulting on monetization strategies for Playmates and tattooed models. All had Facebook pages from 1.5 million to 5 million+. They typically had reasonable engagement but weak US audiences.
Incomes for these would range in the $2,000 to $8,000/mo range. But I’m well aware of other pages that generate $30k/mo and some more than $30k per day.
I monetized by posting links/articles. For models it was typically sexy galleries. But there are countless publishers out there who provide engaging and quality content. LittleThings, AllDay and The Chive are a few examples.
Aside from links, there are several other ways to monetize a Facebook page. Though Instagram and Snapchat have higher rates for brands, a large and engaging Facebook page can definitely be a great platform for additional revenue.
Here Are Some Suggestions & Strategies On How To Generate Income From Large Facebook Pages
Monetized Links
The immediate way to see earnings would be monetizing by posting links/articles. A strong US audience is very important.
You can go direct to the publisher or connect with a business that has a dashboard and relations with several publishers. I’d recommend ServeSpring and Liquid.Social for sourcing multiple publishers at once. Tell them I sent you. Seriously.
The guys at LiquidSocial and ServeSpring have access to multiple publishers like: The Chive, Shareably, AllDay, Diply, Dose, LittleThings, etc.
Providr and MyLikes create their own content - it’s all provenly viral.
You can also go direct to MyLikes — they appear a bit more clickbaity but pay on non-US audiences and have a HUGE database of content. Providr is another direct source — they can even make you a personal site, Lil Wayne is a client of theirs.
Facebook frowns on upon links, but it’s really the easiest way to make instant income. Just post viral content to boost reach, and make sure the content is appropriate for your audience. Read more here for increasing reach on Facebook.
Income ranges depend on size, US audience, engagement, etc.
Some link examples:
Video Monetization
Like YouTube, Facebook should be rolling out video monetization within the next couple months. I’ve even heard that Facebook has paid six-figure sums for certain influencers to lifestream in efforts to promote Facebook Live.
As of writing, Facebook monetization isn’t available to the masses. Unless there’s some form of product placement or brand promotion within that video. But that’s not paid direct from Facebook. It’s paid by brands.
Brand Promotion
If you are an influencer, brands will pay to promote their products. There are plenty of platforms for influencers to register. A common one is Famebit.
You can also arrange for a strategic partnership to become a brand ambassador. Some brands will pay a monthly retainer in addition to supplying product. Make sure that whatever you’re promoting is something that you believe in and that your fans will enjoy
Cross Sharing
Reach out to smaller pages of a similar demographic, offer to share their content for growth/brand awareness and charge a fee. You can drive the most value (and charge more) if your audience is very niche or localized.
There isn't really a standard rate for shares. But ultimately, price is determined between the buyer and the seller. Create a win-win situation.
The screenshot below is from an account I grew by exclusively sharing content from the brand page to influencers.
Personal Site
You can create and monetize your own personal blog through Adsense or Taboola by driving traffic direct (though the start-up costs and ad optimization can be a nuisance). Wordpress is great for this. Don’t ask me to make one though, I don’t even know how to add contacts to my phone.
And as mentioned, there are publishers out there who will create a custom site for you.
Sell the Page
Selling your page can provide instant cash so that you can move onto your next venture. This is usually a last-ditch result. But if you just want to make some quick cash and move on, it’s always an option.
Conclusion
Remember, Facebook frowns upon link posting, as it temporarily takes you off of their platform thereby the causing them to lose out on their own monetization (ads).
If you decide to post links you may see a crunch in your reach. Read this article to help you maintain an optimized level of engagement and growth on your page.
The future and Facebook monetization is heading toward video and live stream. It’s not a bad idea to start looking into creating your own videos, establishing relationships with brands, or developing your own product or service to sell through this medium.
I also strongly recommend that you leverage your Facebook to promote your other social channels. Especially Instagram and Snapchat. When it comes to monetization, those two platforms or are a lot more lucrative than Facebook.
And be careful. The publishers and platforms I mentioned are ones I’ve worked with and trust. But there are a lot of shady people in the Facebook monetization business. Make sure you have all your bases covered.
Thank You
Thanks for reading! If you have any questions regarding social media strategy or need help with your digital efforts, feel free to contact me.
Dan Raaf is a Social Media Director, Influencer Marketer (and monetizer), and Digital Marketing Consultant at Raaf Media.
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