Any online presence ideally needs to generate money in order to justify its existence. Whether that be through donations from fans or purchases to support the cause, there are many unique ways to generate revenue even when you have a small following. The internet has made it possible to collect revenue through just about any method imaginable – with some offering more flexible terms and ease of use for those who don’t have extra capital.

Finding ways to help supplement the time and energy dedicated to your passion is crucial. Today, let’s look at a few platforms that are ideal for accepting contributions and generating profit for your online presence.

Patreon – for Donations and Subscriptions

Particularly helpful for those in the field of artistic creations and community cultivation, Patreon is a platform that helps both businesses and creators. It is a great way to gather subscriptions and donations from your followers, with options to contribute as little as $1 per month as part of a pledge. Patreon also makes it easy for brands to reward their subscribers with exclusive content and other perks; it’s comparable to Kickstarter in this regard, but open to everybody. Many of your fans probably already have a Patreon account and support their favorite creators, so it won’t be difficult to convince them to support you.

TeeSpring – for Merchandise

Brand-related merchandise is always a great thing to have for your fans, but the start up costs associated with producing it can be discouraging. Thankfully, TeeSpring offers a very competitive pricing structure, no start up costs, no minimums and the ability to charge whatever you’d like. For example, a basic shirt starts at $10: anything over that that you charge is pure profit, with no additional fees associated with it. You can easily start pinging links to your TeeSpring merchandise on your website and even in embeds on YouTube videos.

Google Ads – for Affiliate Marketing

If you spend time reviewing or writing about various products and services, then the use of affiliate marketing may have crossed your mind. By including links to various products and services that are coded to an affiliate account, you can earn a percentage of every purchase that is made via one of your links. Google Ads is probably one of the most well-known solutions for this option today, and provides an unprecedentedly large platform for brands to utilize. Signing up is relatively easy and the platform walks users through the process. In addition, there are many other affiliate marketing networks available out there that you can use in conjunction with Google Ads – just be sure not to overdo it, as your readers won’t appreciate an onslaught of ads and pitches.

WooCommerce – for General Sales

If you have merchandise or services that you would prefer to sell directly, then there’s arguably no better choice than WooCommerce. Used predominantly on WordPress websites, WooCommerce allows you to configure a fully-featured online marketplace on your website, selling everything from tangible products to digital downloads. With total control over the shopping experience, you can start pinging links to any and all products imaginable. It also offers fully integrated payment solutions, making it easy to run your entire store through one platform.

Regardless of your specific focus, there are ways to ensure that your brand can generate revenue. Whether it be passively through advertising or actively through sales or donations, these options are a few of the many that businesses, brands and bloggers use to subsidize their effort online. We’re sure that at least one of these four will be useful to you as well.