Turning Outdoor Passion into Profit
Actionable Steps For New Creators
If you love spending time outdoors and have a passion for adventure, you may have considered turning that passion into a source of income. You're not alone. With the rise of digital entrepreneurship and self-employment, more side hustles and full-time work opportunities exist. There's never been a better time to start monetizing your outdoor passion.
This blog post will explore actionable steps for newer creators looking to start, grow and monetize, specifically a social media presence. Monetizing your outdoor passion can provide extra income and a sense of fulfillment as you continue to explore and share your experiences with others. Not only can you earn from your passion, but you can also grow personally and professionally, learning new skills and gaining valuable experiences along the way.
Becoming self-employed has created financial stability for me and a sense of freedom and fulfillment, as I no longer have to choose between work and my interests and hobbies. I absolutely advocate for turning your passion into a source of income, as it has changed my life, but only if you know and understand the full scope.
As a newer creator, it can be challenging to know where to start; I’ve been there and done that (and still continue to learn). Obstacles along the way can make it feel like work instead of a hobby. It's important to acknowledge that the journey of monetizing your outdoor passion isn't always a smooth one. Again, challenges can make it feel more like work than a hobby, potentially taking away from the joy you initially found in it.
It also doesn't happen overnight, and to be frank, it takes a lot of time, effort, and consistent dedication. I'm telling you this as a friend because, in the online space, far too many people tell you how to get rich quickly (but that conversation is for another time).
Is turning your passion into profit the right move for you?
- You have a passion for the outdoors and seek a creative outlet to express it.
- You have an area of expertise that will help others be inspired and educated or can help solve a problem, pain point, or desire.
- You're curious about self-employment and the possibilities it can bring and create.
- You’re ready to dedicate consistent time, effort, and determination to make this happen for you
- And you pinky promise to always be ethical (this is a biggie for me personally)
So, if you said yes to all the above and are new to making money online, curious about where and how to start, and need a little guidance to help you get started, this is for you.
I want to cover some practical steps that you can take to monetize your outdoor passion and build a solid social media presence. Let's take a closer look at these steps so that you can get started on this exciting journey!
Getting Clear on Your Goals:
The first step is to set clear, tangible goals. What do you envision doing with your outdoor-focused social account? This is the first crucial step in monetizing your outdoor passion, and it should not be skipped. Without setting goals or creating some form of an action plan, there will likely be a higher chance of feeling overwhelmed, unsure and giving up. We do not want this for you!
Think about the big picture for you as a creator: Is it about generating a passive income stream, building a thriving community for brand-sponsored opportunities, launching a successful e-commerce store, or starting a blog to be monetized?
By defining your goals, you're not just setting a direction but also creating a roadmap for your success and maintaining focus on what truly matters. Having a well-thought-out process or action step list will help you stay on track with what matters and progress forward.
Start by answering the questions below:
Who are you, and what makes you unique?
What would you like to share on social media?
Who are you helping? Inspiring? or educating?
Let’s start by defining your short-term and long-term goals.
Creating a vision board or goal-setting journal can be fun and can help get you inspired, as it allows you to start visualizing your aspirations and where to start tracking your progress. When creating your goals, a good starting point is thinking of already being "established, having an audience (and not letting imposter syndrome kick in).
What topics are you sharing with your audience and community?
What does your work look and feel like?
Where and how are you getting paid? or being monetized?
Once we're done daydreaming, let's bring it back to reality, break down your goals into actionable steps, and set deadlines for each milestone.
Don't worry if you're stuck on " What's the first step?" We'll discuss a couple of practical and realistic suggestions for getting started.
Action Items:
Define 1-2 short-term and long-term goals for your outdoor-focused social account.
Common short-term goals include defining a content strategy, developing consistent content creation habits, posting, engaging, and continuing education to build your skill sets and knowledge.
It's essential to break down your goals into small, actionable steps and set deadlines for each milestone. Start with the end goal in mind and work backward, writing down each step you need to complete to achieve it.
If a short-term goal is to have a content strategy and content calendar in place, you’ll need a few things to get you there. Which consistent topics can you share with your target audience that will resonate with them? Realistically, how many hours do you have weekly and monthly to put into content creation and social media?Start building habits and consistency to hit and achieve your goals.
This is a biggie! Start small—seriously. For example, if you wanted to start going to the gym, you wouldn’t necessarily jump into going five days a week! Habits take time to put in place (realistically), so don’t give yourself unrealistic goals. The key is consistency.
Establishing Your Social Media Presence
Social media is an excellent tool for sharing your outdoor experiences, tips, advice, and suggestions with like-minded individuals and expanding your audience. The most important advice I can give you is to begin with one platform, start small, and remain consistent before implementing multiple platforms.
Things you want to consider:
- Which social platform works for you?
- Where do you enjoy being present?
- Is your target audience on this platform?
Action Items:
Choose one platform at a time to focus on and work on.
Optimize your social media profiles by creating relevant and engaging content, crafting your unique and compelling bio, and using appropriate keywords that reflect who you are, who you want to connect with, and your target audience.
Follow your content strategy and calendar to implement your posts, engage with your audience and connect with like-minded people. (Getting ahead of myself but more on content strategy to follow)
Build A Community:
Once you choose your platform, it’s time to build meaningful connections and relationships with your audience. This is crucial for long-term success as an online creator. Take the time to engage with your followers by responding to comments, messages, and inquiries promptly and authentically.
This is your opportunity to encourage discussion and interaction by asking questions, providing feedback, and sharing relevant and engaging content with your community. By putting the time into building a community, you won’t only meet incredible people but also foster a sense of belonging and community. It is so much more organic when you take the time to create loyal social friends because both are eager to support your journey and spread the word about your social account.
Action Items:
Brainstorm content topics and themes that will resonate best with your community and ultimately serve them. What can you share that will help them?
Respond promptly to your audience's comments, messages, and inquiries to foster meaningful interactions.
To encourage engagement, ask for feedback and questions from your audience. Additionally, remember that sharing your stories can help foster more meaningful interactions.
Signing Up for Affiliate Links:
Affiliate marketing can be a great starting point for outdoor enthusiasts looking to begin monetizing their social media presence.
What is Affiliate Marketing?
Affiliate marketing is a type of marketing in which a company rewards its affiliates for bringing customers or visitors to its website through their own marketing efforts. The affiliates are given a unique link or code to promote the company's products or services, and if someone clicks on that link and makes a purchase, the affiliate receives a commission.
If you are not utilizing Affiliate Marketing, this is the perfect opportunity to start! Research affiliate programs related to your niche and audience, such as outdoor gear companies, adventure travel agencies, or eco-friendly brands. Sign up for affiliate links and incorporate them into your content strategy (next steps).
Incorporating Affiliate marketing has two major benefits. First, if done correctly and ethically, you can start monetizing your social media immediately. Second, it can help you learn how to work with brands and businesses and begin to practice marketing a business, product, or service in your content (and allows you to earn a commission whenever your audience purchases through your links!).
A beginner-friendly choice is the Amazon Associates program, where you can promote any product sold on Amazon and earn a commission of 1-10% on any sale you generate. Create applicable lists of 3-10 products relatable to your account and start incorporating different content formats to get comfortable promoting, marketing, and selling these specific products to your community.
Action Items:
Research affiliate programs relevant to your outdoor niche and sign up for accounts with reputable affiliate networks.
Identify products and services you genuinely love and would recommend to your audience.
Incorporate affiliate links organically into your content, such as product reviews, gear roundups, and outdoor adventure guides.
Incorporating a Structured Content Strategy
Consistent, quality, valuable content is critical to building a loyal audience and growing your social media presence. Develop a structured social media content strategy that includes various types of content, including videos, photos, and stories, while covering what your audience and community want to engage with.
Creating content that aligns with interests and passions is important to make your social media presence cohesive and consistent. For example, suppose you’re an avid hiker and want to spill on the tips, tricks, and stories on how to get into backcountry hiking. In that case, your content can include outdoor adventure tips, gear reviews, destination guides, and personal stories.
To achieve this, I recommend that you choose a main theme and then three to five main topics and focus on creating content around them. Within those topics, we want to come up with post ideas to eventually implement, create, and post.
Continuing with a Content Creator who is an avid hiker who wants to share their passion, skillset and knowledge to inspire others to get into backcountry hiking (main theme). The topics can include
Adventure Tips: the who, what, where, when, and how of booking hiking adventures.
Gear Reviews and Recommendations: only the best to keep you safe during your adventures.
Destination Guides: could be specific to an area or overall bucket list-worthy backcountry hiking.
Personal Stories: sharing your personal stories on your adventures.
Affiliate Marketing: Promote their curated Amazon List for the above topics.
It is important to maintain consistency when posting content online. This will help keep your audience engaged and returning for more. To achieve this, establish a regular posting schedule that is sustainable for your available time and dedication. You can choose a posting frequency that works best for you, such as three times per week. Social media platforms highly value consistency, so it's important to stick to your schedule once you have established it.
Action Items:
Develop a content strategy outlining your three to five main themes and brainstorm topic post ideas that fall under each theme.
Create a content creation workflow for your creation process and ensure consistency. Remember to mix up different types and formats of content.
Always keep your audience and community in mind when creating quality content that is authentic and genuine.
Turning your outdoor passion into profit is an exciting journey filled with endless possibilities.
By following these actionable steps and staying true to your unique vision and values, you can build a successful social media presence that allows you to share your love for the great outdoors with the world.
Remember, success doesn't happen overnight, so stay patient, stay persistent, and keep pushing forward one step at a time.
If you’re ready for more, consider booking a 30-Minute Coffee Chat with me. Let’s make a plan of action for you to start monetizing your social accounts!
