The 5 Stages of Creator Monetization: A New Series

Where are you on the path from Posting to Thriving?

I’ve worked with creators at every stage.

Some are just getting started. Posting content for fun, sharing life updates with friends and family, no real goal in mind. Others are further along.

They want brand deals, they’ve done a few gifted campaigns, but something’s not clicking yet. And then there are creators who are getting paid but know they’re leaving money on the table. They just don’t know how to fix it.

I’ve also worked with creators who are doing this full-time. Landing four and five figure deals. Driving six and seven figures in affiliate sales. They’ve figured out what works and they’re building real businesses.

Here’s what I’ve learned from working with all of them:

The help you need depends on where you are. And most creators don’t know where they are.

So I created a framework to make it simple.

The 5 Stages of Creator Monetization

Stage 1: Posting You’re creating content, but there’s no goal. It’s for fun, family, friends. There’s no clear direction, no niche, no strategy. And that’s okay, but it’s not a monetization path yet.

Stage 2: Pursuing You want brand deals. Maybe you’ve done some gifted campaigns. You’re calling yourself an influencer. But your feed doesn’t reflect your goals yet. There’s a gap between wanting opportunities and being ready for them.

Stage 3: Earning You’re getting paid. That’s a win. But you’re probably leaving money on the table. You’re landing $300 deals when you could be getting $1,000. You don’t know how to negotiate or how to prove your value.

Stage 4: Scaling You’ve got the skills. You’re consistently landing solid deals. Now it’s about building systems, diversifying income, and working smarter instead of harder.

Stage 5: Thriving You’ve made it. Creator is your full-time income. Now the question is: how do you sustain it? How do you keep growing? What comes next?

Over the next five weeks, I’m going to break down each stage.

I’ll share what each one looks like, how to know if you’re there, what’s holding you back, and what it takes to move forward.

Whether you’re just starting out or you’ve been doing this for years, my hope is that this series helps you figure out exactly where you are and what to focus on next.

Because once you know where you are, the path forward gets a lot clearer.

Next week: Stage 1 — Posting

We’re starting at the beginning. If you’re creating content but there’s no real goal behind it, this one’s for you.

See you then! 👋🏾

— Shauna