Was this email forwarded to you? Subscribe

2025 has already been brutal.

LA fires. TikTok went away. TikTok came back. Some stuff’s happening in Washington.

It’s a lot.

If you missed Tuesday’s email, it’s a guide on how to cope with change written by a PhD psychologist who works with Creators.

Otherwise, I personally am coping by keeping my head down and focusing on my goals. That includes making YOU more money - so to that end, let’s get into this week’s monetization resources below!

.Sponsored.

The power of branded merch

Engagement leads to trust, and trust leads to revenue.

One tactic I’ve seen many Creators use to drive engagement is high-quality, branded merchandise, offered to fans at events, in giveaways, or for referrals.

Notice how I said ‘high-quality’–no one wants another cardboard-quality t-shirt.

I’m talking about top-of-the-line, branded gifts your audience will use in daily life - like award-winning insulated water bottles, hefty metal pens, and beautifully-bound notebooks. 

If you’re ready to deploy this strategy in your biz, check out MOO - your fans will love their products, and in turn, love you. 

(Don’t just take my word for it–MOO scores 4.7 stars from over 17,000 reviews on TrustPilot.) 

Justin Moore’s Sponsor Magnet

I took Justin Moore’s Brand Deal Wizard course last September; since then, I’ve made ~$70,000 in brand deals thanks to the tactics I learned.

It cost ~$2,000 and yielded a 35x return, but if $2,000 feels like a lot, don’t worry - he just released his new book, Sponsor Magnet! It’s $20, so even one resulting brand deal will make the investment profitable!

This is not sponsored btw (though the course link above is a referral link).

Justin is a good friend and a true expert, having done his wife, family, and personal channel brand deals for 10+ years AND having run an influencer marketing agency for 7 years. He knows how it all works from both sides!

$20 is not a big investment for knowledge that could change your life.

Flip launches Creator equity fund

Flip is a huge social commerce platform with 5 million users, 5,000 brands, and $236 million in venture capital funding. Creators can post video reviews of products and earn based on both video views AND sales driven. They do not allow paid promotion.

It’s pretty Creator-friendly - the CPM is $30, and affiliate commissions are 5%-15%.

Now they’re doing something few other platforms have ever done: giving Creators a stake in the success of the platform.

Flip has committed $100 million in “cash value grants” to a “Creator Fund”. They’re granting $1 million per day for 30 days starting January 20th, and then (presumably) going a bit slower after that.

These grants basically say that 5 years after you receive the grant (or whenever the company is acquired - whatever comes first), you will get paid a multiple of the value of the grant equal to how much more valuable the company is than when you received your grant.

So if you get $10,000 in grants, and Flip is 10x more valuable in the future, you’ll get $100,000. If it’s only half as valuable, you’ll get $5,000.

This is not exactly equity - you don’t own any of the company.

Instead, it seems like it’s free money…and how much free money will be determined based on what they grant you now and how successful the company is in 5 years (or on acquisition, if earlier).

Here’s who’s eligible:

Or

Creators who accept the grants MUST commit to:

This is an interesting incentive structure. Imagine how much money TikTok Creators using the platform for the last 5+ years would have made if they had a financial stake in TikTok’s growth….

On the flip side, it could be monopoly money, if Flip does poorly…and those commitments (30+ videos a month for 2 years!!) are a lot.

I’d consider doing this if I were:

• a TikTok Shop Creator and wanted to diversify

• a lifestyle Creator looking to get involved in social commerce and selling products

BIG CAVEAT - I am not an accountant. You should have an accountant examine their grant structure for any tax implications. It’s an Israeli company and their tax laws may be different than US laws - and you don’t want to get hit with a tax bill on illiquid assets, and not have the cash in hand to pay.

By the way - this is the kind of thing we will work through together in my upcoming community, The $100k Creators Club. It’s for Creators transitioning from making content to making money, so we can earn $100k+ in annual income.

If you’re interested in joining a supportive community of people building lucrative Creator businesses, learn more here:

If you found today’s article interesting or valuable, please forward this email to a friend.

For feedback, advice, consulting, sponsorships, speaking engagements, or anything else, reach out anytime - [email protected].

If you’re not already subscribed, please do - it’s free:

See you next time!

Like what you see? Subscribe Now or Partner With Us

Written by Avi Gandhi, edited by Melody Song,
powered by TheFutureParty