Best Social Media Platforms to Start a side hustle or Online Income

When I first started posting online, I honestly had no idea what I was doing. I tried everything, Facebook groups, Pinterest boards, even YouTube videos. I’ll be honest, I had a burn-out after 3 months. So if you’re just starting your social media presence, my guide will help you find the best Social Media platform, matching your goals. 

In this guide, I’ll walk you through what I went through and what I learned during the past 10 years of my social media presence, so you don’t have to do the same mistakes again.

I’ll also show you the right steps of choosing the right platform for your goals, also we’ll talk about the reality of the process of getting there. Once you find the right place to show up, everything becomes easier and you can start to create. If you’re new in the social media world, also read my posts “Social Media Tips for Beginners Over 50″ and “How to stay ahead in a Tech-Driven World”.

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The Digital World Has Changed, But Your Story still Matters

Let’s be honest and start with reality. As someone who started her social media presence 10 years ago, I can easily tell you that starting something online today is much more difficult than even 3 years ago. And the reason is simple, because the digital world changes daily and there are many competitors.

But here’s the truth: It’s not impossible, it’s just different. Everyone seems to be doing something, from travel reels to coaching to selling digital products — and it can feel like the platforms are already full. When I first began sharing my story online, I felt exactly that way.

I thought, “There are already so many creators out there. Why would anyone listen to me?” But don’t forget every person has her/his own story and that’s the different we want to make.

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Create What You Love, That’s The Real Secret

Here’s what I learned after years of experimenting: You don’t need to be first — you just need to be real. And if there’s one thing that matters in the social media growth, that’s consistency. Yes you need to make content everyday and almost do the same job daily.

But there’s also a fun part to it. As I started my cooking account, I was sometimes cooking the whole day, but I was ok with it, because I love cooking and it’s like an anti-stress for me. My second hobby in life, is traveling so I’ll never get tired of wandering around the world.

That’s why I always tell people to choose a niche they love and are passionate about, because that’s basically what you’ll do, talk and make everyday in your Social Media channels.

And if you think you’re too old to start your social media journey, I have to say that Instagram and YouTube are full of people like us, who achieved their goals starting in our age or even elder. If you want to know more, read also my post “Why you’re not too old for Social Media”.

Start Your Social Media Small, but Start Right.

Niche down. The more you niche down these days, the more chances you have to grow. For example if you want to start a page for hiking, there are so many who are already doing this, but if you start a page for hiking with kids, then you’ve already niched down. 

For more tips about choosing the best Niche, check my post about how to choose the best niche and take the niche quiz to find out more.  

Crossposting And Diversifying is Essential

I know that most of the influencers are saying that you should only choose one platform and stick to one channel at the beginning. But I do not agree with this. The reason is that the algorithm changes weekly on each platform and this is sometimes very discouraging.

Just Imagine the blog you’ve been working on for months, suddenly loses 10K views and it’s going to take a while to refresh it or even you might never be able to save it again.

Another example is Instagram account suddenly stops getting new followers for a while, because the Algorithms just didn’t like an action you made and stamp it as a spammy. So I recommend to have more than 2 platforms to start your business.

And yes that might slow down your performance on each platform, but in long term, if you’re goal is to earn money, you need to diversify. That’s what I’ve learned and started doing during the 2 years and I’ve got better results, than getting stocked with one platform.  

Which Platforms for What Purpose

So you need to diversify your digital presence, just like you’d diversify investments. So it would be a mistake to put all your money in just one project. That’s why I always recommend starting with two or three platforms instead of one. But which 2 or 3 Platforms are better to start together, here are some suggestions:

If you are not sure why to start with Social Media after 50, read our post about starting your journey:

Why to start with your social presence after 50?

• Instagram + YouTube shorts + Facebook: If you want to build personal Brand and just make short videos. You can easily upload them in all 3 Channels and later you can even add TikTok.
• YouTube long/short + Blog + Pinterest: For more educational contents (also Travel guides). Pinterest will bring traffic to your YouTube and Blog. You can use the same Guides or materials to build long videos on your YouTube. Later you can add the others.
• Instagram + TikTok + Facebook: It’s great for visibility + Community, but to monetize might take longer than the other 2 ways above.

Learn before you launch

I highly recommend spending a week researching your niche — see what others are doing, but don’t copy. Observe what you could do differently. Also learn how to work with each platform, what are your tools, etc. The best school here to learn is Youtube. And read my post about to choose the best Niche.

Create content that helps and is worth sharing

Every post should answer a question, solve a problem, or make someone smile. That’s how trust (and followers) grow. When I make content, I always ask myself if my post is worth sharing.

Be patient — but strategic

Ok the reality is that you can’t have success in a week or a month or even a year. Social media success today isn’t instant and won’t be built overnight. I can still remember my cooking page during covid, and have gotten 7k within 4 months, but that time is over.

People are back to work, they don’t have that much time to spend on social media, so your first 5k followers might even take 2 years to gain. 

Note: Today the good news is that even with a small follower amount, you can also earn money nowadays and in the upcoming paragraphs, I’ll tell you how.  So post, analyze, adjust, and keep going.

Facts to Consider Before You Begin

The upcoming section, might feel a repeat of what we’ve already said, but what I often see and hear from the beginners in the social media world is that they want to achieve their goals overnight. Well that might be possible in just some cases, but here is what I’ve learned.

It takes time

Most creators take 6–12 months to build a visible audience. So adjust your expectations. There are always exceptions that could have overnight success and their 6th post goes viral, but those are only exceptions.

And with visible, I don’t mean 10K views on your blog, or 10K followers on Instagram (might happen, but those are exceptions), so be realistic. For blogs, you’ll need almost a year to see results, and that also depends on how much you’re putting efforts into it.

For Instagram, I would say 4K followers within a year, if you’re very engaged and post 5 times per week. On TikTok & YouTube, you can definitely grow faster, if you offer engaging + SEO optimized videos.

Consistency

If there is one important thing to have, that’s consistency. There will be moments on your social media journey that you might think nothing is really working and you want to give up. We all have those moments, but consistency will have it’s results and Rome wasn’t built in a night.

Community is everything

Engage with people. On my travel account that I’ve started a year ago, I only have 5K followers, but my engagement rate is very high. I reply to all the comments, DM people, join groups, so engagement fuels trust and honestly I quite enjoy that. For me it’s a new method of socializing.

And honestly I love that. I’ve found many good friends around the world, during the last 10 years of my social media journey, that I’ve never thought of. We share opinions, ideas and even answer each other questions.

So yes, the market is competitive — but it’s also full of opportunity. Your experience, your story, your voice — those are your advantages. On the other hand, you should know that behind every successful influencer, is years of hard work and experience. 

Using Social Media to start Your side hustle or Online Income

So let’s start with the main topic. Yes, earning money. When I first started sharing online, I wasn’t thinking about income — I just wanted to connect. I was working full time as a Chef at that time. But over time, I realized that I can earn money with my social media accounts. 

Specially if you have multiple channels, it’s really more than a full-time job, so at some stage, I decided to take that step and start my own journey. And believe me the moment you look at your platforms as your business, you’ll behave differently.

If you want to know how to stay ahead in a tech-driven world, Read our Free Post about:

Digital after 50: How to stay ahead in a tech-driven world

Whether it’s promoting your own products, joining affiliate programs, offering your expertise, or creating digital content, every post can open a new door. You don’t need millions of followers to make it work — you need trust, consistency, and something valuable to offer. 

Pro Tip: Do not overdose on selling products or affiliate programs. My impression, is that your audience sees everything and no one like to be handled as if they are in a Bazar.

First Thing First: Build trust

Although my travel blog is only a year old, I’ve built that trust on my social media. I never recommend a hotel, I haven’t been to myself. And I give my honest reviews about cities and hotels.

Or if a product comes up for a UGC, I won’t accept it, if I don’t like that product. So if you want people to trust you, I recommend first building that trust, instead of trying only to make money from the first day. Don’t be afraid of saying no to a brand, I did that a lot and still they are reaching out to me.

The beauty of social media is that it gives you free access to the world’s stage. You can share what you know, what you love, or what you create — and reach people who truly need it. Maybe you’re passionate about healthy recipes, travel, fashion, photography, or teaching a skill you’ve mastered over the years. 

Does Posting alone helps to build a community

Here’s the secret most people don’t tell you: social media income doesn’t come from posting alone — it comes from strategy. You need to set clear goels. And with that I mean something like this: “I want to sell my digital products”, “I want to partner with hotels”, “I want to show the best restaurants in town and collaborate with them”, “I want to sell my service as a consultant”

Once you know that, choose the platform/platforms that fits best to your style. And for that, we’ll start our next section to make you’re decision a bit easier. Pro Tip: I highly recommend to add Pinterest for traffic to whichever platform you are choosing to start with. That helped me a lot to build my external traffic.  

Best Social Media Platforms to Start With

Now let’s start with the platforms and see which one is best for your goals. Please consider that, I’ll talk about blogging in an upcoming post, because that’s a whole world for itself. I need to break it down, so if you are a good writer and want to start with a blog, subscribe to my channel and there’s an upcoming post about how and why to start blogging.

1. Facebook: Connection Still Rules

Yes I know that Facebook feels like just a cozy café atmosphere, where your friends still hang out and you can chat together. But it’s the best place to reach your audience in the groups and to build your brand or business.

Do not underestimate Facebook as it’s still the most-used social media platform with approximately 3.07 billion monthly active users.

And if you ask me, facebook is the best way to improve your Instagram/TikTok views. Engage in the groups and let the magic starts. But you have to find the right groups for your brands.  

Why It’s Great:

• You can even earn money from day one without any followers. It’s a long story, how to do that, so It won’t fit in this guide. Get the details here.
• It’s Ideal for community building and storytelling. So if you love to write and engage with people in your own niche, facebook easily gives you that opportunity. 
• It’s also perfect for coaching, workshops, or selling digital products. Because Facebook gives you the opportunity to add links, URLs, long descriptions and sharing into groups.

How to Grow & Earn:

• Well first you need to start a Facebook profile. You can Start a Facebook Profile. Later when you connect and have more experience, you can also start to make pages or even groups around your niche. But first I would suggest to grow your personal account.
• When you’re done with the registration, you can already start sharing reels, posts and stories.
• Engage: comment, reply and build the trust with your community.  
• Find your relevant groups to join and share your content. Check the group activity before joining them, not all the groups are really posting, what they were meant to be posting.

Pro Tip: If you’re using more than one Social Media Platform, which I recommend, if you want to monetize your brand, it really helps to have a platform to plan your posts and reels. I am using the free version of Post Planner for that. To visit click here.

2. YouTube: University at home

So as the second best social media platform having more than 2.5 billion users, Youtube is also another perfect way to monetize. What I love about YouTube is that you can also earn through the platform itself, what you can’t do through Instagram.

And to be honest, if monetization is your goal, I would start with YouTube first. With that being said, you can start to monetize your videos once you reach 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours ( or 10 million Shorts views in the past 12 months). Once reached that, you can start earning from ads shown on your videos.

Yes I must say gaining subscribers on YouTube is not that easy like on Instagram, but if you teach something or offer guides, then you can grow fast. I see myself on my Youtube channel. Whenever I upload guides, they’ll get the best views, but aesthetics and very short videos, unlike Instagram, gets less views.

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How to monetize your Youtube channel:

Starting a YouTube channel was one of the scariest — yet best — decisions I ever made. Yes it’s very time taking to make a long video, I know. But this video stays and gets views if you know how to strategically make it and link it. 

YouTube is where your content lives forever and continues to earn even while you sleep. So it’s a way for passive income. 

Why It’s Great:

• Since Google owns YouTube,  your videos rank automatically on both platforms. 
• It’s perfect for tutorials, storytelling, and honest conversations. 
• Since you describe everything in detail and talk to them, it builds deeper trust with your audience.
• You can add your affiliate links, your own URLs in the caption.

How to Grow on YouTube -Quick Tips:

1. As in all other platforms, I recommend choosing only one topic for each channel. You can have several channels for different topics, but keep it simple for your audience. 
2. Your First videos, won’t get views. Honestly my videos started to get views after making my 3rd video and consistency is again essential. 

Pro Tip: I am using VidIQ the free version to optimize your SEO. End every video with a call to action (CTA). Something like subscribe, visit your site, or download your guide).

More Tips for your Videos:

Start in a way that you can continue. If you start posting 20 min. Videos 5 days a week at the beginning, you should think about keeping this, which makes it very difficult. So start slow and you can always increase. 

Because Algorithms will get used to your rhythm of posting and will adjust. That’s at least where I’ve got the best results.

Also Create search-based videos. Keyword search is the key on Youtube. It doesn’t help, if you make videos that reaches no one. For that purpose you need to know the basics of Keyword research and for that, I’ll tell you the basics, at the end of this post.

If you need some basic tips, which gear can help you on making your YouTube films with a good quality, these are the ones I am using for my films: DJI Osmo Pocket 3,Canon 6D Mark II,Mini Tripod.

3. Instagram: Consistency is the key 

Let’s talk about the 3rd biggest Social Media Platform in 2025 with around 2 billion users. Actually the first social media platform I began with. Yes 10 years ago it was much easier to grow, as we had less competitors.

But Instagram is still one of the best-paid platforms for influencers and with the new UGCs you can even start with 5k followers or even less. But it is difficult to grow on Instagram if you’re not used to that environment. Give yourself some time to find out about the features, engagement and how to make the best reel.

And yes when you first begin, it takes time to gain even 5K followers. So if you’re looking into earning money from Instagram, you need to be very patient. Although these days you can even earn a little bit with offering UGC videos and even some products, but don’t expect much. Concentrate on creating your brand and your audience.

What are the most profitable niches for Instagram: 

• Instagram is perfect for lifestyle, travel, wellness, fashion, food content and Digital marketing. 
• If you’re just starting, focus on reels. They are essential to reach the non-followers and with reels you can reach them organically — even with small accounts.
• Also videos are more desirable by brands for UGC creation and sponsored posts rather than images.

Pro Tip: If you’re using more than one Social Media Platform, which I recommend, and want to monetize your brand, it really helps to have a platform to plan your posts and reels. I am using the free version of Post Planner for that. To visit click here.

How to Grow on Instagram -Quick tips:

Your Instagram Name: Even the name you’re choosing is important for your Instagram growth. The algorithms understand you much easier if your account name is related to your niche. For example “Ninaluxurytravels” has a better chance to grow than “Nina-lifestyle”, if your niche is about luxury travel.

Optimize your bio: Tell people what you do and how you can help them. Example: “Helping women 50+ build confidence online”. Let them know what they will achieve by following you. That also helps the Algorithms to find you and connect you to your audience.

Post consistently: Post everyday, yes I know it’s difficult but you’ll get your routine. You can also post 3–4 times a week, but you’ll see the difference, when you start posting daily. Start with reels and a Carousel per week. I also recommend at least 3 stories per day that are engaging and kind of personal.

Collaborate with others: As I began my social media presence, I never thought that would help so much. But even the smallest brands, can bring you more followers and views. You can easily give brand reviews and restaurant reviews and tag them or request a collab. Many brands will accept it, so you can increase your audience. Don’t start with the very big ones.

How to post your reels

Use trending audios: It can help your reels get more views. You can easily find them on Instagram platform. When you want to add audio to your reels, just open the section says trending, all the audios with the small arrow (↗️) next to the audio name are trending ones. Check also how many already are using it.

Engage daily: Reply to comments on your posts and reels asap. Really all of them, that matters. Engagement is currency here. But don’t get spammy, act natural as Instagram might ban you.

Use hashtags wisely: Although hashtags were once very essential, I would rather recommend to use Keywords instead. Use related hashtags around 5-6. Also add Keyword phrases (phrases that people search mostly) in the search engines. I’ll talk about keyword research below in details.

I always use hashtags with 500K -50K, the bigger ones are very competitive and imagine with so many reels, you should at least be at the position 6 to be seen, when someone search the keyword. Also use location Hashtags (at least 5).

How to optimize your captions for Search Engines

Your captions should be optimized for search engines. I highly recommend to spend some time and search for the best keywords to place in your captions and videos. That will help search engines to find your posts better and to show them to your targeted audience. Also check the section below about Keyword research.

Pro Tp: I am using Google Keyword search or Ubersuggest for my keyword research. Check Ubersuggest here. (free version) 

How to Earn:

• Add affiliate links to your stories. Make sure that program allows you to add affiliate links on Instagram (some doesn’t allow).
• Collaborate with small brands — you don’t need 10k followers to start.
• Sell your own products or eBooks through your bio link.
• Make UGC videos through platforms like: Collabstr, Billo, Intense, Fiverr & Upwork.
  

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4. Pinterest : Not a Platform, but a traffic Engine

Pinterest is not about followers; it’s about search. It’s basically like google and Bing, that drives traffic to any URL related to the video or image. It’s also another platform that people might underestimate it’s power, but you can best use it to drive traffic to your business. 

And what I love most about Pinterest is that, unlike other social media platforms, your content never really fades away. A pin you post today can still bring you traffic, followers, and income months — even years — later. It’s like planting seeds that keep growing long after you’ve shared them. 

When I began using Pinterest for my blog, I was shocked to see traffic coming in months after posting. For anyone who’s blogging or selling digital products, Pinterest is a must. Right now I am also using it to drive traffic to my Instagram account. 

Why It’s Great:

• Pins last for years,  not hours.
• Brings long-term, consistent traffic to your website or YouTube or even Instagram.
• Amazing for blogs, recipes, DIY, travel, and self-improvement content, guides, digital products.

Grow Your Pinterest:

1. Create keyword-rich boards (e.g. “Online Business After 50,” “Travel Over 50,” “Social Media Tips for Beginners”).
2. You can use tools like Tailwind to schedule pins automatically.
3. Design vertical pins on Canva (even the free version) with clear text overlays if you want to sell products or link to your blog. 
4. Link every pin to a valuable page — a blog post, freebie, or affiliate offer.
5. Be consistent here as well. Make 1-3 pins at least daily to help Pinterest algorithms grow your account.

How to Earn:

• On Pinterest you can’t earn directly from the platforms, but you can drive traffic to you other platforms, which can lead to affiliate posts.
• You can connect your printables, planners, or digital courses via your pins.
• You can also create pins, which goes directly to your affiliate links. But you need to add a short disclosure in your description like: “This pin contains affiliate links. I may earn a small commission if you purchase through them, at no extra cost to you.”

How to find the trends on Pinterest: 

Pro Tip: One of the best ways to stay ahead on Pinterest is by checking what’s currently trending. You can do this easily through the Pinterest Trends tool. It shows you which keywords and topics are rising in popularity, along with seasonal peaks — so you know exactly when to post about things like “Christmas desserts,” “summer travel,” or “fall outfits.”

If you have a Pinterest Business account, you can also explore trends right inside your analytics dashboard, under Analytics → Trends or Audience Insights. There, you’ll see which categories your audience loves most and which of your pins are getting the most engagement. 

Another quick trick is to open the Pinterest app and tap the search bar — before you even type, you’ll see trending ideas appear at the top. These are the exact topics people are searching for right now, and tailoring your pins around them can help you reach new audiences and grow faster.

5. TikTok — The Unexpected Star

I’ve newly started using TikTok and I must say that it’s a motivational platform. You can easily gain thousands of views on your videos on TikTok without even having followers.

My 6th video on TikTok went viral with 200K views and over 6K likes. I had only 100 followers at that time and even today I’m almost not active on TikTok at all. 

So If your visuals are interesting and you don’t like to engage too much, TikTok is a good option. I basically use it as a motivational platform, when other platforms are doing Algorithm updates that basically kills your view, this one can keep your hopes high. 

And a year ago I thought TikTok was only for dancing teens, but I must say that the audience is changing and I am getting interesting questions about my roles and a very interested audience. So I would definitely recommend it. 

Why It’s Great:

• Explosive reach potential and very motivating. 
• Short-form videos are trending everywhere (and can be repurposed for Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts). Most of the trends come from TikTok.

How to Grow on TikTok:

1. Post short, authentic clips — 15 to 30 seconds max.
2. Post 3–5 times per week and experiment with topics.
3. Use trending sounds or create your own. How to find it: When you open TikTok and tap the “+” to create a video, choose Add Sound. Then you’ll see a “Trending” section. You can scroll through the audios and save sounds that match your style.

How to Earn:

1️- Brand Collaborations (Sponsored Content)

• Work with brands to create authentic videos featuring their products or services.
• You don’t need a huge following — brands look for creators with good storytelling and engagement.
• Add “UGC Creator” or “Brand Collaborations Open” in your bio and email contact info.

2️- Affiliate Marketing

• Promote products or services you love and earn a small commission for each sale.
• Add your affiliate links in your bio or link-in-bio page (e.g. Later.bio, Linktree, Beacons). (you can do that after gaining at least 1K followers if you’re using professional account). That’s why many creators switch to a Business Account and you can add a clickable website link right away.

3️- TikTok Creator Rewards Program

• TikTok pays creators for videos that get high engagement. You need at least 10K followers and at least 100K views in the last 30 days. 
• Also it’s not available everywhere. It’s available for (currently the U.S., U.K., Germany, Japan, South Korea, France, and Brazil)
• The payout isn’t large, but it’s a bonus income source as your account grows
• To qualify, you need consistent original videos and good performance metrics.

4️- UGC (User-Generated Content)

• Create videos for brands to use in their ads — even if you don’t post them on your account.
• Join platforms like Collabstr, Billo, Trend.io, or Insense to get paid projects
• YOu can expect an average pay: $100–$500 per short video, depending on rights and usage.

5️- Sell Your Own Digital Products or Services

• Use TikTok to promote your eBooks, guides, presets, or online courses.
• Talk about your niche and link to your shop or blog in your bio.
• Example: “Learn how to use Pinterest for blog growth — link in bio!”

Keyword Research: 

And let’s get into the most difficult part of content creation: Yes the Keyword. You can make contents with best visuals, if that content doesn’t reach your audience, it’s helpless. So if you want your content to be discovered, you have to study keyword research. And yes I know how boring this subject could be.

But believe me, after a while you’ll even see that as a game. But what is s Keyword: They are word/words that your audience actually types into Google, Pinterest, or Instagram to find things. For example: “What to do in Amalfi Coast?”

If you want your content to be seen, you need to add those keywords to your reels, your captions, your blog posts and even your bio.

How to find the relevant keywords for my Social Media Platforms:

A great free starting point is Google Keyword Planner — just log in with a free Google Ads account, click Discover New Keywords, and type your topic (for example “travel over 50” or “how to grow on Instagram”). You’ll see monthly searches, competition, and trends.

Focus on keywords with medium search volume or even low competition with a high search volume. They’re easier to rank for and bring steady traffic. For example, instead of trying to compete for a broad term like “travel tips” (which has millions of searches and heavy competition), go for something more specific.

Something like “solo travel for women over 50” , that might have less search volume, but it also has less competition. So your chances are higher to be seen or to show up on Google’s first page.

If I want to use a free platform to search keywords, the best one is the google keyword planner. Then I am also using ANser the public which for question-based keyword ideas, google trends for identifying trending topics, and ubersuggest for basic SEO research with a user-friendly interface.