If you’ve got a passion and an audience (of any size), there are exactly five ways to turn that audience into income.
That’s it.
No secret hacks and no endless possibilities.
Just five ways to monetize those assets.
We call them the PAIDS model (P-A-I-D-S), and if you want to build a profitable personal brand, you need to understand how they work.
Let’s break it down.
P: Products – Create and Sell Physical or Digital Goods
One of the most obvious ways to monetize your brand is by creating a physical or digital product that your audience wants.
Think about Sara Blakely with Spanx or Jamie Kern Lima with IT Cosmetics.
They built products that solved a specific problem, marketed them well, and turned them into massive businesses.
Your product doesn’t have to be a billion-dollar brand. It could be:
- A planner to help people get organized
- A clothing line that reflects your unique style
- A digital product like a template or tool your audience can use
The key is creating something your audience already wants and delivering it in a way that fits your brand.
A: Ads & Affiliates – Monetize Your Audience Without Selling Anything
If selling a product isn’t your thing, you can still make money by selling access to your audience instead.
That’s where ads and affiliate marketing come in. Here’s the difference between the two:
- Ads – Companies pay you a flat fee to get in front of your audience (think YouTube ads, sponsored Instagram posts, etc.).
- Affiliates – You promote someone else’s product and get paid only when they make a sale through your link.
This model works well if you’re great at building an engaged audience but don’t necessarily want to deal with product creation or fulfillment.
Some of the biggest online influencers thrive on this approach.
I: Information – Get Paid for What You Know
The information business is booming.
Courses, membership sites, certifications, assessments—if you have knowledge that people want, you can package it into a scalable offer.
A perfect example is Amy Porterfield.
She built an empire teaching people how to create online courses.
How did she do it?
By selling one course, over and over and over.
That’s the beauty of the information business:
- You create a digital product once
- You sell it thousands of times
- You don’t have to trade hours for dollars
If you have a repeatable process or a system that works, this could be a massive revenue driver for your brand.
D: Deals – Royalties, Licensing, and Sponsorships
This is where the big brand partnerships and passive income streams come into play.
If you have a significant following or a unique skill, you can land deals that generate ongoing revenue.
Some common types of deals include:
- Book deals (advances + royalties)
- TV or media deals
- Music and licensing deals
- Sponsorship deals
The catch?
These usually come later in your career once you’ve built credibility and influence.
But when they do, they can significantly boost your revenue.
S: Services – The Fastest Path to Cash
If you want to make money right now, the fastest way is to sell a service.
Coaching, consulting, speaking, training—exchanging your time for money is the most immediate way to start generating income.
And it’s also one of the most impactful ways to help people.
At Brand Builders Group, our entire business is built on coaching.
We work one-on-one with mission-driven messengers to help them grow their influence and income.
It’s a high-touch, high-value model that creates real transformation.
And it’s not just for coaches. This applies to:
- Doctors, lawyers, CPAs – Professional services
- Real estate agents – Helping clients buy/sell homes
- Direct sales reps – Recruiting and training others
If you’re great at something and can help others, you can get paid for your time right now while building other income streams.
So…What’s Your Monetization Model?
Every successful personal brand uses one (or more) of these five monetization models.
- If you love creating things? Sell products.
- If you have a big audience? Use ads and affiliates.
- If you want to scale? Sell information.
- If you’re established? Pursue licensing and sponsorship deals.
- If you need money fast? Offer services.
The key is choosing the model that aligns with your unique strengths as well as where you are in your brand journey.
And if you’d like help figuring out which model is right for you, let’s talk.
At Brand Builders Group, we help entrepreneurs, influencers, and mission-driven leaders turn their personal brands into thriving businesses.
We offer one free brand strategy call, so schedule yours today and let’s map out your path to monetization.
