Are you a mom? How about a microinfluencer on the rise? Have you hopped aboard the MomTok Express?
Times are tough. That’s not a secret. Most American households are two-income homes. Parents, like myself, especially are feeling the squeeze. However, with the stagnant wages and rising cost of childcare, an interesting phenomena is arising in which many mothers are rejecting the path of the generations that came before. More and more women dream of staying home and raising their kids, but they also dream of contributing financially. This is in no way meant to say that there aren’t still aspiring career women everywhere! There are working moms crushing it too, and they are superheros!
Still, the internet has made it ever more possible to earn income from home, and social media is changing what that looks like. There are opportunities everywhere for anyone wanting to earn extra income or…yes, even leave the workforce to work from home full time.
SAHM Moms & Working Moms Unite!
More and more young mothers are (or want to become) stay at home moms or SAHMs, but they don’t want to or can’t lose their income. For these moms, staying home with their kids can seem like a far-off dream, given the cost of well…everything. The same holds true for working moms struggling to balance it all. Enter the MomTok Takeover movement. Early in 2024, aspiring and established mom content creators far and wide started banding together on TikTok to follow and support each other’s content, in hopes of reaching the heavily guarded gates of monetization. This lies somewhere around 10k followers, but the goal post is ever changing.
Moms far and wide started banding together on TikTok to follow and support each other’s content, in hopes of reaching the heavily guarded gates of monetization.
That’s great, but HOW do you monetize as a new mom content creator or microinfluencer?
See, our heads have been filled with tales of women who retired at twenty-five to spend their time vacationing with their families…all thanks to the elusive powers of their smartphone and social media. All you have to do is open an app and you’ll be bombarded with courses and ads. Seriously, courses have become the new MLM girlies of yore (Looking at you Mary Kay), but most people have a very limited understanding of how to attain any financial gains from their content. Even I didn’t realize all of the opportunities at my disposal, which is why I’m sharing it with you now! More on that in a minute, first we need to address the elephant in the comment section….
Thanks to the, “Mom follow parties,” women are bucking the algorithm and gaining hundreds (in some cases thousands) of followers in days. This, it turns out, is a blessing and a curse. Many women have reached the illustrious 10k benchmark, only to discover that it’s not enough. They also need these moms to be engaging on their posts. This means liking, commenting, sharing, and especially watching the content all the way through. It’s not enough to hit that heart and scroll on past.
Some are quick to point out that TikTok wants you to build a community and put the social back in Social Media…but let’s be real. They are running a business, too. If none of your followers like, comment, or share your content, then TikTok is not driving sales via ads. They aren’t going to pay you without a guaranteed return on investment.
Some are quick to point out that TikTok wants you to build a community and put the social back in Social Media…but let’s be real. They are running a business, too. If none of your followers like, comment, or share your content, then TikTok is not driving sales via ads. They aren’t going to pay you without a guaranteed return on investment.
All that means is that moms joining these groups have to commit to fostering community. Get to know the other moms, like their content, be curious and ask questions in the comments. Use the social opportunity you’ve been given to its fullest potential.
That’s not to say these follow parties haven’t been awesome. Tons of moms are engaging and doing the work to build a real platform. It’s great to see women coming out to support each other, cheer each other on, and help us all get to our goals–whether that be staying home with our kids, or building a support community.
Okay, enough talking, get to the good part! The opportunities!
Tik Tok, like all its competitors has its own monetization potential. This includes both the Tik Tok Shop Affiliate Program and the Creativty Program Beta. As I mentioned, these both have barriers to entry set at 5k and 10k followers respectively, as well as engagement requirements like number of views in a month. See why it’s crucial to engage?
There’s opportunity off the platform, as well. One of the more popular programs is the Amazon Influencer Program (different from the Amazon Affiliate Program). This program allows influencers to earn commission on their followers purchases through a personalized Amazon storefront page. This program is illusory though. Unlike Tik Tok, the requirements for acceptance are not publicly known (at least not that I’ve found). It’s seems to be based on engagement but that’s up for debate.
A third avenue for monetization is brand deals and UGC (User Generated Content). Now this is also harder to pin down. Obviously, people with larger followings get noticed more easily by brands, but there are ways to dip your toes in those waters without any following! There is an app called KALE that allows users to claim offers from brands. The user purchases a product (it could be a small as a can of Ollipop) and they upload their receipt and a set of deliverables. When posting the content they use predetermined hashtags and keywords and let ‘er rip. You can earn commissions on your views and engagement on the posts and that’s it! In this way, Kale and other apps like it are a great way to learn to navigate the world of brand deals. Learn what you can before you get to the big leagues.
So, how can you get involved?
Well, if you jump on #Momtok you will undoubtedly find follow trains and follow parties. If that’s all you’re looking for have at it! Welcome to the community! If you’re looking to go further there are various Facebook groups to be found if you look.
One group that really shines above the rest is the MomTok Takeover Facebook Group. This group distinguishes itself by truly embodying the ideals of womeen supporting women. With a sincere dedication to each mama who joins, they cultivate growth and support, truly setting them apart in the online community landscape. Here you will find a welcoming community of like-minded women who are happy to walk this path right beside you.
You can check them out here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1245875076369329/
Their community is already 2.2k strong and growing. Let’s keep that momentum going because….
What happens when the fad ends?
Now, I’ll be the first to admit. I analyze everything to DEATH. Analysis paralysis is my default state. So, naturally, I have to ask, what happens when this Momtok follow train loses steam a hundred miles from the station? Is this a fad that will come and go, leaving empty disengaged followings in its wake?
Should the trains end, one can only hope that the participants have learned something, whether that’s:
- Upping their content game. Improving their videos and pictures.
- Learning to edit content.
- Learning what SEO is and how to use it to their advantage.
- Learning the marketing buzz words like: Hook, CTA, Bridge, Etc.
- Having fun! (We should move that to the top of the list)
- Making friends! Building the community they want.
On a more optimistic note, I truly think this movement presents an opportunity to truly build a community of dedicated, like-minded followers. You just have to approach it the right way. Use the momentum to hone in your content strategy, make friends in the community, take advantage of the various monetization opportunities, build a brand and a business. The sky is the limit but the time to act is now.
Wait, I need a content strategy? Can’t I just post trends?
Now, I’m going to be honest with you, I have a minor in Marketing, and I still struggle to find content that consistently lands…that’s not down to lack of knowledge of how the system works, but rather lack of work on the back end.
You are building a brand on Social Media, even if the only product you’re selling is you!
What do I mean? Niches and Content Strategy. Yep! I hate those words as much as you do, but they had to be said. You are building a brand on Social Media, even if the only product you’re selling is you! Followers have to know what to expect from you.
Let’s look at Target and Wal Mart as an example. Now, they are giants, and so they get away with being a jack of all trades. Still, they are similar, and yet, I bet you can think of times when you’d go to one vs. the other. Somehow, they still have their own distinct niche.
You need a niche, too, preferably one that’s more specific than Target’s. Target opened in 1962, but they didn’t expand into groceries and home decor until the 1990s. All of that to say, you can broaden your niche in time, once you’ve established yourself.
If you want to see a step by step plan for how I’m going to build a content strategy that YOU can steal. Check out this post.