My new side hustle: $1k in my first 3 weeks

Hi Reader!

I just made over $1,000 in my first three weeks on a platform called Trybe, and I’m going to tell you exactly how I did it and whether it’s worth your time.

I’ve explored other online side hustles in the last few years, but nothing has been a great fit: TikTok Shop felt too aggressive for me and required chasing virality, traditional UGC came with endless revision requests, and I hated trading time for money.

Trybe fixes those problems.

It’s a marketplace connecting creators with brands who want to run your content as ads on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. After being approved to work with a brand, you can create as many videos as you want for the brand to use as ads. You get paid inside the app, brands can’t endlessly pester you for revisions, and your videos can earn passive income for months.

​Join Trybe (affiliate link – free for creators)

Am I ditching Amazon Influencer? Nope! Still cranking out 100-200 videos per month there and am on track to do about $9k from Amazon commissions this month. And, Trybe is a great opportunity I’m excited to add on too, and if it’s a good fit for you I want you to know about it.

Today’s email is “what is Trybe” and tomorrow I’ll tell you the step-by-step of how to start earning after you download the app.

Like visual learning? Watch the full breakdown here. ​

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The 4 Ways You Can Earn on Trybe

1. Flat fee per video- You’re paid per approved submission, like $10-$200 per video.
2. Percentage of ad spend- If a brand spends $100 promoting your video as an ad and you’re earning 10% of ad spend, you make $10.
3. Percentage of revenue (GMV – Gross Merchandise Value)- If that same $100 in ad spend generates $200 in sales and you’re earning 10% of GMC, you’re paid $20.
4. Bonus: retainers (more on that in tomorrow’s email)

I’m already earning a dollar or two every single day from the 41 videos I’ve submitted, even though I only started three weeks ago.

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How it’s different from Amazon Influencer

With Amazon Influencer, the videos are much more casual and longer. You just kind of chat about the product and make 1 to 3 videos per product, and then move on to the next product.

With Trybe, you find a few brands that you like working with and that will pay you well, and then you can continue to make content for those same products (like dozens to hundreds of videos for one brand). These videos are also more of a social media/TikTok shop style video, usually with edits, a bit more scripting, and more intentionality with the hook and call to action.

Though I haven’t had experience making this type of content before, so far I think that it’s fun because it requires a lot more creativity than the Amazon Influencer videos.

Since these videos will be shown on social media, what you say and show in your first few seconds is important to keep the potential customer from scrolling. I put together a worksheet of 100 juicy hooks for product promotion that you can download for free here.

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FAQs answered:

Is there any fee to join/use Trybe? Nope! The brands pay Trybe a fee to be on the app.

How do you get paid? All payouts are through the app straight to your bank – no need to pester brands or invoice them.

Is there a follower minimum? Nope!

Can I do this faceless? Yes, but I have seen that most of the top performing videos are talking-to-camera style.

Do I have to post on social media? Nope! You don’t have to post any videos on social, you upload videos to Trybe, then the brands set them up as ads.

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The Downsides You Need to Know

Trybe is only about six months old, so there are growing pains. There’s no strong contract protection for creators yet. Some brands approve your video but never run it as an ad. One big brand rejected two thirds of my videos with nitpicky revision requests that weren’t in their creative brief, which honestly annoyed me.

Smaller brands have been way easier to work with. They approve faster, run ads faster, and seem less picky.

If you’re brand new to filming product videos, start with Amazon Influencer where the bar is lower and you can practice being in front of the camera. Also, if you’re already making great money elsewhere, make sure to weigh the opportunity cost of how you’re splitting your time.

But if you’re comfortable on camera and want to diversify your income, Trybe is growing and it’s a great time to get in.

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I’ve put in about 20-30 hours, applied to 98 brands, got accepted by 17, submitted 41 videos, and made over $1,000. My earnings are growing every single day from content I already created. The proof of concept is strong!

My plan is to continue with Trybe until I’ve posted 300 videos there, and then evaluate the ROI and if I want to keep going with it.

If you’re an existing Amazon Influencer or experienced with product content, download the app to get started.

Tomorrow I’ll tell you the step-by-step of how to start earning ASAP: from setting up your profile, requesting to work with brands, and submitting your first content.

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To your success,

Claire

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