We all can agree that memes have taken over the internet and are showing no signs of slowing down. It’s almost impossible to browse the internet in a day without coming across at least a meme.
No matter your language, there will always be a meme for you. Memes are not just about making people laugh, and it’s also a way of expressing opinions on an issue or event.
Do you know that while you browse the internet laughing at random memes, some other people quietly make money with memes?
In this article, you’ll learn the meaning of memes, its origin, and how to make money with memes.
Table of Contents
What is a Meme?
A meme can be described as a piece of information (slogan, gif, picture, audio, or video) that usually conveys a particular idea or opinion in a funny way.
A powerful characteristic of memes is that they are relatable and, in most cases, easy to understand.
Origin of Memes
The word “meme” which was manufactured from the Greek word “mimema” which means “mimicked” or “imitated” was first used by British evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins in his 1976 book “The Selfish Gene.”
Memes have been used throughout history, just like the “Keep Calm and Carry On” slogan, which was propaganda created by the British ministry of information during World War 2 as words of assurance and encouragement for the British people.
Ukraine also posted a meme on their official Twitter page of Adolf Hitler (portrayed as a father figure) having a father-son moment with Vladimir Putin.
All these were leading up to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Memes also took the crypto world by storm in the form of meme coins, and Dogecoin is the most famous example.
How To Make Meme On Phone/ iPhone/ PC
A free and easy way to create memes quickly is by using Canva.
They have ready-made templates which you can edit and customize using the Canva drag-and-drop editor.
You can create a meme easily with these simple steps:
- Go to Canva
- Search for “Meme” on the search bar and choose any template you like OR visit the Canva Meme Generator page.
- Start editing and customizing the template, or create an entirely new meme using millions of illustrations, stickers, gifs, and other graphics.
- Download the meme in any format JPG, PNG, GIF, etc. And start to share it with your audience.
Other software for creating memes are: Memedroid, Kapwig, Imgur, GATM Meme Generator, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, etc.
How To Make Money With Memes- 10 ways.
1: Sell Your Meme Design Services On Fiverr: One way of making money with memes is by getting paid by clients to design memes for them. Many freelancers on Fiverr create memes for a living and attract hundreds of customers from all over the world.
Selling meme design services is not limited to Fiverr alone. There are many freelance marketplaces where you can offer similar client services.
2: Sell your memes as an NFT: NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens) are taking the world by storm, and selling your original memes as an NFT is an excellent way of monetizing your memes.
In June 2021, the iconic Doge meme sold for a whopping sum of $4 million and now holds a record for the costliest meme NFT ever. So why not consider selling the original memes you created as an NFT? Who knows how much fortune you can make?
There are many marketplaces where you can go to list your meme NFT for sale, marketplaces like Mintable, and Rarible, but the most popular marketplace is Opensea.
3: Manage meme-based Social media pages for others: Some people are looking for social media managers to manage their meme-based social media pages and keep their audience engaged.
You can get social media management jobs by reaching out to social media accounts, sending them a DM (Direct Messaging), and getting feedback.
4: Create a meme-focused YouTube Channel: YouTube is the second most visited website outside Google, making it an excellent place to monetize your memes.
Many YouTube channels that publish meme compilation videos get thousands of views and, in some cases, millions of views. With consistency, your channel can begin to record similar success, and you can begin to earn money.
- How can you monetize your YouTube Channel? : Your YouTube channel can be approved for monetization through Google AdSense via the YouTube Partner Program once your channel gets over 1,000 subscribers and over 4,000 watch hours in the last 12 months.
- Another way of monetizing your YouTube channel is through affiliate marketing, promoting other people’s goods and services that your audience will likely buy, or even promoting your products.
5: Join platforms like Memechat and PicturePunches: Platforms like memechat and picture punches were designed as a way for meme creators to monetize their meme design skills. PicturePunches lets meme creators earn from Ads impressions by serving Ads below each of their posts.
6: Open a meme Print on Demand Store: The print-on-demand business model is very suitable for anyone who wants to make extra money selling merchandise with memes printed on them.
This is because, like dropshipping, you don’t need to stock the products you sell or even do the fulfillment when the customer places orders. After all, all those will be handled by a third party.
You can create a print-on-demand store for free on platforms like Redbubble, Zazzle, Spreadshirt, Amazon Merch, Teespring, etc., Or purchase a domain name and hosting from a web hosting provider like Namecheap and create your very own custom print-on-demand store which you can now connect with Printful or Printify and sell different custom-designed merchandise like Tshirts, mugs, hoodies, phone cases, etc.
Remember memes are protected by copyright laws and cannot be used for commercial purposes, so check for trademarks on websites like Trademarkia, but preferably you should create your original memes for sale.
7: Affiliate Marketing With Memes: Affiliate Marketing is the process of selling other people’s products and getting paid a commission, usually a percentage of the product’s price.
It is an excellent way to make money with memes because you don’t have to create any products yourself; you have to recommend them to your audience and earn a commission when a sale is made.
Affiliate marketing is more profitable when one has created a large audience and majorly posts memes related to a specific niche. For example, it will be much easier to make sales by promoting a weight loss product on a page that mostly posts weight loss or health and fitness memes.
8: Become An Online Tutor: Becoming an online tutor is another way to make money with memes. Record a video tutorial showing a step-by-step course on how to design memes.
You can sell your video courses on your website or other online course websites like Coursera and SkillShare.
If you don’t feel like creating the videos, you can affiliate with websites like Udemy, Coursera, and Teachable and promote similar courses to your audience.
9: Make Money With Meme Pages: Meme pages are usually pages on social media (Facebook pages, Instagram pages, Pinterest) where memes are the main content being uploaded; they could be in video and pictures format.
It’s advisable to choose a niche (e.g., movies, sports, video games) and regularly post memes related to that niche. This will help you know your audience and determine how best to monetize the page.
● Through Affiliate Marketing, this is easier for those who picked a niche.
● Selling meme merchandise such as T-Shirts, stickers, and hoodies from your print-on-demand store.
● Making sponsored posts for brands and businesses.
● Selling shout-outs to other social media pages and brands
10: Sell Meme-Merchandise and Meme Templates on Etsy: Etsy is a vast online marketplace that attracts customers worldwide. You can open up a print-on-demand store and sell your meme merchandise.
Another money-making avenue is to sell customizable templates, which you can quickly do with Canva.
Conclusion:
The meme niche is extensive; you’ll need to niche down and not just post any random meme you see. Many people are making money with memes, and you could be one of them.