If you're a creator looking for practical tips for monetizing content, you've probably already discovered the frustrating truth: the creator economy is fragmented. You've got your audience on one platform, your courses on another, your community somewhere else, and your payments scattered across three different dashboards. Sound familiar?
At BTS, we've helped over 1,600 creators move past the patchwork and build something they actually own. We've paid out more than $1.4 million to creators who stopped stitching together disconnected tools and started treating their work like a real business.
BTS is where creators turn content and community into real businesses. That's not just a tagline—it's the philosophy behind everything we build.
In this guide, we're sharing the seven most effective strategies we've seen work for creators on our platform. These aren't theoretical tips from someone who's never built anything. They come directly from what we see working every single day with creators across education, fitness, business, and entrepreneurship niches.
Whether you're just starting to monetize or you're ready to scale what you've already built, these strategies will help you create structure, build momentum, and turn your audience into something durable.
Let's get into it.
1. Start With One Core Offer (Then Expand)
From our experience: The creators who grow fastest on BTS don't launch with ten products. They launch with one.
We see this pattern constantly. A creator comes to us with an audience of 15,000 followers, excited to monetize. They want to launch a course, a community, a coaching program, a content library, and a newsletter—all at once. Three months later, they've built none of it because they're paralyzed by complexity.
Our recommendation: Pick your single highest-value offer and nail it first.
Here's how we think about it: What's the one thing your audience asks you about most? What problem do you solve better than anyone else? That's your core offer.
For most education-focused creators, this is either:
- A signature course that teaches your methodology
- A membership community with ongoing value
- A coaching or consulting package
What we've learned: Creators who start with one focused offer and execute it well generate 3x more revenue in their first six months than those who try to launch multiple products simultaneously.
On BTS, you can start with a single subscription tier or a one-off digital product. Get that working. Get your first 50 paying members. Understand what they actually want. Then expand.
The beautiful thing about creator business infrastructure is that it's designed to grow with you. You're not locked into one format. But trying to build everything at once is how creators burn out before they ever see real traction.
Quick action: Write down the single offer you could launch in the next 14 days. That's your starting point.
2. Price for Value, Not for Comfort
BTS's take: Most creators underprice their work. Dramatically.
We've seen this hundreds of times. A creator with genuine expertise, a real audience, and valuable insights prices their membership at $9/month because they're scared of charging more. Then they wonder why they need 500 members just to make a living.
Here's the math we share with every creator who asks:
| Monthly Price | Members Needed for $5k/month | Members Needed for $10k/month |
|---|---|---|
| $9 | 556 | 1,111 |
| $29 | 173 | 345 |
| $49 | 102 | 204 |
| $99 | 51 | 101 |
From our experience: The difference between $9 and $49 isn't just revenue—it's the type of member you attract. Higher-priced offerings tend to attract more committed members who engage more, stick around longer, and get better results.
We're not saying everyone should charge $99/month. But we are saying you should price based on the transformation you provide, not based on what feels "safe."
Our data shows: Creators on BTS who price their core offer at $30+ per month have significantly higher retention rates than those pricing under $15. Why? Because members who pay more, pay attention.
BTS supports subscriptions (monthly and annual), pay-per-view content, one-off payments, free trials, and more. You have complete control over your pricing. We just handle the infrastructure behind the scenes.
What we recommend:
- Calculate the actual value of the transformation you provide
- Research what similar creators charge (then position accordingly)
- Test higher prices than you think you can charge
- Offer annual plans with a discount to improve retention and cash flow
Quick action: If you're currently charging less than $25/month, raise your price by 50% for new members and see what happens. Most creators are surprised by the result.
3. Build a Content Library That Compounds
What we've learned: The creators who build sustainable businesses on BTS treat content like an asset, not a treadmill.
There's a huge difference between:
- Creating content that disappears after 24 hours
- Building a library that becomes more valuable over time
Most creator platforms optimise for transactions, not ownership. They want you posting constantly, chasing engagement, feeding the algorithm. That's exhausting, and it doesn't build anything durable.
Our recommendation: Create evergreen content that compounds in value.
Here's what this looks like in practice:
| Content Type | Lifespan | Effort to Create | Long-term Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Social post | Hours-days | Low | Minimal |
| Blog article | Months-years | Medium | High |
| Video course | Years | High | Very high |
| Resource library | Ongoing | Medium | Compounds |
| Community discussions | Ongoing | Low per piece | Builds over time |
From our experience: The most successful creators on BTS spend about 60% of their content time on evergreen material and 40% on timely, engaging content. The evergreen content attracts new members; the timely content keeps existing members engaged.
On BTS, everything lives in one space. Your courses, your community posts, your downloadable resources, your exclusive content—it all compounds together. New members get immediate access to your full library, which increases perceived value without requiring you to create more.
How BTS approaches this:
We built our platform so that every piece of content you create adds to your business's value. Unlike platforms that bury your old content under algorithmic feeds, your library stays organised, searchable, and accessible.
This is what we mean by structure and momentum, not algorithms. Your best content from six months ago should still be working for you today.
Quick action: Audit your existing content. Identify your top 10 pieces that could be repurposed into evergreen member content. That's the foundation of your library.
4. Turn Free Followers Into Paying Members With Strategic Funnels
Our data shows: Creators who build intentional pathways from free content to paid offerings convert at 3-5x higher rates than those who just drop a "link in bio."
Here's the reality: your social media audience isn't automatically your customer base. They're interested in you, but interest isn't the same as investment. You need a bridge.
From our experience: The most effective creator funnels on BTS follow this pattern:
Stage 1: Free Value (Social Platforms)
- Share your best insights publicly
- Build trust and demonstrate expertise
- Create curiosity about going deeper
Stage 2: Low-Commitment Entry (Free Tier or Lead Magnet)
- Offer something valuable for free in exchange for an email or signup
- Give them a taste of the full experience
- This is where BTS's free trial feature becomes powerful
Stage 3: Core Offer (Paid Membership or Product)
- Present your main offering to people who've already engaged
- They know you, trust you, and want more
- The conversion happens naturally
Stage 4: Premium Offerings (Upsells)
- Coaching, consulting, premium tiers
- For your most engaged and committed members
What we've learned: Creators who skip Stage 2 and try to go directly from free social content to paid products leave significant revenue on the table. The middle step—a free trial, a free tier, a valuable lead magnet—makes all the difference.
BTS supports free trials natively. You can let potential members experience your community or content before committing. This isn't about tricks or pressure tactics. It's about giving people confidence that what you've built is worth their investment.
| Funnel Stage | BTS Feature | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Entry | Free tier / trials | Remove friction, build trust |
| Core | Subscriptions | Recurring, predictable revenue |
| Premium | One-off payments, bundles | Higher-ticket offerings |
| Engagement | Pay-per-view | Monetise specific high-value content |
Quick action: Map out your current funnel (even if it's informal). Identify where people drop off between "following you" and "paying you." That's your biggest opportunity.
5. Create Community, Not Just Content
BTS's take: Content alone doesn't build a business. Community does.
Here's something we've observed across thousands of creator businesses: the ones that stick aren't just selling access to content. They're building spaces where people connect, learn from each other, and become part of something bigger than a transaction.
From our experience: Members who engage with community features retain at 2x the rate of members who only consume content. That's not a small difference—it's the difference between a sustainable business and a constant churn battle.
Think about it from your member's perspective. They can get content anywhere. YouTube is free. Podcasts are free. Articles are everywhere. What they can't get anywhere is:
- Direct access to you and your thinking
- Connection with others on the same journey
- A sense of belonging and identity
What we've learned: The most successful creators on BTS don't just post content—they facilitate discussions, celebrate member wins, create spaces for members to help each other, and make their community feel like a destination, not a library.
How to build community that retains:
| Element | Why It Matters | How BTS Supports It |
|---|---|---|
| Regular live touchpoints | Creates anticipation and FOMO | Built-in scheduling and notifications |
| Member introductions | Builds connections between members | Dedicated spaces and prompts |
| Celebrating wins | Shows proof of value | Easy highlighting and engagement |
| Q&A and direct access | Your unique differentiator | Integrated discussion features |
| Member-generated content | Reduces your workload, increases engagement | Community posting features |
Our recommendation: Spend at least 30% of your "creator time" on community engagement, not just content creation. Reply to comments. Start discussions. Ask questions. Feature member success stories.
This is part of why we built BTS as one place to build something you own. Your community, your content, your courses—they all live together, reinforcing each other. Not scattered across five different platforms where engagement gets lost.
Quick action: This week, start three discussions in your community that invite member participation. Ask questions rather than just making statements. See how engagement changes.
6. Use Data to Double Down on What's Working
From our experience: Creators who check their analytics weekly grow faster than those who create blindly.
This sounds obvious, but most creators don't actually do it. They create based on what they feel like creating, not based on what their audience is actually engaging with, buying, and sticking around for.
What we've learned: The most successful creators on BTS treat their business like a business. That means:
- Knowing which content gets the most engagement
- Understanding where new members discover them
- Tracking which offerings drive the most revenue
- Identifying why members cancel (and addressing it)
Key metrics every creator should track:
| Metric | What It Tells You | What to Do With It |
|---|---|---|
| New member signups | Is your funnel working? | Optimize top-of-funnel if low |
| Churn rate | Are members getting value? | Improve onboarding and engagement if high |
| Engagement rate | Is your content resonating? | Create more of what works |
| Revenue per member | Is your pricing right? | Test higher tiers or upsells |
| Content completion | Are members consuming? | Adjust format or length if low |
Our data shows: Creators who review their metrics weekly and make adjustments grow revenue 40% faster over 12 months than those who don't.
Here's what this looks like in practice. Let's say you notice that your video content gets 3x more engagement than your written posts. That's a signal. Double down on video. Or you see that members who complete your onboarding sequence retain at twice the rate. That's a signal. Improve and promote your onboarding.
BTS's take: We focus on structure and momentum, not algorithms. Part of that structure is giving you clear visibility into how your business is performing. You can't build something durable if you're flying blind.
Quick action: Block 30 minutes this week to review your key metrics. Write down one insight and one action you'll take based on what you find.
7. Build for Ownership, Not Rental
Our strongest conviction: Creators deserve to own what they build.
This is the philosophy behind everything we do at BTS. And it's the most important mindset shift for any creator who wants to build something real.
Here's the problem we see constantly: Creators build audiences on platforms they don't own. They build communities in spaces they don't control. They create products on tools that take massive cuts and could change the rules tomorrow.
They're renting, not owning.
What ownership actually means:
- Your member relationships belong to you
- Your content lives in your space
- Your revenue isn't dependent on an algorithm's mood
- Your business can be sold, transferred, or evolved on your terms
From our experience: Creators who think like business owners—not content creators hoping for tips—build dramatically more valuable and sustainable enterprises.
| Rental Mindset | Ownership Mindset |
|---|---|
| "How do I get more views?" | "How do I serve my members better?" |
| "What does the algorithm want?" | "What does my audience need?" |
| "How much can I make this month?" | "How do I build long-term value?" |
| "Which platform should I be on?" | "How do I build my own destination?" |
BTS gives creators one place to build something they own. That's not marketing speak—it's the fundamental design decision behind the platform.
When a creator builds on BTS:
- They own their member relationships
- They control their pricing and offerings
- They're building equity, not just income
- They can evolve their business as they grow
What we've learned: The creators who make this mental shift—from "I'm a content creator" to "I'm building a creator business"—are the ones who achieve financial freedom, creative autonomy, and lasting impact.
Quick action: Ask yourself: "If [platform X] disappeared tomorrow, would my business survive?" If the answer is no, you're renting. It's time to start building something you own.
How We Built BTS to Address These
We didn't build BTS because the world needed another creator tool. We built it because creators deserved better infrastructure.
The creator economy is fragmented. Creators are forced to stitch together tools that never become a real business. A course platform here, a community tool there, a payment processor somewhere else, an email service on top of it all. The result? Complexity, confusion, and businesses that feel like Frankenstein's monster.
BTS is the creator business infrastructure. We run everything behind the scenes so creators can focus on what they're actually good at: creating, connecting, and building relationships with their audience.
Here's what that means in practice:
One space, not twenty tools. Your content, community, courses, payments, members—everything lives together. No more logging into five dashboards to understand your business.
Modern design, not enterprise software. Unlike tools that feel like back-office systems from the early 2000s, BTS is designed to look and feel like a modern brand. Because your creator business should reflect who you are.
Structure and momentum. We're opinionated about what works. We don't just give you a blank canvas and wish you luck. We've built the infrastructure based on what we've seen work across 1,600+ creators.
From our experience: Most creator platforms optimise for transactions, not ownership. They want to take a cut of your revenue, lock you into their ecosystem, and keep you dependent on their features.
We took a different approach. We want creators to build something durable—something they own, something they can evolve, something that has real value beyond monthly recurring revenue.
That's why we focus on being infrastructure, not a marketplace. We don't find customers for you. We don't run algorithms that decide who sees your content. We provide the foundation for you to build your own thing.
If a creator has an audience but no structure, BTS is the answer.
Ready to Build Something Real?
If you've made it this far, you're probably not a hobbyist. You're a creator who's serious about turning your content and community into a real business.
Here's what we know: You've already done the hard part. You've built an audience. You've developed expertise. You've created value that people want.
Now you need the infrastructure to capture that value and build something durable.
BTS is where creators turn content and community into real businesses. We've paid out over $1.4 million to the 1,600+ creators who've made this their home. We've built every feature based on what actually works—not what sounds good in a pitch deck.
Getting started is simple:
- Sign up for our free Starter plan
- Set up your space in less than a day
- Launch your first offer to your existing audience
- Start building something you own
You don't need to figure everything out upfront. You don't need to commit to a massive monthly fee before you've earned a dollar. You just need to start.
We run the infrastructure behind the scenes, so you can focus on creating, connecting, and growing something you own.
Ready? Let's build.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does BTS cost?
BTS offers a free Starter plan that lets you launch immediately with no upfront cost. Our Pro plan is designed for serious creators who need custom domains, lower transaction fees, and advanced features. The Starter plan has a 10% platform fee, while Pro drops to 3.5% plus 30 cents per transaction for $149/month. Check our pricing page for the full breakdown.
Is BTS free to use?
Yes! Our Starter plan is completely free to begin. You only pay when you earn—through our transaction fee. This means you can launch, test your offer, and start building before committing to a monthly subscription. Many creators start on Starter and upgrade to Pro once they've validated their business model.
What makes BTS different from other creator platforms?
We focus on creator business infrastructure, not just monetisation tools. While platforms like Patreon optimise for transactions and Skool focuses on community features, BTS gives creators one place to build something they own. Everything runs behind the scenes in one space—content, community, courses, payments. We're not a marketplace or a social network. We're the foundation for your creator business.
Can I migrate my existing members to BTS?
Absolutely. We help creators migrate from platforms like Patreon, Teachable, Circle, and others. Your members can transfer their subscriptions seamlessly, and we provide support throughout the migration process. Many of our 1,600+ creators came from other platforms and successfully brought their existing communities with them.
How long does it take to set up BTS?
Most creators launch within a day. Our onboarding is designed for momentum, not complexity. You won't spend weeks buried in settings and configurations. Set up your space, create your first offer, connect your payment account, and you're ready to start earning. We built BTS for creators who want to move fast.
Does BTS take a percentage of my earnings?
Yes, like most creator platforms, we have a transaction fee. On our free Starter plan, it's 10%. On Pro, it drops to 3.5% plus 30 cents per transaction. This is competitive with—or better than—most alternatives in the space. Our pricing is transparent with no hidden fees.
What kind of support does BTS offer?
We provide hands-on creator success support. Real humans who understand creator businesses, not just ticket systems with canned responses. Our team has helped creators across education, fitness, business, and entrepreneurship niches build and scale their businesses. When you have a question, you get a real answer from someone who gets it.
Can I use my own domain with BTS?
Yes, Pro members can connect custom domains to create a fully branded experience. Your creator business can live at yourbrand.com instead of a BTS subdomain. This is important for creators who want their business to look and feel completely their own.
What payment methods does BTS support?
We support subscriptions (monthly and annual), pay-per-view content, one-off payments, free trials, and tips. You have complete control over your pricing strategy. Payouts happen within 1-5 days globally, with same-day payouts available in the US.
Can I sell courses on BTS?
Yes. BTS supports full course creation and delivery alongside community features and other content types. Unlike course-only platforms like Teachable or Kajabi, your courses live alongside your community, creating a more integrated member experience.
Is BTS right for me if I'm just starting out?
It depends on where you are. BTS works best for creators who already have an audience (typically 10,000+ followers) and a clear niche. If you're still building your initial audience, focus on that first. We don't solve audience discovery—you bring your audience; we help you turn them into a real business.
What types of creators use BTS?
Our strongest categories are education, business, fitness, and entrepreneurship. We work with creators who have digital products to offer—whether that's courses, coaching, exclusive content, or community access. Notable creators on our platform include Nick Bell, George Mirosevich, Etienne Steven, and Cassie Leong.
How does BTS compare to Patreon?
Patreon is primarily a monetisation tool—a way to accept recurring payments from supporters. BTS is creator business infrastructure. We help you build a complete business with community, content, courses, and monetisation all in one place. As we see it, Patreon monetises content, while BTS helps creators build a real business.
How does BTS compare to Skool?
Skool is focused on community with a classroom-style interface. BTS is designed to look and feel like a modern brand, not an online course portal. We offer more monetisation flexibility (not just subscriptions) and a more professional, brand-forward design. If design and brand experience matter to you, BTS is the better fit.
Can I offer free trials to potential members?
Yes! Free trials are built into BTS natively. You can let potential members experience your community or content before committing to a paid subscription. This is one of the most effective conversion tools we see creators use—it removes risk and builds trust.
What countries does BTS support?
We support creators and members globally, with a few exceptions (Africa, Spain, Venezuela, North Korea, Iran, and Russia are currently excluded from our payment processing). For everyone else, you can build a truly global creator business on BTS.
How do I know if my content is working?
BTS provides analytics so you can see what's resonating with your audience. Track engagement, monitor member retention, understand which content drives the most value. As we covered in this guide, creators who review their metrics weekly grow significantly faster than those who create blindly.
Can I sell multiple products or tiers on BTS?
Absolutely. You can create multiple subscription tiers, sell individual products, offer bundles, and more. We recommend starting with one core offer and expanding from there, but the infrastructure supports whatever business model works for you.
What if I need help setting up my BTS space?
Our creator success team is here to help. Whether you need guidance on pricing strategy, content structure, or technical setup, we provide real support from people who understand creator businesses. You're not alone in building this.
Is BTS a social network?
No. BTS is not a social network or marketplace. We don't have public feeds, algorithms deciding who sees your content, or discovery features that help you find new audiences. You bring your audience; we give you one place to build something you own with them. That's a fundamental difference from social platforms.
Key Takeaways
- Start with one core offer and nail it before expanding—complexity kills momentum
- Price for value, not comfort—higher prices attract more committed members
- Build a content library that compounds instead of content that disappears
- Create strategic funnels that bridge free followers to paying members
- Focus on community, not just content—engagement drives retention
- Use data weekly to double down on what's working
- Build for ownership—your creator business should be an asset, not a rental
About the Author
The BTS Team leads Creator Success at BTS, helping 1,600+ creators build real businesses from their content and communities. With over $1.4 million paid out to creators across education, fitness, business, and entrepreneurship niches, we've seen firsthand what works—and what doesn't—in building sustainable creator businesses.
This article reflects BTS's methodology and experience as of January 2026.