How to make money with a meme page

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Whether you want to be a doctor, lawyer, or make memes for a living – the future is yours. As a tax CPA who dealt with boring IRS code and tax law – I needed an escape from the mundane to be creative. Who would have thought that in making memes in the online culture could be more than just a hobby?

It’s 2023 – and here I am, making an average of $5,000/month running a meme page that I started. In this article, I’ll take you through the steps I took to turn my love for meme culture and into a lucrative side hustle, brand name, and business that I continue to grow. Lets go over how you can make money by starting a meme page.

How I started a meme page from scratch

Ever since the launch of Instagram and other social media platforms, the main thing that has kept me and my friends engaged has been the memes that travel around the internet. For years I thought of funny memes and jokes but kept them to myself.

In 2018, I started looking into ways to make money online. From selling things on eBay and a starting few failed blogs, I decided to stick to my passion on my next side hustle and actually create a brand that I would be proud to own.

I started looking at popular meme pages and trying to understand the business side of these popular social media accounts. It was clear to me that people on social media love to share memes and funny content to their friends so growing a meme page could be lucrative if the content is there.

In February 2018, I started a meme page the was focused on a specific niche. Since that time, I have grown this Instagram account from 0 to 250,000 followers, with additional followers on Facebook and Twitter. Today the social media accounts continue to grow at a rapid pace and I have monetized it for 3 years now.

Below I’ll lay out the steps I took to pick a niche, start a page, and how I monetized the page where it continuously brings in about $5,000 recurring revenue from a few different sources.

Why memes?

Memes are more than just picture with a caption, they have evolved into a essential part of modern culture. In a world where our attention spans are typically working in 15 second clips, memes provide an easily digestible way to communicate and express and idea.

Memes are great for social media contents as they get shared around through direct messages, texts or even sharing them directly in an Instagram story. Memes can foster a sense of community, as everyone in a certain niche can relate.

When people share or engage with a meme, they are often connecting over a shared understanding or experience, which can create a sense of belonging. This aspect of memes is particularly significant in marketing, as it enables businesses to connect with their audience on a more personal level.

Even our Internet Overlord Elon Musk boasts about his love for memes.

How to start and grow a meme page

Find your niche

First and foremost, find a niche that you are passionate about. If you love Brazilian Ju Jitsu, maybe you can start a funny meme page focused around BJJ. Are you a plant lover? Start a funny meme page around the difficulties of keeping plants alive.

If you’re struggling to find a niche, think about what kind of meme account you would create for yourself as a target audience.

For me, it was combining popular culture with humor. My memes range from movie references to pop culture events. Focusing on a niche that you love ensures that you are creating content that resonates with your audience.

Pick a name for your brand

Picking a name for your meme page and brand can be a difficult task. If you are as indecisive as I am, this part of the process may take you the most time. Don’t over think it! Although the name of your accounts is important, people really don’t care as much as you think they do.

Look at some of the most popular meme accounts such as “MensHumor”, “WeedHumor”, “Memezar”, “Grape Juice Boys”. It can really be anything you want, as long as its easy to remember and spell in searches – it’s likely a good choice.

You can even use us text generative AI like ChatGPT to help you think of names.

Build your online presence on all social media platforms

Once you have identified the niche and name of your social media accounts, it’s time to register your handle and username across all social media accounts.

This is one of my biggest mistakes, so I share this with you so you don’t make the same mistake. Even if you don’t think you will make a TikTok, Twitter or any other social media account – I recommend registering the username or handle anyway to ensure you have ownership of it.

This is something that I failed to do. It didn’t take long for other people to make imposter accounts of my Instagram page on other social media platforms such a TikTok and Twitter. Now I have different social media handles on different platforms which is not ideal.

Post content that will get shared

This is the most important part of the process. The rest of the steps are merely administrative but the most important part of a successful meme page is the content! You want to have relevant content that resonates with your audience and encourages them to share it with their network. Creating share-worthy content often involves being up-to-date with trends, pop culture, and current events. It’s essential to understand what your audience finds humorous or relatable. Be creative and try to add your unique twist to the content.

With the growth of TikTok and Instagram Reels, these are great ways to create viral content that help you jump start your social media growth. Often times you can look through the explorer page of Instagram to see trending content that you can repurpose for your niche.

Reddit is also another great place to find memes, meme templates and content about your niche to make memes about. r/Memes is a great place to find good meme content.

It’s also good practice to engage with your audience by responding to comments and messages. This will create a sense of community around your page, which will encourage more sharing. Keep in mind that the more your content is shared, the wider the audience you will reach, which ultimately increases the potential for monetization. Remember, it’s not just about creating content; it’s about creating value and building relationships with your audience.

Lastly, don’t stop posting! It’s important to stay consistent and keep posting.

Find ways to monetize your audience

Once I gained a substantial following (mainly on Instagram in my case), I began to monetize my content. Here’s how:

  • Sponsored Posts: Brands started reaching out to me to create memes that include their products. This was my first big break. Remember to choose sponsorships that align with your brand. I started working with businesses in my niche and helping to promote them to my followers.
  • Merchandise: I created novelty t-shirts, mugs, flags and stickers related to my niche and sold them through an online Shopify store.
  • Social Media Monetization: Another stream of income was through Facebook’s monetization of content. By adhering to Facebook’s Monetization Policies and ensuring my content met the eligibility criteria, I was able to monetize my memes and started earning between $100-$300 per month just from Facebook.
  • Start a Blog Related to Your Niche: Recognizing the long-term potential of content marketing, I have recently started a blog within my Shopify store. The goal is to craft engaging and valuable articles that align with the niche of my memes. I am focusing on SEO strategies and targeting keywords that I believe will help my content rank on Google searches relevant to my audience. The hope is that this will not only drive more traffic to my merchandise but also pave the way for additional revenue streams. As the blog develops and starts to attract traffic, I plan to integrate display ads and participate in affiliate marketing. This endeavor is still in its infancy, but I am optimistic about its prospects for contributing to my brand’s growth and diversifying my income.
  • Donations and Crowdfunding: Sites like Patreon allow your most dedicated fans to support your content through donations.

Understand the business and tax implications of the income

It might seem all fun and games creating memes and making money – but remember that you are running a business. With business income comes taxes. This isn’t meant to scare you but you need to remember to keep accurate books and records of your income and business expenses.

Consider consulting with an accountant or tax professional to ensure you are compliant with tax regulations. It’s important to be aware of any deductible expenses that can offset your income, and understand how self-employment taxes work.

Additionally, as your meme page grows, it might be worth considering forming a legal entity, such as an LLC, to protect yourself and potentially reap additional tax benefits. Being savvy about the business side of your meme page will not only keep you out of trouble but also help you make more informed decisions that can contribute to the sustainability and growth of your venture.

Conclusion

Making money by creating memes is not a get-rich-quick scheme. It requires consistency, creativity, and engagement with your audience. With dedication, passion, and strategic planning, you can turn your love for memes into a significant income source.