How a 32-year-old earns thousands with fewer than 8,000 followers

LifestyleHow a 32-year-old earns thousands with fewer than 8,000 followersBy Reuters -Apr 19, 2026Alyssa Poplaski doesn’t consider herself a large-scale influencer. The 32-year-old technical designer for a high-end fashion brand in New York has fewer than 8,000 followers on TikTok, where she posts videos about her life. But her modest following hasn’t precluded her from finding financial success online. In the first three months of this year, she says she has earned $4,355 before tax from brand partnerships, affiliate links and Amazon commissions. In November, Poplaski received an email from a beauty brand offering her a four-figure brand deal. At first, she presumed it was fake. “The email was so professional. It was kind of undeniable,” she says. In the end, she was paid $1,500 for one 30-second TikTok video. which she also shared to her Instagram account, where she has 4,000 followers. From how to spend a Saturday night out in New York City to a 10-step morning routine, Poplaski shares her life online, though she says monetisation was not her original goal. After entering the workforce, she says she longed for a creative outlet different from her full-time job and turned to social media to begin documenting moments with friends. “And then I was like, ‘Oh, this is kind of fun,’” she says. “So it kind of snowballed.” Despite generating some income, Poplaski has no plans to leave her nine-to-five role, valuing the stability it provides. “All of the benefits are amazing and I don’t have to worry,” she says. “I know every two weeks I’m getting my paycheck, but this has honestly supplemented my income.” She films and edits her videos before and after work — sometimes for an entire day on the weekend — to have content lined up for the week. As her day job remains her priority, she’s selective about partnerships. When approached by brands for sponsorship opportunities, she describes the negotiation process as “like a dance,” noting that “you have no idea what the budget...