How I Make Six-Figures in Passive Income as a Writer and Social Media Influencer

In 2013, I wrote “How To Be Man” for Business Insider, which went relatively viral, with over 3.5 million views. I followed it with a popular Holiday Gift Guide — a cynical, better-curated take on the famous Neiman Marcus fantasy gift guide. In the process, I made $0.

Because of the success of my articles, plenty of outlets wanted me to write for them — CNBC, Business Insider, The Huffington Post, The Blaze, etc.

Even though most of these offers were unpaid, it was important for me (at the time) to boost my profile, footprint, and credentials ahead of my book coming out. Still, it didn’t seem right that I was giving them millions of clicks for free. So I decided to figure out a way to monetize it.

By 2016, my Business Insider Holiday gift guide was generating millions of views, and made me more than $80,000 and counting — not bad for a single article! And I’ve been generating six figures of passive income every year ever since, without much effort.

Here’s how I did it:

Wake up to the power of affiliate links

My book — a memoir about pervasive deviance and corruption on Wall Street— came out in 2015, and debuted at #7 on the New York Times bestseller’s list…