Do you know you can make money on WhatsApp in Nigeria or any part of this world? I guessed you hardly believed the title, but hey, it’s real.
With over 5 billion downloads on Google Play Store and Apple App Store, the erstwhile “instant messaging only” app is now a tool for making money online. And today, we shall take a look at how users like you can earn some money on WhatsApp.
The online world is filled with lots of money-making opportunities and we’ll be exploring one of them in this post.
About WhatsApp
The WhatsApp instant messaging platform was launched on the 9th of May 2009. A few years later, it was later bought by Facebook Inc. in November 2014 for the sum of $19 million.
Today, the app is worth billions of dollars and has already enabled some people to make good money. The company also released WhatsApp for Business in January of 2018 which is geared towards connecting small and medium business owners to their customers.
And with such an enabling environment for businesses to thrive, then you should be making money by now. But if you’re not, don’t worry, this post will open your eyes to the possibilities that lie beneath the instant messaging platform.
Requirements to Earn Money on WhatsApp:
Oh, this is not a big deal though, but here are some requirements you need before we begin.
A smartphone with decent specifications of a least 2GB RAM, 16GB ROM (with expandable storage), a decent camera, and at least 4000mAh battery capacity.
Since WhatsApp makes use of contacts, the number of contacts you have is directly proportional to how much you make. In essence, the bigger your list, the more money you can make.
Good Internet connectivity and basics of marketing is also a prerequisite.
What to do to Make Money on WhatsApp
Build Real & Massive Contact List
It is important for you to have lots of contacts as this increases your chance of making money on WhatsApp. The truth is, not everyone on your list will buy your product or pay for that service you’re offering.
So to build up your list, you need to have at least one Google account. This will be used to save and synchronize your contacts as most network providers allow a maximum of 200 – 250 contacts per SIM card.
In fact, this is the primary source to make money on WhatsApp!
I believe by now you should be in some groups but still, you have to join more groups. Staying active in these groups, interacting in conversations, and participating in all activities will in time, turn fellow group members into contacts/friends.
And there are many ways to join these groups: most group owners advertise their groups on Facebook, Twitter, and on forums like Nairaland.
Try Switching to WhatsApp for Business
You may decide to switch to a business profile using WhatsApp for Business. This gives you access to tools to properly manage your business and make money on the fly. Using WhatsApp for Business lets your post important information such as business description, working hours, addresses, website, and more for your customers.
Quick replies also come in handy when you have lots of contacts. This allows you to reuse saved messages for replying to frequently asked questions. And if you’re offline, automated messages do a good job in giving new customers who message you a brief overview of your business.
You can still stick with the normal WhatsApp for a start but we do recommend using WhatsApp for Business for best results.
Now, let’s talk about the big deal;
How to Make Money on WhatsApp in Nigeria
Below are the four different ways you can turn your WhatsApp account into a money-making tool:
Organize WhatsApp Tutorial Classes/Seminars
Proficiency in any skill could make you money once you start leveraging this simple but yet, powerful app called WhatsApp.
First of all, pick a skill you’re good at. This could be forex, crypto, graphics design, interior design, copywriting, catering, event planning/management, or whatever it is you are heralded for.
Next is to create a group that should have up to 256 members willing to learn from your knowledge. Fact is, people are more than willing to learn a skill as long as it is profitable to them. And if you can guarantee this, then you’ll surely be paid for your services.
You can set and hold classes at different times according to the convenience of your members. Practical classes can be held on a platform like Zoom, Google Meet, or similar apps. Other events like seminars can also be held and this can fetch you a good amount.
It’s not compulsory that you must have a lot of contacts before you can make money on WhatsApp. A lot of people who engage in this kind of business usually run Facebook advertisements.
If you run Facebook/Instagram ads, you’re going to see serious-minded people who are ready to learn that skill from you.
Retailing (or Dropshipping)
If you have a brand or manufacture a product, WhatsApp is another resource to get buyers. It could be anything from shoes, to fashion products, beauty products, healthcare products, or food-related products.
With this method, you don’t need to create a group but your vast number of contacts will come in handy here.
I know some people that make money on WhatsApp by this retaining method.
For example, you can go to the nearby furniture maker (or anybody that offers or sell products your audience might be interested in), partner with them, ask them for the price of the item, then put your own little profit and start advertising on your WhatsApp.
For instance, I bought an office chair at the rate of N45,000 ($100), I know that there are people who might be interested in the chair. Then I get clean pictures of the office chair, post them on my WhatsApp statuses.
If anybody showed interest, I will tell that person that the chair cost N55,000. For sure, you’ll negotiate and the last price is N50,000. And the person paid, I’ll buy the chair for him/her at N45k and keep the remaining N5,000.
This is a surefire way to make money on WhatsApp.
If you’re interested in this, you should also try dropshipping business. You don’t need to have any products, just what I’ve just explained.
And dropshipping is one of the hottest business since 5 years ago.
- Check here and learn how to start a dropshipping business.
- Also, check the top 10 hottest products for dropshipping.
Having an idea of what tickles the fancy of the majority of your contacts should give you an insight into what product to retail. Equipped with this knowledge, you can now head over to your WhatsApp status and begin posting pictures with brief descriptions of each product.
And if you feel like, you can attach prices to respective products.
Affiliate marketing
Now, let’s talk about Affiliate marketing.
Affiliate marketing is one of the top ways to make money online, I’ve personally earned some bucks through affiliate marketing (although I’m a part-timer in it).
Without having a website, you can use affiliate marketing to make money on WhatsApp.
You don’t need to spend money acquiring products and so you have nothing to lose but a lot to gain. Be sure to know that the amount of money you can make via affiliate programs varies from product to product. Do take note of that.
You can check here for the list of the best affiliate marketing programs that you can join for free.
This is how I do it on WhatsApp;
I use to talk about what I know people can buy, such as smartphones, chairs, hoodies, shoes, etc. I will initially, through my WhatsApp statuses convince my viewers while they need to buy that product, and finally, I will share my affiliate link for those interested to buy.
If they buy through my affiliate link, I will earn a commission.
Link Sharing/Shortener Services
You can make money on WhatsApp through an ad-based link shortener, but the earning is small except you can be patient to accumulate steady and small earnings.
This is especially cool if you have a blog. But if you don’t have one, don’t worry, as you can still make some bucks by using AD-based link sharing services. A good example is ADF.ly but we’ve also got others who offer similar services.
(Here is how to start a blog for free, even with your smartphone)
Using these services, you can share links to your favorites movies, skits, songs, and games on your status with your viewers/contacts. Depending on the service, you’ll be paid on a per-click or per-view basis.
Basically, some services do pay when someone clicks on your shortened URL while some do pay when the link is clicked and then a few seconds AD is viewed.
Be mindful of the files you share and ensure they are free of any form of the virus. If you share a harmful file, then viewers may neglect your future updates.
WhatsApp TV
You probably belong to at least one TV right now. And these TVs belong to other TVs as well. WhatsApp TVs infused life into a one time “chat-only” app. Today, you can get maximum entertainment whether your friends are online to chat or not. But that’s not our concern for now.
You may be asking, how can I make some bucks on WhatsApp through WhatsApp TV? It’s simple!
There are lots of ways to do this. Your job is to entertain and inform your viewers and this opens lots of opportunities to make money. While you go ahead with entertaining your viewers, you can accept ADs for businesses of all kinds.
This is what I mean;
If you grow your fan base to a large audience, maybe thousands of viewers and any content you post do go viral, then people will be contacting you to help them advertise on your platform.
Your AD rates should vary according to the type of business: some businesses make more profit than others so have that at the back of your mind.
The most interesting part of having a WhatsApp TV is that you can earn in different ways while having fun with your viewers. If you signed up for a cool service, you could easily get paid via referrals as you have a large contact base.
You may also decide to sell branded products (T-shirts, mugs, etc.) to your viewers. Your earning potential is just limitless.
CONCLUSION: Making Money on WhatsApp
So, we’ve seen the different ways you can make money on WhatsApp. And as with all businesses, our advice to you is to be consistent, this sets up for success.
You can also check: Top Apps to Make Money for FREE
Hit us up in the comments and tell us which method you would like to start using: maybe you could open a WhatsApp TV or go ahead with retailing. And if you already make money from WhatsApp, do well to share with us below!
