How to monetize a Facebook group

Can you apply for Facebook group monetization? What are the Facebook group monetization requirements? Get 17 ideas for making money from your group.

Want to turn your Facebook group into a money-making machine? There are many ways to go about it, but first, you need to post engaging content that gains a solid following. Once you’ve built a thriving community, you can leverage it to create multiple sources of income.

Let’s walk through how to monetize a Facebook group. We’ll explain how to build an audience on Facebook and position yourself to make money. Then, we’ll deep dive into different monetization schemes so you can figure out the best strategy for you.

Facebook group monetization 101: Getting started

Before getting into the nuts and bolts of how to make money with Facebook Groups, it’s best to understand how to create and nurture a group with monetization potential.

What is a Facebook group?

Facebook groups are like hubs that let people connect over shared interests. As of August 2022, there were over 10 million Facebook groups with over 1.8 billion monthly users and over 70 million admins and moderators.

Groups can be created for anything from events to hobbies, ideas, or professions. You can create a group just for fun. But business owners can take it a step further and create groups to create relationships with customers, stir up brand interest, and spread the word about products and services.

Facebook pages and groups are similar in that they both provide a place where people can share thoughts and interact with content that centers around a common interest.

The biggest difference is that groups can be public or private. Public groups let anyone worldwide see the group’s content and member list. With private groups, the content and member list can only be seen by group members.

Facebook group monetization requirements

Wondering how to apply for Facebook group monetization? Unfortunately, you can’t. Facebook groups don’t qualify for in-house monetization like pages and videos. But you’re not out of luck.

It’s possible to make money from Facebook groups by funneling members to a monetized website on another platform (like BlurBay), working with the Facebook Brand Collabs Manager (BCM), selling affiliate products and more. Learn more about how to monetize a Facebook group below.

How much can I make from monetizing my Facebook group?

It’s tough to answer this question, because Facebook group monetization doesn’t work like page and video monetization. You can’t apply to monetize a group. You’ll have to find other ways to earn revenue from groups.

The amount you earn from monetizing a Facebook group depends on the number and type of revenue sources you’ve enabled, the size of your following, and the quality of your marketing.

It’s possible to earn hundreds or even thousands of dollars monthly by monetizing a Facebook group. But that doesn’t happen overnight. Building an audience and generating conversions takes time, so be patient.

Which should you monetize—a Facebook group or your own website?

It might seem evident that Facebook is a worthwhile platform for growing and monetizing an audience. After all, it’s still the biggest social media platform in the world, with over 2.9 billion active monthly users as of late 2022.

While you might be able to convince many people to join your group, you may have a hard time stimulating ongoing engagement. Not all Facebook users are interested in groups, and those that are may not contribute regularly. Plus, you have limited branding and customization options.

On top of this, many social media platforms are frequently in the spotlight over privacy issues and content regulation matters. This puts users at the mercy of constantly shifting policies impacting visibility, growth, and revenue.

One viable alternative is to grow your brand on an independent platform like BlurBay. Lesser known than social media giants like Facebook and Instagram, BlurBay lets you easily create and customize a website to match your brand. You can easily accept payments, post content, and manage your online presence without heavy-handed corporate regulation.

Set a specific target

Don’t aim too broadly, or you’ll waste a lot of effort trying to reach people who aren’t interested in what you offer. Instead, narrow down your target audience to ensure your content and advertising strategy capture their interest.

For example, if you’re a baking guru with 10,000 followers, you might think you’re well-positioned to monetize your audience. Looking a little deeper, you might discover that roughly 6,500 followers are way more into dessert decorating than anything else you post. That means a small portion of your content will catch their attention, while the rest will likely be ignored.

If you’re obsessed with cake decorations, would you be more likely to join a Facebook group devoted entirely to the topic or one that focuses on all types of baking topics?

When monetizing a brand, be as specific as possible about your goals. Figure out exactly who your content caters to, and align your efforts accordingly.

Ask yourself these questions:

• What problem, issue, or question are you trying to tackle with your group?
• Who do you picture participating in your group? What demographic(s) do you envision connecting with your brand?
• What would your audience be willing to pay for? Don’t worry if you don’t have any directly monetizable offerings. You can still focus on building an audience to earn passive income from advertising and affiliate marketing. But it’s still good to leave no stone unturned and ask yourself if there’s anything you could offer to make an extra buck.
• What value can you bring to an audience through a Facebook group?

Get ready to grow

To make money from your Facebook group, it needs to have a sizable and engaged following. There’s a lot of advice out there about how to get this, but the following tips will help:

• Market across your socials. Spread the word about your group on various social platforms. Mention it in relevant posts to provide context and spotlight the group to people who might be interested in joining.
• Post consistently and engage with followers. Facebook’s algorithm will reward you with greater visibility if you regularly post high-quality, interesting content. Stick to it even if it takes a while to start gaining traction.
• Publish guest posts. Volunteer to create content for similar groups and influencers to tap into their audiences.
• Highlight the benefits of joining. Don’t take for granted that people (especially those not already on Facebook) know it’s free to join a group. Mention selling points like networking with like-minded people, getting ideas, finding answers to problems, and getting first-in-line access to new content and products.

17 of the best ways to monetize a Facebook group

We’ve put together a list of some of the best ways to make money from a Facebook group. Not all monetization strategies are right for everyone. Look for methods that suit your target audience and complement your skills and interests.

Advertise your website

It’s hard to deny Facebook’s massive user base. Whether or not you intend to make the platform your primary source of revenue, you should at least consider using it to drive traffic to your website.

Don’t have a website? You can get one up and running pretty quickly with a platform like BlurBay. Design a website that matches your style and brand, and pay just 5% of your sales with no subscription or hosting fees. Offer different types of content, including videos, and accept payments seamlessly.

Set up a creator portfolio for Facebook’s Brand Collabs Manager

Facebook launched Brand Collabs Manager (BCM) in 2018 to help brands and advertisers find and partner with creators. The BCM tool shows the overlap between brand and creator audiences and suggests creators who may be suitable to work with. Increase your visibility and land more branded deals by setting up a creator portfolio to showcase your content.

Sell your products

One of the most obvious ways to earn revenue is by selling items on a Facebook Shop or Facebook Marketplace. Don’t create a group specifically for your product. Instead, use the group to draw people who are interested in the market your product serves. Get ideas for improvements and upgrades from reviews and questions posted to your group.

Sell your services

Consider offering professional services if designing and manufacturing items isn’t your cup of tea. Drawing on your knowledge and experience, become a coach, consultant, or advisor. For example, if your Facebook group is devoted to writing and publishing, you could advertise your services as an editor or ghostwriter.

Participate in affiliate marketing

Want to avoid managing your own business but still make money from sales? Affiliate marketing may be your answer. Recommend other people’s products and services to your audience and get a cut of sales. You won’t get to keep the lion’s share of the purchase amount. But it’s much easier than handling inventory, shipping, and customer invoicing.

Offer subscription content

Loyal followers might pay to access premium content. Facebook offers a subscription service that can be enabled on pages, but unfortunately, it’s not available for groups. However, you can direct group members to a third-party platform like Patreon, Memberful, or Podia, where they can pay a recurring fee to view extra content.

Offer freemium content

“Freemium” content is free, but users can pay for upgrades or bonuses. The great thing about the freemium model is that it can attract many customers. Who doesn’t like free stuff? The challenge is convincing followers to pay for upgrades. But if your content or product is high quality and you make shrewd decisions over what to put behind a paywall, this can be a great source of revenue.

Attract future clients

Your Facebook Group can be an indirect source of income, capturing future customers and funneling them into a stream where they become aware of your sites, socials, and offerings. Eventually, you might earn a sale. Use your Facebook group to show off your skills and work. Let followers see what you offer and how it can benefit them, but avoid sounding like a marketer. Ideally, your work should speak for itself.

Host online events and webinars

Give group members the opportunity to come together and chat about their shared interests, learn something, and get advice. Charge admission for a webinar or online event. Depending on the market on which your group focuses, you may be able to land a sponsor to help cover the cost of the event and donate gifts for attendees.

Host in-person events

If you are able to host real-life events such as speaking or training events, you can generate interest and sell tickets to your group members.

Receive donations

A low-pressure way to monetize your Facebook group is to enable donations for members who want to show appreciation for your content. Adding a donate button directly onto Facebook pages is possible, but for groups, you’ll have to drop a link to a third-party website where members can make payments. Popular platforms for accepting donations include PayPal or Donately.

Create an email list

While you may not make money from email signups alone, you can use an email list to promote products, services, and events. Drive traffic and leads to monetized platforms and raise awareness of your brand. Encourage signups by offering a free gift like a downloadable organizational template or eBook.

Get sponsored

While the Facebook monetization program doesn’t apply to groups, you can still make money by partnering with brands and advertising products and services. Unlike affiliate marketing, brand sponsorships are usually paid upfront for predetermined placement.

Stay away from cluttering your group space with too many ads, and ensure you follow Facebook’s advertising standards when posting sponsored content.

Market eLearning materials

Have you learned skills or information that could be valuable to members of your group? Create online courses using platforms like BlurBay, Skillshare, or Udemy. Offer free course samples or video previews in your Facebook group to stir up interest and earn some registrations. You can also advertise course discounts and bundle deals.

Collaborate with industry leaders and influencers

Earn money from paid partnerships with key people related to your group’s interest. As mentioned, publishing guest posts in another group or forum can help grow your audience. But it can also be a source of revenue if you get paid for your efforts. Alternatively, you can swap guest posts with influencers who might interest members to boost the quality of your content.

Become a moderator or co-admin for another group

Did you know you can get paid to moderate other Facebook groups? The larger and more active a group is, the harder it is to manage. Some groups will pay you to moderate member interactions, enforce group policies, encourage engagement, and post updates. It’s not a way to earn money directly from your group, but hey, it’s still revenue.

Sell your group

If running a Facebook group is no longer for you, or you want to move on to another monetization opportunity, consider selling your group. Doing so lets you offload responsibility and take home a reward for growing the group without interrupting the experience for other members.

Frequently asked questions about Facebook group monetization

How many followers do I need to start monetizing my Facebook group?

You can start earning money from a Facebook group with any number of followers. There’s no minimum audience requirement. However, your revenue will likely be negligible unless you build a sizeable network of engaged followers and offer valuable content.

Does the Facebook monetization program apply to groups?

No. Facebook monetization applies to content like pages and videos but currently doesn’t apply to groups. Find out what you can monetize here.

But that doesn’t mean earning revenue from a Facebook group is impossible. You can indirectly monetize your group using strategies like directing followers to your own website, selling products and services, or offering subscription content through a third-party service.

Does Facebook offer subscriptions for groups?

No. If you live in an eligible country, you can only enable subscriptions on Facebook pages, not groups.