These courses are especially popular during times of socioeconomic tumult like now, when mass layoffs spark renewed interest in entrepreneurship, said Brooke Duffy, an associate professor at Cornell University who studies the creator economy.

That interest already existed in communities of color, where hustle culture has been glorified, said Lindsey Cameron, an assistant professor of management at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business.

“We’re talking about people who don’t get access to the traditional labor market in a straightforward way,” said Cameron. “Spending time talking about beauty products you already use or how you care for your child — or just commodifying your lifestyle — can seem like a great option among a set of bad options.”

Online influencing courses can be hit or miss, said Duffy. Since social media platforms constantly tinker with their algorithms, tips on creating viral content have a finite shelf life. Lessons focused on business savvy, like realizing the worth of your personal brand or mitigating risk, however, are evergreen.

Moore is quick to differentiate the Strategic Influencer Academy from the standard influencer-led course. For one thing, Moore said, she’s “not profiting off people’s hopes and dreams” by hawking get-rich-quick schemes.

For another, the academy places the oldest business advice in the book — diversifying your revenue streams — in context of content creation, where brand partnerships can at first seem like the end-all-be-all.

“Going viral is cute and all, but it’s not sustainable,” said Moore, who said she didn’t start earning six figures from content creation until she stopped chasing brand deals (and went full-time after being laid off from her day job as a project manager).

Part of the reason why Moore pushes affiliate marketing, then, is that commission percentages are standardized, so BIPOC creators don’t have to wonder if a brand is cheating them.

Liberté, who has been a full-time influencer since 2020, said Moore’s lessons have taught her plenty, such as how to create marketing automations, plan content weeks in advance, and — most importantly — set goals while being patient with herself.

Liberté said she made around $70,000 from brand deals and $6,000 from affiliate marketing in 2023. This year, she hopes to earn $70,000 from each.

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