Cosplay or Costume Play is a great way to add a bit of fantasy into your daily life and professional endeavors. It’s a wide range of dress-up and costume plays that even have cosplay conventions worldwide.
When discussing cosplay, we often refer to impersonating a movie, animation, or fictional character. It’s a fun hobby that can go to lengths and help cosplay creators earn from it. It takes time, creative skills, and talent to do cosplay the right way.
However, that doesn’t stop anyone from trying their luck and diving into the cosplay community. Cosplay can be a lucrative side hustle with the potential to grow a full-time career.
If you’re considering making a bit extra from cosplay, think no more! This article will guide you through the essentials of making money from it, whether by designing custom cosplay costumes or creating content for social media channels.
Earn on Social Media
Social media is a significant aspect of earning money online nowadays. You’ve paved a path to success with a solid presence on platforms like TikTok and Instagram. The greater the following you grow, the higher the chances of earning.
As a cosplayer, you can earn on social media by:
- Affiliate marketing;
- Sponsorships;
- Selling merchandise;
- Selling digital prints;
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Create Content on OnlyFans
If you’re into content creation and want your cosplay masterpieces to be cherished and recognized by people worldwide, creating content on social media platforms like OnlyFans is the right fit.
Many content creators have concluded that adding a bit of fantasy to the content attracts wider audiences. It not only makes them more interesting to the fans but also triggers buyer instincts to subscribe to their accounts.
Most fans will appreciate seeing you in a specific costume since they associate that character with the concept they love the most. And the best part is, you can transform into any fictional character, from Princess Leia in “Star Wars” to a sexy Pokemon.
Take inspiration from the hottest nude cosplayers to get an insight into this career and start your journey.
Sponsorships
Cosplayers earn sponsorships by posting sponsored posts and promoting particular products or services. These companies will usually reach out to you with an offer and get you aboard. Make sure you stick with companies that relate to gaming, comic, anime, or cosplay communities so that you represent the cosplay persona appropriately.
You can even reach out to potential companies for collaboration and offer them your services.
Commissioning on Other Costumes
Another way to turn cosplay into a lucrative side hustle is by earning commissions from creating costumes for cosplayers. If you’ve developed specific skills for costume construction, like sewing, design, and crafting, you can easily sell costumes. A single commissioned costume can get you from $300 up to $1,000, depending on the design and the crafting it requires.
Creating cosplay costumes for other people is more challenging than creating your own since you’ll need to work with different personalities, take various measurements, and make sure the quality you deliver is top-notch.
A couple of tips for starting:
- Make sure to have enough time to do your best work;
- Create a schedule and stick to it;
- Set up social media channels like a Facebook page or an Instagram account where you’ll promote the costumes you created;
- Consider opening an e-commerce store, like an Etsy shop or a Wix site;
- Engage with the fans on social media channels to boost sales;
Copyright: Kashwan Hernandez on Unsplash I License: CC0 Public Domain
Cosplay Photography
This one is for those cosplayers who don’t like being the center of attention. We get it; not everybody wants to be in the spotlight, but rather behind the cameras. If you’re good with a camera and know your way around good shots, this is your chance to earn through cosplay photography.
Ways to do this:
- Partner with other cosplayers and offer them your services; make a name for yourself as a cosplay photographer;
- Partner with companies and;
- Partner with conventions;
- Create a photo booth at a convention;
Start a Blog
Starting a blog is another way of earning from cosplay. If you like to write about your cosplay experience, share tips and tricks with beginner or aspiring cosplayers, or just write on any topic cosplay-related, this is the right channel to do so.
Enjoy the Cosplay Journey!
Besides earning, cosplay is an excellent opportunity to develop and nurture unique skills like sewing, fashion design, crafting, stage makeup, hair styling, and performance art. In addition to these hands-on skills, you’ll learn a lot of soft skills too. Skills like communication, problem-solving, time management and money management are crucial to land a lucrative side hustle as a cosplayer.
And since it’s all about delivering a proper image to the fans, don’t forget to enjoy the cosplay journey.