Last Updated on February 8, 2023
Are you a pole dancer who is trying to earn some extra cash? Is pole dancing a hobby that you’re passionate about and you’re wondering how to earn an income from it? Well, I’m here to help! I am a pole dancer who started pole dancing over 10 years ago and I now earn a good part of my income from this hobby. A lot of this income has been from teaching classes over the years, but there are plenty of other ways for pole dancers to earn money from their passion, even if you’re not a teacher and don’t want to be a stripper.
I have a huge respect for strippers and pole performers of all styles. Pole friends from both the pole dancing and stripping community are both very diverse and they all deserve respect. Women should support each other.
When it comes to earning money as a pole dancer, stripping isn’t for everyone. Performing isn’t for everyone. Even teaching isn’t for everyone. It takes certain skills, qualities, and experience to be a stripper, teacher or performer. However, that doesn’t mean that you can’t earn money as a beginner pole dancer or a hobbyist.
This article will teach you different ways for pole dancers to earn extra money, whether it’s to replace your full-time income or as a side hustle.
You will learn:
- What formalities you need to have in place to earn an income as a pole dancer
- Different options for making money as a pole dancer
- How to make use of your marketing, creative and writing skills to help other pole dancers and earn money at the same time
So, here are 7 different ways for pole dancers to earn extra income from their hobby.
1. Offer Private or Bespoke Lessons
If you have your own dance pole or access to a studio with poles you can hire, why not become an instructor? You don’t really need any qualifications to become an instructor, although there are some courses available. What you do need is the experience. You need to know how to confidently perform pole tricks safely and properly, as well as support your students.
So, if you’re an experienced pole dancer who needs to earn extra cash, then start out by offering private lessons locally!
You will need:
- Somewhere to teach your lessons, such as your home or a hireable studio space with poles
- The correct insurance (public liability) to teach
- Register as self-employed (laws differ from country to country so check this independently!)
- Marketing materials, such as
- Website
- Social media Fliers
- Posters
- Online advertising
- Customer reviews and testimonials
2. Become a ‘Coach’ as well as an Instructor
Coaching is a huge business. It’s all about encouragement and keeping people focused.
If you have the right encouraging tone and a supportive personality, then coaching could be ideal for you.
You may not be a star pole dancer, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have the qualities needed to coach other star pole dancers!
If you can inspire confidence in others, manage projects well and meet goals/targets, then consider becoming a pile dancing life coach.
You will need:
- Marketing materials, such as
- Website
- Social media Fliers
- Posters
- Online advertising
- Customer reviews and testimonials
- The correct insurance (public liability) to teach
- Register as self-employed (laws differ from country to country so check this independently!)
3. Create a YouTube Channel
If you have a creative flair for choreography, routines or even tutorials, then YouTube is your oyster. You could either choose routines, tutorials, or both.
It can take a while to get regular viewers, subscribers and eventually income from YouTube. Here are a few things you can do to increase your chances of success:
- Upload regularly and consistently
- Pick a personal brand and stick with it
- Engage with other YouTubers within the pole community
- Invest in a small tripod (under $20) for steady camera work, you don’t need expensive camera gear straight away. Start with your phone or compact camera.
- Be helpful, engaging and remind people to subscribe to you (they won’t if you don’t tell them to…)
- Stay family friendly. YouTube really like advertiser-friendly content. Keep your pole videos fitness related and save your most revealing outfits for Instagram!
See also: Best Pole Dancing YouTube Channels to Subscribe to
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4. Become an Affiliate and Earn Commission
X Pole is the leader in pole and aerial fitness equipment. You probably use an X Pole at home or at your pole studio.
Did you know that they have a referral program so pole dancers can make extra money? Well, they do!
All you need is a website, social media presence, or somewhere to promote X Pole products, then sign up with X Pole affiliates to get a unique link. Share this link far and wide and you will receive 10% of any sales made from your links. How cool is that?!
You will need:
- Somewhere to promote X Pole products, such as a website or social media presence, or even a bricks and mortar business
- Followers or customers who are interested in pole dancing
- A free affiliate account with X Pole USA
Sign up as an X Pole Affiliate here
5. Start your own Website and Monetize it
If YouTube isn’t your thing but you still want to earn money from sharing your pole dance knowledge, try starting a website or fitness blog, like this one! You don’t need to be an expert these days to create a website. There s no need to learn code or anything complicated – WordPress takes care of that for you!
There are tonnes of free website builder out there, but if your goal is the make money then you need your own .com website address and self-hosted website. Fortunately, NameCheap is amazing domain registration website.
What you need:
- A website (.com) address (see below)
- Cheap website hosting
- Articles and photos
- Things to write about regularly
Check to see whether your domain idea is available:
You can then install WordPress in a few clicks and get started writing content straight away. You can earn money by reviewing products, inserting ads and using affiliate programs, like the X Pole programme we just mentioned.
A step-by-step guide to launching your own website
6. Write a Book
These days, you can self-publish books on Amazon directly to Kindle devices or via their print-on-demand service.
If you’re a writer with a story to tell or an enthusiast with tips to share, consider writing an ebook or a novel about your experiences as a pole dancer.
What you will need:
- Writing software such as Scrivener, Onenote or Microsoft Word
- Back up software and cloud storage to keep your work safe
- An illustrator to create your book cover, try Fiverr to search for freelance artists and designers who are experienced with book cover art.
- Self-publishing deal with Amazon
- Promotional and marketing materials such as a website, social media, advertising, etc.
Check out these Pole Dancing Books for inspiration
7. Start a Podcast
Podcasts are more popular now than ever. People listen to podcasts on their way to work or when they’re doing chores at home. It’s also super easy to publish your own podcasts with Spotify, iTunes, and YouTube. It’s like having a 21st Century Radio show.
Once you have a steady amount of regular listeners, you can start reaching out to sponsors and advertisers for a spot on your podcast.
If you choose this route, then here are some tips to increase your chances of success:
- Invest in a quality microphone with a pop filter. You can get decent mics for under $100, and it really makes a big difference to the listener. The pop filter reduces distortion that you commonly hear on ‘p’ or ‘s’ sounds is you have a cheap microphone. People are more likely to sit through bad video than bad sound.
- Market yourself, publish your podcast across multiple platforms, set up a website, social media pages and promote your new podcast.
- Come up with interesting topics for your show, reach out to influential people and invite guests to take part.
- Be regular and consistent. If it’s a weekly podcast, then don’t slip on your schedule, stick to it. Your listeners will notice if you slack on your schedule.
See also: How to start a pole dancing business
Do you have any other ideas for pole dancers to earn extra money with their hobby? Let us know by leaving a comment below!
Happy poling!
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