How Stephanie Paid Off Six Figures in Student Loans With Rose Messages
Stephanie, a beauty influencer, turned her DMs into a second income — and used it to knock out her student debt in 3 months through Rose income.
Rose Team
Creator Growth
never planned on this. Like a lot of vloggers, she built an audience of 2m on Tiktok by posting funny skits and beauty content for free. The problem wasn't reach. It was the math: a growing following didn't touch a loan balance that kept accruing interest every month.
By 2026, she owed $225,000 and was fielding dozens of DMs a week - commission questions, requests for personalized content, people asking for advice on products - all unpaid, all eating the hours she needed for rent.
Turning DMs Into Paid Conversations on Rose
Stephanie had tried different brand collaborations before, but it took hours to film and edit, and the payment was one time. With her day job, she didn’t have time to film for hours on end to fulfill brand collabs, and they weren’t coming in consistently. What she actually had was a following that already messaged her constantly. She just wasn't getting paid for it.
In May 2026, she set up a dedicated line on Rose, the messaging platform that lets creators charge for the conversations they're already having over iMessage, SMS, and RCS - without handing out a personal number. She used a mix of:
- Paid messages - charging subscriptions for texting
- Tips - for fans who wanted to support her outside of a specific ask
- Pay-per-view content - unreleased content and behind the scenes
"'The second I put a price on my time, the messages didn't stop, and the money kept flowing”
She set her own topics, pricing, and boundaries from the start, so the line stayed a version of the conversations she was already having, just no longer free.
The Result: Six Figures in Student Loans Paid Off in 3 Months
Within 3 months, Stephanie’s Rose line was generating over $120k. Because creators keep 50% of paid messaging profits and 85% of tips and pay-per-view revenue on Rose, that income went almost entirely toward one goal.
The numbers:
- $225k - total student debt paid off using Rose earnings
- 3 months - time it took
- 2m - audience size when she started
- 100% - share of her total debt now paid off
What's Next for Stephanie
Stephanie is now going full time as a creator, with the financial freedom to post funny skits with her friends, get ready with me content, without the constant pressure of relying on paid collaborations or a day job. Her advice to other creators sitting on an audience that already messages them for free:
"Funnel your audience into a direct, paid communication channel, such as Rose. You’d be surprised with how many followers just seek genuine connection, and how you can build your career off this"
Got an audience that already DMs you for free?
If people are already messaging you for advice, custom work, or just to talk, that's a business you haven't turned on yet. Rose gives you a dedicated line for paid conversations - free to start, no upfront cost, and you keep the majority of what you earn.