How to monetize

Hi I'm a disability and lifestyle creator mainly focusing on Multiple sclerosis content but eventually I'd I've social media to be a full time job. I have 8.5k followers and no idea how to start looking at brand deals or reaching out to companies? No one is finding me on there but my posts are getting excellent views and engagement. What would you all suggest I do to try and start monetizing? I'm not a huge fan of tiktok shop posts...