How to make money on the internet
How to make money on the internet
72+ Ways How to Make Money Online in 2022 A Comprehensive Guide of Legitimate Ways to Make Money (on the Side)
You’re here because you want to learn how to make money online, and you’re in the right place. Based on my own 10+ years of experience earning an online income, this list of legitimate ways to (actually) make money online will get you started in the right direction.
This is my ultimate guide on how to make money online, and I’ve worked hard to keep this completely free.
There’s no catch, no tricks, and no up-sells here.
72 Genius Ways How to Make Money Online in 2022
I’m here to tell you that you can (relatively quickly) learn how to make money online. However… it won’t always be easy, and you’ll of course have to work hard, push through making some mistakes and learning from your failures along the way.
Is it easy to make money online?
Here’s the reality; the Internet has opened up so many possibilities to people regardless of age, location, or background to build a sustainable, online business or side project that can make extra money online every single month. And as I said, I’ve experienced this first-hand.
All these highs and lows have given me a clear understanding of what works (and what doesn’t) when it comes to making money online.
Is it the right time to start an online business?
With over 3.2 billion people now actively using the internet, we’re well into a massive transformation in how the world does business. We’re living in an age where there’s no longer limitations on what you can achieve based on geographic location or lack of financial resources.
If you have an internet connection and a few dollars in your bank account, there is little that can actually get in the way of you making some extra money online.
There are quite literally hundreds of clever ways to make money online. From taking online surveys, to renting or selling your old clothes, flipping your iPhone to someone in a different country, and even buying low-cost products locally, just to resell them for a higher price on Amazon. There’s truly no shortage of unique ways to make money online.
How do you avoid scams like easy ways to make money online?
Before we dive into this guide, I need to address the elephant in the room…
There’s no such thing as an online get-rich quick scheme.
Most of the “quick” and “easy” ways people talk about when it comes to making money online—are not true businesses.
Sure, some of them may be good for creating a few hundred or even thousand dollars in one-time revenue. But they’re not going to help you unlock financial freedom and achieve complete control of your lifestyle.
At best, they’re shortcuts that don’t last forever—and many of the “opportunities” like network marketing giants Herbalife and others offer, often pan out to either be a scam or at the very least, damaging to your personal relationships. And I would never advocate for that.
The Internet has opened up so many opportunities to entrepreneurs and forward-thinking workers to make money online. But it’s also opened up considerable competition.
Here’s the hard truth: The only ways to make money online in any lasting manner, involve putting in real time, effort, blood, sweat and tears.
This isn’t to scare you off. I simply want you to know that this guide is going to focus primarily on ways to make real, sustainable extra income online. Not just a few quick bucks. I want to share all the mistakes I’ve made that got me to where I am now so that you don’t have to go through them, and can build a successful online source of income for yourself.
Don’t get me wrong, there are still a lot of great opportunities to make money online today. It’s that the most common ideas have been picked through a lot more than they were a few years ago. To stand out you need to be smart, look for the best opportunities, and be unique in the ways you approach making money online. And I’m here to help.
Please note that some of the links below are affiliate links and at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission. Know that I only recommend products, tools and learning resources I’ve personally used and believe are genuinely helpful, not because of the small commissions I make if you decide to purchase them. Most of all, I would never advocate for buying something that you can’t afford or that you’re not yet ready to implement.
Have questions about how I make money online? Check out my monthly blog income reports where I break down exactly how I’m making money from my blog.
Disclosure: Please note that some of the links below are affiliate links and at no additional cost to you, I may earn a commission. When you purchase a product using my one of my affiliate links, the company compensates me, which helps me keep this blog free of charge to you. Know that I also only recommend products I personally stand behind.
Want my Free Guide: How to Start a Profitable Blog in 7 Days?
Come read my ultimate guide to blogging that’s been featured on Forbes, Business Insider and Entrepreneur.
So, if you’re as excited as I am now, let’s dive right into the 72 best ways to make real, sustainable money online.
Looking instead for inspiration to make smaller amounts of quicker income online? Click here and jump down to #11 for a list of less “long-term business ideas” and you’ll get my advice for the safest (real) ways to make money online that involve less up-front work.
We’re going to start first with the top ten ways to make money online (with a long-term focus) and sustainable future.
If you’re looking to build a true online business, or start a side business idea that has the potential to truly change your life (and you’re not afraid of investing months & years of work into the business), this where you should start.
Through my years of experience and research, I’ve consistently found the following ideas have the best potential to create a steady stream of recurring revenue. They’ll take a lot of effort. But if you’re willing to put in the work, they could change your life, like they have for me.
One last quick thing to note before we dive in: I’m going to be talking a lot about your niche for every way of making money online that we cover here. If you’re unfamiliar with this term, all it means is your unique topic, angle, market, audience, or voice that will make people stand up and notice your business.
It’s a competitive space online, and the more you can differentiate what you do from what’s out there already, the better chance you’ll have for success.
Alright, now with that out of the way, let’s get into my ultimate guide of how to make money online.
1. Build a Niche Blog (or Website) and Use Affiliate Marketing
If there’s a niche you’re interested in and you can build a decent audience around it, starting a blog and using affiliate marketing to generate income is an incredible way to make money online.
So, I put together a free master course for you to take that spreads out all of the work involved in starting a blog, into a series of action-packed lessons. My free course breaks the entire process of starting a blog down into an incredibly simple 7-day process for going from 0 to brainstorming the best blog post ideas, publishing (and promoting) your first blog post in just 1 week. We also cover beginner and advanced ways to learn how to make money blogging in the course. I can’t recommend it enough.
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Once you’ve gone through how to pick a niche to blog about, the process of blog business planning and have launched your blog (or niche website), the next step is figuring out which products and companies you can partner with as an affiliate to help facilitate sales of a related, helpful product for your audience of future readers.
In a nutshell, affiliate marketing is selling someone else’s product by referring customers to their online store. If you can create content (on a blog) or a resource so valuable to the people looking for a certain product and then send them to where they can actually buy it, you’ll receive a predetermined percentage of each sale.
Let’s start with the basics of building your niche website and blog, then get into how affiliate marketing will work for you.
First, you need to research and validate a profitable affiliate niche. What this means is: Are there companies in your niche who will pay you to send customers their way?
You can check this in a number of ways:
Now that you know your niche and have signed up for relevant affiliate programs, it’s time to build out your blog and learn how to write a blog post that can drive traffic your way.
Start by learning how to name a blog and buying the right domain name (such as www.myaffiliateblog.com) that works for your niche on a domain registrar like Bluehost, Dreamhost or NameCheap.
Bluehost even has a nifty domain name availability checker you can use right here to quickly find out whether or not your desired website URL is available (and if it’s not, they’ll give you suggestions on the next best idea).
Want to Start a Blog? You’ll Need a Domain First
Check if your domain name is available:
Once you’ve got your domain name, you’ll need a platform to build your site on. While you could pick a free option like Tumblr, Blogger, WordPress.com or another website builder, these won’t give you the flexibility or authority you need to build a truly successful affiliate site.
Instead, go with a self-hosted site (like my blog here is)—this means your blog will be hosted on your own server and you’ll have full control over it. There are tons of highly reputable, affordable companies you can choose a web hosting plan with to get your website online, like Bluehost, A2 Hosting, Dreamhost or one of these monthly web hosting services.
Then once you’ve got your domain name and hosting sorted out, it’s time to pick a CMS, or Content Management System, that will let you update pages, build your blog and integrate with all the other services you need. It’s hard to go wrong with WordPress—the CMS powering close to a quarter of the internet. Keep in mind that eventually as you start growing traffic to your blog, you’ll be wise to upgrade from your starter cheap hosting plan, shared hosting plan or free hosting plan and into something like a managed WordPress hosting setup, where all of the settings are custom-tailored and optimized to work particularly well with WordPress-powered websites.
Like I said, this process can be a bit overwhelming. And that’s why I put together this free master course to help break this entire process down into easy to follow steps that’ll get your blog off the ground and generating readers in less than 1 week.
Want my Free Course: How to Start a Profitable Blog in 7 Days?
Enter your name and email address and you’ll get instant access to my course that’s been featured on Forbes, Business Insider and Entrepreneur.
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Finally, once your blog is officially launched, it’s time to start creating content that’ll drive traffic to your affiliate partner’s site and also benefit your own longer-term blog SEO strategies. Here’s what I mean by that:
Let’s say I’m an Amazon affiliate for camping gear, and I want to write an exhaustive, in-depth blog post and review of the “50 Best Hiking Backpacks for Adventuring Outdoors.” By running a quick Keyword Planner check on the organic search volume I can see that there’s around 5,500 monthly searches for the keyword ‘hiking backpacks’ alone. I’ll then start with putting together a blog post outline to highlight my unique angle and make sure I’m doing the best possible job of answering reader questions—while striving to avoid common blogging mistakes along the way.
Then, if my piece of content is so unique and valuable around hiking backpack recommendations, that other reputable outdoor websites are willing to link to it (as a result of a blogger outreach campaign) and build the page’s authority, then I’d have a very real opportunity to rank high in organic search for these search terms (meaning, my page will come up first when someone searches for hiking backpacks).
Since it’s safe to assume that the purchase intent on searches for hiking backpacks is pretty high, the next logical step is that a reasonable number of site visitors would click through using my affiliate links and complete a purchase, over time.
While it often takes a significant amount of time and hard work to build up your affiliate income, if you have the ability to regularly publish high quality content that drives in targeted traffic to your website, this online revenue source can become quite substantial. Follow along with my experiment growing a new blog, called SmartWP about WordPress, into an additional revenue stream for my business—and see in realtime how my latest project, Hike with Ryan is going (including my recent roundup of the best boots for hiking, a shopping list packed with creative hiking gift ideas, a guide to Yosemite hikes and trails you have to try and a breakdown of the best time to visit Yosemite each year).
Check out my Ultimate Guide to Starting a Blog for my free 20,000 word tutorial to starting a blog, promoting your blog content and building it into an income-generating business today. After that and once you’re ready to take your blogging journey seriously, consider investing in your education with one of the top blogging books or blogging courses.
2. Launch and Grow a Startup
Do you have dreams of running your own business one day? Building and scaling a high-growth startup, while by far the most difficult way to make money online, arguably has the most potential upside.
There’s money in the air, and if you can successfully create an online service, tool, or marketplace that fulfills a rapidly growing need in the marketplace, you could be on track for creating a very valuable business. However, it’ll undoubtedly take an intense dedication of time, efforts, and financial resources.
Unlike a lot of the other businesses we’re going to cover, startup founders face a whole slew of variables and roadblocks that can get in the way of success.
For one, you’ll want to have a high level of domain experience within the industry your startup is going to operate. This means a deep understanding of your customers, the issues they face, and an idea of potential solutions they’ll be willing to pay for. This is the minimum you need to get started.
After that, you’ll need to be familiar with the other major players in the space who might be good partners or acquisition opportunities, as well as an intimate knowledge of how to raise funding, market your product, hire and manage the best talent, and keep yourself financially above water.
Now, this may sound like a lot, but the payoff is worth it.
So where do you start when building a startup?
The most important thing you need before you do anything else is a problem. What do people need that they don’t have? What solution is currently out there that you can do better? This alone is the basis of every great startup.
Once you have that problem or need nailed, the next step is to validate that idea and make sure you’ve actually got customers who will pay for it. This means building a minimum viable product, getting objective feedback from real customers, incorporating updates, testing the market for demand, and getting pricing feedback to ensure there’s enough of a margin between your costs and what consumers are willing to pay.
You’ll need some money in order to make money online in this case
Startups can cost quite a bit to get off the ground. So with your idea and market validation solidified, there are a few different paths you can follow to get your initial “seed” cash:
Once you’re off the ground, it’s all about customer acquisition, market validation, more funding, and growth.
Of course, that’s a simplified version of everything it takes to build your startup. Luckily, there is now more support, education, and access to funding for budding startups than ever before. And a great place to start is with this list of 101 best free and cheap online business courses for entrepreneurs I put together.
3. Build and Sell Software
Right now there’s an insatiable need for useful software.
Whether it’s an important consumer application, a specialist app to solve a particular niche problem, or even a time-wasting game you can play on your phone, you can create a massively successful business if you build software that helps people. (Look at the rise of Slack—the team communication software that went from side project to billion-dollar company in just 2 years.)
There are two basic ways that you can make money online by building software products
If you’re willing to take the time to learn the development skills necessary to build high-quality software products (or even MVPs to help you get funding), there’s a growing roster of reputable online learning platforms like Treehouse, CodeAcademy, and Skillcrush to get you the skills you need.
4. Start an eCommerce Site and Sell Physical Products
If finding a better solution to a problem hundreds or thousands of people have doesn’t seem like an option right now, you might be better off setting up a virtual shop and selling physical items.
These days, this couldn’t be easier. Sites like Shopify (and these top eCommerce website builders) have made it easier than ever to build a customizable, powerful eCommerce site in a weekend and start selling products now. While it does help to still have the kinds of blogging skills necessary to write captivating product listings and attract online audiences through free content, you can still get by with building a product-based business solely through partnerships and running savvy online ads.
This is one of the oldest and most time-tested ways of making money online
Plenty of digital entrepreneurs have created sustainable businesses by either:
While you’ll certainly have higher levels of success if you can nail creating and marketing your own unique product, from my own experience (and that of many other entrepreneurs), I know the extremely high costs and risk associated with starting a product-based business.
Instead, if you can find a solid product that’s already being manufactured at a reasonable price from a marketplace like AliExpress, LightInTheBox, or DinoDirect and market it to your audience, you’ll have the start of a money-making eCommerce machine.
Now, let’s get into the nitty gritty of how your online store is going to operate
Whether you’re selling your own new products or reselling other goods, you still have to consider how much stock you’re going to carry, how you’re going to fund upfront purchasing costs, and where you’re going to store your inventory. Remember, even if you avoid paying rent on a storefront, you still need to store your inventory somewhere.
Well. Not always. There’s another option that’s become incredibly popular in the last few years (and is my personal favorite way to operate a product business), called drop shipping.
With drop shipping, you’re effectively partnering with a manufacturer or wholesaler to sell their products. This way, you don’t pay upfront costs to buy inventory, aren’t sitting on unsold items taking up expensive warehouse space, and don’t have to deal with shipping the products yourself. You simply create your site, fill it with drop shippable products, and drive in customers, with almost everything else done for you.
Of course, there’s a higher price per product and your margins are lower, but you’re able to start your online store with little more than a Shopify theme and some hosted images of your products. When a customer makes a purchase, you in turn buy the product from your supplier who then ships it directly to your customer.
No inventory. No handling products yourself. No shipping by hand. Sounds pretty amazing.
If you want to supplement selling on your Shopify store with other marketplaces, here are a few other highly lucrative options:
Just be sure to put a lot of care into your product listings. Everything from learning how to write a headline that’ll capture attention, to how effective the description is at convincing potential buyers your product is better than the rest, and even taking care to shoot high quality product photos can have a dramatic impact on your sales. I recommend using photo editing tools like Fotor, which gives you the ability to edit your images, create captivating graphic designs and more.
5. Find Freelance Clients and Sell Your Services
If you have a marketable skill—like writing, designing, web development, marketing, project management, or anything else—one of the easiest ways to make sustainable extra money online is to start freelancing.
And while freelancing might not be as scalable as some of the other ideas we’ve spoken about, it’s not uncommon for solopreneurs to build healthy six-figure freelance businesses for themselves. (In fact, I’ve interviewed tons of them on my podcast!)
Today, over 54 million Americans are opting to forego traditional careers and start a freelance business.
There’s plenty of work and clients to be found. If you know where to look. To start, you need to know if there is enough demand for your skill to make it worth the effort to go out looking for work. Start by searching for freelance postings on sites like Flexjobs, SolidGigs, Contena or one of the dozens of other blogging jobs sites, WordPress developer job sites and even more skill-specific freelance job boards.
How many postings are there for jobs similar to what you do? If there’s a decent amount and it looks like there’s steady demand, put those skills down on a shortlist and start researching the companies and industries that are hiring.
Freelancing is a proven way to apply your existing skills to make money online
I’ve written a full guide to starting your own freelance business, but here’s a quick list to get you started:
Lastly, remember to always have a solid freelance contract in place.
You might be working on small jobs to begin with, but getting in the habit of not starting freelance work without a contract in place can save you big time down the road.
6. Start Online Coaching and Sell Your Advice
Similar to selling your freelance services, you can also start selling your knowledge and advice in an area you specialize in as a coach or consultant. If you can bill yourself as an expert, there are tons of people out there willing to pay for your time.
Being an online coach or consultant is a great way to make money online, as instead of giving your client ongoing deliverables (like when you’re a freelancer), you’re teaching them to be better, faster, stronger than the competition. Your expertise becomes the product you’re selling.
While not very scalable, online coaching is a great way to build an online business
Even better, if you can find ways to package your experience and coaching skills into an easily digestible program, you have the potential to significantly scale this business model.
Now, if you don’t know people who might want your coaching services, there are a number of online tools and communities that make it incredibly easy to find clients and teach, on just about any topic area you can think of. Community driven platforms like Clarity.fm and Coach.me provide you with a network of potential clients to interact with, as well an integrated payment solution.
And while it’s one of the most limited businesses as you’re only able to charge for the time you can provide, many online coaches make hundreds or even thousands for their packages.
It’s also one of the quickest ways you can get set up and start generating revenue. All you really need is an account with one of the online coaching communities I mentioned above and expertise to share.
7. Create Online Courses to Productize Your Knowledge
If you’re already an expert in a topic—either through your current job, freelance business, or coaching—you can package that knowledge into a high-value course and sell it for years to come.
And while building, launching, and marketing an online course does take a considerable amount of upfront effort, their earning potential is through the roof (especially compared to a lot of the other online ways to make money we’re talking about).
Courses and other knowledge products like e-books, are what’s called passive income. That simply means that once the upfront time and effort is put in, with just a bit of regular upkeep and marketing you’ll be able to continue to sell and make money from them for months and years.
Selling online courses are one of the most scalable ways to make money online
To hit this awesome goal, Bryan followed a four-stage process to discover, validate and launch his course:
Phase 1: Explore and discover the best topic for his course based on the most popular posts from his blog. This ensured he knew the content was already valuable to his audience.
Phase 2: Validate that people would actually pay for his course by surveying readers and securing pre-orders. (This is an important part that so many people forget. Never spend serious time building something unless you know there’s a paying audience for it).
Phase 3: Quickly write, record, and edit the course content. As he already knew there was demand, it made sense to create the content as quickly as possible. He could always go back and update or edit based on feedback from his initial students.
Phase 4: Launch the course to his email list. The success of your course comes down to getting it in front of the right people. And your own audience, no matter how small, is usually the best place to start. That said, you need to have a clear idea of your launch plan before you put it live.
Now, what if you don’t have a blog with popular posts? Or an email list to market to? Let’s look at how you can build your own online course with no previous experience:
At the end of the day, you’ll need to attract some sort of audience to sell your online course to—and if you can do that well, you’ll be on the path to building a very long-term sustainable online business for yourself.
8. Launch a YouTube Channel to Entertain and Educate
While YouTube recently changed its monetization program, if you’re able to hit their new minimum bar of 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 hours of view time in the past 12 months, it’s still an incredible place to make extra money online.
YouTube is arguably the world’s second largest search engine (after Google) and is the third most-visited site in the world. In 2017, almost 5 billion videos were watched on YouTube every single day!
YouTube is one of the fastest growing platforms you can make money online with in 2022
Growing a YouTube channel is a lot like starting a blog or website, except that you’re working in video—not writing. The first step is to choose what kind of videos you’re going to create. Most successful YouTube channels fall under one of two categories:
Next, you need to set up and build your YouTube channel. Your YouTube channel is your home base for all your content. If you already have a Google account for Gmail or Google Drive, then you can use that to log-in to YouTube and start setting up your channel. Pick a username that works for you and is memorable (if you’re using an existing Google account you’ll have to edit your username in Google+).
You’ll also want to make your YouTube channel more easily found by adding relevant keywords under the “Advanced” section and picking your targeted country (where you think most of your viewers are). If you have a personal blog or site, add it as an “associated website.”
Now, it’s time to start creating and uploading content. Make sure you’re using a high-enough quality camera (most smartphones will work but I’d suggest at least having a tripod so your footage isn’t shaky), but don’t worry about being perfect at first. The beauty of YouTube is that you can continue to test out different content and styles as you find what works for you. Instead, stick to a regular schedule to build up your subscriber base.
You can optimize your videos to rank higher by experimenting with attention-grabbing descriptions and previews as well as using relevant tags. You need to stand out and make people want to click on your video.
As you start regularly putting out content, you’ll hopefully start to build a bit of an audience. But to start seeing real money from YouTube you need to market your videos elsewhere. Share your channel on Twitter and Facebook. Distribute videos anywhere else you can think of. Also, interact with comments and build a community around the videos you’re making so people will share it with their friends.
Once you hit the 1,000 subscriber/4,000 hour threshold, you can start monetizing your videos by selecting “Monetize with ads” under the Monetization tab of your channel. While it can take a while to build up a decent following for your YouTube channel, it can be a lot of fun to do as well as become a steady source of extra income.
9. Record a Podcast and Share Inspiring Stories
Podcasts are super hot right now, and for good reason. With how busy our lives are getting, more and more people are looking for passive ways to take in content. Which makes them both a great opportunity to build an audience and to make money online.
The podcast market is constantly looking for new, quality content. And luckily for anyone trying to get started, it’s now easier than ever.
Starting a podcast, like making a YouTube channel or blog, comes down to telling interesting stories and building an engaged audience. I’m probably sounding like a broken record by now, but you need a niche that you’re interested in and there’s already a demand for. Come up with a list of topics you’d like to talk about and then search iTunes charts, Google Trends and other podcast research sites to see what’s currently out there and popular.
You’ll need the right tools in order to make money online with a podcast
You can be as complicated or simple as you want depending on your comfort with audio equipment, but at the minimum you’ll want a microphone and software for recording your voice. Recording equipment like these best podcast microphones of various price points will get you started:
Plenty of other brands sell studio-quality, plug-and-play podcast setups that can get you recording today—but I personally use the Focusrite setup, myself.
Now, it’s time to plan out your show. If you’re doing an interview-style show, you’ll now want to start getting some guests involved. You can use your existing social network to reach out to people you already know or are connected with on Twitter or Facebook. You can also head to Medium or Amazon to find authors or experts on topics specific to your niche.
Once you’ve gathered a list, put together an outreach email template (as you’ll be doing this over and over) that’s short and clear with expectations. Tell your potential interviewee who you are, what your podcast is about, and what you’re asking of them. Do a few test interviews with friends and family to make sure everything is being recorded at the quality you want and then book your first episode.
Consider outsourcing components of your podcast to speed up delivery time
If you like learning new software or are experienced with audio editing, you can put the show together yourself. Otherwise, there are lots of services you can find that will help edit and build your show on place likes UpWork and Fiverr.
Congrats! You now have a podcast episode that’s ready to be uploaded to iTunes, SoundCloud, or anywhere else and promoted alongside the rest of your content!
The last step is deciding how you’ll market and monetize your podcast. The larger of an audience you have, the more chances you have for monetizing it. Choose the best website builders to create a simple site for your show and start sharing episodes to your network. When you’re ready to monetize there are a few options you can choose from:
As Aaron Mahnke, creator of the Lore podcast says, “I always tell podcasters to use as many streams as possible. Don’t just sell ads on your show. Don’t just sell T-shirts. Don’t just do crowdfunding. Do all of it. Combine it and find the right mix, and together it adds up to something that’s stronger and more dependable.”
10. Join a Remote Company Part-Time (or Full-Time)
While most of the ideas for making money online we’ve covered so far can be done on the side, if you’re looking to completely change your career and start working online there are thousands of companies looking to hire who don’t care where you are.
More and more companies and startups especially are embracing remote work—where you use online collaboration and communication tools to do your work from wherever you want. And you don’t have to be a 20-something hotshot designer or coder to reap the benefits of working remotely. Many remote positions are for customer support positions or other customer-facing positions that don’t require specialized skill sets.
Better yet, they aren’t all full-time either, meaning you can find a remote company and job that works as a way to make extra money online.
If you’re interested, here’s a list of some of the best websites to find remote jobs today:
Here are even more of my picks for the best remote jobs websites where you can find high quality full-time flexible gigs.
Now, let’s talk about the rest of my picks for the best ways to make money online.
If you’re looking to build a new career online or test your way into launching a small business, the first ten ways we just ran through are some of the best, long-term plays for making money online. However, for a lot of people (myself included), you probably want to find other, quick online business opportunities where you can start seeing a return faster.
Which is a great idea. Of course, making money online takes patience and effort. But there are lots of proven ways you can get started making money today without the long lead time of building a startup or getting your own freelance business off the ground.
Also, no matter what your career, it’s important to diversify where your income is coming from. This means having multiple revenue streams from multiple sources, like selling your freelance services, affiliate and passive income, as well as coaching and other online odd jobs.
Not only will this multiply the money you’re bringing in in a serious way, but it protects you against any sudden changes in the market or in your business. Remember that old saying about putting all your eggs in one basket? A few hours a week committed to just one or two of the following opportunities will put you in a much stronger position to be financially safe and independent.
So, no matter what your speciality or niche, there’s a way to use your skills to bring in extra money online for you here:
11. Give Your Opinion in Online Focus Groups and Surveys
If you want to help shape digital products in their early stages, joining an online focus group or answering survey questions is a great way to make extra money online. They don’t pay as much as some of the other options we’re highlighting in this list, but you can join groups on sites like Survey Junkie, User Interviews and InboxDollars that pay out through PayPal, check or even Amazon gift cards. You’ll be asked to provide a bit of information about your personal demographics (age, location, etc…), but after that you can get going making money online through completing surveys.
12. Test Websites
You probably have a pretty strong idea of what makes a good website. Is the design clean and easy to navigate? Does the content make sense? Luckily, there are plenty of people out there who want to hear your thoughts. And they’ll even pay you decent money for it (most sites pay
$10 per 20 minutes, or
To test these websites, you’ll be asked to visit the site in question and record your reactions and thoughts as you go through it. To get started making extra money online by testing websites, sign up for some of the most popular services like UserTesting.com, Userlytics, TryMyUI, Userfeel, or TestingTime (for people outside the U.S).
13. Narrate Audiobooks to Make Money Online (from Home)
The audiobook industry is booming, yet only 5% of books ever get made into audio format. If you’ve got a background in acting, or if people have said you’ve got a voice made for the radio, you can make extra money recording audio versions of independent and popular books. Sites like ACX connect authors with audiobook performers. So, whether you’re an author looking for more ways to sell your book, or an actor/voice actor looking to make some extra income, you can sell your services online.
14. Write and Sell an eBook (Amazon Self-Publishing)
So many people dream of learning how to write an eBook, but never go through with it. Yet no matter what, I’m sure you have experience and value you could give through writing a book. By packaging your skills and knowledge into a downloadable eBook that helps people learn a skill, advance their careers, or start a businesses, you can change someone’s life and even make good money online. You’ll just need to employ an easy tool like Sellfy in order to quickly sell PDF files (like an eBook) to your readers.
Better yet, you can even upload your own book to one of the world’s largest book sellers: Amazon. With Amazon self-publishing, you set the price, retain the rights to your book, and get access to Amazon’s massive audience. For every sale, you keep 70% with Amazon taking the remainder as a fee. If you want to get started, check out Tara Gentile on CreativeLive as she shows you how to use your existing body of work to write an eBook within the next week. Who knows, you might just write one of the best business books or blogging books of the year!
15. Do Micro-Jobs on Amazon Mechanical Turk
Amazon Mechanical Turk is a service that lets you make money online through doing paid microtasks. Each task is something simple that requires human interaction like rating search results, checking for the right spelling on search terms, categorizing the tone of an article, or even basic translating. You can do these tasks from anywhere you want and make money online from the world’s largest e-retailer.
16. Join Freelance Job Sites (Like Flexjobs and SolidGigs)
It can take time to build up your personal freelance business. Yet, there is more demand than ever for freelancers. So, if you want to kick start making money online through freelancing you can join one of the top freelance networks, such as Flexjobs, SolidGigs, Contena, Upwork, Fiverr, or PeoplePerHour. Sign up, build your profile, upload some samples of your work and start making extra money by doing small freelance jobs.
Even if you already have experience or freelance clients, these networks can be a great way to supplement your income and keep work coming in without spending too much time on cold outreach.
17. Sell Your Services on Niche Sites Like 99Designs, Cloudpeeps or TopTal
If you’re a skilled worker in a specific niche, like marketing, design, or software development, there are specialty marketplaces that cater just to you. These are amazing places to make money online as you know that the people visiting them are looking specifically for the skills you have. Check out places like 99Designs or Dribbble for designers, Cloudpeeps for marketing and SEO professionals, and TopTal, Crew, or Gigster for high-level software developers. Once you’ve built up your development skills, you can begin building a brand for yourself as a higher-value consultant and start charging brands for larger projects like implementing an entire WordPress security overhaul or migrating a website from http to https.
18. Do Graphic Design for Local Companies
Walk around your neighborhood or town and I’m sure you’ll see tons of great local businesses with terrible design. However, with increasingly easy-to-use tools like Adobe Illustrator, Venngage, Stencil, and Visme, just about anyone with a creative mindset and a good amount of motivation can start making money online by being a graphic designer for local companies.
19. Email Marketing with a Niche Newsletter (The Skimm, Mister Spoils)
20. Sells Products on a Shopify Store
If you’re serious about making money selling things online, it’s pretty much impossible to not recommend Shopify. The platform gives you everything you need to get your online store up and running in less than a day including a custom domain, beautiful templates (so you don’t need design skills), secure payment options, and they can even take care of marketing and shipping for you. Whether you’re promoting your own products, designs, or curating other products for people in your niche, Shopify is the best option for powering your online store.
21. Sell Your Crafts and Art on Etsy
Etsy is the most popular online marketplace for handmade goods and crafts. From bracelets to phone cases, rings, furniture, and more, Etsy is perfect for anyone who is creative and wants to sell their handmade creations. As long as you have the space, this can make for one of the best ways to make money online that can be started with a very limited investment. Consider these 5 steps to starting an Etsy store, from Handmadeology.
While Etsy is a great place to get in front of potential customers who wouldn’t have otherwise found you, once you’re up and running and have built a decent audience, you can move your store over to Shopify and retain a larger portion of the income you make from selling your goods.
22. Become an Influencer on Instagram
23. Sell Your Art and Designs on Society6
While Etsy is fantastic for handmade goods that you’ve already created, if you’ve got killer designs that would look good on phone cases, t-shirts, or even wall hangings, pillows, and duvets, you can sell them on Society6 without paying anything to start. Society6 lets artists upload their designs and create their own shops where they choose what products their designs can be used on. That means one design can be used to make a whole range of awesome products that are printed and shipped on demand whenever someone buys from you. With top creators making thousands every month just from selling their designs.
24. Local Business Consulting
If you’ve developed valuable skill sets or picked up certifications within your industry over the years, offering your consulting services to local business owners can be a lucrative way to make money online. Whether you’re an expert marketer, business strategist, or manufacturing aficionado, there’s likely a local business owner who’s willing to pay you to help them solve an issue with their company. Start with my guide to launching a freelance (consulting) business and then use my breakdown of crafting an effective cold email to convince local small business owners to hire you. You can even get hired as a consultant by putting your work online and publishing helpful content (take my roundup of honest Bluehost reviews as an example) and prospective clients will want to hire you for more personalized help if they like what they see.
25. Sell Stock Photos to Make Money Online
If you have a fondness and talent for taking pictures you can make extra money online by becoming a stock photographer and selling your images to a stock photo company like ShutterStock or iStockPhoto. You’ll get royalties every time someone licenses an image you’ve submitted. To really be successful, build your own photography website with a platform like Pixpa, to be able to better showcase your portfolio and start getting higher-paid private corporate work.
26. Rent Your Home or Room on AirBnB
Not only is Airbnb a great way to make extra money online by renting out your spare bedroom, but you also get the benefit of meeting new people (if that’s your kind of thing). You can even rent out an entirely new apartment just to manage as an Airbnb.
But don’t make the mistake of thinking this will be a passive source of income—you’re on call whenever you have a guest and you’ll always need to keep the place clean for incoming visitors. On top of just renting on Airbnb, consider offering your guests paid add-ons, like Lauren Gheysens’, Royal Day Out in London, England—where she gives visitors a local’s only tour of the city, complete with bespoke 18th century costumes.
27. Rent out Your Unused Storage Space with Neighbor
If you have unused spaces at home or at the office, you can turn them into cash by renting them out. Think spare bedrooms, basements, garages, parking spaces, or even closets. You can rent these spaces out as storage units for people near you with Neighbor, a peer-to-peer platform that matches your unused space with people looking for unused storage or parking spaces. You can list your space free of charge and set your own price. The platform allows you to message and even meet potential renters in person before you decide to store their belongings.
28. Start an Online T-Shirt Business
It’s sometimes hard to comprehend just how much people love t-shirts. And with the right niche, marketing and tools, you can create an online t-shirt business that makes you extra money online while you sleep. (Even Bloomberg and Forbes feature stories from entrepreneurs who’ve done just that.) Services like TeeSpring make it easier than ever to create a t-shirt drop-shipping business where they handle the sales, printing, and shipping, and you’re only responsible for design and marketing. Or you can even buy into well-established franchise businesses like Rhea Lana that sell fashionable, affordable kids clothing and get the backing of a proven organization to fuel your online sales. For more tips, check out this simple guide to launching and marketing an online clothing store by my friends over at Selz.
29. Sell Your Expertise on Clarity.fm
If you’ve got experience and expertise in a specific area of business, there are hundreds if not thousands of business owners who would love to jump on a phone call and pick your brain. This can be an easy way to make extra money online and to hone your skills to use in your consulting or freelance business. Sites like Clarity.fm let you create a profile where entrepreneurs and business owners can pre-pay to book a phone call with you for a set amount of time. Whether you’re an expert in raising money for startups, building apps, or running a restaurant, you can make extra money selling a few minutes of your time to people in need.
30. Answer Professional Questions on JustAnswer
If it’s not clear yet, information and expertise are two of the most consistent and lucrative ways to make extra money online. If you don’t like talking on the phone, you can sign up to get paid to answer professional questions on JustAnswer. There are thousands of questions being asked every month from people looking for help from lawyers, doctors, mechanics, vets, and more. To apply, you’ll need to supply your professional verification, resume, and a form of identification.
31. Become a Virtual Assistant
If you have a knack for organization, you can make money online as a virtual assistant helping people to keep their days in order. A virtual assistant will do everything from bookkeeping to research, database entry, booking travel, and managing email. It can also be an awesome way to rub shoulders with some very important people, build up your professional network, and of course grow another stream of income. You can find great gigs on UpWork, Fiverr, Indeed, and Remote.co.
32. Get a Commission-Only Sales Gig
If you’re willing to take on some risk and have the heart of a true hustler, you can make extra money online doing commission-only sales for startups and other businesses. While you won’t be getting a regular salary, with the right sales strategies and skills as an inside sales rep, you can make decent money for each sale you bring in. And because you’ll most likely be working with startups, if you can negotiate a little equity you could profit big time if you’re pitching a solid product and the startup succeeds.
If you need to brush up on your sales skills, check out online courses like Sales Training and Prospecting on Udemy, The Guide to Pitching and Selling Clients on CreativeLive. And once you’re ready, head over to Angel List and see if there any open sales position opportunities align with your interests.
33. Teach English as a Virtual Tutor
34. Guest Post as a Freelance Writer for Niche Websites
If you’ve got a way with words and expertise in a niche, there are plenty of sites that will pay for articles and content you write—plus guest blogging is also one of the best ways to build up the authority of your own blog over time. Think of the sites you read regularly. What can you contribute to them that would be interesting? Research your niche and then look for ways to pitch articles. Many sites will simply have a submission or contact link in the footer. To get started, check out my full guide to becoming a freelance writer on the side and then submit your articles to places like Listverse, A List Apart, International Living, FundsforWriters, and Textbroker.
35. Write on Medium’s Partner Program
36. Help People with Their Tax Prep
37. Transcribe Audio and Interviews to Make Money Online (from Home)
Journalists, doctors, lawyers, academics, and researchers record interviews every single day and need someone to transcribe what’s been said. So, if you’re comfortable with listening to the same audio over and over while writing it down you can make good money online doing transcriptions.
38. Proofread Articles
As long as there is still the written word, there will always be editors. Freelance editing and proofreading not only pays a decent hourly wage, it also gives you the chance to read about potentially interesting topics too. What’s more, pursuing freelance writing & editing as a business idea can afford you a lifestyle that lets you travel the world as a digital nomad. You can find lots of job postings from companies and individuals in need of writing, proofreading, and editing services on Contena, which makes this a high-demand opportunity to make money online.
39. Private Labelling and Selling Products on Amazon
More than half a billion products are sold on Amazon every month, making it an incredible opportunity to make money online. But, like everything else that involves making money online, you have to do quite a bit of work to earn it. One option on Amazon is to find products that are already made and buy and sell them at a discount. For example, you could research generic products such as clocks, keychains and mugs to attach to your brand.
40. Online Travel Consultant
If you love to travel and find yourself randomly searching for airfare sales or browsing Lonely Planet, why not carve out a niche for yourself as a private travel agent? My friend, Mark Jackson did just that, making extra money online with his travel consulting side business. Start with word of mouth recommendations from friends who know they can count on you for the cheapest flights, and then move on and create a Facebook or LinkedIn group to invite people who want to stay on top of the latest deals. Eventually you could spin this into a full-time consultancy teaching people how to make their dream trips a reality.
41. Do Virtual Odd Jobs on TaskRabbit
42. Clean Up Search Engines
Ever see a Google result and say “How the heck did that get there?” While Google and other search engines use powerful algorithms to determine what pages to show for search results, there are real people making money online by making sure the machines are doing their job correctly.
With sites like Appen and LionBridge you can make money by conducting researches on predefined search queries and providing feedback for results based on their relevance.
43. Enter Online Contests for Company Names and Slogans
Do you constantly come up with witty one-liners? Do you dream of the days of Mad Men-style advertising? If you’ve got some branding chops or just come up with imaginative copy, there are lots of opportunities to make money online through company naming and slogan contests. If you think you have a knack for names check out the Squadhelp platform where you can earn a little extra money online by naming brands, services, products, company slogans and even help out on the logo design front if you’ve got the chops.
44. Get Paid for Being Healthy
45. Write Reviews of the Places You’ve Been
When was the last time you went to a new restaurant without looking it up online beforehand? Or bought a product that didn’t have at least a few 5-star reviews? It seems like more and more our world is run on reviews. And you can make money online by writing them. Get started by creating accounts on sites like Vindale research, Software Judge, FameBit, CrowdTap, Influence Central, and Modern Mom. However, before you run off and start writing, be sure to check the small print on each of these sites. Writing reviews isn’t a huge source of guaranteed income and you want to make sure that it’s worth your time before you get going.
46. Do Data Entry for Companies to Make Money Online
If you’re a stickler for details and have quick typing skills, you can make money online by entering data for companies. Simply search “data entry” jobs on places like Craigslist, Indeed, or UpWork.
47. College Admissions Essay Editor
If editing and advising college students on how to write compelling 500 word essays on topics such as “You were just invited to speak at the White House. Write your speech,” seems like something you would want to do, you can make good money online.
Trust me, tons of parents will pay you to edit admissions essays and offer constructive feedback for their children. Look for open positions at top editing companies like Scribendi, Top Admit, or Essay Edge or post your services online on Craigslist and other marketplaces.
48. Help New Teachers by Selling Your Teaching Plan
Being a new teacher can be nerve wracking. Which is why so many people are looking to buy your old teaching plans to help them feel more comfortable in front of their first class. If you’re a teacher, you can make money online through a site like Teachers Pay Teachers, which lets you buy and sell your original teaching materials.
49. Maintain Artist Fan Pages
Your favorite artist, musician, or entrepreneur often needs help maintaining their fan pages on Twitter and Facebook. If you have a bit of a background in social media you can make money online looking after these pages by looking for jobs on Fiverr.
50. Look After Other People’s Pets
In 2017, there were almost 90 million pet dogs in the US. Which has opened up a huge opportunity to make money online as a dog watcher or sitter. Specialized sites like Rover or Care.com connect pet owners with pet walkers, sitters, and boarding houses to help look after their best friends when they’re at work or on a trip. If you’re an animal lover, you can make extra money and get to spend some quality time with a furry friend.
51. Sell Your Old Smartphone and Other Tech Goods
52. Sell Your Old Books
If you want to clear some space out in your house and have a big stack of books you’ve been holding onto for too long, you can make money selling your books and textbooks online. Stores like Half Priced Books and others will give you cents on the dollar for each of your current books while you can check what your book is worth by simply entering the ISBN number on Book Scouter.
53. Rent or Sell Your Clothes Online
Is your closet bursting with clothes you’re simply not wearing anymore? Rather than take them to a local thrift or consignment store, you can make money online by renting to selling your clothes. Check out sites like Tradesy, SnapGoods.com, Loanables.com, and RentNotBuy.com.
54. Online Dating Consultant
Believe it or not, some people have such a difficult time with dating, they don’t even want to participate in the online (or app-based) component of it. If you’re a smooth talker, you can leverage that skill into making money online as a matchmaker on sites like Relationship Hero.
55. Rent Your Car on Turo
56. Become an Online News Writer or Columnist
You don’t need to have a degree in journalism to make money online as a reporter or columnist these days. Plus, there are many news websites that can always use a bit of help on getting local coverage.
Some of them, such as The Examiner, will compensate contributors based on ad revenue generated per article written.
57. Buy and Sell Domain Names
Domain name trading has been around for the last couple decades, and while most slam-dunk names have long been sold off, there’s still plenty of others that you can get your hands on for relatively cheap and broker as a way to make money online. Before you dive in, however, beware that some experts doubt the long-term viability of this idea for making money online. However, there’s always the chance you might just land on a lucrative domain name for a future billion-dollar company. To get you started, here are some tips from GoDaddy, arguably the world’s largest and most famous repository of domain names. Consider also that you can instead buy a blog that already has some incoming traffic, work hard growing the audience for a year and later sell the blog for a profit.
58. Do Data Analysis for Companies
Got a thing for numbers? Plenty of companies pay talented contractors who are good at data analysis, making this a potentially lucrative way to make money online, if you have the right credentials and experience. Platforms like Flexjobs and TopTal are just two of many websites that are great for freelancers with an analytical prowess.
59. Online Personal Trainer or Fitness Coach
If you’re a fitness buff and have the right combination of charisma and business sense, working as a part-time online personal trainer can be both physically and financially rewarding. Once you build up a reputation and client base for yourself, it could easily turn into a full-time endeavor for you. Check out a few of the top fitness blog examples and observe how they make money online from their content sponsorships, affiliate earnings and product sales.
60. Sell Your Songs as a Creative Way to Make Money Online
The music industry might not be as strong as it was in the 80s, but there are still plenty of ways to make money online as a musician. Sites like SoundBetter let you sell your services as a songwriter, producer, or session musician to thousands of customers a month. While Musicbed, Music Vine, Marmoset, and SongFreedom are perfect for licensing your music to TV shows, movies, and web series.
61. Subcontract Your Extra Work and Start an Online Agency
Once you’ve established yourself in any of the numerous freelance verticals online, spending your time focusing just on doing inside sales (booking freelance contracts with high-value clients) and then subcontracting your work out to other freelancers can be a great way to make money online.
Rather than simply selling your own time, you’ll be building a business that can scale and grow beyond the hours you have to sell each day.
62. Create DIY or Cooking Videos
You know those top-down cooking or craft videos you just can’t seem to get away from these days? There are people out there making a living from them, especially those that also run their own food blogs or travel blogs like my girlfriend and I are doing with our food blogs Vegan Anj and VeganTable. In fact, a whopping 78% of B2C companies depend on user-generated content (like these videos) for their marketing campaigns. You can sign up as a creator on a site like Darby Smart and potentially work with brands like Nordstrom, Mattel, and BarkBox. Or, learn how to master PPC advertising and you can use the content to build your YouTube following and monetize through ads and views.
63. Edit Videos Online
Video is growing like crazy. And more and more people are looking for professional help cutting their raw footage into viral-worthy content. If you have the right software and a bit of skill, you can easily make money online as a video editor. Check out these article of Fstoppers on how to become an online video editor and then look for relevant jobs on Mandy.com or ProductionHub.
64. Build a Niche Website
Find an audience for your passion or hobby and you’re all set to make money online doing something you love via a niche website. That of course, is easier said than done. Creating a profitable niche website takes time and is not intended for the faint of heart. But, if you can hurdle the steep challenges and positively answer a few key questions on whether the website business idea you’re thinking about is profitable, then you can begin building it and eventually monetize through advertising, affiliates, or other relevant digital products.
65. Become a Contract Customer Service Superstar
Like talking to people and helping walk them through problems? You can bring in extra income as a contract customer support superstar for companies all over the world. Due to the 24/7 nature of online businesses, companies are looking for people in different time zones to help deal with issues that their users are having. Better yet, if you have experience in service or retail you’ll be perfectly suited. Check out indeed or the other remote job boards I listed earlier to find opportunities.
66. Buy an Existing Website (to Make Money Online Quicker)
Websites aren’t too dissimilar to stocks. Many are junk, but some can generate serious income for you, making buying an existing website a strong potential idea for making money online (if you have an eye for spotting the diamond in the rough).
You can buy and sell websites in the hope of generating future earnings based on their user traffic, current revenue intake, domain name, or some other factors that might be a hidden cash cow everyone else has overlooked. Interested? Check out marketplaces like Flippa and Flipping Enterprises to learn more.
67. Become an Online Notary
Every year, hundreds of millions of documents are notarized in the United States: wills, mortgages, citizenship forms, handgun applications. While for decades, this has all been done in person, there is a budding crop of sites that allow notaries to take their services online. If you’re already a notary, you can sell your services online. Or, if you want to get started, check out the National Notary’s checklist for becoming a certified notary.
68. Run Corporate Workshops
Another way to utilize your talent and business skills is to run corporate workshops online. Businesses are always looking for unique ways to help educate their workforce, and if you can package your talents into a day or half-day long session, you can sell that to companies all over the world to make money online. Start by building a portfolio and then reaching out on LinkedIn to influencers at relevant companies to see if they would be interested in you teaching their team.
69. Lend Your Voice to Voice-Overs
Has anyone ever told you you have a voice for radio? Are you great at creating original characters with just your voice? There are tons of people looking to pay for quality voice overs for their corporate videos, animation series, or educational videos. Check out Fiverr and UpWork or create a profile on a specialized site like Voices.com or The Voice Realm to get started making money online doing voice overs.
70. Small Business Marketing Consultant
If you have experience with marketing, SEO, or a knack for getting people excited about the products and services you use on a regular basis, think about refining your skills and putting them to work making money online as a small business marketing consultant in your region—especially if you can become a local SEO expert and can help local clients rank higher in their search results.
Businesses of all sizes are in constant need of bringing in more customers, which is where you come in with your business idea. Start by pitching creative small business marketing ideas to local businesses and you’ll be sure to impress the first set of clients you begin working with in your area.
71. Rent Your Camera Gear
Thanks to online marketplace websites like KitSplit, it’s never been easier to rent out your camera gear that spends more time sitting in your closet than it does in the field. From cameras to lenses and so much more, there are over 40,000 people using KitSplit to earn a passive income from renting out the camera gear they already own.
72. Help Other Businesses Bring Back Old Customers
You don’t have to start your own online business from scratch. Instead, you can build one (very quickly) by helping out people who already have a successful business. Every service business has a long list of past clients they’re most likely not doing a good job of keeping up with—but their neglect is your opportunity. It’s up to 5x more expensive to attract a new customer than it is to keep an existing one. By helping businesses follow-up and bring back their old customers, you’re saving them money (and making your own!). A follow-up business like this can be as simple as a series of emails you write for a client to help them bring back old customers (check out this step-by-step guide for videos and example pitches). All you need is some writing skills, time to research and craft an effective outreach campaign to prospects in a profitable niche.
Final Thoughts on How to Make Money Online in 2022
With the explosion of online businesses, there has never been a better time to look for ways to make money online.
From starting a blog to drop-shipping products online, finding great remote jobs and everything in between, it’s a very attainable goal to create an online living for yourself this year.
My decision to learn how to make money online has completely changed my life.
Below is a screenshot of how much money I’ve made online (from my blog) through November of this year alone.
Sure, it’s taken me years to get to this point—and a LOT of hard work—but it’s been worth the payoff. Today, I have a real online business to call my own.
Life-changing endeavors like starting a business, all the way down to taking on part-time consulting or coaching clients or just answering surveys can be impactful. There’s certainly more than a few ways you can start making money online today and feeling more financially secure in your future.
Did I miss any of your ways to make money online?
Let me know your own personal ways for making money online (in the comments below).
Share some details about what’s working for you and I’ll add them to the list! 😊
35 Real Ways to Actually Make Money Online
How many articles are there about making money online? Thousands? Millions? Enough? Probably. But there’s a problem. Too many of them are just sales pitches to convince you to sign up for some seminar, webinar, training session or some other way to become an online millionaire.
They really give online money making a bad name. But it is possible to make money online. I mean, the people selling all of those millionaire pitches are making money, right?
Video Summary
There are legitimate ways to make money online. The problem is that the real ways to make money aren’t “get rich quick” schemes.
Most of them require a lot of work and sometimes a lot of dedication before seeing a return on your time. But if you really want to make money online, work from home or turn an idea into a business, you can do it. You can even earn money with apps if you don’t want to venture all the way to the computer.
I’m going to tell you about all kinds of legitimate ways to make money online. Since we are talking about legitimate jobs, you’ve got to be…well, legitimate. And no, you don’t have to give everything up to have a fresh start. (Here’s the proof.)
Many of these options are real jobs that require you to put in hours if you want to get paid. They also require real work. Here are some tips for actually getting the job:
Below are 35 ways to make money online orgainzed into categories (with unique tips to make each way work):
Table of Contents
Websites That Pay
Let’s go ahead and get this out of the way. There are all kinds of websites that will pay you for various things, such as shopping, taking surveys or testing products. No, I’m not getting paid to promote any of these and no, these websites won’t make you a millionaire, but they are great for earning some extra cash. I’ll leave out the scams.
Here are some legitimate websites that pay:
1. Swagbucks – Swagbucks is great for earning some extra cash. You can do a variety of things to make money, from taking surveys to using their search engine. You won’t get rich, but you will earn a few bucks. If you have the time to kill, you can spend it earning some extra cash, instead of surfing the web.
– Project Payday is one of those sites that has testimonials of people who have earned thousands of dollars by getting paid to get trial offers. I’m not saying you’ll earn thousands, but it is legit and you can earn some extra cash. They assume that by paying you to do a free trial, you’ll either like the product and purchase it, or forget to cancel the trial and get charged for it. If you can keep track and cancel before you get charged (if you don’t want the product), then this is a great site for making some money.
6. IZEA – IZEA works in addition to a blog or on its own. You get paid to blog, tweet, take photos and take videos. The pay is mostly based on your following, so if you want to make money with your tweets, you’ll need to grow you Twitter following. Likewise, if you want to make money with blogs, you’ll need substantial blog traffic (more on blogging below).
Freelance Writing
Freelance writing is one of the most popular ways to earn money online. Many successful freelancers can earn an average of 50 cents to a dollar per word. Some are earning twice that!
Of course, it doesn’t start out like that. You’ve got to build your portfolio and your résumé, blah blah blah. If you’re interested in writing, I’m sure you know this. If you’re not interested in writing, I wouldn’t recommend traveling down this road just for the money.
It takes dedication and time, though it can be highly profitable if it’s what you love. Assuming it is what you love, let’s talk about making money with it.
Before you decide to start reaching out to all of these freelance writing companies, you need to have a web presence. You need a blog (in my humble blogger opinion, of course).
Or you could just have an online portfolio. Even a LinkedIn profile works to get started. When you’re ready to start, here are 150 resources to help you write better, faster and more persuasively.
If that’s intimidating, just start with these 50 resources.
Now for what you’ve all been waiting for; once you’re ready to actually start making money, here are 10 websites you can start with:
14. Textbroker – Textbroker pays up to five cents per word, if you’re a 5-star writer. You’ll start by submitting a short sample article and you will most likely start as a 3-star writer, but you can work your way up by writing more and writing great content.
There’s no doubt that you can make money with freelance writing, but it’s a process. Once you start building your portfolio and your writing skills, you can start making some serious money. If you’re not an experienced writer, expect to put some time in before you really start to see some dough.
Sell Your Stuff
Ever since the idea of online auctions came into existence, the online selling market has been on the rise. Many are interested, but don’t know how to get started. There are still all kinds of ways to make money by selling online, whether you’re selling what you already have or buying and selling like a store. Before we get started, here are a few general tips when selling anything online:
Follow those guidelines and you will do well in online sales. When you’re ready to start selling, here’s where you go:
17. Amazon – Have you heard of FBA? It stands for “Fulfilled by Amazon” and it’s getting pretty popular. Basically, you buy products (in bulk is best) and ship them to Amazon for them to store. When your products sell, Amazon packs them up, ships them out and sends you the money (after taking their cut). There are people making a full-time living from FBA, while others just do it for some extra money.
18. CraigsList – Some things don’t ship very well. Other things may make you feel uncomfortable to sell to someone across the country. Anytime you’re selling a large item or something you just don’t want to ship, Craigslist is a great place to go. It’s simple to list your item (again, take good pictures!). If you don’t like the idea of putting your phone number out there, the interested individual can send you a message to your inbox without even getting your email address.
19. eBay – Of course you can’t read an article about making money online that doesn’t mention eBay. You can start an eBay store and get serious about it or you can just sell some stuff to declutter your home. Either way, I’ve made my fair share from selling on eBay and it’s still a popular way to earn money. If you decide to start an actual eBay store, you’ll want to find a drop-ship business like Doba that will store and ship items straight to your customers so you don’t have to deal with an inventory.
20. Etsy – If you like to create arts and crafts, you can sell them on Etsy.It’s completely free to open an Etsy store. You simply sign up, post pictures of your creations and starting selling. You can choose your payment option, but PayPal is generally the easiest. Etsy makes it easy to sell and keep track of your inventory. There is a small listing fee and they take 3.5% of every sale you make.
21. Facebook – Facebook swap shops are great for selling things locally. It’s like CraigsList, but a little easier. You simply search for swap shops in your area and ask to join the group. Once you’re in, take a picture of the item, write a quick description with the price and post it. It doesn’t get much easier than that. You can generally expect to get about what you would get at a yard sale, maybe a little more.
Blogging
First off, I’m a blogger so it seems wrong not to mention it, but more importantly, it’s a legitimate way to make money. It’s quite possibly the least straight-forward way on this list, but it’s very doable and it’s also quite possibly the funnest way on this list. I love blogging and I know hundreds of bloggers who feel the same. So let’s talk about making money blogging and what it really means.
Blogging is something that requires patience, persistence and discipline. It may mean writing everyday for over a year before you really start to see any money from it. There are exceptions to the rule, but from my dealings with other bloggers, it seems to be pretty common to spend one or even two years building your blog, your brand and your authority, before making any serious amount of money.
Some people argue that you can make money without a lot of traffic and while that is true in some circumstances, you will generally need a lot of website traffic to start earning from a blog and that takes a while. Once you’ve reached that point, here are the primary ways to monetize your blog and start earning:
22. Advertising – This is definitely the most old-school way of earning money with a blog. It’s also starting to become the least common way. You can sell advertising spots directly on your site or you can sign up with a company like Google AdSense or Media.net. Either way, you won’t see a whole lot of money from ads until your views are well into the thousands each day.
23. Affiliates – There are many affiliate networks, such as FlexOffers and CJ Affiliate that allow you to promote other people’s products and services. You simply put a link or a banner on your page and then you get a percentage if someone clicks through and buys the product/service. You’ll want to select products that are specifically within your blog’s category.This is an effective way to earn money once you have the traffic coming to your blog.
24. Membership – Many people have created a paid membership area on their blog. This is typically for exclusive content that you can only access in the “member’s area.” If you have a really great idea on what to include, this can be a great idea. You’ll have to create something that can’t easily be accessed around the web.
25. Products – You can create your own product, such as an ebook or computer software. You would then use your blog as a promotion tool to get people to buy your product. As long as you create a legitimate product with a whole lot of value, you should be able to get some buyers, but like everything else with a blog, you’ll need the traffic to get the sells.
26. Services – You can offer a paid service, such as life coaching, blog coaching, goal setting or financial planning. Just be sure to investigate all the legal implications and make sure you’re not claiming to be a professional if you’re not one. With a service like this, you’re basically using your blog to sell yourself. You’ll need to convince people that you’re worth buying and then be able to back up your claims once they purchase your service.
27. Sponsored/paid posts – Many blogs publish sponsored and paid posts. Sponsored posts are basically just posts about a specific brand, product or service. A company will pay you to publish an article about it. It’s similar with other paid posts as well. Your basically selling the spot for the article on your site. If you decide to take this route, you’ll want to build your traffic before you will get many offers.
28. Subscription – If you think of something valuable (newsletter, online magazine, etc.) that you can consistently offer on a certain basis (weekly, monthly, etc.), you may want to offer a subscription service. This could be a fee charged each time your product is sent out or on a monthly basis. Either way, this has to be something that your customers can only get by subscribing to your website.
29. Videos – This could be an entire section on it’s own. Many people have made money by creating YouTube videos. Evan of EvanTube is a kid and he has made millions by creating reviews of products that other kids his age would use. It’s not easy to get views into the millions, but once you do, you’ll start seeing some cash come in. Many bloggers have completely turned to videos to get their point across by starting a video blog.
If you’re truly interested in becoming a blogger, start by looking through the archives of ProBlogger, Copyblogger and Boost Blog Traffic. Then go read through all the free guides over at Quick Sprout. It may take you a year to complete those tasks alone, but it will be worth it. You’ll practically have a MBA in blogging.
Work-at-Home Companies
Finally, there are some companies that will hire you to work from the comfort of your own home. If you’re interested in working for someone else, while still making your own schedule and deciding where to work from, here are a few companies that will let you do just that:
30. CrowdSource – CrowdSource offers many types of jobs from “microtask” jobs to larger writing and editing jobs. You decide how much you work and you can do most of it right at your computer.
31. Demand Studios – Demand Studios is hiring all kinds of creative professionals, from writer to filmmakers. The pay isn’t amazing, but it’s competitive for a work-at-home job.
32. Fast Chart – Fast Chart allows you to work from home as a medical transcriptionist. There are some requirments and qualifications listed on the page, but if you meet them, you’ll make competitive pay for the industry. You’ll also be able to set your own schedule since you’ll be working from home.
Now you’ve got many different options to start earning online. If you saw something that really interests you, try it out and learn more about it. If you’re really wanting to make a full-time income online, you need to be dedicated to learning how to do what you want to do. There are tons of free resources out there. You just have to search for them!
How to Make Money Online Without Investing
Reading time: 12 min.
Is it possible to make money online without paying anything? You may have no seed capital, but you certainly have access to useful information that’s right here in front of your eyes to shed perspective on effective methods of earning. We’ve prepared a guide on how to earn money online without paying anything.
Ways to Make Money Online
Unfortunately, we live in the world of unequal opportunities. But, the internet has made positive adjustments which give everybody a chance to achieve financial well-being without any investments or useful relationships. Wherever you are, if you have an internet connection, you have the same opportunities as billions of other people around the world. Let’s look through the most credible methods of making money online in 2019:
Next, we’ll tell you how to make money online without investments in terms of those methods, and how to reap the maximum benefits from them to increase your income and make it stable.
Content Writing
You see written content every day on the web pages you visit in the form of articles, blog posts, announcements and press releases (event content), technical and other tutorials, guides and descriptions. However, it’s not the same type of writing that you did in school, like compositions, summaries or dictations.
Content writing should be unique and creative enough to immerse users in the essence of the texts and to help them embrace the idea, motivate them for the certain action, convince them of something or provoke certain feelings. In this case, you can succeed and earn money online for free.
How Much You Can Earn
How to Start
As a rookie, you’ll be looking for a good start. In our digital era, there are plenty of job boards that give good opportunities to beginners. To start, you can use:
You can find short-term tasks or full-time contract work there. Your specialized skills can get you on a cool project team.
Some skills are required to earn money online without paying anything by writing content. Let’s look through some recommendations that would be very helpful for you at an early stage of your new career:
Using a job board is not the only way to start your career as a paid content writer (however, it is the fastest and the easiest). You could start a blog that you then can use to showcase your skills. Another approach is to find related communities on social media (Facebook or LinkedIn) to get a job.
How to Become an Expert
You should keep an eye on the quality of your work and continue to gradually improve your writing up to the highest standards. Here are some common recommendations to make your texts more valuable:
To make it easier to get started, and make quick money online for free, you should pick a niche at first. After mastering that niche, then you can try to become a multitasker. Besides, you should learn different writing styles, but finding your own is crucial.
Blogging
Plenty of people have their own blogs, but not everybody seeks to gain benefits from them. However, it is possible and profitable. A blog is a site with mostly written content, where the author writes about a certain topic from his/her own perspective. They then go on to correspond with readers to make direct contact.
Blogging is a hobby and it’s a good way to share your knowledge with the world. The reader’s’ interest and positive comments are just a bonus, but they can bring in a lot of revenue if you want. While your blog is gaining popularity and the number of subscribers increases, you can add products or services on your blog to sell.
The easier approach is to sell your blog space for ads. You shouldn’t need to find advertisers, because your blog will be popular and they will have already started hunting you. You can join Google Adsense or other contextual advertising networks at the beginning.
How Much You Can Earn
Your salary will depend on several factors – the frequency of updates, the relevance and quality of your content, the competitiveness in the niche you’ve chosen and the effectiveness of your marketing strategy to build an audience and generate traffic.
How to Start
To succeed in blogging, you should be passionate about your topic, but also about your long-term business model. Analyze competitors and take into consideration potential challenges. If you need more tips, visit Travelpayouts for valid information.
How to Become an Expert
Interesting content is paramount and helps grow your income. There are two main ways to monetize – take money for ads or sell something. Other ads may not be as profitable as you want.You allow other people to use your traffic. This means that you may earn money on an ad, but it may not resonate with your audience and cause dissatisfaction. However, such an approach doesn’t demand much of your time and effort, so you can take this route if you don’t care about your “personal space.”
If you are selling a physical or digital product, you should know for sure that your readers need it. Then, you should get your leads’ contact information in exchange for a valid giveaway.You can make a sidebar opt-in box on your site, as well as a popup to encourage users enter their email to win the giveaway.
We’ve prepared a set of useful articles to make your work easier:
Affiliate Marketing
If you want to make money online with no money to start, you can join affiliate marketing and become an affiliate. That means you direct your site/blog visitors to the product and get commissions for purchases they make. In this case, you can combine blogging and affiliate marketing to get more revenue.You can trash the blog and use affiliate arbitrage to resell traffic via PPC. For this purpose, you should know more about making money without a website.
How Much You Can Earn
Affiliate rewards usually start at 1% and can reach 10% or even more. The percentage depends on the company’s policy. Additionally, you can get extra promotions and privileges.
How to Start
First, you should find an appropriate affiliate program, taking into consideration the program’s terms and conditions, along with your own preferences. To choose a niche you already like is much better than to start from scratch. You should select an evergreen niche like traveling. You don’t need pay anything to earn via travel, just follow the steps:
You will be rewarded for each purchase that was made through your affiliate link. After you make your first profit, you can re-invest it to create a blog or continue to develop your current project.
Set up your own blog or website and fill it with content related to the product you promote. Then, start development by using relevant keywords – this is not a fast way to make money, but it’s a good way to build your own source of steady income.
Content can be diverse – product reviews for individual products, comparisons, information-based articles, guides, etc. You should use an appropriate set of marketing tools to gain more traffic – PPC, email marketing or SMM, for example.
How to Become an Expert
Affiliate marketing is not rocket science, but you should acquire some knowledge first, though. Your goal will always be traffic generation to direct users to the merchant’s resource through your affiliate link.
You should care about both free and paid traffic. Utilizing social media marketing is very helpful for getting traffic. Doing videos on social networks is extremely effective today. Don’t forget to use anchor links in order to make them short, friendly and attractive users.
Another crucial skill is copywriting. Note that only a few affiliate programs provide you with ready posts. You will need to prepare articles yourself or hire someone.
We’ve prepared a set of useful articles to make your work easier:
YouTube
It is possible to make money online with YouTube without having millions of subscribers. You can create your channel with a great earning potential depending on the niche you’ve chosen and the level of engagement that you create. If you already have your own blog and a strong subscriber base, you can start making money quickly. You can also earn via video ads, sponsorships and crowdsourcing.
How Much You Can Earn
Nobody can say exactly how much you’ll earn, because of many factors influence the result – CPM (cost per million), views, CPC (cost per click), watch time, CTR (click through rate), user retention, traffic source, traffic region and video category all play a role. You only start earning money after 4,000 watch hours for the previous year, plus 1,000 subscribers.
You can combine different income sources to earn more. Read about how you can earn from a YouTube channel. This interview with a channel owner may also be useful for you.
How to Start
First, build your channel and then add keywords in the settings to allow people to see your channel in the YouTube SERP according to their requirements. The second step is to add high-quality, yet brief content. Note that uploads must be on a regular schedule and you should track the results of each one.
Your next task is to build an audience to increase monetization and that starts with allowing YouTube to place ads in your videos. Then, you should set up Google AdSense to let the service send you money per click or per view.
How to Become an Expert
To grow as a YouTuber and to improve your content, you should always check your analytics to see how your strategy is performing. Here are some additional tips:
Don’t view your subscribers as traffic. They are real people and that’s why you should always try to respond to them. Answer their questions and discuss their comments. Your loyalty and readiness for communication is an effective tool to build an audience.
Trading
Another way to make money online for free without scams is trading. That essentially means exchanging one thing for another. You could buy and sell plenty of things – currencies, shares, oil, crypto or anything else. You don’t need to be the owner of the product, but you can deposit and trade on a special platform that takes commissions from payouts. However, financial trading carries risks with it:
You should actively avoid frauds in this niche. The most credible platforms are Ally Invest. It’s the best for cheap trading. E*TRADE is mostly a good fit for beginners. Be very carefully though.
Warning: Trading without knowledge and skill can be dangerous and we do not recommend using this method without both. Learn through this demo-account using fake money.
How Much You Can Earn
How to Start
First, you should learn the stock market. That will help you understand the value of the company and its shares. Then, you should consider your means and assess the risks properly. The next step is to find out which platform relates the most closely to your purposes. It should be reliable and honest, provide you with a set of tools for research and offer low commissions.
Warning: Practicing before depositing is crucial in trading. That’s why it’s best to choose the broker with a demo mode to use to study. Before trading, you should choose your strategy and constantly check its effectiveness.
How to Become an Expert
To achieve success, you should steady your income and grow your benefits regularly. If you choose small or medium-sized stocks, you can win a jackpot, but suffer heavy losses. Trading on large platforms allows you to enjoy stability.
If you are rapidly losing money, get out of the market and don’t try to get revenge.You should identify your point of failure. Don’t be greedy and buy more, because the price hike is a result of market manipulations and not company efforts. One more tip is to only trade at your own expense and remain calm despite market conditions.
Sell Photos
If your main goal is to earn money online without investing, and you’re a creative person at the same time, you can earn revenue through stock photography. Stock photos are licensed pictures used by businesses, web-designers, marketing agencies and media companies. How do they work? You take photos and then sell them to global companies like Shutterstock or Fotolia.
How Much You Can Earn
Your profit is determined by your own skills, authenticity and creativity. It is important to note that some companies have strict rules and won’t pay you until they sell your photo. However, there are some sites that work on a pay-per-download basis, in which case you have a chance to increase your commission.
Your income also depends on the number of photos that have been approved. You may earn more for one photo that has been downloaded several times than for several photos that have only been downloaded once.
How to Start
There are many of stock photography websites. First, you should sign up on the stock photography website you decide to go with. One of the most popular ones is Shutterstock. Here are some simple steps to get started:
Note that you will need an account at submit.shutterstock.com. You’ll have to provide personal information and verify your email. You can provide some photos, illustrations or videos for your debuted submission debut.
How to Become an Expert
Choose a single topic to sell more – business, everyday life, medical or education, for example. Take everything that happens every day in to consideration to help catch a moment and make your photo extremely natural. You should always look at what is happening on TV and in normal life.You can draw graphics as well, with the aid of drawing tablets (they make digital art easier and faster).
Most of the large stocks want you to shoot authentic people and things that inspire you. At the same time, some contributors track hits and competitor sales and want similar photos. Therefore, to become an expert you should focus on both your own preferences and the company’s policy.
Other Ways to Make Money Online Without Paying Anything
If you still have questions about how to earn money online quickly and easily without investment, here are a few ideas.
Indeed, there are plenty of other ways to raise money without any investments. These great possibilities made possible via the internet are giving equal chances for everybody to make a good living sitting in the comfort of their home.
81 Legit Ways to Make Money Online for Beginners (2022 Update)
We can’t all get a second or part-time job to make more money.
For those who can, it’s great!
But what about the rest of us?
Pregnant women, stay at home moms/dads, short/long term disabled folks, new and nursing moms, and of course, the millions who can’t find a job much less a second one?
The good news is we have options too!
Thanks to the internet, there are many legit ways to make money from home without investment.
And the best part?
You can do it anytime and from anywhere – at home on your couch, in the doctor’s office (while you wait), at the airport, while waiting in line somewhere, or any other place where you have a few minutes.
Before the days of the Internet, making more money meant doing one of these things:
Thankfully, today there is a wide variety of free ways to make money on the side.
You know what’s the best part?
The best part is that you already have the skill and knowledge that’s required for most of these opportunities.
Sure, you won’t get rich, but you will make enough money to make it worth your while.
Now, for those who don’t mind going the extra mile, some of these options can lead to earnings that can actually surpass what a teenager may earn working at a traditional fast food job.
Table of Contents
How to Make Money Online Without Paying Anything!
Let’s get started with our list of scam free ways of earning money on the internet.
1. Help shape the future of Google
Like Google and its products?
Wanna tell them what you think of their products and features?
Become a participant in Google’s User Experience Research Studies.
And yes, you earn rewards like gift cards and donations to your favorite charity.
There are a few different kinds of studies you can participate in:
To get started, visit https://userresearch.google.com/ and sign up for free.
2. Make money online with Swagbucks & InstaGC
Since you’re reading this, it’s safe to assume you’re internet savvy and know your way around.
You probably read your emails a few times a day, watch a few videos, visit a few interesting sites, shop…
Wouldn’t it be great if you could get paid for doing these things that you already do anyway?
Well, there are a few companies that do pay people for doing exactly the things you do every day online.
One is InstaGC and the other is Swagbucks. And millions of people (probably some of your friends and family, too) are already using these sites to earn some extra cash.
Both are online reward sites, one of the very few sites in that category that get an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau.
You can make money doing almost anything you do online, including:
I’ve been using both these sites for over 6 years now and I have earned more gift cards than I can count.
It’s an easy and fun way to earn a little money without doing much but the usual stuff you do online already.
The Nielsen Computer & Mobile panel is a panel by the famous Nielsen Research.
Basically, they pay you to install their app on your device.
The app works unintrusively in the background gathering data. This information helps companies improve existing products or develop better ones.
But here’s the best part…
You don’t have to do anything differently!
All you have to do is install the app once and get paid for every month you keep it.
You go about using your device as you do today. You don’t have to change a thing!
And yes, the data they gather is totally anonymous.
4. Ditch Google for Bing
Google is the giant when it comes to search and that means millions of dollars for the company.
That’s why Microsoft is trying to increase the usage of their own search engine, Bing.
And to get more users to search using Bing, Microsoft is now willing to pay you every time you do a search on Bing.
All you have to do is sign up with BingRewards, then simply use Bing to do your daily searches. Each search earns you rewards that can be cashed out for gift cards (including Amazon).
5. Watch videos via Inbox Dollars
If you’re one of the millions who watch online videos almost every day, this is for you.
The catch is that these videos have ads!
Advertisers pay InboxDollars to put ads in the videos and that’s how ID is able to pay people for watching these videos.
I’m sure you see ads when you watch videos on YouTube, but you don’t get paid, but here you do.
It doesn’t end there, there are tons of other ways to make cash on InboxDollars – taking surveys, playing games, shopping, doing offers, and much more.
6. Give feedback via video
VoxPopMe is a market research company that helps brands and companies get feedback from real consumers.
Here’s how it works:
They pay via PayPal.
The good thing is they pay fast – within 72 hours.
7. Earn rewards for watching TV
You watch TV probably every day, you may as well get paid for it!
Viggle is an app that wants to pay you for watching your favorite shows.
It’s an app that gives you points for watching TV.
Here’s how to get started:
The longer you watch a show, the more points you earn.
There are also opportunities for bonus points along the way.
8. Write an article or two for these sites
If you ever thoght, “I need money ASAP please help“, consider writing for pay.
Writing articles for money is one of the simplest and fastest ways to start making money online.
You don’t need to be an accomplished writer either. As long as you can write decently, you can get paid to write.
Here are a few good sites that’ll pay you to write for ’em:
9. Earn cash buying & selling used books via BookScouter
We all have books we know we are done with. Now you can have your books collect cash for you instead of dust!
BookScouter searches over 40 book buy-back sites to find you the one that pays the most for any given book.
Simply visit the site, enter the ISBN number of the book, and the System will automatically tell you how much your book is worth and which site pays the most.
If you like the number, you’ll send the book to that site via a prepaid envelope, and receive your money a few days later.
You can actually scale this up by finding cheap or even free books from family and friends, garage sales, thrift stores, etc, and selling them at high prices with the help of BookScouter. I know one person who has built a reliable small side business doing exactly that.
10. Take online surveys via SurveySavvy
This is arguably one of the most popular ways to make money online.
Online surveys are one of the tools that the multi-billion dollar market research industry uses to gather feedback from consumers that will help businesses and manufacturers improve or develop new products.
Here is how it works:
You sign up with a survey site and fill out your profile.
Then whenever there is a study that matches your profile and demographic, you get invited to participate.
At that point, it is up to you whether you want to actually answer the survey questions or not. If you do decide to participate, you answer a few dozen questions about the product/service/topic of the survey.
Once you are done with it, your account gets credited with the promised amount.
Some survey sites pay cash (PayPal or Check). But most give you points for each survey which you can then redeem for cash or gift cards.
Getting paid to take surveys is a fun way to earn a little side cash and free gift cards, while at the same time impacting the development and/or improvement of the products and services that you use in your daily life.
A few trusted survey sites you can try are:
9. Get paid to find coupons
If you’re anything like me, before you buy anything online you open another tab and search for coupons.
That’s great. You save a little money.
But what if I told you not only can you save money, but you can also make money for finding those coupons?
There is a company called CouponChief that will actually pay you for sharing your best coupon with other members of the community.
Here is how to get started:
12. Get paid to shop via eBates
If you shop online, you’d be crazy not to use a site that gives you cash back for shopping through them.
I mean, if you’re going to buy something anyway, you might as well go through a channel that gets you some of that money back.
And eBates is by far one of the best cash back reward sites out there.
You can earn cashback on almost anything you purchase, from food and clothes to electronics, tools, and everything in between.
13. Fatten your wallet by slimming down
We all know that every single year, the top new year resolution is losing weight/getting in shape.
We also know that a few weeks into the new year, most of us have already forgotten about that resolution.
Maybe what we all just need is a little more motivation than just looking awesomely sexy–perhaps some of that green may do.
Well, you’d be happy to know that there are a few companies that’ll actually pay you for being healthy.
HealthyWage and DietBet are two companies that’ll let you place bets and earn cash if you actually do lose weight.
You can sign up for free. Then install their apps and start placing bets. Reach your goal and you earn money (money comes from all of those who didn’t reach their goals).
14. Get paid to answer trivia questions
Givling is a site that aims to “End Student Loan Debt.”
It’s basically a platform where you can answer trivia questions to win money.
Here’s how it works:
You sign up for free which lets you play once a day for free (you can play more times with Pay to Play.)
You get paid (randomly) with two other players every time you decide to play.
Then you’ll answer true-or-false questions.
Every correct answer adds more points to your team’s total amount.
If your team scores the highest, you win.
15. Scan your groceries
Most of you know Nielsen. The company behind Nielsen TV rating.
They also have a panel dedicated to market research of people’s grocery shopping habits.
It’s called Nielsen Home Scan Consumer Panel.
Basically, they reward you to scan your groceries (either via the app or a scanner they send you.)
After you join the site, you can install the free app.
Then you can either request a free scanner that they’ll send you, or you can use your smartphone to scan the barcode off of the grocery items you purchase.
You earn rewards every time you scan.
You can then redeem your earnings for all kinds of stuff–electronics, household merchandise, toys, and even jewelry.
Here’s how it works in a few simple steps:
Longtime participants also earn entries to sweepstakes with prizes that include cash, brand new cars, vacations, and more.
16. Review movies
This would the best job for anyone who loves movies. Unfortunately, finding one that can get you consistent gigs is very hard to do.
The closest you can get to being paid for watching movies is through market research companies that conduct studies about movies and TV shows, where you watch a show or a movie (normally just some parts of it), and then answer a few questions about it.
I haven’t been able to find a market research company that is only dedicated to those studies.
However, from my experience, SurveySpot is one of the survey panels that conducts the most movie-related surveys.
17. Take pictures on your phone
There is an app called Foap that pays you for the pictures you take using your smartphone.
Simply install the app and register yourself with Foap (which is free by the way). Then upload pictures you snap on your phone to Foap’s marketplace.
So, a single picture can earn you an unlimited amount of cash, and that’s all passive income. Once you take the picture and upload it to the site, you don’t have to do anything else, but collect your money.
Keep in mind, though, your pictures have to be quality and they must get approved by the Foap team before it gets added to the marketplace.
18. Get paid to click
This is one of the oldest and most famous ways of earning pennies online.
I don’t really recommend this since the amount of money you earn for spending so much time clicking on links is just too little to make this worthy of your time. But since this post is about available money making options, I am including it here.
Basically, you are paid pennies for clicking on ad links. The page opens up and you keep it open for a few seconds and you earn your cash. Not much work, but not much earning potential either.
If you’re interested, check out Clixsense.
19. Let your computer pay your internet bill
MQL 5 – Distributed Cloud Network is a research company that pays you for sharing your computer’s unused CPU.
Basically you will be selling the unused power of your computer to the members of Distributed Cloud network. They use that extra power to do tasks like optimizing Expert Advisors optimization or developing mathematical models.
It’s an easy way to make money from your computer.
20. Become a (mock) juror
Online mock trials are used by lawyers and representatives to get a feel for their case and how an actual jury may react to their case.
And in order to get people to participate as jurors in these fake online trials, they’ll pay you.
Interested in becoming a mock online juror?
21. Help students with their homework
If you can help students with their homework, they can help you with your bank account!
There are many homework help and tutoring websites out there. One of the biggest ones being Chegg Toturs (formerly, Student of Fortune).
Students post their questions, and experts (you) earn a certain amount of cash for helping them with answers.
There is also a cash incentive for the best available help or advice. If you are still pretty much in touch with schoolwork, this can be a great avenue to earn some money.
22. Get paid to test designs
The design of websites and apps plays a huge role in the success or failure of said apps and websites.
That’s why companies behind them put a lot of emphasis on getting it right.
One way they try to “get it right” is by getting feedback from the same people who will be using these websites and apps.
Of course, nobody is going to devote their time to testing designs and providing feedback so these companies can make more money with the same apps and websites.
So to entice people to participate, companies and developers pay you to test websites and apps and provide feedback.
Join UserCrowd (formerly known as UsabilityHUB).
This is a platform where designers and developers post paid design tests gigs and testers can make money participating.
If you are interested in learning more, check out my extensive review of UserCrowd and how best you can use it to make more money.
23. Work from home as a nurse
This company, Fonemed, will only accept professionally registered nurses. Members are expected to provide triage and medical information over the phone.
It will be helpful if you also happen to be a Canada or U.S. resident as their clients are largely doctors and especially pediatricians based in North America.
Your job is to attend to the phones after office hours (so expect to work in the evenings, nights, weekends and public holidays).
24. Become a professional mystery shopper
Mystery shopping has been around for the longest time. It is a common practice for businesses to send out anonymous individuals to check out restaurants and outlets.
After all, the feedback gathered will serve the useful purpose of products and services improvement.
While there are many different takes on this practice, what is beyond doubt is that the ubiquitous nature of the Internet has further expanded this industry.
Typically, mystery shoppers will be dispatched to do their shopping or dining out, and they are to report back their experience.
Naturally, the company involved will pick up the bill (only after you send it to them) resulted from the corresponding assignment.
One nice thing is that you may be able to take ownership of the stuff that you are asked to buy.
You can use MysteryShop.org to find companies to work for.
You can also try these companies:
25. Turn your pictures into cash
If photography happens to be your thing and you are good at capturing that special moment, you can trade your skills and expertise with a number of stock photography sites. Basically what you do there is to upload the shots that you have taken.
Every time a user takes a fancy about your picture and download it, you will earn a commission on that image.
This moneymaking option is a slight departure from most of the stuff I mentioned here. It is special because it represents one of the few passive income options online.
Remember you just need to do the upload once, and your picture may just bring in the cash repeatedly.
Of course, you’ll need to be good with your camera, and have that peculiar instinct to spot images that are going to appeal to the masses.
Want to give it a try? Try these sites:
26. Turn the latest trends into cool t-shirts
You know how when something major happens, suddenly there are all kinds of merchandise related to that issue that come out? Well, instead of buying those items, you can be on the other side of it and make money by turning the latest trends and happening into cool t-shirts.
And you don’t even have to spend a dime to get started. Here is how you can use a site called TeeSpring to make money designing and selling t-shirt without actually dealing with printing, shipping, and handling, payments, etc.
Then use their easy to use online tool to design a T-shirt. You can use images or text with your design.
Once you have created your T-shirt, set a price for it and set a goal for the number of Ts you want to sell within a certain period of time.
Let’s say your goal is to sell 100 Ts in 2 weeks.
You can promote your product anywhere you like (on your Facebook page, school, at work, etc).
If 100 T-shirts are ordered within the 2 weeks time frame you set, they’ll be printed by the company and shipped to the buyers. The company then will pay you your share.
If, however, you don’t reach the goal, nothing happens. None of the buyers get charged anything and no T-shirt will be printed. You don’t lose anything either.
Best of all, you can create another campaign and either try to sell the same T-shirt again, or you can design new ones.
You can do all of this without spending a single penny. The company does all the work. All you have to do is design the T-shirt and send people to your T-shirt sale page to buy it.
27. Rate short music samples
Research.fm is a site that pays you to listen to short music samples and provide feedback.
It’s basically like online surveys but exclusively for music.
You get to rate the latest and newest songs playing on radio stations around the country.
Here’s how it works:
They also have apps for both Android and iOS devices.
28. Answer text messages
This is more like a part-time work at home job where you have to work at least 6 hours a week.
Knowledge Generation Bureau (also known as KGB) will pay you to answer questions via text messages
What is it, you ask?
It is a “text-message-based information service.”
It means people can ask questions on their phone and you (as an expert in your field) can make money answering those questions via text.
KGB hires people to work from home as Special Agents.
Just how much you earn for each answer depends on the answer itself:
Here’s how you can get started:
I think it’s a great way to make some extra cash in your free time.
They offer flexible hours and you can work from home (so you save money and time by not having a daily commute.)
29. Take part in online Focus Groups
There is not much difference between paid surveys and focus groups. So, if you can handle surveys, you can handle focus groups.
One basic distinction between them is that focus group often calls for your physical presence. It is commonly held in major cities where participants congregate in some room or office.
You will join your fellow participants at the focus group, and the focus will be revolving around some issues related to some products or services.
2020Research is one of the best companies out there that conducts online focus groups you can participate in.
You can also find local focus groups that are held in physical locations, by contacting your local universities and market research companies.
For a list of 200+ legitimate focus group companies, check out our list of legit focus groups.
30. Review software
If you have a critical mind that is slanted toward software development, SoftwareJudge will pay you for reviewing their collection of software.
The expectation is that you do your review diligently and be honest to report back on your observations and opinions.
The upside is that once trust is developed, you will get more opportunities to review software, thus progressively making more money.
31. Answer questions
Answer sites work on the premise that knowledge is not proprietary and they encourage their members to actively share their expert knowledge and understanding of subjects that they are familiar with.
Your job here is to explore which subject area can be interesting and, which you have intimate knowledge of.
By structuring your expertise into some form of answers or advice to people who would like to learn more about the subject, you will get paid.
If interested, try a site like Just Answer.
32. Do customer service at home
Outsourcing is all the rage among national retailers nowadays.
The business function that they normally contract out is their customer service operation.
There are some great outsourcing companies that specialize in this field, with Alpine Access and Working Solutions being the two most prominent service providers in the industry.
These companies are not dependent on an army of staff on their payroll to fulfill their obligations. Instead, they often turn to part-timers or home-based workers to carry out the work.
These outside representatives usually have to commit to 20 to 40 hours work week.
The responsibilities include taking calls for large and small companies.
33. Translate your bilingual ability to cash
Know more than your native language?
Turn your multi-linguistic skills into cash!
This is especially helpful if you are an English speaker.
With globalism spreading rapidly, more and more employees and employers have to deal with files, documents, and conversations in other languages.
If you can translate files, documents, and conversations from one language to another, you might want to check out a platform like Proz.com.
Proz is one of the best places where you can use to get paid for translating documents, files, conversations and more.
34. Test mobile apps
You know those nagging app update notifications you get on your phone constantly?
You probably know that these updates fix problems and/or introduce new futures.
But what you may not know is that app developers pay people for testing their apps and talking about those issues and features.
But how do you find paid testing jobs and opportunities?
Through sites like Userzoom.
All you need is an internet connected device (desktop, phone, tablet, etc.) Then you install the free UserZoom’s eCertified testing software so you can test apps.
You get paid via PayPal.
You must be 18 and above and all you need is a desktop, tablet or smartphone, and a good internet connection. They pay through PayPal. You can read more about Userzoom here.
35. Try trial offers via Vindale Research
There are a lot of companies out there that will actually pay you to try their products by opting for their trial offers.
Why would any company pay you to do a trial offer?
Because they know once you try their product/service, you are likely to become their long-time customer. So while they may lose a little money upfront by paying you, they make more in the long run.
Now, finding these companies one by one is hard, not to mention most of them don’t deal directly with consumers.
They go through sites like Vindale.
Think of Vindale as a middle-man site where companies pay Vindale to get their products/services tested by real consumers like you and me.
Trial offers include things like Free Netflix trial, iTunes, eMusic, GameFly, and much more.
The secret to actually making money with trial offers is organization.
Use a calendar for every trial offer you sign up for, so you can cancel the trial before the free period ends and they charge you. That’s assuming you actually don’t want to keep using the product or service.
But if you are going to for example sign up with Netflix, then this is a great way to make a little cash for buying something you were going to buy anyway.
36. Sell your arts & crafts on Etsy
Have you reached retirement age but still aching for some action?
Are you always attracted to stunning works of art and think of being the creator rather than the admirer?
If the answer to both questions above is a resounding YES, then train yourself with the many online tutorials on how to create artworks and sell them online.
Sites like Etsy make it extremely easy and quick to open up an online storefront for free and start selling your handmade items.
There are tons of people who are actually making a living on Etsy.
37. Sell your talent, any kind of talent!
Doesn’t matter what you can do, as long as you can do it well, you can make money on Fiverr.
Fiverr.com is a micro freelancing site where you can sell any kind of service, from graphic design and coding to writing, signing, drawing, taking pictures of yourself holding a sign, prank calling someone and so on.
To get started, sign up for free at Fiverr.com.
Describe the kind of gigs you are offering to your potential clients, be it making breakfast delivery, singing a song to the wedding anniversary, dress up as a Spider-man, or anything else you can imagine.
Put a price on it and start making money.
You’ll get a unique page where your gig resides. You can then promote your service by sharing the link on social media and other platforms.
38. Self-publish with Kindle
Amazon’s Kindle publishing platform has made it extremely easy to create and sell your own eBooks without the hassles of traditional publishing.
Not to mention, in most cases, it won’t cost you a dime to create the book.
I actually have a few books on Kindle as well.
The beauty of Kindle books is that they can be any length. There are best sellers on Kindle that have only 30-40 pages of content.
Another benefit is that you can turn almost any topic into a kindle book–recipes, fictions, guides, and even quotes.
39. Make money blogging
Blogging occupies a prominent place in the online world, and it looks to continue in the foreseeable future. With tools and utilities abound, setting up a blog has never been easier.
If you are new to the blogging space, there are many sites that provide free platforms (setting up takes less than an hour), and off you go!
After you have this sense that blogging is the thing for you, you may want to consider arranging your exclusive hosting and domain name (paid service).
The good thing about blogging is that you are completely free to talk about anything that fancies or irritates you.
The point is that there is nobody going to draw the line on what topics your blog should adhere to. You just want to make some noise and hope there is an audience outside somewhere!
Blogs can be a formidable revenue generator. People have taken advantage of their blogs by placing AdSense ads, selling their own stuff, selling affiliate products, hawking advertising space, and many more.
Because blogging represents a multitude of money-making opportunities, people sometimes have this misconception that they could simply turn into bloggers and straight away make tons of money overnight.
The truth is that it is possible to get rich through blogging, but it will take tremendous discipline and effort so that all your energy channeled into your blog can come to fruition.
Here is a great course titled 31 Days to Build a Better Blog, from one of the most successful bloggers out there, Darren Rowse.
40. Turn your home into a cash generating machine
This is the age of sharing economy.
You can now rent your house to travelers using sites like Airbnb.
You set the price and list it on the site for rent. You can set the price for a night, week, or even a month.
You can use their rating system to pick and choose who you want to rent your house to.
VRBO is another site you can use.
41. Win cash playing online games with Cash Dazzle
I am sure you’ve heard of people making a fortune from playing online games.
The most famous person being Ansche Chung, who became the first person ever to make a million dollars playing the Second Life game.
Now, you aren’t going to make millions on CashDazzle, but if you do play a lot of online games, this site allows you to earn a little side money doing what you enjoy.
There are tons of different games you can play on this site, including Spin & Win.
Sign up and start getting paid for playing games here.
RelayRides is another company created because of the sharing economy.
You can also try GetAround.
43. Do odd jobs
Ever do random little things for friends and family?
Well, now you can get paid to do those little random things for local people, thanks to a site/app named Zaarly.
These little random gigs can be anything–dog walking, babysitting, picking up kids from school, being a personal shopper for a day, etc.
44. Let your phone pay its bill
There are tons of apps that will let you earn cash for doing a variety of stuff-taking surveys on the go, shopping, playing games, doing tasks, etc.
Here are a few you can try:
45. Be a research subject
Universities and clinics are always on the lookout for participants for their studies, and they actually pay good money for it as well.
You are paid based on the potential risks and the amount of time it takes to finish the study.
There are some studies that have no risk and are very easy, such as sleep studies where you simply sleep at a local facility (instead of at home) so the researchers then monitor your sleep to gain insight on many different things–what our brains do, how active our brains are when we are asleep, how deep we sleep, etc.
On the other hand, there are also riskier studies that involve taking new medications, so the researchers can test the effects of them.
Such studies usually pay upwards of a few thousand dollars and can last a few days and up to a few weeks or months.
Find out more details from the National Institutes of Health, or browse ClinicalTrials.gov to find studies to partake in.
You can also contact local universities for psychology experiments.
46. Get inked!
Yes, companies are now using our bodies as advertising billboards.
But fear not, you don’t have to get a permanent tattoo.
LeaseYourBody is a website where you can set up a profile for free and offer any part of your body to be used as an advertising billboard.
You set up the price and if an advertiser likes it they’ll pay you to put a temporary tattoo on your body for a certain amount of time.
47. Make money on YouTube
More and more people are finally realizing that they can make money on YouTube.
There are tons of people who are making a living on YouTube by creating videos.
You can either focus on one main topic – makeup, workouts, video games, food, etc – or you can have a channel where you talk about everything.
Either way, having an interesting personality will go a long way in helping you develop a loyal fan base.
Need examples to inspire you?
The funny thing is that these are not even the most bizarre ways people make money on YouTube. There are hundreds of thousands of people who make thousands and even millions by filming themselves doing the craziest things.
Sure, you may not become the next YouTube millionaire, but you could certainly make a few extra hundred or thousand dollars a month.
It will take time and hard work, but it is well worth it.
48. Be a game tester for Nintendo
If you enjoy games, this opportunity to become a paid game tester can be both exciting and rewarding.
But for this exact same reason, a lot of crooks have entered this industry to take advantage of the excitement in the market.
Indeed, the number of scams is ridiculous.
You have to be discriminating enough to be sure that the company you are eying for is a full legit company; otherwise, you could have been easily taken on for a ride.
I don’t mean to scare you with my experience, but there are a lot of scams out there so be careful.
One thing that would definitely help you avoid scams is that you should never ever pay a fee to join a site that claims to pay you for testing games.
No legitimate company will ever ask you to pay them so you can test games for them. Thye will actually pay you (cash, gift cards or free games.).
And yes, there are a few other legit companies that pay you to test games.
49. Become a virtual assistant
Wanna work from home (or anywhere you like)?
Become a Virtual Assistant.
As a VA, your job is to help companies by doing simple daily tasks for them.
What kind of tasks?
Anything from conducting research, finding things and taking phone calls to scheduling appointments, responding to emails, managing social media accounts and so on.
The pay varies from company to company.
Fortunately, there are tons of companies out there that hire VAs.
But I think one of the best ones is Assistant Match.
50. Make money with Amazon Turk
mTurk is a micro freelancing site owned by Amazon.
It’s a platform where companies and businesses are matched with freelancers from all over the world.
The kinds of tasks posted here are usually different than your normal freelancing sites.
These are mostly small tasks that take seconds to complete, like tagging a picture, doing a Google search, separating text from a picture, etc.
The pay isn’t that great, especially for shorter tasks. But the beauty of it is that since most of them don’t require a lot of brainpower and focus, you can do ’em while watching your favorite TV shows on the couch.
It’s an easy and fun way to make a little cash in your spare time.
51. Sell your stuff
We all hear about eBay being one heck of a successful enterprise and there are frequent stories about eBay sellers pull in an enormous amount of money year after year.
So, whatever misgiving you have on eBay or its corresponding business model, it is time to put them aside and start to seriously explore the business opportunity represented by eBay.
Most eBay members will tell you that they are motivated by the prospect of setting up stores at eBay because of zero (or relatively low) investment.
Indeed, some of the most successful sellers there got started by gathering those old and unwanted stuff inside the household or around the neighborhood, and giving them a new look, or restoring them. They then moved these items online on eBay.
This is surely a good way of getting rid of things that are no longer in use while making some pocket money out of them.
And if you are the ambitious type, eBay is just the right place to support your goal. They make it easy for you to find out what items are selling like hotcakes.
As an idea, you might want to follow up on that fact-finding and go on to find your own wholesaler for similar products. Place your order in bulk to ensure price competitiveness, but sell them loose on eBay so as to maximize your profitability.
52. Flip websites & domains
There is an element of the proven strategy in the equity market: identify/acquire undervalued, but good, domains and resell later for profit.
You can also buy a domain and create a site around it. Spend some time developing it, then you can sell it to interested buyers on sites like Flippa.com.
You can do this over and over again.
The beauty of it is that every time you do it, you get better and faster at it.
53. Do graphic design
If you know Photoshop like the back of your palm, you can make good money doing it.
The biggest hurdle, especially for beginners is finding paying clients.
Thankfully, with platforms like 99Designs it is much easier to get your foot in the door.
There are loads of design competitions to win prizes, from logos and t-shirts to icons, website designs and more.
54. Become a drop shipper
You can go to Zazzle and set up a free online storefront.
Your role as a drop shipper means that Zazzle will handle almost all the business ends of things.
Your sole responsibility is to attract customers to your online storefront.
55. Get paid for testing websites
A successful website is a user-friendly website.
That’s why companies are willing to people to test the different functionalities of their website.
Usertesting.com is a site that connects companies with testers. You can sign up for free and start testing websites.
56. Become an affiliate marketer
This is probably one web-based business that presents a low entry barrier, which also explains partly the huge popularity associated with affiliate marketing.
With affiliate marketing, you are not involved in the creative part of the work, like conceiving products or services.
As an affiliate, your main responsibility is to move products made by others in order to earn a commission.
Some of these digital products include e-books and short reports.
If you have trouble sourcing products for sales, then you might want to check out websites such as ClickBank and PayDotCom, which represent two of the biggest affiliate networks out there.
57. Design logos
Good at designing logogs?
Turn it into a money making business!
A great place to find logo design projects is DesignCrowd.
58. Earn money freelancing
For most people, online freelancing seems like a natural idea when it comes to making money on the Internet.
The beauty of freelancing lies in its simplicity and cost-effectiveness.
You don’t have to invest any money into it. All you need is your time, talent and commitment.
You don’t even have to go look for clients on your own these days.
With platforms like UpWork, it is easier than ever to find paying clients.
To get started, visit UpWork and sign up.
Then create your profile and start browsing jobs.
Apply for the ones you are interested and take it from there.
MyPoints is one of the oldest online rewards/cashback sites.
You can earn points for shopping, taking surveys, completing offers and more. The points are redeemable for cash, free gift cards, and other prizes.
The only issue I have with it is that they don’t offer a lot of points for completing these tasks, compared to similar sites like Swagbucks.
But they have one thing going for ’em…
You can get that with your first purchase (of anything) through their cashback platform.
So next time you want to buy something online, instead of visiting the merchant’s site directly, go through MyPoints.
And that’s not all…
You can keep earning points by doing more shopping, taking surveys, playing games, visiting websites, and more.
60. Domain drop shipping
What this is about is actually the resale of domain registration for big domain registration sites (TuCows for example).
The resale term would allow you to set up your own brand, so there is a chance that you can make it big with the support of the big names in the industry.
The nice thing about this is that you not only just get a commission for every new purchase.
Additionally, you will be entitled to a cut whenever the customers renew their yearly subscription.
61. CPA marketing
If you find affiliate marketing tough to handle, then CPA or Cost Per Action may be a more suitable option.
If the person who heads to the merchant’s site through your links commits to a specified action, like agreeing to receive newsletters, opting for email updates, taking a poll or whatsoever the merchant can think of, you will be entitled to a commission.
In that sense, the commission scheme is not solely dependent on sales, so this CPA marketing idea surely has an upside about it.
You no longer have to wait for your prospects to come to a buying decision before you are assured of your commission.
At the same time, the challenge to entice people for their purchase is far greater than getting people to think about whether to opt for free things or not!
Sign up with a few good CPA networks (these are sites that connect advertisers with marketers), find a few good offers to promote and start your journey.
62. Build your own forum
Some people attribute the popularity of online forums to the rationale that we humans are simply social animals. It has been built into our genes to engage, share and corroborate.
Those business owners have seen through our characteristics and there is no escaping even when we are online. They have built popular forums, and they have made big bucks!
Assuming you always had a passion for politics, and you are ever eager to discuss at length on policy matters, then why not set up a forum that focuses on politics.
Granted, the early movers have left the scene, but there is still money to be made. After all, it is better late than never.
Moreover, the proliferation of the Internet is set to continue, which means that you can have a common over an ever-expanding audience.
Get people excited about your forum by talking about it openly as you visit other forums.
Another way to promote your new forum is to make completely bizarre comments while deliberating the issues of the day if only to get people to pay attention to you, and your new forum by extension.
Continue to work on it as you start to accept progressively more traffic until it comes to a point when you want to incorporate online ads to monetize your forum.
Another tactic could be highly rewarding, though it can backfire. You have seen some of the most successful forums charge a fee for members who wish to participate in a specialized section of the forum.
You may want to include this practice into your overall business strategy, as this means recurring revenues for you. If you wish, do research to find out how the WarRoom section of the famous WarriorForum is able to pull that off!
Forumotion is a great free forum making tool that you can use to quickly create a forum in minutes.
63. Upload files
Online sharing is not just restricted to photography.
You can do the same thing with documents and files, as you do with images.
There are some sites that specialize in file sharing and it is entirely up to you as to what files you are willing to share. If your files are deemed useful enough and get downloaded, you will make some commission.
These sites do not specify the kind of format required to be associated with your files.
But in order to broaden the appeal of your files, you may want to output your files in the most popular formats, like Microsoft Word or Acrobat PDF, for example.
Try DocStoc if you are interested.
64. Sell old electronics
What good does a pile of old and unused electronics do for you?
Instead of hoarding your old cell phones, sell them for some quick cash on sites like Gazelle, Next Worth, and USell.
65. Sell your hair
Yes, people will pay for your hair as well.
Check out HairSellon to learn about their requirements and what you need to do to get cash for your hair.
66. Get paid to help companies understand how we shop online
ShopTracker is an app from HarrisPoll Online, one of the top market research firms in the world.
It aims to help companies understand how and what shoppers buy online.
So you install the app and it tracks your Amazon purchases in the background.
Why would I want a company to know what I buy?
You see, they remove all the identifiable information from the data. ShopTracker automatically removes your name, shipping address, and any payment information before your purchase history is shared with the app. It only catalogs shopping data. It guarantees your complete anonymity.
Of course, you get paid!
It really is that simple.
Basically, you get paid to install a free app!
Here’s how to get started:
67. Get instant refunds on price drops automatically
You don’t technically “make money” with this, but the end results is the same – more money in your pocket.
It’s basically a money saving app/site.
How many times have you kicked yourself for buying something a little too early?
You know what I mean – you buy something on Amazon (or any other site) only to find out a few hours/days later that the price has dropped.
I know I have had this happen to me many times.
Here’s what most people don’t know or simply forget about…
Amazon and many other sites offer price drop refunds. Yes, if within a certain period (of the purchase point) the price of an item drops, they will refund you the difference.
Here’s the problem…
Keeping tabs on prices is time-consuming and simply not practical, especially if you buy a lot of stuff online.
That’s where Paribus comes in. You connect your account to the app, it then keeps an eye on the prices of things you purchased and automatically files a price adjustment claim on your behalf.
That’s essentially free money!
Currently, Paribus works with a bunch of merchants including Amazon, Walmart, Kohl’s, Costco, Best Buy, Target, Apple, and more! They are also adding more merchants as time goes on.
68. Get back in the kitchen
If you’re always complimented about your cooking, you can use your skill and passion as a way to earn money, by cooking for people in their homes.
And you don’t have to worry about finding clients. Try KitchenSurfing, a service that lets you get paid for cooking meals for families in your local area.
69. Do micro jobs
Micro jobs are on the rise as companies realize the power of crowdsourcing small, but time-consuming tasks.
These tasks can be anything from transcribing an audio file or rewriting a sentence, to proofreading an article, making a few phone calls, and everything in between.
70. Provide tech support
Are you great with computer related stuff? If you’re a hard-core techie, why not register with Experts Exchange.
Here, you make money by resolving people’s issues on computer hardware, software, programming and whatever related.
71. Re-write poorly written ads on eBay
Online marketplaces such as Amazon and eBay are full of ads listing all sorts of merchandise. Pick on those big-ticket items like cars and study their ads.
If you are confident of improving their ads, write to them and propose that you will rewrite these ads at a fee.
The acceptable going rate now is 1% commission on sales.
72. Join a revenue sharing forum
If it is just your nature to want to participate in online forums or you have been a member anyway in any forum, you can use this to great effect.
Watch out for the “Ad Share” symbol in your user CP.
This refers to a sharing program where forum owners would not mind sharing with their members the revenue they earn from ads that pop up in their forums.
In fact, increasingly more online forums, such as Webmasters.org, are in two of these “Ad Share” programs. You have so far chosen to be busy at the forum, why not trade your time with some real money that you can spend.
73. Post on forums
The reason online forums are mushrooming is because they are great money makers. But it is during the early stage that new forum builders will have to struggle, as they find means and ways to attract new members. But they are well
aware of the Golden rule that governs all great online forum sites; the need to appear busy.
The fact is, it is hard to get people to join a new forum. This is the reason why some people in this business pay you money to join their forums.
Try TheCashChat if you are interested.
74. Sell ready-made websites
If you would rather sit aside and quietly built quality websites, why not turn your passion into a vocation.
It is certainly a decent financial proposition as hundreds of new businesses coming online every day.
With fantastic and user-friendly software like Kompozer available free, it certainly takes the cost and pain out of website design.
Or, you could take advantage of open source CMS like WordPress to quickly and easily build professional looking websites.
75. Turn your unused space into an office
Much like Airbnb that lets you host travelers in your house, Desktime lets you rent a room to local entrepreneurs who are looking for low-cost office space.
Create a free profile on DeskTime, list your space with some detail about it, and how much you want to charge–daily, weekly, or monthly.
DeskTime will arrange everything with the interested parties and will transfer the money to your bank account, minus a 2.5% service fee.
76. Listen to & rate music
If you are a music lover (who isn’t?), you’ll also love this opportunity.
There are a few sites out there that’ll actually reward you for listening to all kinds of songs and music in a variety of genres, and rating them.
That’s all there is to it!
Needless to say, you won’t much, but it’s a great way to earn a few dollars enjoying music, and best of all, discovering new artists you may have never listened to before.
77. Give advice
If you are the one in your circle of family and friends who people turn to when they need advice and help with everyday stuff, you could make some extra money by becoming a paid advice giver.
Ammas is a site that pays experts and everyday people with a wide variety of knowledge to share their knowledge and know-how with other people.
78. Get paid to tweet
If you’re active on Twitter and have a lot of followers, this the gig for you.
PaidPerTweet is the site that you can sign up with for free and earn money by tweeting messages from their advertisers to your followers.
The pay varies from a few dollars to upwards of thousands of dollars per tweet.
Obviously, the more well-known you are and the more reach you have, the more you get paid for each tweet.
79. Help Columbia Business School
Center for Decision Sciences from Columbia Business School pays people to participate in their online studies.
They conduct studies on consumer behavior, the implications of decision making on public policy, and the neurological underpinnings of judgment and decision making.
According to the site, you earn approximately 16$ per hour.
You need to be 18 years or older and be a fluent speaker of English.
You get paid via PayPal or you can choose to receive Amazon.com gift certificates.
To get started, visit CDS Virtual Lab Online Panel and sign up for free.
80. Sell your closet
Well, not literally your closet, but the content of it!
Ok, not ALL the content, just the ones you don’t need or want anymore.
If you’re even remotely like my girlfriend, then you have a closet (in her case, a room designated as one) full of clothes that you no longer wear.
Good thing you can sell them on a site called ThredUp.
Simply put your clothes in a box, ship the box, and get your cash.
For a faster alternative, you can try local consignment stores such as Plato’s Closet where they’ll pay you cash for your brand name clothes right there on the spot.
81. Be an at-home politician
If you care about social and political issues, you are going to love this.
There are a few sites that offer work at home opportunities that are right up your alley.
Two of the most well-known sites are the DDC Advocacy and the Next Wave Advocacy, LLC.
They organize political campaigns related to the day’s issues to raise awareness and push for new laws. They then pay people like you and me to call constituents or advocates who may also be interested in the issues at hand.
You’ll call these people from home and basically help them call or write to Members of Congress.
Why so many money making ideas?
This post is just a list.
A list of possibilities. A list of opportunities. A list of what’s out there.
I wanted to include different options so anyone could find a few that fit their skills, interest, and lifestyle.
In making this list, I am in no way suggesting that every single method is suitable for every single person who reads this post, or that every person who reads this post is going to earn cash no matter which of these money making ideas they try.
The main reason for this post is to create a resource for everyone.
Share this post with your friends and family.
Share on Facebook, Pinterest and other social media sites you use.
Then start using the sites and methods mentioned to give your bottom line a (however small) boost.
The Bottom Line
I truly hope you find this post useful.
Please keep in mind that until you take action and do some work, you won’t make any money, no matter how many posts like this one you read.
Don’t be one of those people who keep asking “how can I make more money?” or “how can I earn money online?” despite reading hundreds of posts like this one.
They never make any money, so they conclude “it’s all a big scam!”
The truth is they are looking for a button they can push to print cash on demand.
Well, I got bad news!
There is no button you can push to generate money (unless of course, you are the treasury department!)
The good news is most of these options are free.
Again, we’re not talking about get-rich-quick schemes here…
We’re talking about a quick and easy way you can make a little cash whenever you have a few minutes free. Enough to pay for your daily cup of Joe, or get you a few free Amazon.com gift cards here and there.
And the good thing is you can use ’em to make extra money without investment (financially at least, you still have to invest some time and effort.)
Remember, the online world may be a virtual one, but there is nothing virtual about the money you can make from it!
33 Real Ways to Make Money Online in 2022
Table of Contents
A priority this year, for many people, will be figuring out how to make money online. It might be a side gig to supplement your job or a completely new venture. Whatever the reason, there are a wealth of available opportunities.
For quite a few of them, all you’re going to need is access to a reliable internet connection and a smartphone.
How Can I Make Money Online?
If you want to earn extra money without breaking a sweat, keep scrolling. To save you time and hours of research, I’ve created this extensive list of online money-making ideas and gigs on the side. All you need to do is set aside some time to read through the list, and I’m pretty confident you’ll find one or two you quite like the sound of.
Build a Website and Earn an Affiliate Commission
One of the most popular ways to make real money online is through affiliate marketing. 81% of brands and 84% of publishers use the power of affiliate marketing and this statistic is likely to continue as affiliate marketing spending in the US increases every year.
Don’t know what affiliate marketing is? It’s a way of earning money by promoting various brands. You’re promoting products, services, apps, software, and more. In return, companies pay you a commission when a customer buys a product using your link.
You probably think the commission will be small, but that’s not strictly true. It can be but what makes a big difference is that you can be an affiliate for one, two, three, or considerably more different brands, and there’s no limit to the number of links you can include in each of your posts.
How does it work? You advertise the brands via your website by writing blogs, creating infomercials, and other types of content. You include links for your affiliate brands and push traffic to their website.
If you want to become successful at Affiliate Marketing, you will need a website. If you don’t have a domain and hosting, I can recommend you the best places to buy it:
And those are the best website builders to help you build your website:
To achieve any level of success, you have to learn to be persistent. The key to your success will be finding a niche that suits you and having the right strategy. Some of the niches you might want to consider include:
Once you’ve decided on a niche, you’ll need to work on designing a website and starting a blog. Starting a YouTube channel that runs alongside your blog is another option.
Level of expertise: Intermediate
Requirements: Content marketing expertise, knowing how to build a website
Time: From six months to several years before you start making any real profit
Tools: Domain, hosting
Build and Sell Software
There are many benefits to building software and then selling it. Upfront costs, including the development of the software, can be pretty high. However, the cost of selling your product once you’ve made it is relatively low. Delivering the finished product to the customer costs very little.
One critical requirement is that you need to have a good grasp of the programming side of things. A friend or relative in the know would be a possible alternative, as long as they don’t want to charge too much for their services.
It’s also crucial that you create software that people want to buy. Ideally, it needs to be software that’s unique, better than anything else that’s currently available, or at the very least, much cheaper.
There’s already a massive amount of software out there, but there are still some niches you can explore and problems no one has found the answer for. Figure out what these are, and you could be on to a winner.
Bear in mind that it could take some time for the development side of your project, which makes it vital you do plenty of research beforehand to make sure there’s a market for your product.
If you’re interested in reducing the amount of work, you might want to consider buying some software and making improvements or using open-source software. If you think this is a good option, make sure you check whether there are any restrictions. Spending a lot of time creating something you can’t sell would be devastating.
App development is another similar option. Creating games or apps can be a very lucrative idea.
Level of expertise: Beginner, intermediate, expert
Requirements: Know how to code or have a friend or relative who can do it for you, get clients to use the software
Time: More than one year to start making some money
Tools: Hosting, domain
Launch and Grow a Startup
Thanks to the internet, there are vast amounts of options if you think you’ve got what it takes to launch a startup business. As long as you’ve got a computer and a reliable internet connection, the sky’s the limit in what you can achieve.
You don’t need to be a technical whizz kid, as there are plenty of valuable tools that will help you build, launch and grow your business. You just need to put in the hard work, learning what you need.
Another great benefit of starting a new online business is that you do it from anywhere in the world. No one sets your schedule for you, which means you can work as little or as often as suits you. It depends on how fast or successful you want your business to be.
When it comes to capital requirements, you don’t need a lot. There are internet businesses you can get off the ground with no money simply because there are a wealth of free services to help the process.
Here are just a few ideas, some of which we’ll look at in more detail a little later.
Level of expertise: Beginner, intermediate, expert
Requirements: The right idea and customers for your product or service
Time: More than six months to start making money
Tools: Hosting, domain
Start an eCommerce Site and Sell Physical Products
In recent years, eCommerce sites have really taken off, and thanks to platforms such as WooCommerce and WordPress, building your site couldn’t get much easier. Because so many brick-and-mortar stores have had to close their doors due to COVID, the popularity of this option is likely to increase.
Online shopping is no longer the luxury it once was. More than a decade ago, eCommerce only accounted for 5.1% of total retail sales. Fast forward and in 2019, online sales accounted for 21%. For millions of people, thanks to Covid-19, it is now a necessity. For your eCommerce business to be successful in the long term, you’ll need a long-term vision and a product that brings real value to the market.
Here are the best eCommerce platforms that you can choose:
To run a successful eCommerce store, you need to create and sell a niche physical product to a specific audience or purchase trending products cheaply from an overseas manufacturer, repackage them and sell them at a markup.
The first option can be a little risky, but it also has the potential to be very successful. A certain amount of passion for your product or products is essential, and you’ll also need to be prepared to put in the graft when it comes to research, development of your product, and also testing.
There are some very successful eCommerce sites you can take inspiration from, such as Beardbrand, Ratio Coffee, and SkinnyMe Tea. All three of these companies show what incredible results are possible if you’re prepared to put in the work.
The second option is less risky, but you first have to source a product that’s already popular. One place to look is AliExpress. You buy the product in bulk, repackage it, and then sell it via your eCommerce store.
Aside from finding the right product, you’ll also need to think about how you’ll ship the orders. Handling it yourself is the obvious option, but something called drop shipping is another possibility. In this case, you take the orders, and the manufacturer handles the shipping on your behalf.
Level of expertise: Beginner, intermediate, expert
Requirements: The right idea and customers for your product
Time: You could be making money in a couple of months
Tools: Hosting, domain, products to sell
Create Online Courses
It’s not the end of the world if you don’t have the wherewithal to create your own course because there’s always the option of becoming an instructor. Pick the right platform and you’ll be able to pass on your experience and skills to a broad audience who might be interested in learning something new.
If you’re wondering what kind of topics sell, here are some examples:
An excellent place to start, if you have decided on a topic, is to poll your audience. You’ll discover what they want to learn and how much they’ll be willing to pay for it.
Level of expertise: Expert
Requirements: Knowledge or skill people want to pay for
Time: You could be earning an income in a couple of months
Tools: Online learning platforms such as Udemy and Kajabi, or a software product such as WooCommerce or WordPress, an online course platform like Thinkific.
Write and Sell an eBook
If you know you’ve got a book in you but have been putting it off for years, publishing an eBook could be the opportunity you’re looking for. If you want to publish a book, you don’t have to approach a publishing house because self-publishing is an option. Absolutely anyone can publish a book, and it is possible to make a living.
The barrier for entry is set relatively low, so be ready for lots of competition. To stand out from the crowd, you’ll need to write the best eBook possible and satisfy the readers’ expectations.
Some of the things you need to consider before you put pen to paper, figuratively speaking, include:
Once you’ve written your eBook, you need to sell it. Targeting everyone is not the best approach. You’re more likely to be successful if you can identify a market.
Level of expertise: Beginner, intermediate, expert
Requirements: Idea for your eBook
Time: Your eBook could earn you an income within a couple of months
Tools: Editing tool, blog, or publishing platform
Sell Stuff on Amazon FBA
Amazon is one of the largest online stores. We’ve already looked at creating your eCommerce store, and this idea is kind of similar, but in this case, you’re using Amazon’s platform. It’s a cost-effective way of shipping your products and allows you to provide excellent customer service for a small fee.
An excellent approach is to determine which products sell well on the platform and look for cheaper versions you can rebrand and resell. The selling process couldn’t be more straightforward. You send your items to Amazon, and they’re stored in one of their fulfillment centers.
Potential customers can purchase your items via Amazon or another eCommerce platform. When things are sold, Amazon picks, packs, and ships the items. You can monitor everything via Amazon’s tracking system. Amazon provides excellent customer service and manages any returns.
Such a service isn’t free. The fulfillment fees are rather complicated, but there are plenty of online resources that explain how to calculate the costs.
What to Sell to Make Money on Amazon FBA
You can sell pretty much anything, from items you’ve got lying around your home to expensive, luxury jewelry, but some things sell better than others.
A definite no-no would be well-known brand-name products. Amazon customers tend to be looking for decent products that look like they tick all the boxes and are being sold at a low price.
However, for your items to catch buyers’ eyes, they have to be similar but better than all the rest. List it under your name, for example, and add something extra that other sellers don’t. Better overall service, faster shipping, or a product listing that catches the eye are just a few examples.
Here are some more criteria to bear in mind:
Level of expertise: beginner, intermediate, expert
Requirements: products to sell, computer, and customers for your products
Time: You could earn an income within six months
Tools: Amazon account or your eCommerce site
Buy and Sell Domain Names
In the modern tech-centric world, domain names are a big business. In some cases, they can change hands for millions of dollars. At the very least, you can expect a few hundred dollars if you find a solid domain name that’s up for sale.
Don’t expect to turn a profit for several months, as it can take a considerable amount of time to build a top-quality portfolio of domains. How much profit you make depends on how much work you’re prepared to put in. Buying and selling domain names involves trying to predict what’s going to be popular a few months or years down the line.
Another option is to purchase some domains that are already high profile and hang on to them for a while, hoping that their value will increase. There are lots of different tools you can use, such as Just Dropped, Namecheap, Flippa, and GoDaddy. But the best place to buy and sell domains is EmpireFlippers.
Once you’ve purchased the domain, you simply relist it and wait for someone to be interested so you can sell it to them for a profit.
Level of expertise: Beginner, intermediate, expert
Requirements: Knowledge of domain names and what makes them attractive
Time: Anything from one month onwards
Tools: Account with a site that buys and sells domain names
Freelance
Do you have a specific skill set? Is there something you can do that people would pay money for? There is currently a massive demand for freelancers. In a recent survey by PeoplePerHour, 60% of businesses who responded said they plan to use freelancers more this year. However, being your own boss is not as easy as it seems. Many sacrifices are required, and you have to put in a certain amount of effort when it comes to finding clients. All of which must be done before you can do the work.
There are also specific skills you’ll need to develop if you want to be successful. You’ll need to learn how to market yourself, pitch to potential clients, provide support, budget, and manage your time.
There’s also a tremendous amount of competition, which means you also need to think about a strategy. You’ll find plenty of resources to help you online, so don’t fret about it too much.
Let’s look at the steps you’ll need to take before moving on to the areas with the most potential.
Step 1: Choose your niche: something you’re passionate or knowledgeable about.
Step 2: Be specific about the services you provide.
Step 3: Build an impressive portfolio of your work.
Step 4: Define your customer base.
Step 5: Test the waters before you give up your day job.
Step 6: Hone your skills.
Step 7: Search for clients on popular freelance sites such as Upwork, Freelancer, Toptal, Fiverr and Refrens.
Be prepared to work harder than in your 9-5 job, enjoy fewer vacations, work through holidays, and often into the night.
Now let’s look at some of the most popular niches for freelancers.
Web Development
Increasing demand for websites means jobs that revolve around this need are also on the rise. It’s a job that lends itself well to working from home because all you need is knowledge, a computer, and a reliable internet connection. The most popular jobs include front-end developing, back-end developing, and full-stack development.
Writing
Professional writers are highly sought after. This role involves writing content for clients’ websites that promotes their business and helps them stay relevant. How much money you make depends on the niche you choose and your skillset.
Graphic Design
Graphic design is a vast field so you’ll help potential customers by creating a portfolio, pitching to clients, and setting your rates according to your expertise. To hone your skills even further, consider taking certified courses and watching tutorials.
Digital Marketing
If you’ve got a creative mind, this might be the industry for you. Digital marketing plays a critical role in helping industries and brands stay relevant. There’s a variety of work available, even for the beginner. Opt for smaller projects such as social media posts and banners or more complex projects that require you to create a brand identity or manage a marketing campaign on social media.
Virtual Assistance
This is another area that’s becoming increasingly popular. Hiring one remote person to undertake a wide range of tasks such as receptionist, customer support, typist, admin, or email assistant saves money, especially for a small business with a tight budget. Work for several different companies, and you’ll be able to maximize your freelancing income.
Photography
Visuals have become equally important in the advertising industry and are considered to have as much influence as the written word. If you’re a photographer, you don’t have to limit yourself to covering weddings and events. It’s possible to earn money in food design and product photography disciplines, for example. You could also post your work on stock websites or sell editing presets.
Level of expertise: Beginner, intermediate, expert
Requirements: Knowledge or skill that people are willing to pay for
Tools: Your website or an account with a freelancing site
Teach English as a Virtual Tutor
It’s possible to teach English as a virtual tutor with no experience. However, you do have to be a fluent English speaker. Teaching English online has enjoyed rapid growth in demand and popularity. There are currently over a billion people currently learning English globally.
New online platforms and schools pop up regularly. Some require a bachelor’s degree, but others don’t. TEFL or ESL certification, however, is essential.
Level of expertise: Beginner, intermediate, expert
Requirements: No teaching experience is required, but you can earn more with a degree or teaching certification
Tools: Account with an online teaching platform
Do Micro-Jobs on Amazon Mechanical Turk
You may not have heard of micro-jobs, but it’s a term used for straightforward jobs that generally require no technical skill. Amazon Mechanical Turk is an online platform where requesters (as they are known) post boring jobs that you can complete for minute sums of money.
The jobs are called HITs or Human Intelligence Tasks. These tasks tend to be things that algorithms or computers aren’t quite capable of doing or that humans do far more effectively.
Unfortunately, there is a considerable amount of competition, and if you want to get your fair share of the work, you’ll need to use browser extensions and a suite of tools to lap up the best-paying jobs quickly.
Level of expertise: Beginner, intermediate, expert
Requirements: No experience or knowledge is required
Time: Instant, although it can take a couple of weeks to build up a decent amount of cash
Tools: Software that alerts you of the high-earning HITS
Online Coaching
This is one opportunity that could eventually run itself if you wanted it to. Start a coaching program, and you’re creating a solid base for a business. One significant benefit of online coaching is that you can make good money very quickly. People tend to be more willing to pay a higher price for one-on-one or personalized programs.
Successful online coaches include Shana Recker, Tiffany Napper, and Christina Sambak.
You do, however, need to research your audience and understand what they want and need. Something else that’s very beneficial will be encouraging your clients to spread the word about your business.
A range of coaching platforms have sprung up, and they enable you to launch a highly scalable business model and not have to compromise on the effectiveness of your coaching.
The most popular coaching platforms include:
Level of expertise: Beginner, intermediate, expert
Requirements: Knowledge or skill that people will be willing to pay for, technical knowledge for the platforms
Time: 6 months before you turn a profit
Tools: Coaching platform, website to market your services
Online Consultant
Individuals and businesses often reach out to consultants to help them reach their goals, especially when they have problems meeting in person because of a heavy schedule. Being a virtual consultant is a versatile career choice, and you could help your clients with a wide range of things, from marketing to searching for a job.
Consider what experience and skills you have and whether you’re able to deliver it online, and there will be people who want to pay for such a solution to their problems. Along with your experience, you’ll also need to do some research. This will allow you to focus on the right service to offer and how much you can expect your future clients to pay.
Once you’ve found a service, consider undertaking a beta group test. Use it as a learning experience, get feedback, and remember to ask for testimonials.
There’s a vast range of options when it comes to consulting. Check out the following options:
If you’re not sure where to look for opportunities, try one of these legitimate websites:
Level of expertise: Intermediate, expert
Requirements: Experience and skills that people need and want to pay for
Time: At least a year before you make any profit
Tools: Consultancy platform, website to advertise your services
Join a Remote Company Part-Time (or Full-Time)
Perhaps you’d like a change of career, want to try something new, or would benefit from a scenery change. In such cases, working remotely can be a breath of fresh air as well as an excellent opportunity to earn some money on the side.
Many companies are looking for remote employees, and it doesn’t matter where you work. According to Upwork, 22% of the American workforce will be working remotely by 2025. That’s an 87% increase compared to before the pandemic. Start on a part-time basis, and you might like it so much you want to work full-time.
Look for possible options by checking out online career listings, or visiting one of the following websites:
The types of remote jobs available vary considerably. Such positions might include being a designer or working in customer support.
It’s a simple case of finding a job you like and applying for it.
Level of expertise: Beginner, intermediate, expert
Requirements: The right skill for the job you’re applying for
Tools: Knowledge and experience to help you secure the job
Narrate Audiobooks to Make Money Online
The audiobook industry has experienced dramatic growth in recent years, which means there’s a significant demand for audiobook narrators. The popularity of audiobooks doesn’t seem to be slowing down either. It is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate of 24.4% from 2020 to 2027.
There are no special qualifications for this online role, but you will need a great speaking voice and enjoy reading.
One of the quickest and easiest ways of starting your narrating career is to sign up with a platform connecting authors with audiobook narrators. Here are some examples of where to look:
You’re going to need to invest in some good recording software and a top-quality microphone. Start by creating some samples so that potential clients can hear your voice.
Another good place to look for work is Fiverr. This freelancing website list will help you expand your reach.
Level of expertise: Beginner, intermediate, expert
Requirements: Love of reading and a great voice
Tools: Recording software, a good quality microphone, somewhere quiet to make the recordings
Make Money with Online Surveys
This option will not make you rich, but it is a way of earning prizes or fast cash and not worrying about learning a new skill. You can do this job in your spare time. The work is effortless, and most online survey sites require little or no skill or education.
Some survey websites pay more than you might expect, but even so, don’t expect your earnings to be in anything more than double figures.
You have to sign up at an online survey site and provide certain information, including your interests and background. With that information, the platforms can match you up with the most appropriate surveys.
Level of expertise: Beginner, intermediate
Test Websites
A company’s website plays an integral part in its success. Websites are a very effective way of reaching, engaging, and converting online customers. It’s no wonder companies take website testing so seriously.
The amount of money you can potentially earn is not really large enough for this to be a full-time career. However, it’s a good way of supplementing your current income.
You sign up with a testing platform, and you’ll be informed when opportunities are available, either by email or by visiting the online platform. If you’re interested in taking part in any of the tests, you have to claim them and wait to be given access. Other users will be competing for the opportunities, and for the more popular company websites, competition could be fierce.
There are many online platforms you can use to look for testing tasks. The more popular ones include:
Level of expertise: Beginner, intermediate
Requirements: Good eye for website design
Tools: Website testing platform
Make Money Writing on Sites
Do you like the sound of getting paid to write from home? You don’t need a vast amount of experience, but you do need to be able to string words together if you want to get paid for your efforts. There’s an abundance of websites and blogs that will pay you to follow guidelines and deliver good quality content.
There are many benefits to writing online. No upfront investment is required, and there are no start-up fees. You can expect to be paid relatively quickly, and there’s no shortage of writing gigs.
You might find yourself writing reviews, tutorials, how-to articles, or lists, and the subject matter could be anything, from travel and web design to parenting, health, and wellness.
Some blogs and websites pay writers on a revenue-share model, but that’s not the case in the following list. You can expect to receive an agreed-upon fee in exchange for every article you write that is accepted. This is a small selection of the sites that pay you to write.
Level of expertise: Beginner, intermediate, expert
Tools: Writing software such as Google Docs or Microsoft Office, grammar checking tool
Make Money Typing
Gone are the days of rooms full of typists tip-tapping away. There’s no longer a need for such services because most people are half-decent typists themselves. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t still a need for experiences and better than decent typists. Thanks to the internet, it’s now a job you can do anywhere.
You don’t need lots of equipment, and the only requirement is that you complete assignments on time. Another benefit is that you can start making money instantly, whenever you’ve got the free time, or make it into a full-time career.
A range of typing jobs are available, but the majority fall into the following categories:
Level of expertise: Intermediate, expert
Requirements: Excellent spelling, punctuation, grammar, and typing skills,
Tools: Sign up with a typing website, computer with a large monitor, headphones, foot pedal
Sell Your Art and Designs
A very popular way to make money online is to sell your art and designs. If you’ve got a good eye for design or consider yourself an artist, it’s possible to sell what you create online and also make money.
There are lots of websites that specialize in this kind of product. You’ll get help creating your shop on the platform, uploading your art or designs, marketing your products, along selling and shipping orders.
Where you decide to sell your designs and art online depends on what you want to sell. A wide range of platforms is available for selling everything from drawings and paintings to woodworking and crafts.
Here are some of the best we’ve found:
You can also use Facebook, Instagram, Patreon, or Shopify.
Level of expertise: Beginner, intermediate, expert
Requirements: Artistic flare or a good eye for design
Time: Up to 12 months to make a liveable profit
Tools: Arts and crafts materials
Become a YouTuber and Make Money From It
When people are looking for entertaining, informative, or fun videos, millions of people around the world turn to YouTube. As well as being one of the largest search engines globally, YouTube is also a way to make money online.
The first step is to get an audience for your YouTube channel. The bigger, the better. A larger following can earn you some serious cash. Your audience, the better chance you have of making some serious cash. There are several ways you can monetize your YouTube channel.
The two types of YouTube channels that achieve the best following are:
Level of expertise: Intermediate, expert
Requirements: YouTube channel with lots of followers/subscribers
Time: It can take at least 12 months to realize a profit
Tools: Monetized YouTube account
Become an Influencer on Instagram
Instagram has been around for more than a decade. From very humble beginnings, it has grown into being one of the biggest social media platforms. In the third quarter of 2020, it was estimated that there were 1.16 billion Instagram users. One of the main reasons it’s become so popular is that it’s completely free.
It’s possible to make money from Instagram quite easily, but you will need a large enough following. There are companies out there that are willing to pay Instagrammers money. It might be for showcasing a product or making a post.
How much you’ll get paid for a post kind of depends on how engaged your followers are and how many of them there are. Remuneration ranges from a couple of hundred dollars to several thousand, just for one post.
To be able to charge a few thousand for a post will take a certain amount of time, patience, and dedication. First, you’ve got to build up a sizable audience. It shouldn’t be a problem if you enjoy taking photographs, however. You’ll also need to spend lots of time using your phone and be a dedicated Instagrammer. If you can tick all these boxes, it’s got to be worth trying.
Level of expertise: Beginner, intermediate, expert
Requirements: Understanding of posting on Instagram
Time: 12 months or more to gain a good following, longer to make a profit
Tools: Smartphone with a good camera
Make Money with Apps
There’s a good selection of apps that pay you money, whether you’re looking for a side hustle, something to fill your free time with, or part-time employment. However, even the best-paying ones out there aren’t likely to make you rich. That being said, they can provide a sizable secondary income.
Not every app will suit everyone, but if you’re interested, there’s sure to be one that gives you what you want. The process is very simple. You simply download the app, create a profile, possibly provide additional information, wait for verification, and then off you go.
Apps pay in several different ways. Some pay with rewards, payment vouchers, gifts, money-off, cashback, or coupons. A large number of them pay via PayPal, so you’ll need to have a PayPal account.
The earning potential of money-making apps depends on the amount of effort you put in. Do you, for example, want to earn some extra bucks when you’re lounging around at home or relaxing in your local coffee shop? Are you prepared to drive around, visit stores, meet people in person, or do manual labor?
What Apps Pay You Real Money?
If you’re looking for an app that pays real money, check out the following list:
Level of expertise: Beginner, intermediate
Requirements: PayPal account for receiving payments
Tools: An account with one or more money-making apps