If you’re looking for a side hustle or a new business idea, you may have thought about ways to make money online. When you know what you’re doing, making money online is pretty straightforward. You can do it full-time or part-time right from the comfort of your home. Who wouldn’t want to work in their pajamas and pull in some extra cash?
In this article, we explore some different ways to make money online. To learn how to make money online, read this article from start to finish.
7. Consider freelancing
The easiest way to make money online is to take your current job in your 9-to-5 role and do it online instead. For example, if you’re a writer, administrative assistant, graphic designer, teacher, developer, etc., you can market these skills and find clients online who are willing to pay you to apply them.
There’s a never-ending list of job platforms for each type of freelancer too. For example, freelance writers can apply for jobs on specific online writing job boards, but also on general freelance websites like Fiverr, Freelancer, Upwork, and all the others. If you find that your skills can’t be directly used to create income streams, you can try monetizing other transferable skills you may have.
To make money online as a freelancer, you need to start by building out a strong portfolio. That may mean doing some free work with some reputable mid-tier brands to start. Once you create a strong portfolio, you can reach out to potential big clients to earn more money online. Remember, freelancing is a numbers game: the more personalized emails and applications you fill out, the more likely you’ll be to get a response back.
6. Become a writer
With a growing interest in content marketing, more and more companies are looking for writers who can fill their web properties with great content. The secret to succeeding as a writer is to focus on a specific niche. A lot of writers try to be generalists, writing for a wide range of categories, from food to tech. However, having a niche focus as a writer sets you apart and makes it easier to attract clients in your target market.
When you have experience in the niche, you can add a different perspective to a piece of content. That means you’re not just saying the same thing as every other writer online. And that’s what brands really want to pay for—your thoughts, experiences, and insider perspective on a niche.
When applying for writing jobs, make sure to send relevant samples to the recruiter. If someone asks for a marketing writing sample, send them a marketing writing sample. Don’t send a finance article. Or a fitness one. It’s hard for a hiring manager to know how well you understand the niche’s industry if they can’t see a relevant sample. Apply to opportunities suited to your skills and experience
5. Become a virtual assistant
With so many entrepreneurs building businesses, the demand for virtual assistants is increasing almost daily. A virtual assistant is a self-employed individual who provides services to a business from a remote location. Writing, bookkeeping, social media, and customer support are just a few of the services you might offer as a virtual assistant.
You can find relevant gigs on websites like Virtual Office Temps, Indeed, or Upwork. Many virtual assistants have also found ways to make money online by reaching out to brands and entrepreneurs, asking if they’re looking for support in running their businesses. Using a combination of job posting applications and outreach, you’ll land your first client sooner than you might think.
4. Sell Your photography
Whether you’re a professional photographer or just love snapping great pictures, you can make money online by selling your images. Sites like Shutterstock and Alamy are great places to showcase your work. These websites pay royalties to photographers when someone downloads a copy of their image.
If you’re looking to monetize your photography quickly, you can create a listing on Foap, a smartphone app that lets you upload your works and earn cash. When an agency, brand, or anyone else buys a photo or video from your digital Foap portfolio, the app creator shares the profit with you 50/50.
3. Become a TikTok consultant
One of the trendiest ways to make money online is to become a TikTok consultant. Brands will contact you for brainstorming video ideas, developing engaging bios, and more. It’s the perfect money-making opportunity for digital nomads—you can run the entire business from your smartphone. Compared to Instagram, TikTok is relatively new and untapped, so helping brands establish a solid presence on the app can potentially make you a fortune.
However, you need to have a few talents before you begin offering TikTok consultancy to businesses. The most important is knowing how to create viral videos that get people to engage with brands. If you don’t have the expertise to drive sales through this platform, you can still learn how to attract customers by taking this TikTok course.
2. Sell your art and designs
If you have design skills, you can earn money by selling your designs. Sites like Society6 make it easy to upload your unique designs and sell them across a variety of items including phone cases, t-shirts, wall hangings, and much more.
Society6 gives you the opportunity to earn money from your designs, without any money upfront.
You can create your own store, upload your designs and choose which elements you want them to be displayed on. Also, when someone orders an item from your store, it is shipped to them on demand.
If you have designs that people like, then this can be a pretty passive way to make money online.
1. Cake making or decorating
If you’re a wizard with a whisk then making special occasion cakes and bakes can be a great side business to bring in some extra money at home. Again, look into the relevant food safety procedures etc. that you’ll need in place.