5 Successful Strategies to Make Money Online

If you are looking for ways to make money online and you are not currently doing so, this post will give you plenty of ideas to get started. We’re going to share five different strategies that almost anybody can use to earn an income online.

5. Sell photography online

Selling photography online might not be the most obvious place to set up a passive business, but it could allow you to scale your efforts, especially if you can sell the same photos over and over again. To do that, you might work with an organization such as Getty Images, Shutterstock or Alamy.

You must first receive approval from the platform before you can license your photos for use by anyone who downloads them. The platform then pays you every time someone uses your photo.

You’ll need photos that appeal to a specific audience or that represent a certain scene, and you’ll need to tease out where the demand is. Photos could be shots with models, landscapes, creative scenarios, and more, or they could capture real events that might make the news.

Opportunity: Part of the value of selling or licensing your photos through a platform is that you have the potential to scale your efforts, especially if you can provide pictures that will be in demand. That means you could potentially sell the same image hundreds or thousands of times or more.

Risk: You could add hundreds of photos to a platform such as Getty Images and not have any of them really generate meaningful sales. Only a few photos may drive all of your revenue, so you have to keep adding photos as you search for that needle in the haystack.

It may require substantial effort to go out and shoot photos, then process them and keep up with the events that may ultimately drive your revenue. And motivation could be hard to maintain: Every next photo might be your lottery ticket, though it almost certainly won’t be.

4. Sell designs online

If you have design skills, you may be able to turn them into a money maker by selling items with your printed designs on them. Businesses such as CafePress and Zazzle allow you to sell items such as T-shirts, hats, mugs and more with your own designs.

Opportunity: You can start with your own designs and see what the market is interested in, and expand from there. You may be able to capitalize on the surging interest in a current event and design a shirt that captures the spirit of the times or at least a snarky take on it. And you can also set up your own web storefront through a site such as Shopify to market your goodies.

Risk: Printing partners allow you to ship items without directly investing in the merchandise yourself, avoiding one of the biggest risks of tying up your capital. But you may be able to get better pricing if you invest in some of the inventory yourself. Another big risk here is that you could invest a lot of time with little payoff, but this avenue might be interesting if you’re already doing the design work for another purpose, such as personal interest.

3. Voice-over acting 

For those with a beautiful, unique, or radio-announcer tone, have you considered voice-over work? Successful voice-over actors often have a background in acting (though it’s not necessary) and are able to do different characters or accents. Voice-over actors can find work narrating ebooks, online videos, or online ads. To get started, you will need a professional portfolio to share with potential clients. Voice-over acting also requires some initial investment. You’ll need to purchase a microphone and headphones, as well as voice recording and editing software.  

2. Write an ebook

Have you been sitting on a book idea for years? If so, why not try to self-publish and sell an ebook online? From financial advice and self-help to cookbooks and fiction, there is no end to what you can write about. If you have expertise on a subject and want to share your knowledge, an ebook is a great way to get the word out. There are many online ebook publishers, including Amazon Kindle, Smashwords, and Rakuten Kobo. Writing a book isn’t easy, and it takes a significant amount of effort on the front end. But once you hit publish, your ebook has passive-income potential.

1. Advertise on your car

If you drive your car around town, you might be able to make some extra cash. Get in touch with a specialized advertising agency. They will examine how and where you drive, as well as how many miles you log. The agency will “wrap” your car with ads for free if you’re a good fit for one of their clients. The driver must have a good driving record.

You have to drive, but if you’re already going the extra mile, this is a great way to make hundreds of dollars a month with almost no extra work. Driving professionals can receive payment per mile.