Are you happy with what you’re earning in your 9−5 job? If not, you’re not alone! In fact, there is a significant push for many people−especially with the COVID-19 reality− to go to the internet, looking for easy ways to make money online.
See, for some people, working online is a side hustle that makes them extra money on top of their salary.
On the other hand, online work is helping other people replace their 9−5 jobs altogether. And they love the experience!
You know, with online work your office can be wherever you want it to be.
That’s great! Because you can be earning U.S dollars but choose to live in a country with cheaper living expenses than the U.S.
Can you remember when you were younger? Making an extra buck meant cutting your neighbors’ hedges or mowing their lawn.
But now that you’re older, you need more sophisticated ways of doing it.
Well, you don’t need to worry! The internet has something for everyone.
From easy peasy ways that even your granny can learn, to more sophisticated methods, especially if you’re tech savvy.
Believe me, you’ll be spoiled for choice.
So in this post, I’ll walk you through 8 ways to make money online.
But I have to give you a word of caution!
Like all things that have the potential of making money, there are a lot of internet scammers out there. And they’ll try to sell you fraudulent online get-rich schemes.
Beware!
Okay, having said that, come along and let me show you 8 incredibly easy ways to make money online.
Table of Contents
- 1. Sell Photos Online
- 2. Make Money Online by Starting a blog
- 3.Become a YouTube influencer
- 4. Start an online course
- 5.Freelancing
- 6. Transcription
- 7. Become a Virtual Assistant
- 8. Make Money with Online Surveys
- Conclusion
1. Sell Photos Online
Do you love taking photos? And you’re always snapping photos wherever you go?
Well, if you do, you can cash in on your hobby. So, instead of your beautiful photos just filling up your storage space, selling them can be an easy way to make money online.
And the good thing is you don’t have to be a professional photographer. Nor have fancy photography equipment.
All you need to start is your smartphone.
You know, the demand for online photos is now higher than ever before. From bloggers, corporate companies, graphic designers, marketers, the list is endless, and all need online photos.
I bet you’re wondering, “Where can I sell my photos online?”
Well, there are a couple of websites where you can sell your photo, including Shuttershock, Alamy, Adobe Stock, Etsy, and iStockphoto.
Imagine some of these websites can pay up to $120 per image! That’s a tidy sum.
Another option is to maximize your earning potential by selling your photos on your website. thereby cutting off agency fees and getting 100% for your sale.
Well, if you’re serious about making money selling photos online, you’ll need a photo editing software. And it will also help to learn the best photography practices.
2. Make Money Online by Starting a blog
One of the most exciting and lucrative ways of making money online is by starting a blog.
I know you’re asking, “I’m I the only one who thinks starting a blog is hard?”
Well, let me reassure you, starting a blog doesn’t have to be hard.
In fact, if you follow this ultimate guide, you’ll learn step-by-step how to start a money-making blog.
Hey! Are still feeling uneasy about this blogging business?
Trust me, I know that feeling! Almost everyone starting a blog feels that way (sadly) at some point. But you can start by taking baby steps.
For instance, you can start your blog as a place to share your experiences in any aspect of your life.
But once you have a sizable following, the next step will be to monetize the blog and start cashing in.
On the other hand, there are people who, from onset, start their blogs as a business, that ends up making them six or seven figures monthly.
Regardless of your reason for starting a blog, blogging can potentially make you a lot of money online.
For instance, take Michelle Schroeder-Gardner of Making Sense of Cents.
She started her blog randomly as a hobby. But the hobby has now grown into a thriving business that makes her well over $100,000 monthly.
And better still, her blogging business allows her to live the life of her dreams.
Can you imagine she lives in her yacht, and spends the year cruising from one Carribean Island to another?
Well, that can be you too. Imagine what you would do with the extra money?
For instance, do you have an overdue loan that has been bugging you for months? Maybe you could start by paying it off!
What I’m saying is that making money online doesn’t have to remain a dream.
You can Start a blog and make it real!
To start a blog, you first need to choose the niche−which is the topic−you’ll be creating content on.
After that, get a domain name−your blog’s name− and a company to host your blog’s website.
With your website hosted, you can now create content and monetize it.
There are a couple of ways of making money with your blog:
- Affiliate marketing. This is where you earn a commission by promoting other people’s products.
- Adverts. You can join advertising networks like Mediavine and Adthrive.
- Through sponsorship. By promoting a brand on your blog.
3.Become a YouTube influencer
Do you watch youtube videos once in a while?
If you do, that’s great! See, in just 15 years, youtube has become one of the most popular video-sharing platforms.
In fact, youtube now boasts over 1.9 billion users logging in monthly. Hey! That’s about half of all the internet users.
So, regardless of whether you’re looking for educational content or entertainment, youtube is the place to go.
The popularity of youtube has also rubbed off well on some youtube content creators. And in the process making them a lot of money.
For instance, take Ryan Kaji, who at the age of 9 years earns $29.5 million per year unboxing toys. Making him the highest youtube earner for three years in a row.
So, do you want to make money online while doing something that’s fun? If yes, then join the YouTube bandwagon. It can end up being pretty lucrative for you.
However, if you want to make money on youtube, you’ll need to create excellent content that resonates with your target audience.
And this starts with you creating alluring headlines that entice your audience to watch your videos.
But before starting your youtube channel, there are some things you need to decide on first.
What’s your niche going to be? See, you can’t make random videos and then cross your fingers, hoping that people will watch your content.
You’ll need to choose a niche that your audience can identify you with. And that becomes your brand.
Next, choose your audience and ask yourself, “What do the people I want to influence like watching?” Then create videos resonating with them.
When do you start making money on youtube?
Well, first your channel has to hit the 1000 followers mark. Secondly, it must have a minimum of 4000 hours of watch time. Before you start seeing advert revenue rolling in.
However, in addition to ad revenue, there are a couple of other ways that you can make money on youtube:
- You can sell merchandise.
- Negotiate sponsorship deals with a brand.
- Get your followers to donate money towards some of your channel activities.
4. Start an online course
Do you have a skill or knowledge that you know is valuable enough for someone to pay for willingly?
For instance, do you have gardening, knitting, carpentry, or cooking skills? Or can you play a musical instrument? Maybe you are an accountant, a teacher, or a nurse?
Well, you can start a course. For example, data on Pinterest shows a 7 fold increase in men looking for kitchen storage solutions. while others want to learn to make one-pan dinners (source). This is an opportunity for you to start a course.
Hey, don’t limit yourself! So long as your skill is valuable and transferable, you are good to go.
You can create an online course using learning material such as videos, PDFs, and tutorials.
You know, the benefit of setting up an online course is twofold.
First, you’ll have the satisfaction of enriching your students with valuable knowledge.
Secondly, the course can end up being a very lucrative way of making money online for you.
There are several steps to creating an online course. But one way of going about it is by creating a mini-course.
The mini-course can have valuable introductory content, which you can share with a select group of people, for example, your friends or even followers in your mailing list.
Sharing out your mini course will enable you to test if your content is adequately teaches what you want people to learn.
After review, you can now roll out the main course.
One way of making money from your online course is by receiving payments from your students.
But that’s not all. You can also earn commissions by promoting products through affiliate links.
But that’s if you launch your course on your website. On the other hand, you can create your courses and sell them on sites like Udemy and Lynda.
5.Freelancing
One of the easiest ways to make money online is to sell the skills you use for your regular job.
The fact that, you’ll be making money doing what you’re already good at, but away from the office with its sometimes stressful but petty politics, is appealing.
So, do you have skills in writing, web design, photography, and etcetera?
If you do, you can make money by marketing yourself to the ever-growing online clientele.
Though to be successful, you’ll need to brand yourself as an authority in your niche.
Sigh! It won’t work well for you if you come across as a Jack of all trades but a master to none.
See, the advantage of online freelance work is that you have the option of working individually. For instance, you can start a website where you pitch your services.
On the other hand, you could join freelancing websites that have a ready clientele base.
Okay, here are a couple of freelance websites that you should definitely check out:
- Upwork. You’ll find all types of freelancing opportunities on this website—that range from writing, transcription, data entry, etc.
- Problogger. This is an excellent website for freelance writers.
- Fiverr. In Fiverr, you can offer any service and charge clients from as low as $5 to $1000s, depending on your gig.
6. Transcription
Do you have keen hearing, good English grammar, and research skills?
Then you make the cut to work as a transcriptionist. And It helps to know you need little to no experience with this work. Although being punctual is a helpful attribute to have.
So, how do you work as a transcriptionist? It’s simple, really! Your work is to listen to audio and video recordings and then make a script by typing out what you’ve heard.
But before you can start making money online as a transcriptionist, you’ll need to have some tools. These tools include a computer, transcription software, a good set of earphones, and an ergonomic chair.
Some of the sites offering transcription jobs include:
- QA world. You’ll earn $15 per audio hour and a bonus of up to $22.50 if you deliver fantastic work.
- Transcription Hub. Transcription Hub will also pay you $15 per audio hour.
- Daily Transcription pays$45 per audio hour. And it’s a great place to transcribe work for the film industry.
7. Become a Virtual Assistant
Becoming a virtual assistant is another super-easy way of making money without taking a step outside your home.
So, if you like working while still in your pajamas,’ then this job is a perfect fit for you.
See, as a virtual assistant (VA), your work is to make the life of other people more comfortable by offering to do tasks for them remotely. At a fee, of course!
You bet this makes being a VA appealing!
Why?
You could be working from the beaches of Grenada while bookkeeping for a business in New York.
I know you want to ask, “What skills do I need to become a VA and how much will I be earning?”
Well, to become a VA, you can start by using the skills you already have.
For instance customer care, bookkeeping, email marketing, researching blog content, writing, proof reading etc.
And most VAs earn between $30 to $40 per hour. So, the more hours you put in the more you’ll earn.
It’s obvious that there are many opportunities for you as a VA. So, are you still interested in becoming a VA?
If you are, that’s great! Though, it’s important to know the critical attributes you need to have to be a successful VA.
First, you’ll need good interpersonal skills. These skills will ensure that you’re able to have a good rapport with different clients. Since you won’t be having face−to−face contact with them.
Secondly, you’ll also need good organizational skills. Just imagine that you have clients in different time zones. Organizing your time becomes super important. So, you don’t miss deadlines.
Finally, good internet skills is a must have for you. Don’t worry! There tons of online courses that will help you up your internet skills.
Now, there are so many opportunities for you as a VA, but let me outline some of the services that have a high demand:
- Website management
- Customer service
- Bookkeeping
- Content research and writing
- Digital marketing
- Administrative support
- Managing clients social media accounts
Okay, are you ready to start making money online as a VA? Well, here are some sites to start you off: Flexjobs, Equivity, Fancy Hands, and Belay Solutions.
8. Make Money with Online Surveys
Do you have some free time? Instead of whiling the time away, you can make money by taking online surveys.
How does this work? Many companies want first-hand information from consumers to help them improve on their products and services.
Taking part in a survey usually involves you completing an online questionnaire on the companies’ platform. It’s important to give honest feedback.
In return, the company pays you money or rewards you with gifts.
Okay, to benefit fully from online surveys, there are a few things you need to have in mind.
First, make sure you log in to the survey platforms frequently not to miss out when survey opportunities arise.
Secondly, enter your account information correctly and in full to ensure that you are not deemed unsuitable.
It’s also important to know that you will only be able to withdraw your earnings after reaching a particular threshold value.
Many companies have cropped offering paid surveys. So it’s essential to weed out the bad ones. So, here are legitimate companies that offer paid surveys:
- Survey Junkie
- Vindale Research
- Swagbucks Surveys
- MyPoints
- Pinecone Research
- InboxDollars
- Pinecone Research
- Survey Club
Conclusion
There you are! The internet is making it easier to for you to make money. So, whether you want to hustle for extra cash on top of your salary, or you’re looking for financial freedom and a break from your 9−5 job, the internet offers you many easy ways to make money online.