ow to Make Money Online: 28 Real Ways to Earn Money Online
MrUnknownMen
February 11, 202231 minute read
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From online poker to selling your
collection of Beanie Babies, there are lots of popular get-rich-quick,
money-making ideas that always pop up. Do they work? Not really. Will
you make money doing it? Maaaybe. But you’d probably make more money
from your 9 to 5 job. At least then it’s a guaranteed paycheck.
Ready to start a store but need products to sell? Handshake is where best sellers are discovered at wholesale prices.
How to Make Money Online: 28 Real Ways
1. Start Dropshipping
Let’s start our list off with one of the most popular ways to make money online. According to Google Trends,
dropshipping’s popularity is rapidly growing, highlighting its
viability as a way to make money online. With success stories about how
an entrepreneur made $6,667 in eight weeks or how a store owner made six figures selling just one product, there’s plenty of proof that dropshipping is a real way to make money online.
Build your own dropshipping empire today.
Start a dropshipping store with Shopify. Build yourself an empire. Get started now.
In case you don’t know what
dropshipping is: dropshipping is a business model where you sell a
product to a customer, but the supplier stores, packages, and ships the
product to your customers on your behalf. With Oberlo dropshipping,
you have access to millions of products that you can add to your store.
Oberlo’s toolkit also allows you to hand-pick your product images, edit
item descriptions, and give your business a personalized vibe, so
people love shopping from you.
P.s. if you want to build your first dropshipping store, don't miss out on our Dropshipping 101 course.
2. Try Print on Demand
Print on demand
is proving to be a popular option too. Graphic designers are turning to
the business model to sell their designs on clothing and other products
to monetize their art better. With their unique designs, they can
create a consistent and established brand for their business.
Print on demand is similar to
dropshipping in the sense that you don’t need to carry inventory or ship
out products to customers yourself. There are two slight differences,
though. First, you can add branded labels on packages, which is great
for brand recognition. Second, shipping costs are quite expensive,
making it difficult to create a sustainable business unless you charge
higher prices or sell higher quantities. But you have great suppliers in
US, Canada or Europe like Printify or Printful to get started right away and reach your dream of creating your own clothing line.
Want to start your own Print On Demand
business? Sign up for a free trial of Shopify and build your dream
store. Today’s the day.
The best way to make money with your print on demand business? Free marketing channels. Your best bet would be to promote your products for free on Instagram, Pinterest, or with Instagram influencers who convert their audiences well.
You can get a complete overview of print of demand vs dropshipping by watching us get into a healthy debate with Wholesale Ted about the pros and cons of each business model.
3. Make Money with Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing
is one of the most popular ways to make money online. Throughout the
years, its popularity has gone up and down, but it continues to prove to
be a stable way to make money online. The best part about affiliate
marketing is that you can be an affiliate for nearly any company, from Shopify to Amazon to Uber to FabFitFun.
Affiliate marketing allows you to
earn a living by promoting other brands. If you’re a savvy marketer, you
can earn a commission from sales by promoting retail products,
software, apps, and more. While earning a commission may seem small,
keep in mind that you can be an affiliate for several brands and include
several affiliate links on a single blog post.
If you really want to make money online doing affiliate marketing, your best bet is to focus on content marketing. By building out a blog
with several pages of high-quality content, you essentially create an
asset you can call your own. The best part about focusing on content marketing
is that if an affiliate program shuts down, you can switch the
affiliate link to a competitor without negatively impacting your side hustle income.
4. Start a YouTube Channel
If others can make money from YouTube, so can you. The highest-paid YouTuber is 7-year-old Ryan,
who reviews toys on his YouTube channel, which made him $22 million in
2018. Another high earner is Jeffree Star, who’s made more than $18
million on YouTube and has a cosmetics brand that sells about $100
million in products annually. His YouTube (and Myspace) fame helped him
use his influence to make money online beyond his YouTube earnings.
Your YouTube channel should focus on a single niche so you can build a strong, loyal audience.
For example, you can create makeup tutorials, stream video games,
review products, teach skills, create prank videos, or anything else you
think there’d be an audience for.
The secret to making money on YouTube
is to create content people want that either educates or entertains.
You can use a headline that’s witty to entice people to watch, or you
can use keywords that are optimized for YouTube search. Once you’ve
reached the 1,000 subscriber milestone, you can officially monetize your
channel with YouTube ads.
5. Become an Influencer
Building a personal brand can also help you make money online. Did you know in 2019, Cristiano Ronaldo earned $975,000
for every sponsored Instagram post, making him the highest-paid
influencer? While it may seem like reality stars, singers, and athletes
are the biggest influencers, keep in mind that even smaller-scale
influencers can make more money today than they did a few years back
To become an influencer, you need to
build a healthy following. The easiest platforms to do that: YouTube and
Instagram. Some of the biggest non-celebrity influencers often gained
their first taste of exposure on these platforms. You might want to
check out how to get more Instagram followers if you want to build a big Instagram audience.
To make money as an influencer,
you can charge for sponsored posts, speaking gigs, create your own
online store and sell products, add affiliate links in your bio, sell
your photos, sell ads on your own podcast, get paid as a brand ambassador, create a book, get paid to appear at events, and more.
6. Create an Online Course
Sharing knowledge is one of the best
ways to make money online. If you’re an expert on a subject, you can
monetize your knowledge by creating courses online. You can sell your
course on Udemy or, if you already have your own audience, on your own website. Some entrepreneurs earn as much as $5,000 per month with online courses.
To create a popular and successful
course, your best bet is to watch other courses on your topic. Then,
look at the reviews. What are the aspects that people praise, and what
are the things people hate? How can you create something better than
what’s already been created? Focus on creating content that solves the
biggest complaints while emulating the positive aspects people rave
about.
The platform you sell your course on
will determine how to best make money. If you sell your course on Udemy,
you don’t have to do much to promote it. You can almost set it and
forget it. Maybe promote it to some blogs or on your own website.
However, if the course is hosted on your own website, you might want to run ads to promote the course. You can also build an email list so you can continue to promote future courses to that same audience.
7. Publish an Ebook
With Amazon KDP,
it’s never been easier to publish an ebook. All you need to do is write
the ebook, format it, create an ebook cover, publish, and promote it.
Back in 2013, I created several ebooks on Amazon (took all but one
down), and even though it didn’t make me rich, I still make some money
from it.
You can choose to hire a writer for
your ebook, a graphic designer to design the cover, or a freelancer to
format the ebook for you to help minimize the work you need to put into
it. It’s best if you focus on keywords based on popular searches on
Amazon. I often use the Keyword Tool, which allows you to find the words people use while searching so you can craft your title around it.
To make money online selling ebooks,
you can market it in a number of ways. You can give away your ebook for
free for a few days. This helps you rank high in search results for some
time and get some reviews, which helps you rank better for paid
listings. Plus, I like to create custom graphics on Pinterest that match
the “Pinterest style” rather than just placing the ebook cover as a
pin. This has helped me get some clicks to my ebook from Pinterest.
8. Start a Blog
Blogging is one of the oldest methods for making money online.
People who love writing tend to start blogs with a niche focus. For
example, a blog about procrastination, cars, dropshipping, toys, etc.,
is often a narrow enough focus so you can build a loyal following, but
big enough that you can cover a lot of ground.
You can start a blog on various platforms, from Shopify
(remove the checkout feature, so you don’t have to pay a subscription
as you build it out) to WordPress. When you start your blog, focus on
very specific keywords with a tight focus and continue to expand into
other but relevant categories as you grow and dominate new spaces. This
will allow you to build a massive blog over time. Remember that design
is also important for making a good first impression on visitors. Here
are 20 blog design inspirations to help you launch your blog.
There are several ways to make money blogging.
You can add affiliate links in your posts (don’t forget a disclaimer).
You can monetize with AdSense by placing ads strategically on your
website. Sponsored posts can help you make money from specific brands –
this is popular among review bloggers. Bloggers can also sell digital or physical products on their website either (hint: you can add Oberlo products
to your website). You can also use it to build authority so that you
can eventually get speaking gigs, television deals, or big contracts
from clients.
9. 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 for them.
There’s a never-ending list of
websites for each sector of freelance jobs too. For example, freelance
writers can apply for jobs on specific online writing job boards, but
also general freelance websites like Fiverr, Freelancer, Upwork, and all the others. If you find that your job doesn’t have direct online money-making streams of income, you can look for 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 gain a strong portfolio, you can start reaching 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 will get a response back.
10. Create an App
If you’re not a developer, you’re
probably looking at this money-making idea and feeling a bit stuck.
Fortunately, there is a way to have an app made that doesn’t involve any
programming skills.
These days, marketers are using freelance platforms to find affordable developers to create apps for them.
When it comes to making money on your
app, your best bet will be to add it to Google Play and the App Store.
And while it may seem counterintuitive, having a free app can help you
make more than a paid app. With a free app, you can add ads or premium
features to help you make money. Since the free app will attract a
higher volume of people, it’ll be easier for you to upsell them.
11. Become a Writer
With a growing interest in content marketing,
more brands are looking for great writers to create content. The secret
to succeeding as a writer is to be an expert in a 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 allows you
to write better content.
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 article
online. And that’s what brands really want to pay for — your thoughts,
experiences, and inside information into their niche.
If someone asks for a marketing
writing sample, send them marketing writing samples. 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 writing sample. Apply to opportunities suited to your skills
and experience. Also, if your pitch doesn’t have a list of links to
writing samples, it’s going to get ignored.
Side gigs
can help you make money online while you keep your full-time job. If
you’re looking to make an extra couple hundred dollars per month, this
is a great idea. The work doesn’t always last long-term, but it can.
Use platforms like Fiverr
to create gigs. When you’re new to Fiverr, you’ll want to focus on
offering a low price so you could get your first review. I’d recommend
getting a friend to buy your gig to leave your first review so you can
get started faster. Treat the friend like a client and actually deliver a
finished product that you can feature on the platform on your
portfolio.
The thing with Fiverr is that it’s
also a numbers game. If you look at top Fiverr users, you’ll see that
they have multiple gigs available. The more gigs you have, the more
likely you are to be found.
If you don’t want to get paid Fiverr prices, you can turn to platforms like FlexJobs
to find side gigs. Under their jobs section, you can search for
contract or telecommute opportunities. The great thing about the
telecommute opportunities on FlexJobs is that you can apply for them in
any city in the world.
FlexJobs has a variety of side gigs
from writing, business, design, accounting, and more. So if your talents
don’t match up with anything else on this list of money-making ideas,
you might want to try a side gig from FlexJobs, and start making money
online. Apply to multiple opportunities to land a few small side gigs.
13. Do Translation Work
If you need to make money now,
translation work is a fairly underserved niche. You’ll need to be fluent
in at least two languages to do this successfully. So if you’re
bilingual or majored in a popular language in school, this may be a
great money-making idea for you to try out.
You will need to show proof of your
ability to translate. If you have a language degree or experience
translating text, make sure to show samples of your portfolio. Most
companies will require a translation test. Keep in mind that you need to
be fluent in the languages you’re applying to be a translator for. So
you can’t use translation tools.
When you’re desperate to make money
now, sometimes the only option is to sell your stuff. If you’re
unemployed and struggling to find a job,
selling your possessions is a great way to make money fast. You can
earn money online using the links below, or you can head to a pawn shop.
Keep in mind the shipping costs associated with selling online. Be sure
to charge the buyer for it if you’re shipping products internationally.
Most people immediately think of
selling their junk like books, DVDs, and CDs. But most people don’t want
to buy those things. It’s 2021 – are you really going to buy a CD?
Probably not. So don’t waste your time trying to sell it. When you’re
thinking about how to make money fast, focus on items of value like
laptops, TVs, phones, furniture, designer handbags, or clothing.
Try selling the same items on multiple platforms. For example, you
might try selling your product in Facebook groups and Instagram instead
of just one of them. If you sell your stuff everywhere, there’s a chance
of someone finding it.
Be sure to take amazing photos and edit them.
An online retailer doesn’t upload images as is. They hire a
photographer to take great photos. Images are enhanced. The background
is often removed. Approach your product post like an online retailer.
Avoid taking pictures of products on tables. If a product is on a table,
remove the background to make it white. If you don’t own high-end
photography equipment, you can consider taking this product photography online course to learn how to take stunning product photos without the fancy gear.
After you’ve figured out stuff to sell online, start your own online store using Shopify. You’ve proven that you’ve got what it takes to be an online retailer. So, now you can start making money from home.
15. Become an Online Tutor
You can make a lot of money online and choose your own hours by being an online tutor. According to Studenomics, Bohdan made $2100 from tutoring. What’s interesting is that he built up his client base through word of mouth,
visibility, and great group rates. While sciences and maths often have a
high demand for tutoring positions, you’ll also find English popular
among international audiences. If you’re an expert on a topic, tutoring
may be the right platform for you to make money fast.
Having a degree or experience in a
language is essential for this type of job, so showcase your degree,
high grade average in a course, or other proof that you’re qualified to
tutor that topic. If you have a teaching degree, you may be more likely
to land a tutoring position. If you’ve spoken at a conference or event
about the topic, you might also be considered for an online tutoring,
teaching, or mentoring position. Focus on tutoring in your field of
expertise. If you’re not the best, you probably shouldn’t be tutoring on
that specific topic.
You can find online tutoring jobs on platforms like these:
If you own a car, you can make some
spare cash as an Uber driver or delivery person. If you don’t own a car,
you can still be a delivery person using your bicycle or moped. Uber
drivers looking to make even more money off their car can turn their car
into an advertisement using Free Car Media.
Your car will be wrapped with a removable vinyl decal. There have also
been cases of Uber drivers selling products in their cars. As a driver,
you’ll often start talking about what you and your passenger do for a
living.
Want to know how to make money
fast driving Uber? If you own your own side business, you can showcase
your products to your passengers if they’re interested. Not all will be,
though. However, if one expresses interest in your products, you can
have products for sale under the driver’s seat for a passenger to sift
through. If customers don’t have the cash, you can ask them to pay its
cost with Uber’s tip function.
17. Become a Virtual Assistant
With so many entrepreneurs building
businesses, the demand for virtual assistants is increasing almost
daily. As a virtual assistant, you’ll do a variety of tasks. Writing,
order processing, bookkeeping, social media, and customer support are
just a few of the tasks you might be asked to do as a virtual
assistant.
You can earn money online on websites like Virtual Assistant Jobs, 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 interested
in hiring a virtual assistant. Using a combination of job posting
applications and outreach, you’ll be more likely to make money fast.
Build an active social media presence on Twitter and LinkedIn to help
you find new clients.
18. Become a Twitch Streamer
Twitch
streaming is becoming increasingly popular. While it started out as a
gaming platform, it’s quickly evolving to include other types of
content. To make money fast on Twitch, you’ll need to grow your following. If you’re consistent, streaming on Twitch can help you build a sizable audience fast.
You’ll need to find a popular game or
channel that isn’t overly competitive so that people can easily find
your content. In order to make money online from streaming, you’ll need
to have a consistent style to your channel: is it going to be funny,
educational, or entertaining? Engaging in the chat feature on Twitch is
another way to grow your following. You’ll want to communicate in
popular chats. However, you’ll also want to engage with those chatting
on your streams as well.
There are five ways to monetize your
Twitch channel: selling products, brand sponsorships, fan donations,
subscriptions, and Twitch ads. As a Twitch streamer, you’ll want to
focus on tapping into all five monetization methods to ensure the
highest financial gains. You could make more on Twitch than YouTube,
making it one of the best money making ideas for video creators.
19. Invest in Stocks
You can also make money fast by
investing in stocks. If you aren’t an expert in picking stock, you might
want to skip this money making idea. While it can have one of the
highest rewards, it can also result in money loss if you’re
inexperienced. If you currently hold a 9 to 5 job, look into your
company’s financial programs.
Do they allow you to invest in
company stocks? If so, sign up for it. At least with a company stock
program, you have some influence in the company’s success as an
employee. If your company has an RRSP matching program, you can also
sign up for that if your goal is to save up for retirement or a down payment on your first home.
20. Sell Your Photography
Whether you’re a professional
photographer or just love snapping great pictures, you can monetize your
photography in several ways. You can make money fast by posting your
photography services in local Facebook groups for your community.
If you’re looking for more exposure, you can use a site like Burst. However, if you’re looking to monetize your phone photography quickly, you can use Foap. Learn more product photography tips to help you start making money with photography.
21. Sell Your Clothes Online
You likely have clothes you haven’t
worn in the past year. And you don’t have the intention of wearing them
ever again. Rather than letting them take up space in your closet, why
not make money off of them?
Whether you sell your clothes,
handbags, or shoes, there are quite a few websites that allow you to
sell your used fashion items. Poshmark, Refashioner, TheRealReal, ThredUp, and Tradesy are a few of the online sites where you can sell your used apparel.
You could make money online by selling on several different platforms. If you’re looking to sell items in person, you can use Facebook buy and sell groups
in your community to find people online and sell the items in person.
I’ve personally sold in these groups before and know they work.
22. Become an Extreme Couponer
When money is tight, using coupons can help save you a few bucks. However, with websites Coupon Chief,
it can also help you make money online. Such websites offer a Pays to
Share program where you’ll receive some percentage of sales from the
coupons you share on their platform. You’ll need to add coupons that
haven’t already been shared. In return, you’ll make a 2-3% commission.
It’s like affiliate marketing where
you share referral links and get a commission when someone buys through
your link. Coupon companies are known to pay their affiliates regularly,
so it’s a legit way to earn money online. Coupon Chief has already paid
out over $1.4 million in commissions.
23. Sell Domains
If you regularly buy domain names
but fail to use them, you can always try to sell them for a profit.
Selling domains is ultra competitive, though. If you own a one word .com
domain, you’ll have a better chance of selling. Words that have high
search volume sell well too.
Also, domains that are on trend at
that moment have a better chance of selling. For example, a year ago,
fidget spinner domains were an easier sell than they are now. You can
search for available domain names and buy a custom domain through the Shopify domain registration platform.
You can sell your domains on GoDaddy’s Domain Auction.
Look through the domains with the highest bids to see what type of
domains sell well. It’ll help you know whether or not your domains are
worth selling and how much money you can make selling them.
24. Sell Your Designs Online
Graphic design is an amazing skill
that you can monetize in several ways. You can go the print on demand
route and sell your designs on your own custom products. Alternatively,
you can pitch your designs on a crowdsource platform like 99 Designs. You can create your own graphics, templates and more and sell them on marketplaces like GraphicRiver or Creative Market. Or you can pick up some clients and work as a freelance graphic artist.
25. Review Websites, Apps, and Software
If you’re passionate about user experience, User Testing
pays reviewers $10 to give other entrepreneurs feedback on their
websites and apps. That’s one fast way to make money online. You’ll be
given a set of questions that you need to answer as you browse through
their website.
Through a video, you’ll communicate
your ideas and feedback to the entrepreneur while navigating their
website or app. Your video is only 20 minutes in length, so if you do
three videos per hour, you’ll make $30. It can be pretty competitive, so
you have to act fast when a new website or app is added to be reviewed.
Those who want to earn money online by reviewing software can use a
tool called Software Judge.
26. Get a Part-Time Job
When you’ve done whatever it takes to
make money fast but struggle to make an impact, sometimes you’re left
with no choice but to get a part-time job. A lot of the money-making
ideas on this list are great for building up to. They can be really
successful over the long-term too. But if you’re struggling to make
money fast enough, you might need to apply for a part-time job in your
field. You can browse part-time jobs on job bank websites like Indeed, Monster, or a job website for your industry.
Whether you’re looking to make an extra couple hundred a month or grow a successful six-figure
brand, I hope these money making ideas have inspired you to take
action. Learning how to make money fast or how to make money from home
is an important part of success, but the execution is what helps you
make money now.
27. Become a TikTok Consultant
One of the trendiest new 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 grow brand awareness
on the app might turn fortunes.
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 in this platform,
you can still learn how to create killer contact by taking this TikTok course.
28. Sell Greeting Cards
If you have a knack for picking out
the perfect greeting card for different occasions, this might be an easy
way to make money online. However, I don’t recommend that you market
your services to anyone and everyone – it’s not a smart way to do
business. Instead, you can open a greeting cards brand geared towards a
certain segment of the population.
For
example, you can make greeting cards that cater to C-level executives
wanting to thank their Senior Vice Presidents for making profitable
decisions last year. Or you can target healthcare professionals wanting
to thank their patients for choosing their clinic. For designing the
cards, you can use an online graphic tool like Photoshop or Canva. These
tools make it easy to put together nice-looking cards that will cheer
anyone up.
Conclusion
Making money online can help you earn
some extra side hustle money, but it can also help you escape your 9 to
5 job so you can become a full-time entrepreneur. By brainstorming online business ideas and choosing to start an online business, you gain more financial freedom, improve your financial security, and inch closer to living life on your terms.
