If you’ve never made money online, you may think the concept is a hoax. Far from it! Many people earn passive and full-time income online from the comfort of their homes while vacationing in Ibiza or traversing the country in their camper van. This could be your life too.
You don’t need a college degree or be an expert in a field to make some money, and sometimes you don’t need any experience. All you need to do is show interest, show up, and make money!
Continue reading for a comprehensive list of the best ways to make money online, even as a beginner.
How to Make Money Online for Beginners
1. Start a Podcast
So your radio career didn’t work, why not try podcasting? You can achieve even more with a podcast because you have more flexibility and control. Choose a niche topic, determine your audience, get the necessary equipment, and start talking.
You will get sponsorships, affiliate marketing offers, and more as you grow.
READY TO GET STARTED? Buzzsprout is our #1 choice for the Best Podcast Hosting service. Click here to get started today and receive a $20 Amazon gift card.
Want to explore more options? We have compared the best (paid & free) podcast hosting sites to help you find your perfect solution.
2. Start a Blog
Can’t talk to save your life for 20 minutes? How about writing your thoughts? If that’s your thing, you can start a blog and grow it into a passive money machine in a few years.
Like podcasts, choose a topic, find your audience, and create valuable content. The money will come as your readership increases.
And if the idea of starting a blog sounds awesome but the writing not so much, don’t fret! There are various AI writing softwares on the market that will write engaging content on any topic. Combine that with Grammarly Premium and you’ll be surprised at how quickly you can churn out high-quality content.
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3. Become an Editor/Proofreader
Do you have an eye for details? Can you spot a grammatical or spelling error a mile away? Your editing and proofreading skills can make you loads of monthly online money. Find bloggers, authors, and journalists that need an extra pair of eyes to keep their content error-free.
Invest in helpful proofreading tools like Grammarly to deliver top-notch work every time.
4. Transcribe Audio
The job is relatively simple – listen and write! That’s it. Of course, you must employ some listening skills to write the right things. Other than that, it’s a relatively easy job. How much you make is dependent on your experience level, the industry, and turnaround time.
Visit Rev, TranscribeMe, or SyncScript for transcription jobs. You can also check freelance sites.
5. Review Apps and Websites
You always have an opinion about an app or website you visit. How about expressing that opinion and getting paid for it? Several websites will pay you to review apps, websites, and software as you browse through them, and you can make as much as $30 per hour. Some of these websites are:
- Userlytics
- SoftwareJudge
- UserTesting
- TestingTime
6. Host Your Home on Airbnb
A vacant room in your home picking up dust can make you thousands of dollars annually. Clean it up, take some cool pictures, and upload them to the Airbnb website. Someone may be willing to rent that space and pay for it.
Before you begin, ensure you have the right to rent out and follow the local laws and requirements for short-term rentals. With these out of the way, register an account with Airbnb and upload your listing.
7. Teach Online
Knowledge is value, and you can exchange that value for money. The internet presents several opportunities and platforms to monetize your knowledge. You can use freelance sites like Freelancer or Fiverr or choose education-focused platforms like Cambly and TutorMe.
You may be required to submit proof that you know the subject matter and have a license to teach. Check with the platform, sort out the prerequisites, and start monetizing your knowledge online.
8. Sell Your Social Media Skills
Do you have proven experience going viral on IG or Tiktok? Do you know how to produce great visual content people love? Or do you know the ins and outs of social media marketing for products and services? You’re in high demand!
Don’t let those skills waste. Creators, brands, and agencies need creative minds like you. Get out there and get paid to do what you do best.
9. Become a Content Writer
There is no internet without content, and there is no content without writers. Every post you see online was written by someone who likely got paid for it. If you can write, you can get paid too!
Stop hobby writing and find bloggers, writing agencies, and companies willing to pay for your service. Make a convincing pitch to them, and forget to attach a writing sample. You can also build a brand on Freelance platforms like Fiverr.
10. Sell Products on Amazon
If you have products to sell, you don’t have to endure the stress of building and managing an eCommerce website. You can get on Amazon and sell those items. There are many benefits to using a mega website like Amazon, including:
- Low marketing costs
- Potential for more sales
- No need to stock products
- Large and growing marketplace
- Easy way to start an eCommerce business
As your online business grows, you can consider setting up your online store and building a brand.
11. Sell Gift Cards
Do you have unwanted or too many gift cards lying around? You can exchange these cards for money online. The process is relatively easy – visit the website, authenticate your card, accept an offer, and get paid!
Some of the best places for all kinds of gift card transactions are Gift Card Granny, GiftCash, and ClipKard.
12. Submit Online Surveys
We know surveys have a terrible reputation, but there are legit platforms that pay. You’ll not make enough to quit your job, but a few bucks here and there adds up.
Consider filling out surveys on Swagbucks and get the point rewards that you can exchange for gift cards or cash back.
13. Perform Unskilled Tasks
Unskilled tasks are littered all over the internet, and you can be an average Joe and still make a few bucks daily with these tasks. The tasks are simple and usually take no more than a few minutes.
Get on platforms like MicroWorkers, or PicoWorkers to get started. If you want tasks you can do offline, check TaskRabbit.
14. Become an SEO Consultant
There is massive competition among bloggers and companies online for the top spots on search engine results pages. You can make loads of money if you have what it takes to help them get on top and get free traffic.
Put yourself out there, show your track record, get hired, and get paid. If you’re just starting, you might want to offer your services for free or at a low cost, and your results will elevate your status.
15. Become an Online Marketer
Every business wants to sell its products, make a profit, and expand its operations, and marketing is at the core of this vision. You can be an online marketer helping promote businesses in exchange for commissions or a salary.
Get in touch with a business and start promoting its products or services.
16. Start a YouTube Channel
Here’s another moneymaker that has proven to make you money online in the long term. It is free to make a YouTube channel and begin to share something valuable with the world. Like blogging, decide what your channel is about and start making videos.
Remember, making money with YouTube takes time and effort. You could be the next SSSniperWolf if you don’t give up.
17. Become a Copy Trader
You can still make money online if you don’t have the requisite skills and experience to trade FOREX. Use copy trading platforms to copy trades by experienced traders. You will have to forfeit a small percentage of your earnings to these experts as commission for copying their trade.
18. Buy and Sell Domains
Domain flipping is a big industry, and getting in on the action is easy. Invest some money by buying domains you can flip for cash later. Look for short, brandable, descriptive, and easily pronounced names, and avoid words with hyphens or unpopular top-level domains or domain extensions.
Trade domain names on Flippa and Trademysite.
19. Sell Graphics Designs
Graphic designers are in high demand all over the world, and you can make a killing if you’re a brilliant visual artist. Sell your skill to businesses and creators, and maybe make NFTs for your work. Who knows, you might rub shoulders with Beeple someday.
20. Sell Photos
Making money online for beginners can be as easy as selling your original images or footage. If you’ve got an eye for top-notch photography, it’s time to convert them from a hobby to a profitable business. Sites like Shutterstock, Getty Images, Foap, and Dreamstime will pay to have your stock photos.
21. Sell Your Music
Don’t make great music only a few people you know can enjoy. Take it online. There are digital music stores that can help distribute your music to hundreds of download and streaming sites worldwide. Take advantage of these platforms. One notable platform is CD Baby.
You can also sell your music directly to your fans with Bandcamp.
22. Sell Your Data
Many big companies like Google and Facebook take your data with zero ROI for you. Now is the time to monetize that data! While Facebook cares less about paying you, some companies like Tapestri will pay. Download the app and let it run in the background.
Tapestri works with brands interested in your location data and consumer behavior. You can rest assured that data is transmitted anonymously.
23. Manage Ad Campaigns
Every serious business has a digital marketing budget, and advertising takes a huge chunk of that budget. You could be the person managing small businesses’ Facebook and Google ads and make lots of money. Also, you could earn up to four figures per month (or more) as an ad specialist.
Reach out to local businesses in your area and make a pitch.
24. Create a Course
Creating a course is one of the best ways to monetize your knowledge. The course could be a digital compilation of videos, e-books, articles, or presentations that help people with something. When you have that ready, host it on a platform like Teachable or Gumroad.
You may not need a third-party platform to host and promote your course if you have a website.
25. Become a Flea Market Flipper
Yard sales, garage sales, flea markets – whatever name you call it, can make you a great deal of money. Visit these low-cost markets and get unique, valuable items for cheap and resell them on online marketplaces like eBay, Amazon, Target, and more. If you’ve built up an audience online, you can sell directly to them.
Rob and Melissa Stephenson earn six figures flipping items, and you too can make it big as a professional flipper.
26. Become an Online Fitness Trainer
Fitness training or coaching isn’t limited to the gym alone. You can help people get fit and healthy online. Get the required qualifications and create a website promoting your services online. Alternatively, you can join fitness companies like FindYourTrainer. Scroll to the bottom of their website and Click Become a Fyt Pro to start.
27. Become an Online Business Consultant
Online business is a whole new world, and business owners can use professional guidance and strategy to succeed. If you have the experience, you can help startups or fledgling companies understand aspects of their business and provide the tools they need.
Do some research to find small businesses that may need some help and pitch them.
28. Start Dropshipping
Dropshipping is simple – promote products, buy them after receiving orders, and deliver them to customers. This business model requires little capital and skill set, and you don’t have to manage inventory, respond to customer queries, or brand the items. However, you have to invest in marketing to get customers to buy.
29. Use Your Voice
Can’t sing? Well, that’s not what this is about. If you have a good speaking voice, you can also do voice-overs. Voice overs are needed for commercials, text-to-audio assignments, gaming, animation, and more.
Share your voice-over skill and get paid on Fiverr, Upwork, or voices.com.
30. Work as a Customer Relationship Specialist
Most companies hire remote customer service agents to help resolve teeming customer issues. You could be a call center agent, respond to emails, or provide live chat support. These roles usually don’t require much experience because you will get specialized training.
31. Build Websites
One thing that’s common to all businesses online is a functioning, converting website. If you can build intuitive websites, you can make a lot of money. In addition, you don’t have to be an expert developer. There are several themes, page builders, and templates you can customize for any brand.
Brush up on your skills with free videos on YouTube, build sample websites to use for your pitch, and start pitching!
Closing Thoughts
Now you can stop searching for how to make money online. This is the most comprehensive and actionable list you need to make money online as a beginner. Choose any ideas that align with your skills, interests, and passions, and go for them. How far or how well you do will depend on how committed you are and if you stay consistent. These ideas may not make you rich overnight, but they will make you money in the long term.
Featured Image Credit: Pexels.