There are numerous popular get-rich-quick money-making ideas that constantly pop up, ranging from online lottery to stuffing envelopes at home. Do they have any effect? Not at all. Will you profit from it? Maybe. However, your 9-to-5 job would most likely pay you more. At the very least, it's a guaranteed paycheck.
The truth is that there are legitimate ways to make money online, and millions of people do so every day. There are numerous business ideas you can try at home using your laptop and a reliable internet connection, ranging from freelance digital nomads to savvy marketers to aspiring entrepreneurs. So, let's go over some legitimate ways to make money online.
How to Make Money Online: 24 Real Ways
1. dropshipping
Let's begin with one of the most popular ways to make money online. Dropshipping's popularity is growing, indicating its viability as a business model, according to Google Trends. There's plenty of proof that dropshipping is a legitimate way to make money online, with success stories like how an entrepreneur made $6,667 in eight weeks or how a store owner made six figures selling just one product.
If you're unfamiliar with dropshipping, it's a business model in which you sell a product to a customer, but the supplier stores, packages, and ships the product on your behalf. Shopify dropshipping gives you access to millions of products that you can sell in your store. Some Shopify dropshipping apps allow you to hand-pick your product images, edit item descriptions, and give your business a personalized feel so that customers enjoy shopping with you.
What is the best way to make money with dropshipping? Most business owners have concentrated on a few marketing strategies:
- Running Facebook advertisements
- Influencers promoting their products
- Sending social media direct messages (DMs) to potential customers
Ready to open a store but lacking inventory? Handshake is a marketplace for online entrepreneurs to purchase products at wholesale prices.
2. YouTube channel
You can make money on YouTube if others can. Jimmy Donaldson (a.k.a. MrBeast), who uploads bizarre stunts on his YouTube channel, is the highest-paid YouTuber, earning $54 million in 2021. Jake Paul, who has made $45 million on YouTube by sharing high-energy prank videos and boxing content, is another high earner. His YouTube (and boxing) fame enabled him to leverage his influence to earn money online in addition to his YouTube earnings.
To build a strong, loyal audience, your YouTube channel should focus on a single niche. You can, for example, make makeup tutorials, stream video games, review products, teach skills, make prank videos, or anything else you think will appeal to an audience.
The key to making money on YouTube is to make content that people want to watch. Make clever headlines to entice people to watch your videos, and include keywords in your description to optimize for YouTube search. Once you've reached 1,000 subscribers, you can start monetizing your channel with YouTube ads.
3. print on demand
Another popular way to make money online is through print-on-demand (POD). Because it has a lower overhead than other businesses, many people have adopted this business model.
Print-on-demand is similar to dropshipping in that you do not need to keep inventory or ship products to customers. However, there are two minor differences. To begin, you can create your own custom products, which is excellent for brand recognition. Second, rather than a wide range of categories, you can select specific items. Most print-on-demand companies sell products that are simple to customize, such as t-shirts, mugs, and tote bags.
What is the best way to profit from your print-on-demand business? Marketing channels that are free. Your best bet would be to promote your products for free on Instagram and Pinterest, as well as through social media influencers with high conversion rates.
You can get a comprehensive overview of print-on-demand versus dropshipping by watching us engage in a healthy debate with Wholesale Ted about the advantages and disadvantages of each business model.
4. affiliate marketing
One of the most popular ways to make money online is through affiliate marketing. Its popularity has risen and fallen over the years, but it remains a reliable way to earn money on the internet. The best part about affiliate marketing is that you can partner with a wide range of companies, including Shopify, Amazon, Uber, and FabFitFun.
Affiliate marketing allows you to make money by promoting other people's products. You can earn a commission from sales by promoting retail products, software, apps, and other services. While a commission may appear insignificant, keep in mind that you can be an affiliate for multiple brands and include multiple affiliate links in a single blog post.
If you truly want to make money online through affiliate marketing, you should concentrate on content marketing. By creating a blog with several pages of high-quality content, you create an asset that is uniquely yours. Place affiliate links strategically in your blog posts to drive traffic to your affiliate partner's website.
5. Start a blog
Blogging is one of the oldest online money-making methods. People who enjoy writing tend to start blogs with a specific niche in mind. A blog about procrastination, cars, dropshipping, toys, and so on, for example, is often narrow enough to build a loyal following while also being broad enough to cover a lot of ground.
You can start a blog on a variety of platforms, including Shopify (remove the checkout feature to avoid paying a subscription as you build it) and WordPress. Focus on very specific keywords with a tight focus when you first start your blog and then expand into other but still relevant categories as you grow and dominate new spaces. This will allow you to gradually build a massive blog. Keep in mind that design is essential for making a good first impression on visitors. Here are 20 blog design ideas to help you get started.
There are numerous ways to earn money by blogging. You can include affiliate links in your posts (be sure to include a disclaimer). You can monetize your blog by strategically placing advertisements in your posts. Sponsored posts are a popular way for review bloggers to earn money from specific brands. Bloggers' websites can also be used to sell digital or physical products. You can also use a blog to develop a personal brand that will help you land speaking engagements, television deals, or large client contracts.
6. Create an online course
One of the best ways to make money online is to sell courses. If you are an expert in a field, you can monetize your knowledge by creating online courses. You can sell your course on Udemy or through your own website if you already have a following. With online courses, some entrepreneurs can earn up to $5,000 per month.
Take inspiration from trending courses in your niche to create a popular and successful course. Then read the reviews. What are the aspects that people like, and what do they dislike? How do you make something better than what has already been made? Concentrate on creating content that addresses the most common complaints while emulating the positive aspects that people love.
The platform where you sell your course will determine how much money you make. If you sell your course on Udemy, you don't need to do much to promote it. You can almost set it and forget it. Perhaps you could promote it on some blogs or social media networks. However, if the course is hosted on your own website, you may want to run advertisements to promote it. You can also build an email list to promote future courses without having to pay for marketing.
7. Become an influencer
Creating a personal brand can also assist you in making money online. Did you know that soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo charges an average of $880,259 to $1 million for a sponsored Instagram post? While reality stars, singers, and athletes may appear to be the most powerful influencers, keep in mind that even small-scale influencers can make more money today than they did a few years ago.
To become an influencer, you must first amass a sizable following. What are the best platforms to start with? TikTok and Instagram Some of the most powerful non-celebrity influencers often got their start on these platforms. If you want to build a large Instagram audience, you should look into how to get more Instagram followers.
You can charge for sponsored posts, open your own online store and sell products, include affiliate links in your bio, sell your photos, sell ads on your own podcast, make and sell merch, get paid to appear at events, and more to make money as an influencer.
8. Publish an ebook
It's never been easier to publish an ebook with Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing. Simply write the ebook, format it, design an ebook cover, publish it, and promote it. In 2013, I published several ebooks on Amazon, and while they didn't make me rich, they did make me some money.
You have the option of hiring a writer for your ebook, a graphic designer for the cover, and a manuscript editor to remove errors from the content. When researching the topic, concentrate on keywords based on popular Amazon searches. I frequently use the Keyword Tool, which allows you to find the words people use when searching and tailor your title to them.
Focus on marketing tactics that have been shown to attract customers to generate sales for your ebook. You could, for example, give away the first few copies of your book for free. This helps you generate social media buzz and get some reviews, which helps you gain customers through social proof. Influencer marketing and video campaigns are two other effective ways to promote your ebook.
9. Become a writer
With a growing interest in content marketing, an increasing number of businesses are looking for writers to fill their web properties with high-quality content. Focusing on a specific niche is the key to success as a writer. Many writers strive to be generalists, writing in a variety of genres ranging from food to technology. However, as a writer, having a niche focus sets you apart and makes it easier to attract clients in your target market.
When you have niche experience, you can add a unique perspective to a piece of content. That means you're not simply repeating what every other writer on the internet is saying. And that's exactly what brands want to pay for: your thoughts, experiences, and insider knowledge of a niche.
Send relevant samples to the recruiter when applying for writing jobs. If someone requests a marketing writing sample, provide one. Please do not send a financial article. Or perhaps a fitness one. If a hiring manager can't see a relevant sample, they won't know how well you understand the niche's industry. Apply for positions that match your skills and experience.
You can find writing jobs to make money online on the websites listed below:
10. freelancing
The most straightforward way to make money online is to take your current 9-to-5 job and do it online instead. For example, if you're a writer, administrative assistant, graphic designer, teacher, or developer, you can market your skills and find clients willing to pay you to use them online.
There is also an endless list of job platforms for each type of freelancer. Freelance writers, for example, can apply for jobs not only on specific online writing job boards, but also on general freelance websites such as Fiverr, Freelancer, Upwork, and others. If you discover that your skills cannot be used directly to generate income, you can try monetizing other transferable skills you may have.
To make money online as a freelancer, you must first build a strong portfolio. To begin, this may imply doing some free work with some reputable mid-tier brands. Once you've built a solid portfolio, you can approach potential large clients to earn more money online. Remember that freelancing is a numbers game: the more personalized your emails and applications, the more likely you will receive a response.
11. Create an apps
If you're not a developer, you're probably feeling a little stuck when it comes to this money-making idea. However, you can hire someone with programming skills to create an app for you. Toptal will connect you with a plethora of app developers who are eager to collaborate with entrepreneurs to make their visions a reality.
All you need to do is come up with a unique app idea, identify your target audience, and create a brand image for your product. The programmer you hire will handle the development side of things.
When it comes to monetizing your app, adding it to Google Play and the App Store is your best bet. And, contrary to popular belief, having a free app can help you make more money than having a paid app. You can make money by adding ads or premium features to a free app. Because the free app will attract a larger number of users, it will be easier to upsell them.
12. Sell your stuff
13. side gigs
14. Do translation work
15. Become a virtual assistant
16. Become an online tutor
17. Sell Your Photography
18. Sell clothes online
19. Buy and sell domain names
20. Sell your designs online
Make money online FAQ
- Build a Shopify store and dropship products online.
- Sell used stuff on eBay, Amazon, or Facebook Marketplace.
- Find and share coupons on websites like Coupon Chief.
- Buy and sell domain names.
- Rent your spare room on Airbnb.
- Provide TikTok consultancy to startups and businesses.
- Sell information products.
- Tutor people online in high-demand subjects.
- Flip your thrift store finds.
- Review apps and websites.
- Complete surveys.
- Sell products on Amazon.
- Teach English online.
- Watch videos for money.
- Get cash back on your shopping.
- Proofread for websites.
- Review music online.
- Launch a print-on-demand store.
- Sell your clothes online.
- Create handmade goods.
- Offer freelance services.
- Curate subscription boxes.
- Build online courses.
- Launch a podcast.
- Create digital products.
- Become an influencer.
- Start a blog.