It's a Money Thing®
Earning Money Online
It’s hard to ignore the appeal of making real money online - after all, we live in a world where bloggers land book and movie deals, where top YouTubers are multimillionaires and where celebrities collect thousands of dollars in exchange for a single sponsored tweet.
You don't need millions of YouTube subscribers or Instagram followers to make real money online.
While some of us dream of a wildly successful Internet career, the rest of us are happy to settle for online earnings that are a little more modest.
Thousands of money-making opportunities are just a web search away. Whether you’re selling your old stuff, scoping out freelance opportunities or running your own digital storefront, there are tools and resources to help you along every step of the way.
Below are three strategies for pointing and clicking your way to some extra income. We'll look at various options based on the time and effort necessary to make them successful.
We'll also offer a few tips on how to make these opportunities worth your while!
#1: Sell Your Stuff Online
Listing your items for sale online is an easy way to declutter and make some cash at the same time.
Consider online marketplaces, auction sites, and buy-back sites for electronics, textbooks, movies, games, and designer clothing.
Time & Effort:
- Minimal: Mail in old electronics
- Medium: List old stuff for sale
- Maximum: Buy and resell garage sale and thrift store treasures
Tip: Stick to trusted, well-known websites to avoid scams.
#2: Sell Your Skills Online
Put your skills to work online. Consider selling your creative work on your own website or through an established marketplace, or look to get paid for your extra hours by doing freelance work for businesses in need of your talents. Freelance work is available for: writers, editors, proofreaders, web designers, programmers, tutors, translators, voice actors, fitness coaches, and more!
Time & Effort:
- Minimal: List your photos on stock websites or convert essays and short stories into e-books
- Medium: List your freelance services on talent marketplaces to find clients and land gigs
- Maximum: Create and sell a course in your area of expertise
Tip: Always get a deposit before doing any kind of custom work online.
#3: Sell Your Feedback Online
If you have some extra time here and there, selling your feedback is another way to earn some extra money online. Options include taking surveys, critiquing videos or advertisements, writing product reviews, recording video testimonials, and user-testing websites and apps. These types of gigs require the least amount of expertise and therefore tend to pay less.
Time & Effort:
- Minimal: Take surveys or do other digital tasks
- Medium: Test websites or apps
- Maximum: Use your smartphone skills to create video testimonials and product reviews
Tip: Look for feedback opportunities that match your personal interests.