Think the only way to make some money on the side is to drive strangers around on the weekend? These days, there are a ton of great ways you generate some additional streams of income without ever even leaving home. Here are 11 great online side hustles that you can do right from the comfort of your laptop.
1- Social Media Manager
Are you pretty good at any of the popular social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Pinterest? If so, then there are a lot of businesses that could really use your help.
According to PR Newswire, 77 percent of U.S. small businesses now use social media to promote themselves. That means that more than ever, these businesses need people who can competently post, connect with other people, and even run advertising campaigns.
Look for your first gig at places like Upwork or Fiverr.
2- Website Testing
A terrible website, especially one where the links don’t work, can make a bad first impression for a business. Companies need that kind of feedback, and that’s why many of them are looking for people to test their sites out and let know what you think.
Try services like UserTesting or User Feel if you think you’d like to become a website tester. Once you’re accepted, you can begin reviewing websites from all different types of industries and give them your opinions about their overall appearance, functionality, menu options, ease of buying, and many other features.
UserTesting advertises a payment of $10 for every 20-minute test you complete. You could get paid as much as $60 if you complete some additional interview questions, tasks, and participate in a live conversation.
3- Translating
Do you speak more than one language? If so, then you’ve got a skill that could easily be used to generate some side income translating various documents, publications, and other copy.
Look for work with an online agency such as Gengo. They start out paying $0.03 per word as long as you meet their standard qualifications. However, if you master their “pro test”, you could be making as much as $0.08 per word. One translator claimed to have earned $5,323.52 within two years translating between English and Polish.
4- Teaching English Online
Even if English is the only language you speak, don’t let that stop you from making any money at it.
If you’ve got a Bachelor’s degree or you’re already a teacher looking for a side hustle, then you could sign up to teach English to children in China by becoming an instructor via videoconference through a service like VIPKid. The pay ranges anywhere from $15 to $22 per hour with the higher end becoming available if you can work during more desirable hours for China (think about the difference in time zones). And no, you don’t need to speak Chinese to qualify.
5- Transcribing Videos
Are you good at typing? There are a lot of websites, podcasts, and businesses that need people to transcribe audio for them.
Yes, there is technology that can do this. But if you’ve ever looked at your iPhone and read any of the transcribed messages in your voicemail, then you’d understand that it’s just not quite error-proof yet. Sometimes the people talking might have heavy accents, mutter, or just plain don’t speak clearly. That’s why they still need real people to manually listen to the audio and type what they hear.
If this sounds interesting to you, then try a site like TranscribeMe. They are considered to be one of the better paying, starting at $15 per hour. However, once you’re regularly working with them, you can apply for special projects that pay anywhere from $22 on up to $100 per audio hour.
6- Freelance Writing
If you’ve got a talent for writing, possess a lot of knowledge, or are just really good at research, then you could make some decent income as a freelance writer. If you don’t believe me, just ask Holly Johnson who earns $200,000 a year as a freelance writer.
Businesses from all types of industries as well as regular, everyday people need writers to help them create content for sales promos, product literature, articles, websites, ebooks, cover letters and resumes, and so much more.
If you think you’re up for the job, go find your first gig on a service like FlexJobs and Upwork.
7- Proofreading
If you don’t necessarily like to write but love to read, and you happen to have a great eye for spotting mistakes, then you could become a proofreader.
Proofreaders are needed for all types of content. In particular, ebook authors really lean on proofreaders to help them by going through every page, making sure it’s using proper grammar, and providing feedback where you think some revisions might be necessary.
Look for job postings on places like Upwork or Fiverr.
8- Product Affiliate
If you’re got a blog or website, then you could also be making some money by promoting various affiliate products.
For example, if your site is about travel, you could create various articles and comparison tools that talk about each of the different travel services available. Then every time someone clicks one of your links and a sale is made, you will get a percentage of that sale. As you might guess, the more visitors you have to your site, the higher your potential to generate revenue becomes!
Look for opportunities through services such as CJ or Rakuten.
9- Creating E-Courses
If you’ve got a lot of specific knowledge about niche topics, then you could be designing your own online courses and collecting money every time someone signs up to take it.
To get started, try browsing an online course platform such as Udemy to what kinds of subjects people are interested in. Most e-courses are generally nothing more than a series of videos containing various PowerPoint-style slides, graphics, or even instructors speaking in front of the camera. As long as they meet the platform’s quality requirements and it’s a topic that people would want to learn more about, then you’ve got the potential to make money even while you’re sleeping.
10- Writing eBooks
Ever since ebooks first became popular on Amazon, lots of people have been earning money on the side through self-publishing. If you don’t think so, then just check out this lucky author who turned his crime-thriller fiction series of ebooks into $450,000 of passive income.
To get started writing ebooks, all you need is a word processing program (Microsoft Word, Google Sheets, etc.) and a great idea for a book. You can focus on the manuscript and look for various other freelancers to help you with the editing, formatting, and cover design before you hit publish.
Once your title is ready, Amazon takes care of all the rest! They even have a print-on-demand service that will make a paperback version of your book and ship it to your readers if they prefer. For help getting started writing your first ebook, check out this free guide from Smart Blogger.
11- Selling T-shirts
Do you dabble in graphic arts, photography, or are just good at coming up with snarky comments? If it’s the kind of thing you think someone would want to wear on a T-shirt, then you could start selling your own line of t-shirts without ever physically making one yourself.
Merch by Amazon is one of the easiest ways to get started. Simply create your account, upload your graphics, and then list your products for sale. Amazon will take care of everything else for you from managing the transaction, producing the product, and then shipping it to the customer. Here’s a great tutorial on how you can get started selling products on Merch.
Final Thoughts: Online Side Hustles
When it comes to making some extra money, there are tons of options out there, especially when you have the internet. Being able to work from home to make some extra cash will pique anyone’s interest; and with one of these best online side hustles you can do just that. So, use this guide, decide what business suits you best, and go get your side hustle on! Additionally, if you find the right online side hustle, you may also want to check out our guide on how to save money on internet, start earning and keep saving!
