Everyone could use a little bit more cash. It’s a blaring truth with anybody and everybody these days. How does one make money online? It seems like such a vast field of unknown dead-ends that draw in millions of suckers and somehow spit out a multimillionaire. The truth is, the internet is just like any other market in the world. It has its own set of demographics, its own means of income, and its own valuations. They might not always conform with what you think should make money, but that’s the beauty of it. The internet, above all things, is surprising.
Here are 5 simple ways you can make money on the internet and get the ball rolling on your personal side hustle.
Content List
Surveys
There’s a whole operation behind every product. It involves calculations, dimensions, suppliers, and most importantly, market research. Market research is a company’s pursuit to find and map the likes and sensibilities of their target market so that they can create products that cater to them. It sounds like a simple enough thing to figure out. The only way to really figure out what somebody wants is to ask them. That’s where surveys come in. Yes, surveys.
All you have to do is answer some online questions. It’s that easy. When you look at industry leader surveycool.com, they set up surveys that pertain to you, so that they can utilize that data and report back to the companies that hire them. That’s pretty much how it works. Now, if you’re expecting to get paid a billion dollars per survey, that’s not going to happen. But these companies make it competitive and give out good incentives for consistency. It also beats not making any money for idle time, right? That’s the point: ease and information.
Content Writing
If there’s anything the internet is always in need of, it’s content. When you go online to read an article, more often than not, it’s written by a team of content creators whose sole task is to pump out link-worthy and engaging pieces to attract the interested public. When you look at how much content there really is on the internet, you’ll be surprised to find that it’s usually the top of the heap that gets noticed. Like everyone says, “nobody scrolls past Google page 2.”
Because of this reality, content creators and writers are always in need. The nature of the internet states that one cannot see the same things over and over again, lest their experience be somehow compromised. Apply online or work as a freelancer if you’re savvy with networking and reading markets.
Dropshipping
If you’re a business minded individual, but haven’t really gotten the chance to build your personal empire, taking advantage of drop shipping may be your best move. You can go through marketplaces such as Shopify and eBay to get your curated products out to the public. The basics of dropshipping involve you being a middleman to wholesalers.
You don’t actually hold any product. What you do is that you establish relationships with said wholesalers and have it shipped upon purchase. The customer gives you the money, you pay your supplier and have an item shipped, you keep a portion of the profits. In order to stay on top of it, you’re going to have to spend a great amount of your free time doing research and testing out your “inventory.” But for those that are good at it, it’s a goldmine.
Get Paid To Watch Videos
There’s an interesting set of services that allows you to make a few bucks here and there to watch videos. The more you watch, the more you get. Now, the amount of money you’re going to get per video isn’t astronomical. But what this does is allow you to make a few bucks here and there on the side. This, over a period of a year, if you’re consistent can add up to a pretty sum you can do virtually anything with.
Patreon and Fan Support
If you’re an artist of any kind, you can open a Patreon account. There are people from all walks of life, with all sorts of interesting skills and talents, making money by setting small payment structures for their products. If you can sing a song, dance well, or even live paint—literally anything, and can find a willing market, you can make money.
The internet is full of options for people to make money. The important part is that you stay creative and give it the attention it needs. If you do, you can turn anything into a moneymaker. Whether you have some strange and marketable skills, or a knack for selling, the internet has tons of simple ways for you to make extra cash.