Get a job or open up a business used to be the only ways to earn an income. Today, however, people have more opportunities to diversify investments and make a profit.
Those opportunities have also become easier to get since the internet has allowed income generation from home, virtually for close to nothing. The creative and committed will not only know how to make money online but also how to make it last until retirement.
Choosing Where to Source that Internet Money
Although you’ll have plenty of creative ways to earn money online, not all will be suited to you or your lifestyle. For example, selling goods on Craigslist is one way to earn some cash fast. But what if you’re not a born seller and what if you don’t have enough time to focus on potential buyer inquiries.
When you’re looking at your options for how to make a living on the internet, figure out what you’re willing to do, how much time you want to put into it and what sort of skill level you have going into it. Once you nail down the answers to those, your choice for making money online is more likely to deliver favorable results.
So what are your probable options for getting that sought-after money from the internet?
Ways to Make Money Online
Become a YouTube Content Creator
Content creation on social media has become a popular choice for income generation with the young crowd. Who wouldn’t want to make money just talking on camera — about any subject. You don’t even need to be at a certain age to start earning the big bucks on the internet.
Consider the lucrative YouTube careers of the following:
- Markiplier – or Mark Edward Fischbach is a gamer-commentator who earns $19.5 million and has 27.8 million subscribers.
- Dude Perfect – are former college roomies Coby Cotton, Cory Cotton, Garret Hilbert, Cody Jones and Tyler Toney who do trick shots and a slew of other stunts. These guys earn $23 million and have 57.5 million subscribers.
- Mr. Beast – or Jimmy Donaldson does one of the pricier stunts on YouTube, from creating the largest Lego tower to riding the Ferris wheel a thousand times.
And the richest YouTuber to date is a 9-year-old from Texas: Ryan Kaji. He’s known as a “child influencer” who reviews toys and games on his channel, which has 41.7 million subscribers. This kid earns $29.5 million. So yes, YouTube could be a good source of income.
But multi-million-dollar success from YouTube takes more than starting a channel on the second most popular search engine in the world.
How do you become a YouTuber?
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Come up with your niche
What do you want your videos to focus on? Mr. Beast is a mix of stunts and gaming whereas Ryan Kaji’s is toys. Find a niche you will love and one that has a definite audience to draw in those views.
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Use the right equipment
Nothing disappoints more than video content with poor audio and video quality. You’ll want to invest in a video screen recorder, for adding captions; decent video editing software and a good camera.
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Optimize your YouTube channel
Don’t rely on the old “if you build it they will come” sales strategy. Apply video marketing methods to get the word out about your YouTube channel. Use a catchy name for it. Create a compelling description with keywords relevant to your content.
A career as a YouTuber is like any other full-time career; it needs to be nurtured and valued to continue delivering on your financial needs. So don’t just stop at knowing how to make a YouTube channel and posting videos online.
Be welcoming and consistent when managing your channel. Learn from your first video and discover insights from analytics.
Although it seems like the “job” of a loafer, YouTube work behind-the-scenes takes more effort than you realize. It’s like the job of an entertainer; YouTubers have to consistently produce content that’ll appeal to millions and (perhaps more importantly for some) advertisers willing to pay the big bucks. An efficient social media content production is essential when you’re pressed for time.
But what if you don’t even have that much time to devote to a channel? And what if you’d rather not entertain millions?
You can still make money on the internet without showing your face.
Use Your Expertise and Coach for a Living
When you’ve learned more than the average and picked up extensive experience in one particular field, use it to teach others. People will usually need some form of guidance about running a business or navigating life. You can parlay your professional experience into a lucrative career as a business of life coach.
A life coach could earn somewhere between $27,019 to $210,933. The average salary for an international life coach is about $60,000. Hourly fees could be from $128 to $321. How much you earn will depend on your credentials and clientele.
Executive coaching and life coaching have several opportunities for income generation, aside from the one-on-one sessions with clients. You can organize live events where you offer up your expertise on subjects people care about. You can also start a podcast; much like using YouTube as a career, professional coaching is a job you can do online.
How do you make money from home coaching people? Start a podcast, like the financial advisors on Earn Your Leisure. The duo behind the business series is also on YouTube, although its channel has yet to hit a million subscribers.
Develop a Successful Blog
Relevant, engaging and quality content can help you earn internet money from your blog. The effort involved will be high because you need to produce good content consistently.
You also need to:
- Develop a brand that sets you apart from other bloggers
- Find your niche, much like vlogging on YouTube
- Build your credibility on your subject or niche
- Focus on sharing your knowledge rather than selling
- Promote your content
The last step is crucial to the visibility of your blog. Simple but effective SEO strategies as well as content promotion will help bolster your online presence, giving you exposure to the right audience.
Learning how to make a good blog doesn’t end with writing good posts and making sure your website is easy to navigate. You’ll be coming up against hundreds or thousands of competitors, in a market that could be saturated already. Organic results from SEO and paid ads from content promotion will give your blog visibility and clicks.
Once you get enough visitors, you can monetize through display ads, brand sponsorships and paid text links.
Sell Your Creative Work
An artist can also become a digital nomad these days, in which a painter wouldn’t need a gallery to exhibit their work or a graphic designer can sell original fonts and backgrounds to other designers. You’ll find several platforms that provide a marketplace for creative people looking to make money from their works.
Aside from Etsy, you can explore the following sites on how to make money from your creative work:
- Art Web – an e-commerce for art to an international market
- Creative Market – a place for designers to sell their photos, illustrations, fonts and even 3D assets.
- This is a Limited Edition – features limited edition works, as well as canvas prints and art prints, from premiere artists for commercial audiences.
- Design by Humans – a marketplace for illustrated products.
The thing about selling your creative work is that you should still learn how to make a sale to achieve lucrative results. You may not make the kind of YouTube money some popular influencers are making, but with commitment, selling your creative work online could help you make enough.
Technology and changing markets are providing people with multiple opportunities to make a living, if not to build wealth — without ever leaving home. Choose your option carefully, and you’ll discover financial success that could help you retire comfortably.
