How to Make Money Online - 32 Proven Ways to Make Extra Money Fast
byGreyscale Image Converter-
0
See how you can make money online, plus more details on how to bring in
the bucks quickly.
By R.L. Adams
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Some day you won't have to worry about rent money and credit
card debt. But in the meantime, you have to take control of your
financial situation.
Shutterstock
In a bind? Need to earn money fast? We're talking about small bursts of
capital, not millions of dollars, but enough to satisfy your monthly
obligations or get that nagging creditor to stop calling you.
Below are 32 different ways you can earn some extra money online,
through apps, and offline, too. And luckily for you, nearly all require
very little to no capital. Keep scrolling to learn more.
Companies like Uber and Lyft offer a great
opportunity to make some extra cash. You'll need a clean driving record,
a fairly new car, and the authorization to work wherever it is that you
live. If you have all of those things, you can work when it's feasible
for you, whether that's in the middle of the day during rush hour or the
wee hours of the night on a weekend. The choice is yours.
2. Become a market research participant
One way you can earn real money without the hassle is by participating
in market research. It's fairly easy money for not a lot of work, like
completing an online survey with your thoughts on a company's products.
Or companies may ask you to join a focus group to simply share your
opinion and will compensate you with cash or a gift card.
This often involves writing or stating your opinion in polls or paid
surveys. Since participating in the research isn't too time-consuming,
it's a great way to earn extra income. Focusgroup.com is
just one company that is looking for participants, and Survey
Junkie as well.
Amazon makes it fairly easy to list and sell old books, games, and
devices on its marketplace. You can make more than just a few bucks
If you have pricey textbooks from college. Be sure the books are in good
condition. You'll get negative reviews if you attempt to sell books that
are falling apart or games that are scratched up. Remember, be upfront
about any defects, no matter how small they might be and no matter how
few people might readily notice them.
It's also important to note, that in addition to selling on Amazon, you
can earn passive income through Amazon's affiliate
marketing network as an Amazon Associate.
For those who may be unfamiliar, affiliate marketing is an advertising
model which allows a company to sell their products through a third
party or affiliate, who markets the product for a commission.
So for example, if you own an online business blog, you could earn a
commission for including an Amazon affiliate link in one of your posts.
Other companies that offer an affiliate program include eBay
Partner Network and CJ Affiliate.
4. Sell, or resell, used tech on Craigslist
The market for used electronics is vast. You can use Craigslist to part
ways with your old iPhone or your MacBook. You can grab a premium for
these types of electronics. Some people even flip items by buying them
and reselling them.
You could also use a website like Gazelle to sell your used
phones, no matter what kind you have. Companies like that have made an
entire business model out of buying used phones and refurbishing them.
Either way, you can expect to get a fair bit of money relatively quickly
if you have these items lying around your house.
TaskRabbit lets you tap into an existing marketplace of people
looking for help locally with chores. The tasks aren't always small.
This platform (along with others) offers bigger tasks, such as home
renovations, as well.
Amazon is getting into the task business with Amazon Home Services.
The services listed range from very small repairs to larger and more
involved tasks that would take considerably more effort.
6. Deliver for PostMates
You can earn some cash when you're in dire straits by
using PostMates, and you don't even need a car, just a bike for
deliveries in busier cities and downtown centers. I've used it often to
get food from specialty places that don't deliver themselves, but it can
be used for many things.
PostMates states on their website that you could earn up to $25/hour
doing deliveries. You could also earn some tips in the process so it's a
great option for people that are looking to do something in their spare
time, similar to the big ride-sharing apps that are hogging up app
stores everywhere.
If you're thinking this is cost-prohibitive, it's not. You can flip real
estate contracts without ever taking possession of the property. This
isn't a fixer-upper endeavor, just securing a contract and selling it to
any interested party. That's it.
You can do this with just a few hundred dollars in most cases to open up
escrow. There are companies dedicated to teaching how to do this
like REWW. It's good for making a little bit of money but is also
potentially something more long-term as well.
If you can design digital items, you can sell them for a share of the
profits on a site like CafePress. You can do this with nothing more
than some design software. They can include custom logos, inspirational
sayings, and other topical or trending designs appealing to the masses.
You could hire a designer to assist you with this, but you still need to
come up with the ideas. This works best if you understand design
yourself but requires no overhead. Items are printed and delivered
on-demand. You simply receive a share of the proceeds. Similarly, if
you're a business owner, you could sell items on Etsy as well
and utilize the platform as an online store.
9. Answer questions on JustAnswer
Be a resource for people looking for expertise
online. JustAnswer (and several sites like it) allow doctors,
lawyers, engineers, and others with enhanced knowledge to earn a small
income merely answering questions from people who would otherwise have
to pay a hefty sum for those answers.
While all you need to get started is an internet connection and
expertise in a specialized field, it's also lucrative (for the time
spent) if you're looking to earn a bit of cash in a hurry. Don't expect
to get rich answering questions, but you can generate a few bucks here
or there if you're in a bind.
10. Money-making strategy: Grab gigs on Fivver
No matter what type of service you offer, you can likely offer
it Fivver. Fivver connects freelancers in the digital space with
people looking for their services for a price.
Whether you need help with your graphic design, are looking for a
freelance writer, or are in the market for a virtual assistant, Fivver
can connect you to the right people.
Starting at as little as $5, you can find talent to help you with
specific projects, like setting up Google Analytics or help with Google
Play. Or you can offer your expertise as a seller, and through marketing
yourself as a digital product, you can earn upwards of $10,000.
There are networks devoted to connecting dog owners with dog
walkers. Rover is one of the largest networks of dog walkers out there. Of
course, you could also use social media or just knock on neighbors' doors to advertise your services, but
you can easily use one of these services.
Do a great job if you're serious about building a track record of solid
reviews. That will help you make money in the future when you're in
desperate need of it.
12. Babysitting with Care.com
You can easily do some babysitting when you need to make a few bucks
quickly. Parents everywhere are always in need of babysitting and nanny
services.
Websites like Care.com connect parents with babysitters. The company does all the
background checking and other due diligence to put parents' minds at
ease. Of course, you can appeal directly to people in your personal
network, but if you're looking to generate recurring revenue sign up
with a site marketing to parents looking for child care services.
13. Sell your photos
Have an eye for photography? Of course, you need to be good at this to
earn any money but if you are, you can sell photos on ShutterStock or iStockPhoto (along with many others) to generate a passive income from
something you might be very passionate about.
For a quicker way to earn by taking photos, solicit people looking for
photographers to cover their wedding, engagement, child's birthday, or
any other life event. You'll need a good camera and some experience, but
you can earn some must-needed income this way no matter where you live.
14. Become a personal training
If you understand fitness, you could be a personal trainer. People pay good money for personal trainers if only to have someone
keep them on track towards their goals. You can add value while also
helping yourself financially.
This could also break off into nutrition and assisting people with meal
plans, and so on. You could solicit clients in your local gym, but
depending on where you live, you might need some certification to do
this (not to mention the gym's approval). You could also use a site
like FitnessTrainer to advertise your services.
Parents are always willing to invest in their children's future. If you
have a great deal of knowledge in subjects such as math, science, or
computers, you could tutor for cash or offer an online course.
Both Indeed.com and Care.com offer opportunities for tutoring local students. You could opt
for either of these platforms or simply find your clients through your
network or social media.
16. Advertise for companies with a car wrap
Platforms like Carvertise connect brands and companies with drivers. The process is simple
-- agree to turn your car into a roaming billboard for a price. If you
qualify, you can earn a set monthly fee for advertising your car. You
won't have to pay anything to do this, but you'll need a clean driving
record and a fairly new car.
You'll have to drive the car enough to be worth it for brands paying for
your services. If you have all that, then you could make a bit
of side-hustle income through this endeavor.
Offering your services as a local gardener could make you enough money
quickly enough to satisfy some pressing needs. There are loads of
options from mowing lawns and pulling weeds to planning gardens and
decor. If you pitch to enough neighbors, you'll find at least a few
takers. It'll be worth your while.
18. Take on housecleaning jobs
There's a variety of platforms online that you could tap into for doing
this, or you could simply scour your neighborhood or post on a social
media platform. You could use Amazon's Home Services for this as well, or you could create your own simple, one-page
website to advertise.
Either way, this is a terrific way to make upwards of $20 per hour or
more doing a job that's often in high demand. You could easily make this
a long-term gig if you perform well and don't cut corners.
You could easily do home organizing for people, an industry that has
gained a lot of popularity since the debut of Netflix's hit
series Tidying Up with Marie Kondo. If you're a tidy and organized person yourself, and you're good at
organizing spaces, why not offer your services to people around you?
You'd be surprised at how many people, even on your social media feed,
might take you up on doing something like this.
Again, a site like Care.com also helps to connect home organizers with
people looking for this type of service. It all depends on whether you
want to go through a professional company or pitch it yourself to people
that are already in your personal or business network. You could
advertise your availability for home jobs through a Facebook group
specific to your area.
Rent a carpet cleaning machine at your local home improvement store, or
buy one if you think you can get enough work doing this. You'll likely
find lots of people need something like this, but haven't actively
looked for the service.
You can wash carpets in the owner's homes, or have them steam-cleaned
offsite, depending on the job and the trust you build with the owners.
21. Give blood
You can make around $20 to $50 per donation of blood, depending on if
your blood type is rare or common. You can also donate plasma. Different
states have different minimum requirements that must be paid when people
donate plasma.
Plasma donations help people who are fighting Leukemia and other immune
disorders. This is a bit more complicated and involved than donating
blood but you won't get much more than donating blood.
22. Decorate homes for the holidays
Whether it's New Year's, Christmas lighting, Easter, Fourth of July, or
any other holiday, you can get paid to help decorate homes. This might
involve putting up lights inside or outside, decorating trees, and
setting up games and decor.
Use the internet and social media to find clients, or simply advertise
to your local network. There are loads of options when it comes to doing
specialty jobs like this.
If you don't mind throwing caution to the wind, consider becoming a
participant in medical studies or drug trials. Companies pay a
significant amount of money to participants.
You'll need to find the companies conducting medical studies and expect
side effects. If you can live with that, then you can make some money
fast without too much effort.
24. Rent a spare room on Airbnb
Airbnb can be a terrific platform for renting out a spare room. You can
make some good money, especially if you live in a tourist destination.
If you don't mind the neighbors, then this is an option. You can crash
with friends and family and rent out your entire house if you're
desperate.
Amazon Mechanical Turk is a platform by Amazon that allows you to do small jobs and get
paid for them. But don't expect too much money out of this. These gigs
truly are "micro" and range from a few cents to a few dollars at the
most. But if you string several of these together, it might be to your
benefit.
You don't need any serious qualifications to do this. Usually, this
involves clicking on links, taking surveys, giving an opinion, doing
some light categorizing, or doing other human-intelligence tasks (HITs
as they like to call them).
26. Sell vintage clothes at a thrift shop
You'll likely get paid by the pound but it's some money, so if you're in
need, then why not - especially if you have no use for those clothes
anymore? This works best for things like maternity clothes, old
children's clothes, clothes that you haven't worn in years or are simply
out of style.
27. Open a cash-bonus checking account
Check with your local bank to see if they're giving away cash bonuses
for opening up accounts. Banks run promotions like this all the time, so
grab some real cash quickly if you're in need. It won't break the bank
(no pun intended) but it will give you a quick $50 or $100 -- maybe even
more -- when you need it. You might need to deposit a minimum amount of
cash (usually in the thousands) to qualify for these types of accounts
(but not always).
28. Get a small microloan
You can get a small business loan (very small) on Fundera, or Prosper if you're looking for a very small personal loan. Depending on
your credit and your financial and employment situations, you can secure
up to a few thousand dollars like this.
There are loads of platforms that offer these small microloans. You have
to pay them back but it can help if you're in a bind.
29. Conduct a webinar
Okay, it sounds intimidating but webinars are one of the best ways to
earn cash quickly. You're speaking to a highly-engaged audience. If you
position yourself and the offer correctly, you can make loads of money
in a very short period.
GoToWebinar is by far the biggest platform. Webinar Jam is one of the most feature-rich platforms out there. Whichever
you go with comes down to how well you can sell. It takes practice, but
this is fast cash at its essence. You can also offer your own webinar or
continue to share your expertise through your own YouTube Channel.
People are always looking to have their cars washed and detailed. You
could be a mobile car washer and detailer without having a permanent
location. Reach out to people you know or make some flyers and put them
in your neighbors' mailboxes. If you want to get serious about it, prop
up a one-page website or give out business cards. You can make money
quickly by doing this.
31. Lead walking tours on Viator
If you live in a tourist locale, consider doing walking tours on
the Viator, which is one of the largest platforms for tour operators in the
world. You'll need to work hard to get a good reputation. To find
clients quickly offer free tours and ask for tips at the end.
This is leveraging the principle of reciprocity with the power of free.
People love to get things for free, but they feel obligated in the end
to give something in return. That's why supermarkets are always giving
away food. They know if you like it, you'll buy it.
32. Pawn your valuables
If you're running on fumes, financially speaking, but you have some
money coming your way soon, consider pawning something of value to borrow fast cash. Of course, to get those
items back you'll need to pay back the loan with interest. If you don't
pay it back in time, you'll lose the item. If it's something that has a
lot of intrinsic value to you, don't do it. But if it's something that
doesn't, you can certainly consider it depending on your situation. You
can also sell your valuables at your own set price on Facebook
Marketplace.
Looking to delve deeper into the world of entrepreneurship? Visit our
newly relaunched
Shutterstock
