Say what you will, but we live in the best times in history. Essentially, all the knowledge, music, art, and everything else is at our disposal. Would you like to make a quick buck on the side while working remotely? There’s such an abundance of information out there. And most of it is free! But the best part is that you can increase your income with online gigs.
Year after year, we’re seeing more people making a living through online work. In most cases, this is as attractive and convenient as it seems. You can work from pretty much anywhere. All you need is a stable internet connection. But at the same time, you can work online for additional income. If you have a job that you love but need more money, you can have something on the side.
Advance your skills, talents, and hard work and earn some extra cash. Yes, it’s possible to increase your income with online gigs. There are a few things that you should know first.
What should I do for additional income?
So you’re probably wondering where to start. Would you like to get paid to type or design digital products? What about data entry? The idea of working online for additional income seems great. But what is it that you can do?
There’s one important rule. No matter your experience and skill level, there’s always work for you! Plenty of industries a thriving, so you don’t need to worry about finding a gig. But you still need some directions.
Already have a profession you’re good at? That’s a huge advantage!
One of the best things to go about it is to do what you’re already good at. If you’re experienced at something, this is what you’ll want to offer. After all, you’ve spent years or decades on knowledge and skills. Offering them to just one employer isn’t the best tactic.
However, working for more than one company or a client is much safer. Besides, you’ll only broaden your knowledge by working online, right?
But what can you do? Well, it depends on what your actual profession is. However, one thing applies to almost every field – writing. Whatever it is that you do, a lot of people are looking to learn about it. So you can write about it!
Additionally, there are other means of sharing knowledge. Especially because there are a lot of people who want to learn. These days, you can make a YouTube channel about pretty much anything. You can also accompany it with a Patreon account and crowdfund your work!
However, this particular method is riskier. It takes time for it to grow and no one guarantees that it will. But then again, it opens up more possibilities and can even serve as a means to promote your work.
Your hobbies can be lucrative
It’s always good to have hobbies. Be it music, art, literature, history, collecting stamps – it makes you a complete person! And, above all, it gives you pleasure unlike anything else.
If you’re interested in your hobby, you’re sitting on a gold mine. Yes, you can earn money from your hobbies. Who knows – it may even become your primary source of income at one point.
And wouldn’t that be awesome? Imagine only having to do what you love and making a living from it! However, it would first have to start as a side gig.
But even if you’re not planning to make a fortune doing your hobbies, you can still earn on the side. What’s important is that you have actual interests and that you can do something with them.
Of course, the way how you’ll earn money depends on your hobbies. But in almost all cases, you can make any kind of content creator work. This includes writing articles, making videos, doing tutorials, and other things.
Doing data entry and simple tasks
Maybe you don’t have any special interests. Or, perhaps, you just don’t want to think or bother too much. But there’s still work for you.
The simplest tasks usually involve data entry or basic online research. Essentially, all you have to do is collect data and put it into spreadsheets. And there are plenty of clients and companies that need help with this stuff.
Then we also have so-called “crowdsourcing” platforms. You can look at them as freelance platforms focused on simple tasks. One of the best examples is Amazon’s mTurk. Essentially, big companies outsource some basic tasks that cannot be performed by machines. Payments can be done regularly or through Amazon gift cards.
Another example includes basic typing work. This can include typing text from images or PDF files. There are also many people who need subtitles on their videos. Some are even looking for basic audio transcription work. In most cases, this kind of work is really simple.
What’s awesome is that everyone who knows the English language can do these simple tasks. They’re probably the best choice for students. On the other hand, it’s also a great choice for anyone. You might want to do something on the side but not get too involved with it.
Social media management
Are you familiar with social media trends? Managing accounts is also something that you can do for money. What’s more, you can take care of multiple accounts. Some are even making a living doing this.
Instagram is the most attractive social network these days. It appears that the trend will continue for a while. You’ll have to come up with stories, posts, and even video ideas. For this purpose, you can also use additional design tools, like Canva. There are also plenty of tools that are useful if you’re managing multiple accounts.
However, social media managing isn’t as easy as it seems. Some would think that it’s just about posting pictures. But there are plenty of things that you need to know. You have to be familiar with your target audience and the brand that you’re representing. Eventually, you’ll be responsible for increasing the number of followers. And things can get even more demanding if there are paid ads involved. Just like in every line of work, a business owner wants a return on their investment.
If you’re familiar with social media trends, use them to your advantage! It may take some time to get ahold of the work. But once you do, you can potentially grow your business.
Explore various freelance platforms
All of these ideas and suggestions seem great. Yet, you’re probably wondering where to start. After all, it’s not like these jobs are everywhere around you.
The best way to go about it is to check out some of the numerous freelance platforms. You also can make money by drawing, and selling your designs. There’s stuff like Freelancer or Upwork, offering all kinds of work. Of course, they’re intermediary services connecting clients and freelancers.
Aside from Upwork and Freelancer, these are some other great websites to check out:
- Toptal
- Fiverr
- Flexjobs
- Guru
- Behance
- 99designs
- TaskRabbit
All of the job types that we mentioned above are available through these platforms. However, bear in mind that it takes some time and effort to get things going. You’ll most likely need to start with lower-paid tasks to get your rating up. Even if you have good references, clients will want to look into the rating on your profile.
You can grow from there
But why stop there? Sure, using freelance platforms is awesome and there’s a lot of work to be found. However, you can become a fully independent freelancer as well. And this type of model can be applied even as a side-gig.
It’s important that you spread the word about your success on freelance platforms. After a while, you’ll be able to get your clients. Maybe some of your clients will want to cooperate without an intermediary service.
There are two advantages of this model. Firstly, you won’t need to deal with freelance platform fees. Secondly, being completely independent gives you more flexibility. After all, this is a logical next step if you’re serious about your work.
Of course, all of this will take time and effort. But with enough patience and the right approach, you can surely get there.
This is still work
As attractive as it may seem, online work is work. Many have started looking for ways to increase income from their home thinking that it would be easy. You can work from anywhere and no one breathes down your neck. However, it’s still hard. And in order to earn more, you need to grow constantly.
Just like with every profession and every type of work, there’s always responsibility. Even if you become an independent freelancer, you need to be at the top of your game.
As already mentioned, plenty of industries are doing well. And there’s always a lot of work, even for less experienced workers. But this doesn’t mean that it’s a breeze. The old saying remains – no pain, no gain! Online work gives a lot of freedom. But there’s a lot of responsibility as well.