15 Legitimate Ways to Make Money Online

Today I’m going to share with you some of the ways I make money online as well as some other methods I haven’t necessarily done yet but have researched previously (some of these ideas are in the works!). Making money online (especially passively) has always been a goal of mine although it wasn’t until a year and a half ago that I really started taking it seriously. As a mom, spending time at home with my family is my number one priority. I want to be able to be there for all of the moments with my kids and teach them and learn with them. I want to have the freedom to make my own schedule. I’m also not a fan of working my butt off to line the CEO’s pockets. I want to line my own! If you are reading this, that means that you do too! So read on to learn about different methods to make money online. Just remember, there is no get rich scheme. It all takes time and perseverance. I’ve worked my butt off building my brand to make it make money and I’ll continue to work at it to grow it even further.

1. Create a product
   • This can be a physical or digital product that you sell online. If you are a creative person, this might be something you should look into further. There are many platforms to sell on. My personal favorite being Etsy. You can sell everything from digital products (printables, logos, etc) to handmade goods (jewelry, home decor, etc.) The costs of getting started are minimal. Etsy charges a small listing fee and takes a small percentage of each sale you make. If you already have products to sell, you can have a shop set up and open for business in minutes!
2. Start a blog
   • Getting a blog established is a lot of hard work. But if you work at it, it can definitely pay off. There are so many different ways to make money with a blog. From generating revenue from ads to affiliate marketing, the possibilities are endless. It’s important to pick a niche that interests you and create quality, focused content for it. It will take a while to build it up before it starts paying off, but it can pay off ten-fold.
3. Start a Youtube channel
   • Similar to number 2, starting a Youtube channel can pay well. Revenue is mostly generated by ads placed throughout your videos. The more subscribers and viewers you have, the more money you can make. This also takes a lot of time and patience to establish and build a brand that people want to subscribe to. You have to create a good amount of quality content before you will really start making money. But if you have something that you are passionate about and want to share, making videos and growing your brand can be very rewarding.
4. Start a podcast
   • Similar to number 3, you can start a podcast. You just need to find your niche and grow your audience. Once you have built a strong audience and brand, you can find businesses willing to pay you for advertisements.
5. Write and publish low-content books on Amazon KDP
   • This one you may not have ever heard of. Amazon KDP stands for Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing. Did you know you can self-publish your own books? Basically, you upload your book info and book contents and Amazon will sell it on their platform. Once someone purchases it, Amazon prints it and ships it. They also handle the customer service aspect. It’s completely passive after the book is created and uploaded. But let’s face it, few people can write a whole book without losing interest. So that brings us to the next part: low-content books. Think blank journals, prompt books, planners, notebooks, etc. These can be mass-produced by simply changing the cover. The money made on each sale isn’t much (depends on your list price, your costs of production, etc), but if you can generate enough sales, it can easily be very profitable. Just make sure that the content you are using is original (you made it) or that you have the rights to resell it. Amazon KDP is free to sign up for as Amazon takes their cut from each sale.
6. Merch by Amazon
   • Similar to Amazon KDP but for T-shirts, you create designs to be printed on T-shirts. After setting up your listing on Amazon, people can purchase it. Amazon will then print it and ship it. It’s completely passive once uploaded. Again, just make sure that the content you are using is original (created by you) or that you have the rights to sell it. There’s no upfront costs to do this. Amazon takes their cut when you generate sales.
7. Create an online course
   • If you are very knowledgable about something, then turn it into an online course. This can be about anything. There are multiple platforms that you can sell a course on. A common one is Udemy. I’ve also seen them sold on apps like Groupon, etc. The great thing about creating a course is that it’s also a fairly passive way to make money. After creating and uploading the course, all you need to do is drive traffic to your course to make it more successful. You could also create additional courses such as an advanced course, etc.
8. Offer freelance services
   • Fiverr.com is a one-stop shop where business and others alike go to find the services they need. From freelance writers and artists to social networkers and fortune tellers. Fiverr has something for everyone. Just ask yourself, what can you offer? Are you able to write professionally quickly? Why don’t you offer your writing services? Prices start at $5 and go up. You pick what you want to charge. Currently, the platform takes 20% of your sales leaving you with 80% profit. It doesn’t cost anything to sign up and start selling though. There are also multiple other platforms to use such as freelancer.com, upwork.com, and worknhire.com.
9. Sell teaching materials
   • If you are a teacher and have created your own content for your classes, then you are already ahead of the game. Teacherspayteachers.com is a site that allows you to create a seller profile and sell your original teaching content. Just make sure you own the copyright to all materials you used to create your content. You can sell worksheets, bundles and lesson plans. At the very least, it could make you a few extra bucks. However, some people have had great success with it, making more selling their teaching materials online than they do as an educator.
10. Teach on VIPKid
    • VIPKid is an educational platform connecting Chinese students with English-speaker teachers in the US and Canada. To qualify to teach, you must have a Bachelor’s degree of some sort (not necessarily education-related) and have some teaching experience. This teaching experience isn’t limited to traditional classroom teaching (think homeschooling, preschool educators, etc.) The application requires you to review some materials and then do a short demo lesson. Once approved, you’ll receive more info and do a mock class with a current teacher. The great thing is you make your own hours so the possibilities are endless. You can make up to $22/hr teaching English! Because you’re teaching children in China, your hours will need to be either late at night or early in the morning.
11. Dropshipping
    • Dropshipping is another great option for creating online revenue. The term “dropshipping” is used when referring to selling goods you don’t actually have in stock. You just need to create an online store and find quality products to sell and post them in your online store. When someone buys the product, you then buy the product and ship it from the supplier directly to the buyer. The idea is to find products that offer a good profit margin: buy low, sell high! There are many Chinese suppliers that are familiar with Dropshipping and there are many websites that allow automation of buying and shipping the product to your customers making dropshipping very easy once it’s set up. I do recommend doing your research though. You don’t want to sell products of poor quality to your customers as they will look to you to fix the problems since you are who they purchased the item from. You can also find sellers within your own country, though the profit margin may be affected.
12. Become an Instagram influencer
    • If you already have a very large fan base, then you’re in luck. An Instagram influencer is someone who has a fan base and is trusted by their followers. An Instagram influencer is paid to make posts advertising a product or service in some way. The pay varies depending on the brand, niche and amount of followers but can range from hundreds to thousands of dollars.
13. Stock photography
    • Do you dabble in photography or already have a large amount of photos just sitting on your computer unused. Well you’re in luck. There are many online platforms where you can sell stock photography. Businesses then search these platforms and purchase your photos to use in their business. You then get a cut of the profits. Some sites where you can sell your photos include Shutterstock, Adobe Stock, Gettyimages, Istock, etc.
14. Reselling online
    • If you are a thrifter and like to find deals at flea markets or even Walmart, etc, this might be a great option for you. Basically you just find things to buy cheap to sell at a profit. This can be new or used items. You can sell on many sites/apps such as Ebay, Amazon, Mercari, etc. Amazon even offers FBA (fulfillment by Amazon). You buy your products and create listings for them on Amazon, then send Amazon your products to store at their warehouse. When the product sells, they package and ship it, making this a great option for those who don’t have the storage space.
15. Sell your designs on Creative Market
    • If you are a creative, this might be a great option for you. Creative Market is a web platform where artists and designers can sell their products to other creatives to be used to make different products. Think fonts, graphics, templates, etc. Creative Market is a very reputable platform where many creatives go to buy their raw materials for creating. This makes it a great opportunity to make some money, especially if you already have some designs or materials sitting around.

So there you have it, 15 legitimate ways to make money online. None of them will make you a millionaire overnight but they all can be used to make a sizable online income over time. The best part is most of these methods can be turned into mostly-passive income sources once you put in a good amount of work.