50 “Uselessly” Easy Ways To Make Extra Money Online

It's a "handy" topic among content writers. Everyone writes about it for the sake of it. If you haven't written about it, you can do too - "X ways to make extra money online." The problem is, the topic's already rinsed & repeated by others and you already know your article is going to be mediocre-boring before you even start writing. At least it's easy to list up the "ways" - all you do is to copy what others say.

Whatever you write, your post is unlikely to be overrank others on SERP. However the good news is, look at the article by Forbes - an authority site can publish such a trashy, inconsistent list, then so can you. Blow up the content by list up as many "ways" as you can to compete with some not-so-authoritative websites, never mind the uniqueness. Forbes suggests 27 ways to make money online, many of which are duplicates. Let us beat that and make a list of 35. Well, make it 50, why not?

50 EASY Ways To Make Extra Money Online - Not.

So here's the list. Easy ways? Not totally lying though. Because some of the methods are truly, proven to be easy to make a few cents!

#1 Sell Unwanted Stuff

I asked my friend's daughter who is 8 years old. "If you were desperate for money, how would you earn it?"

Her immediate response was, "I've got a lot of books that I could sell on eBay." Children know that selling unwanted stuff is a way to make money online. Do you really need to tell your audience as if it's an unknown secret?

#2 Take Online Surveys

Oh yes, a great way to earn a few cents. Online surveys are run by research companies for a reason - to research! They're not designed to let participants make a living by answering one survey after another all day, every day. 

The thing is, go to the local club late at night and look for some coins on the floor. You'll pick up more money quicker than taking online surveys. 

#3 Start Blogging

"If there is a topic that you are particularly passionate about, then start a blog and keep writing about it. Whether you're into makeup, fashion, home improvement, movies, gaming... No shortage of options when it comes to the world of blogging..."

As if you'll automatically create a funding source just by writing anything. How do you make money, and who's going to pay for it?

#4 YouTubing

YouTube will pay a lot of money! As long as your channel has 1,000 subscribers or more and your videos have been watched at least 4,000 hours in the previous 12 months. Right, can you achieve that in the next few days? Then yeah right, that's easy.

#5 Affiliate Marketing

The revenue that the majority of bloggers (#3) and YouTubers (#4) generate is from advertising commissions as an affiliate. Listing affiliate marketing as a standalone method would be misleading. Unless you are able to explain the methods other than blogging and YouTube marketing (i.e. use paid traffic/ad services).

#6 Place Banners On Your Site

Yep, duplicate. Your revenue will be PPC (pay-per-click) or PPM (pay-per-1,000 impressions) as an affiliate. You'd obviously have to have a website to have banner ads inserted. You'd also only make money if you manage to drive traffic - organic traffic as a blogger/content marketer, or use paid services.

#7 Podcasting

Similar to blogging and YouTube marketing - you're not earning money just by speaking to a microphone. You can get your channel sponsored and generate a constant revenue - have at least 5,000 - 10,000 listeners per month and you're there. Easy? Yeah.

How To Podcasting For Beginners

#8 Write an Ebook

Seriously, this is a feasible option, you know. I wrote and published a couple of ebooks via Kindle myself a few years ago, which still make me a few dollars every now and again. But then there are reasons why I'm not making more than a few dollars, not a few thousand. I'm not a brilliant writer, the niche was rare, I didn't know how to market on Amazon.

If you are a good writer, know topics that sell and know how to sell, then, by all means, write an ebook.

#9 Set Up an Online Course

Easy? You tell me! Assuming you are a teacher, able to compile a course, then sell it on places such as Udemy and TakeLessons. 

#10 Become an Online Tutor

Teaching online but through the curriculum that's set out by an online college other than using your own course. You can only consider it if you have a qualification. Try tutoring websites such as ClassGap. 

#11 Become a Virtual Assistant

Another "favorite" item, it is. If you think the job is all about checking emails and scheduling meetings for someone you work for, therefore it's suitable for anyone... It's absolutely not. Virtual Assistant jobs are extremely competitive, you need to show your qualifications and see if anyone's interested in hiring you. Take it from there.

#12 Become a Travel Writer

Ridiculous isn't it. "Blogging" and "Write an ebook" have already been suggested. You only take a vacation once or twice a year. Where on earth can you write about destinations that you've never been to, and get someone to pay you for it?

#13 Sell Your Photos/Videos

Another favorite item - you know everyone shares their photos for free, across social media and royalty-free image sites. If you are a fantastically unique, eclectic, professional photographer and know how to arrange models and studios, then you may be able to monetize it. 

#14 Teach English

Your mother tongue being English doesn't automatically enable you to teach the language. Even if you have a huge vocabulary and are a good speaker. Teaching is a separate skill, and teaching online is another skill!

#15 Translate

No all bilinguals can translate one language to the other. Finding the most appropriate expression in the other language is an art. Sometimes you need to switch sentences back to front to make sense. I do translate sometimes - it may be easy for some, but not for me.

#16 Recycle Cellphones

As if you didn't know what to do with your old phones! It covers some of the cost of your new phone, doesn't it?

#17 Become a "Writer"

Other types of writing jobs - article rewriting, product descriptions, marketing copywriting... You can sign up with sites such as iWriter, Contently, Compose.ly and start earning a couple of dollars per 100 words - if you're good at it, then yes, it's a decent way to make extra cash.

#18 Become a Financial Consultant

Similar to above, but needs a proper qualification. Easy for someone who's not a qualified accountant/doctor/lawyer to say "You can set up your own accountancy/online doctor/lawyer service website!"

As for accountancy - I've been there - your target audience is likely to have to be local because you end up meeting up with the majority of your clients chasing for some paperwork, and the industry is extremely competitive.

#19 Become a Graphic Designer, and

#20 Become a Developer

A couple of more favorite (but stupid) list items. If you've never had that kind of experience in life and one day you think "Ah! Maybe I can become a developer and create an app!" Then hurrah! See if you don't crash and burn.

#21 Run a Sponsored Post Service

It's essentially a traffic exchange service. Some website owners are happy to pay for backlinks, while other website owners are happy to get paid to link back to them. Then there are people who write generic articles for money. You get them all arranged and receive commissions. It's a proper online business; you have to make your service known by advertising first. Not something you can start and earn immediately.

#22 Write Software Reviews

Sites such as ApperWall, Capterra, and G2Crowd will pay you for writing an honest and unbiased software review. But they're not providing you the software! It's only a good way if you have used the software and know it inside out.

#23 Do Narrations/Voice-Overs

If you're confident with your voice, take a free mini-course and see if this something you can do.

#24 Email Marketing

Not easy. Not at all. It costs a lot to acquire thousands of leads to start with - unless your mentor or someone gives you a list of leads to get you started (that's what spammers do). You need to keep buying new leads - keep searching for sources that provide quality leads.

How Not To Make Money With Solo Ads Business

#25 Account Manager

Essentially an "account manager" is one employment position. A.K.A. customer service representative. If you think it's easy and suitable for you, then that's your call.

#26 Fundraiser

Fundraising is a demanding, executive job that requires a commitment and a lot of communication skills. Charity groups cannot afford to pay someone crap, but they're prepared to pay a decent salary to a good fundraiser. 

#27 Travel Agent

Another job that requires good sales and organizational skills. And you have to have been well-traveled. You can't cruise-plan for others if you don't have good experience in cruise planning.

#28 Do ("Fake") Video Testimonials

The "spokespeople" on Fiverr, in nature, get paid to say whatever their client tells them to say in front of a camera. They're essentially actors. But when the script is a fake customer testimonial, they become a partner in crime. You'll be scamming people by telling them a miracle anti-aging cream or a get-rich-quick software works on you. Easy. But you know the consequences.

#29 Sell Songs

Songbay allows you to sell music and lyrics in a variety of ways and set your own fees. As a download (personal use only), as a license, cover-version license or as a copyright exchange (sell all rights and ownership). If you write and record songs, then that's an option for sure.

#30 Sell Handmade Crafts

If you make your own arty products, you don't have to be told that you could sell them. Etsy is probably the most popular place to sell handmade crafts. You want to work on your brand and learn how to list your works of art - titles and descriptions that draw attention, take good photos to sell more.

#31 Enter Prize Competitions

This is another "stupid" suggestion - don't believe in prize competitions because half of them are fake! 

Of course, real companies run prize competitions as part of their promotional campaigns, and they make sure the results of the competition will be beneficial to their customers as well as to themselves.

Whereas fake prize competitions are created by illegitimate advertising agencies, purely to collect the participants' email addresses (which will be sold to #24 above). You can tell a competition is fake if the courtesy of the prize donor is not properly disclosed. And fake prizes are suspiciously high in value, targeted at random audiences.

#32 Give Relationship Advice

If you are a self-proclaimed love guru...by all means. You can start selling your relationship coach service on Fiverr.

#33 Drop-shipping

Certain people over-glorify dropshipping business...perhaps the people who’ve never tried it themselves. “Easy” because you don’t have to have an inventory. “Easy” because shipping is taken care of. Easi-er. But you still have to do everything else and work hard for it.

Establish your brand and promote it to build your customer base. List up each product with the best title and description. Keep an eye out for orders during waking hours. Make sure to get the supplier to dispatch swiftly. Answer inquiries and deal with complaints... No time to rest until your business is profitable enough to employ an assistant.

#34 Online Jury Services

If you are a U.S citizen and have basic writing skills, consider mock jury service sites such as eJury, Virtual Jury, JuryTest Networks, Online Verdict. They can pay you $10-60 per case.

#35 Market Research

Market research sites can pay, but the rates are pretty appropriate. If a research subject is something you can find out by googling, for example, a company's history, you submit a written report to receive a few dollars. Once you've accepted a job, you have to complete it within the given timescale. It takes a commitment.

#36 Sell Websites

It's a myth. People brag about building a website for a reselling purpose; buy a domain, build a site, "give a little tweak" by posting blogs for a few months and sell. No, you can't sell a site that's not worth the money. Your site must be making constant profits from multiple clients. You have to be able to prove the earnings (e.g. report from affiliate network for the past 12 months) and the solid record of traffic (e.g. Google Analytics).

#37 Cashback 

If you say a shopping cashback is a way to make extra money... Yeah, some reward sites are partnered with merchants and offer a decent rate of cashback. You don't want to get hooked on the idea and defeat the purpose by buying things unnecessarily. 

#38 Play Poker/Casino

National Health Service in the UK started to open "The National Problem Gambling Clinics" in 2019. Funded by the taxpayers' money. Now if you say playing poker is an easy way to make extra money online, explain it to us. It will save thousands of teenagers who suffer from depression (and some suicides) caused by gambling addictions. 

#39 Online Betting

Ditto!

#40 Become a Day Trader

Ditto! Buying and selling shares over a single day is a highly risky business, and can also get you addicted. Whoever suggests that day trading is a "way to make money" - put your hand on your heart and say you're serious. (Then we'll judge you.)

#41 Buy Shares

Investing in the stock market requires a lot of knowledge, skills, and monitoring. While "Day Trading" is to buy shares to sell (i.e. trading), this one is to own a share of a company (i.e. investment), so you'll receive a share of profits once or twice every year.

It's about showing your interest in the company you think is performing well. You need at least $5,000 or so to invest in the beginning, cannot expect a profit in the short term, and if the company performs badly, you could lose a lot of your initial investment.

#42 Buy Gold, or

#43 Buy Cryptocurrencies

Whether buying gold or cryptocurrencies are a good idea or not, I cannot say in this climate, perhaps nobody can. They cost you money, and you'll never make an instant profit in the short term.

#44 Claim Tax Back

You can only claim some of your tax back when certain conditions are met. For example, your employment income is lower than the threshold but you receive interest on an investment or your spouse can claim some tax back. Tax claim is not a way to make money, it's just your entitlement!

#45 Food Delivery!

It's a ridiculously "popular" suggestion - why on earth anybody thinks that delivering food is a way to make money "online"? Did fax machines ever use to deliver food? Apparently, if you are a student and own your own bike, delivering food is a great way to make money...online. Somebody explain to me!

#46 Dog Walking! and

#47 Babysitting!

Ditto! 

Technically, you may be able to babysit via online... No you can't.

#48 Take a Payday Loan

Another suggestion that's so absurd. If you're short of money...borrow some. What a great idea! Never mind the huge amount of interest that you'll have to pay.

#49 Freelance

As if none of the above in this list is a freelancing work...! At least you can check some sites such as Fiverr and Freelancer.com and see if a skill that you may be able to sell is listed.

#50 Write Comments To Websites

This - you can do. Each of your comments has to be authentic and has a certain quality. It has to be good enough for the website owner to approve it. Then you can consider it as a way to make extra money online.

Get Paid To Post Comments On Blogs