A major advantage of freelancing is you can pick and choose your projects and hours, and even which country you work from. Total flexibility in this digital age. There are obvious attractions to having an online career.
It’s clear that there are some real and valid ways to make money online, but there are also numerous scams, dead ends, and poorly paid vocations. However, using the right tools can provide the perfect platform to become a digital nomad or savvy entrepreneur. Allowing you to tap into the flexibility, low commuting, and the ability to work from anywhere.
Here are our top five methods for earning money online, beginning a fledgling career, or laying the foundations for digital income. All you need to get started is enthusiasm, a computer and reliable internet connection. Tap into these resources, and you’re on your way.
Influencer
Be the influencer. Now more than ever it is easier to carve out a career online. Influencers can earn surprisingly large salaries, as well as benefiting from sponsorship and freebies. The great thing is, influencers are becoming increasingly niche, so focus on your interests and hobbies to create an authentic following.
However, once individuals set out on the path to social media success, it often becomes clear that building up an initial following isn’t as easy as it looks.
The good news is that recently more tools have been created to help boost your online following. Apparently there is no need to #hashtag anymore as numerous programmes have been developed to do that for you. Editing apps are so much more accessible, helping you put out professional looking content. Best of all, is the ability to buy Instagram likes, meaning that your account can look professional in a matter of minutes. You gan get Instagram Followers from Superviral, which we think is the best provider, with simple packages and low prices.
Freelancing writing
There are few barriers to entry if you want to forge a career as an online writer or journalist. Of course, your writing skills must be up to scratch, and it can be tough in terms of deadlines (and receiving those dreaded ‘edits’). There is a lot of competition out there but there is also a lot of work, if you know where to look.
Sites like Case Study Link can help. They allow writers to receive writing and journalism requests directly from commissioning editors, magazines and newspapers. Companies looking for copywriters can send out writing requests for free, which members receive and can respond to if they want to take on the work.
Online selling
Ebay used to corner the market in this field but not anymore. Facebook MarketPlace and apps like Vinted are storming through. They have no selling fees and the ease of home collection or easy postal support now makes it much more efficient to flog those unwanted items for cash.
Upcycling projects and photo editing tools make this a much more viable business now. It’s not just a case of passing off unused or well loved items anymore, this is now a second hand / vintage pop up shop with beautiful pictures and a back story.
Websites like Revive Tool provide affordable tools for upcycling any type of material, allowing you to renew almost any material into something beautiful.
If it’s more professional selling you’re interested in, you could employ an Amazon Agency to help you set up manufacturer to market logistics (meaning you never even need to touch or store products that you import) – they will just be stored in Amazon warehouses and sold on the marketplaces.
Surveys and Competitions
This one probably won’t mean you are retiring on your own private island, but it is possible to make some quick pocket money from filling in online surveys. Companies looking in a particular demographic on a specific topic will financially reward you for your opinion. Not a bad option for backpackers looking for a few quid each day to pay for their noodles and beer!
The best in the market is OnePoll, a large research and polling company in the UK and US. They carry out surveys for the national press, so they tend to be interesting, fun or lighthearted surveys. What’s your favourite pie? Tell us you favourite Netflix show? Which animal makes the best pet?
Snap it and Sell it
Everyone thinks they are the next David Bailey but now more than ever with smart phones, it is so easy to take a snap and then sell the image. Some companies will take your images as Stock Images. However, if your photo or video is newsworthy (i.e. you’ve caught something amazing, cute or fascinating on camera, or perhaps even a celeb photo), you can make decent income.
The best is Talk to the Press, who have a Google funded payment tracking system. This means that not only will you be paid each time your image or footage is used by media companies, but you can track your payments in real time.
If you use your imagination, you’ll be amazed how many newsworthy things there are to snap for newspapers, magazines and websites on a daily basis. It’s a good way to start an online career in photojournalism.
Don’t forget enthusiasm & dedication when starting an online career
The internet has given us the opportunity and the tools to make a career online. However, there will never be a replacement for focus, hard work and dedication. Too many people dip their toe into an online career and promptly give up when failing to achieve instant success.
It’s not always obvious that those basking in success as influencers, writers, sellers or photographers, have worked really, really hard to get where they are. Our experience of earning money online is that it’s similar to a flywheel – hard to get spinning in the first place, but once you build up some momentum, it gets easier and easier.
So, give it a go. Stick at it. Success will follow. But the tools above will certainly make it easier to when starting an online career.
