We can find almost anything on the Internet today. Similarly, we can also find ideas to make money online.
The internet is a great place to start your side hustle or next business venture.
In fact, around 65% of Gen Z, the youngest of the workforce, have a side hustle in a recent survey.
If you’re seeking a passive income stream or aiming to kickstart your own online business, this article is the perfect guide to set you on the path to making money online.
Here’s a quick peek into the article
- How to make money online in 2023
- Prerequisites to successfully earn money online
- 30 proven ways to make money online
- A word about online money-making scams
How to make money online in 2023
Thanks to AI tools and the internet, making money online has become easy! They are a gold mine for entrepreneurs, freelancers, and businesses alike. With automation, wider audience reach, and innovative products and services, you can dive into different aspects like e-commerce, online consulting, content creation, digital marketing, or whatever floats your boat.
The best part?
The possibilities are endless, and chasing your entrepreneurial dreams has never been more convenient. So, get ready to ride the online money-making wave and watch those dollar signs roll in!
In case you want to learn more about online business ideas to start with no money, here are 18 ideas for you.
Prerequisites you should know to successfully make money online
Before we get into the top ways to earn money, I want you to know certain prerequisites to have to find your success online. What no one tells you is if you want to make real money yourself, the key is to get/drive traffic.
To make money online, there are several prerequisites that can help set you up for success. Here’s the list for you:
Find Your Niche
Identifying your niche is crucial for online success. Determine your interests, skills, and areas of expertise that you can leverage to stand out in the online marketplace. Finding a niche allows you to target a specific audience and differentiate yourself from competitors.
Good Internet
A stable and reliable Internet connection is essential for most online money-making endeavors. It ensures smooth communication, seamless access to online platforms, and the ability to complete tasks efficiently. Invest in a high-speed internet connection to avoid disruptions in your online work.
Time
Making money online requires time and dedication. Treat your online venture as a business and allocate sufficient time to build and grow it. Create a schedule and stick to it, dedicating regular hours each day or week to focus on your online activities.
Existing Skill (Good to have)
While having an existing skill can be advantageous, it is not mandatory. Many online opportunities allow you to learn and develop new skills as you go. However, having a foundation in a particular skill or expertise can give you a head start and increase your chances of success.
Investment needed (Good to have)
While many online ventures require little to no initial investment, having some funds available can give you an advantage. It allows you to invest in necessary tools, resources, or marketing efforts to kickstart your online business.
Do keep in mind there are several online opportunities, (which we’ll cover in this article) that can be pursued with minimal or no financial investment.
Check out this article if you want to learn more about online business ideas when you have little to no money.
The best ways to make money online in 2023
Here is the list of the top 30 ways you can earn money online:
Dropshipping
Starting a dropshipping business is a great way to earn money online. It is a business model that has been around for many years.
The model works this way – You find the best products to sell online and source them from suppliers. Next, set up your online store, market, and sell your products to the customers. You don’t have to worry about managing inventory and logistics, but you’re responsible for driving traffic and customer service.
When done right, you should be able to start generating money in a month to three months.
Investment needed: Medium
Skill set: Medium
Income type: Mostly active
Time to get started: A few days
Transcription Services
Transcription services refer to the process of converting spoken or recorded audio content into written text. In other words, it’s a service where you listen to audio recordings and transcribe them into written documents. One of the advantages of transcription services is you can choose your own hours and work from the comfort of your home.
Anyone can get started with providing transcription services. You can be a student, a homemaker, or someone who has a few hours and want to earn extra cash.
As a transcription service provider, you would carefully listen to the audio files, accurately type out the spoken words, and create written transcripts. You can transcribe interviews, lectures, podcasts, meetings, or any other type of audio content that needs to be converted into text. Your role would be to capture the spoken words, ensure accuracy, and deliver a final written document to the client.
Transcription services are in demand by businesses, researchers, media professionals, and many others who require accurate written records of their audio content.
Investment needed: Low
Skill set: Medium
Income type: Active
Time to get started: A few days
Social media marketing
As a social media expert, you can provide your services to businesses and individuals to level up their online presence. You can help professionals and brands manage their social media accounts, create engaging content, and run targeted ad campaigns. You can make money online by providing consulting sessions to share your expertise and strategies.
Show your creativity and boost your own social media success and build a strong personal brand. There are many Gen Z social media marketers who successfully offer social media services to small businesses and individuals.
You can also set up another income stream by creating online videos and courses on platforms like Udemy or Skillshare and grow your brand and revenue.
All you need is a mobile phone with internet and creativity to let the magic happen.
Investment needed: Low
Skill set: Low-Medium
Income type: Active
Time to get started: A few weeks
Sell your used stuff
One of the quickest ways to earn money online is to sell your unused items. While it may feel nostalgic to see things you used once, it is better to sell them for extra cash if they no longer serve the purpose.
You can sell your clothes, electronics, video games, furniture, books, jewelry, toys, etc.
Platforms such as Declutter, Poshmark, Facebook Marketplace, and BuyBackWorld allow you to resell your items.
Investment needed: Low
Skill set: Low
Income type: Passive
Time to get started: A few hours
Sell your art
Selling art online can be a good side hustle for all those creative people out there. You can easily get started by selling various forms of art online, depending on your creative interests and skills.
You could sell:
- Paintings, landscapes, or sceneries
- Digital art like graphic designs, 3D renderings, and digital paintings
- Handmade crafts like jewelry, textiles, etc.
- Sculpture and ceramics
Investment needed: Medium (unless you’re selling digital items)
Skill set: Medium-High
Income type: Active (unless you’re selling digital items)
Time to get started: A few weeks to months
Selling digital art is slightly different. We’ll cover that in a bit.
Online surveys
Online surveys can help you earn some extra cash. But they aren’t very efficient in making money consistently. Besides, the amount you earn can vary from site to site. In most cases, you may end up getting paid a little compared to the time you spent. So you wouldn’t get rich by doing online surveys and questionaries.
It is also crucial to check for potential scams while doing these online surveys. Check reviews of the sites before you sign up.
Investment needed: Low
Skill set: Low
Income type: Active
Time to get started: A few days
Freelancing
Freelancing has been the buzzword in recent years. As a freelancer, you can offer any service that you are already familiar with. You can work at your own pace with the internet, handling multiple clients on a contract basis. Try finding gigs that have high value so you can maximize your potential with a few projects.
However, as exciting as it sounds, finding clients and earning money consistently can be hard. Moreover, most freelancers need help managing their time with multiple projects. Also, the success rate in the industry is very low, so you should have a smart plan to make it work for you.
You can typically use platforms like Fiverr, Upwork, and Freelancer.com to find potential clients.
Investment needed: Low
Skill set: Medium
Income type: Active
Time to get started: A few weeks to a few months
Blogging
Blogging is one of the lucrative ways to make money online. You can generate money in multiple ways using blogs. You should look at blogging as a long-term play. With blogging, you essentially add value to your audience with engaging and quality content.
The influx of AI tools like ChatGPT has made it easier to blog online. But you should add value to the readers through your blog articles so you can generate higher views and better revenue.
Blogs that generate decent traffic will open doors to unlimited monetization opportunities like affiliate marketing, Google ad revenue, selling products, partnerships, and more.
When done strategically, you can reap higher profits with blogging.
Investment needed: Low
Skill set: Low
Income type: Passive
Time to get started: A few months
Video creation and editing
On average, American adults watch videos for 19 hours a week. Create engaging and informative videos on platforms like YouTube or Vimeo and generate income online. Monetize your videos through ad revenue, sponsorships, or product placements.
You can create videos on social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram or Facebook, or YouTube and generate money through views. You can monetize your videos by running ads, sponsorships, affiliate marketing, and merchandising.
Alternatively, you can offer video creation or editing services to businesses or individuals to generate additional income.
No doubt, creating videos on your own channel or website allows long-term and better opportunities compared to creating and editing videos for others. However, you don’t have to invest from your pocket while offering services.
Investment needed: Low-Medium
Skill set: Medium
Income type: Active
Time to get started: A few weeks-months
Be a virtual assistant
As a virtual assistant, you have the flexibility to offer your services in a wide range of industries, including but not limited to healthcare, online education, interior decorating, sustainability software, publishing, banking and finance, e-commerce, mortgage and lending, IT, and many others.
The beauty of being a virtual assistant is that you can adapt your skills and expertise to meet the unique needs of different industries. Whether it’s providing administrative support, managing social media, conducting research, or handling customer inquiries, your services can be tailored to suit the specific requirements of various sectors. This versatility allows you to explore diverse opportunities and cater to clients across a broad spectrum of industries.
Investment needed: Low
Skill set: Low-Medium
Income type: Active
Time to get started: A few weeks to months
Sell royalty-free music
You can compose and produce original music tracks or jingles and sell them on websites like AudioJungle or Pond5. Your music can cater to various industries, such as advertising, film, or online content creators, who require royalty-free music for their projects.
Investment needed: Low-Medium
Skill set: Medium
Income type: Passive with minimum intervention
Time to get started: A few weeks-months
Find bugs and test websites and apps
This is an interesting side hustle for product managers, developers, and UX (User Experience) designers. As part of the task, you need to test the usability, functionality, design, and overall performance of the website or the app.
It can be an easy and flexible side hustle, where you should give thorough feedback about the project. You can find projects from platforms like UserTesting, PingPong, Fiverr, and more.
Investment needed: Low
Skill set: Medium
Income type: Active
Time to get started: A few weeks-months
Create a mobile app and monetize it
You can develop a mobile app that solves a specific problem or offers a unique service. Monetize your app through in-app purchases, subscriptions, or advertising. Alternatively, offer app development services to clients and charge a fee for creating customized mobile applications.
Investment needed: Medium
Skill set: Medium
Income type: Active
Time to get started: A few months
Sell digital items
We live in a world where anyone can set up and run a business online. The creator economy is more thriving than ever. You can create digital products that look professionally designed, well-crafted, and meet the needs of your target audience.
Selling digital items online is a good side hustle if you have an existing skill. You could be an Engineer, musician, designer, social media enthusiast, BI analyst, or anyone who has a certain level of understanding of Photoshop, Google Sheets, Google Docs, MS Office, or as simple as Canva.
You can sell digital items such as:
- Design cards, social media templates, logos, and website themes
- Graphic novels and comics
- GIFs, emoticons, and fonts
- Royalty-free music, sound effects, and audio tracks that can be used in videos, podcasts, or other media projects
- Website themes and plugins
- Sell ebooks, online courses, and workshops
However, you should successfully assess the demand and understand your target audience to reap profits. Set competitive pricing and focus on creating unique products, and market it to the right customers.
Investment needed: Low-Medium
Skill set: Low-Medium
Income type: Passive
Time to get started: A few weeks to a month
Sell subscription services
Create a killer product or service that people can’t resist and offer it through a subscription model. It could be anything from exclusive content, online courses, personalized goodies, jewelry, or even a monthly surprise box. Get customers hooked with a free trial or a sweet introductory offer, and get revenue through recurring payments.
You can easily generate money online with subscription services if you have an existing customer base or traffic.
Just remember to add value and keep your subscribers happy so you’ll be making cash consistently!
Investment needed: Medium
Skill set: Medium
Income type: Passive
Time to get started: A few months
Web development
You can offer web development or design services to individuals or businesses. Build websites, create custom themes, or provide website optimization and maintenance. Market your skills through freelance platforms or by building a portfolio website to attract clients.
Investment needed: Low
Skill set: Medium
Income type: Active
Time to get started: A few weeks-months
Affiliate marketing
Affiliate marketing is one of the popular ways to make money online in 2023.
All you need to do is find products or services that you genuinely love and believe in. Sign up as an affiliate, grab your unique referral links, and spread the word through your blog, social media, or even YouTube. Whenever someone clicks your link and makes a purchase, cha-ching! You earn a sweet commission.
Most affiliate websites will allow you to promote their products even without a website. And, your success depends on how well you drive traffic to these links.
Investment needed: Low
Skill set: Medium
Income type: Passive
Time to get started: A few weeks-months
Translation services
If you are fluent in multiple languages, offer translation services for written documents, websites, or subtitles. Join translation platforms like ProZ or offer your services directly to clients seeking translation assistance.
Investment needed: Low
Skill set: Medium
Income type: Active
Time to get started: A few weeks-months
Print-on-demand
In the Print-on-demand model, you create unique designs for t-shirts, hoodies, mugs, or even phone cases. You don’t need to worry about inventory or shipping because when a customer places an order, a printing company like Printify or Printful takes care of all that work for you.
You need to set up your own store and let your creativity shine while making money online.
Investment needed: Low
Skill set: Low
Income type: Passive
Time to get started: A few weeks-months
Become an online tutor
Pick a subject or skill you excel at—whether it’s Mathematics, English, Node JS, Music, or even knitting. Offer your expertise to students who are craving to learn. You can set up virtual sessions through video platforms, create engaging lesson plans, and help students ace their exams or master new skills.
Be a virtual teacher, empower others, and make a difference while earning the money you want.
Investment needed: Low
Skill set: Low-Medium
Income type: Active
Time to get started: A few weeks-months
Rent your space
The rental market has exploded over the past few years. People are renting out spaces, items, and more.
If you’ve got a spare room, an unused garage, or even an empty parking spot, you can list it on platforms like Airbnb or Parkable. People who need a cozy place to crash or a convenient spot to park will pay you for it! Take some nice photos of your space, write a catchy description, and get the bookings.
You can definitely make some extra cash hassle-free without letting your space go to waste.
Investment needed: Medium
Skill set: Low
Income type: Passive
Time to get started: A few weeks-months
Create a Podcast
A podcast can be anything you want – a side hustle, a hobby, or a budding business. The good part is it’s not hard to strategize a podcast into your business. Many podcasters earn millions.
For instance, The Joe Rogan Experience makes about $800,000 per episode. The Ringer earns more than $15 million from the podcast.
But on the flip side, most podcasters earn $0 and some may end up seeing negative returns. Though the podcast market has evolved over the last few years, we suggest including it as a way to complement your existing business like a blog, affiliate business, or YouTube channel. It’s one of the good ways to diversify your income from side hustles.
Investment needed: Medium
Skill set: Medium
Income type: Passive
Time to get started: A few months-year(s)
Top 20 Podcasts for Entrepreneurs and Business Owners
Become a fitness guru
Are you a fitness fanatic?
You can definitely earn money by flexing your muscles.
As a fitness expert, you can cash in on your knowledge and passion. Offer personalized training programs, create workout videos, or even host virtual fitness classes. Share your expertise on social media, build a loyal following, and provide online coaching services.
You can also create and sell fitness e-books, meal plans, or merchandise. You can be a virtual personal trainer helping people get fit.
Investment needed: Low
Skill set: Medium
Income type: Active
Time to get started: A few weeks
Sell photography
If you are good at capturing stunning photos of landscapes, people, or even mouthwatering food, you should sell and make money from them. You can use platforms like Shutterstock, Adobe Stock, or Etsy to showcase your best shots.
There are always people who admire art and who want visuals for their websites, blogs, or marketing materials. They are your target customers that will pay you for your talent. Alternatively, you can also offer personalized photography services.
Investment needed: Medium
Skill set: Medium
Income type: Active
Time to get started: A few weeks-months
Cook and sell food online
The food delivery business is booming! With more and more people flocking to order food online, it’s all about that convenience factor. Most of us know how it is—busy schedules, limited time for cooking, and the desire for a delicious meal without leaving the comfort of our homes. This surge in demand has given a major boost to the food delivery industry.
So you can start a food delivery service or create a food-based business where you prepare and sell meals, snacks, or specialty items online. Advertise your offerings through social media platforms or local online marketplaces. Networking can also help you succeed in this venture.
However, do focus on customer service and quality as they determine your long-term success in this business.
Investment needed: Low-medium
Skill set: Medium
Income type: Active
Time to get started: A few weeks-months
Buy and sell domains
The practice of buying and selling domains is called domain flipping. You get a profit while reselling the domain at a higher price. You should learn or have the tact to identify potential domain names that are lucrative among the customers. Look for trending keywords, brandable names, or domains with high potential.
Platforms like Sedo, Flippa, or even social media groups are great places to showcase and sell your domain gems.
Investment needed: Medium
Skill set: Medium
Income type: Active
Time to get started: A few weeks
Voice-over services
Voice-over services are typically project-based allowing them to be a great option for freelancers. Join platforms like Fiverr, Voices.com, or Upwork to showcase your voice skills and land gigs. You can also create a killer voice demo reel and promote it on social media or your own website. Look for unions in your locality so you could get all the support you need.
Keep in mind that most voice-over projects are need-based so they may not be consistent. So ensure you have a backup hustle or an additional job to supplement your income.
Investment needed: Low
Skill set: Medium
Income type: Active
Time to get started: A few weeks-months
Rent your items
Just like renting your space, you can also rent your items like a camera, a truck, tools, musical instruments, a van, or a swimming pool. If you have items that have good demand, you can rent them out for some extra cash.
The income you generate from renting things depends on how you treat your side hustle. If you want it to be a side hustle, your income would be passive. If you treat it as a business, revenue follows.
Investment needed: Medium to high depending on the item you rent
Skill set: Low
Income type: Passive
Time to get started: A few days to a few months
Editing podcasts
As a podcast editor, you can help podcasters polish their audio content and make it more presentable. You can offer services like audio editing, sound mixing, and even adding cool effects.
Start by reaching out to podcasters in various niches, like business, money, comedy, storytelling, or educational shows depending on your interests and skills. You can also create packages with different editing options, such as basic, advanced, or full production services. Use podcast forums, social media, and networking to get your gigs. All you need is your headphones, editing software, and skills to make the podcasts sound epic!
Investment needed: Low
Skill set: Low
Income type: Active
Time to get started: A few weeks-months
Investing
You can invest in a variety of instruments including stocks, cryptocurrency, and real estate. On average, the stock market gives a return of around 10% annually. One of the common ways to earn money with the stock market is to buy and hold for a period. To be precise, you make money in the stock market by staying invested for a long time.
You might have heard about people who live on dividend income. In addition to that, you can learn about stock trading and other investment opportunities. Develop a strong understanding of the market, analyze trends, and make informed investment decisions to generate potential profits. Start with small investments and gradually increase your portfolio as you gain experience.
Investment needed: Medium
Skill set: High
Income type: Passive
Time to get started: A few weeks to a few months
How to make money using AI tools like ChatGPT
No doubt, AI tools are the talk of the town. If you are a beginner or a professional or an entrepreneur, Artificial Intelligence tools like ChatGPT are intuitive enough for anyone to get started. You can use these AI tools to save money and make money as an expert or beginner.
Here are a few ideas on how you can use AI tools to make money online:
Content Creation
It’s one of the most common ways to make money using AI tools. Utilize AI tools like ChatGPT to generate high-quality blog posts, articles, or social media content. You can then sell these content pieces to individuals or businesses looking to enhance their online presence.
Virtual Assistance
Offer virtual assistant services powered by AI tools like Jasper. You can provide services such as email management, appointment scheduling, or data entry, and use AI to streamline and automate processes.
Language Translation
AI translation tools like Midjourney help you to provide translation services. You can target clients who need documents, websites, or marketing materials translated into different languages.
Chatbot Development
If you’re someone who is into technology and website management or a budding entrepreneur who is managing most tasks yourself, you can use AI tools like ChatGPT to create intelligent chatbots for websites or messaging platforms. Offer chatbot development services to businesses that want to enhance their customer support or automate certain processes.
Social Media Management
Consistency is extremely important when it comes to social media management. From ideation to recycling to intelligent social listening, several AI tools like Publer, Buffer, and Predis.ai can help you save time. You can also analyze social media trends, optimize content strategies, and schedule posts. Offer social media management services to clients looking to build a strong online presence.
E-commerce Personalization
Implement AI tools like Jasper to analyze customer preferences and behavior, enabling personalized product recommendations. Build an e-commerce store and leverage AI to enhance the shopping experience for customers.
Online Tutoring
AI tools can enhance and complement traditional teaching methodologies. You can use them for feedback, automate time-consuming tasks, mark assignments, and as a writing assistant.
Offer online tutoring services in various subjects, leveraging AI to personalize and enhance the learning process for students.
Image Editing and Enhancement
Tools like Midjourney can help you enhance and edit images automatically. If you are a photographer, a business, or a designer, you can use these tools to complement your image editing services.
Voiceover Services
Utilize AI tools like Jasper to generate natural-sounding voiceovers for videos, audiobooks, or advertisements. Offer voiceover services to clients who require professional narrations.
A word about online money-making scams
Defining and spotting an online scam is never easy. The realm of making money online is packed with opportunities and also flooded with scams, and people who sell inferior items or programs that don’t have any value.
Be cautious about any “opportunity” that asks for a fee or requests your Social Security number or some financial information, like credit card details. Do not fall for “get-rich-quick” schemes.
Want to find out if a money-making opportunity is legit?
Skim through online community forums, like those on Reddit, and look for unfiltered reviews and complaints. Do check the company’s ratings, complaints, and other factors to ensure that the opportunity is worth your while.
To sum it up!
While there are tremendous opportunities to earn money online, you should be able to find potential ones that fit your mindset, interest, and skills. Success doesn’t come overnight so it’s equally important to stay focused and be persistent in your financial and entrepreneurial journey!
Hope this article helps you get started! Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
Happy hustling!
2 thoughts on “30 Ways to Make Money Online in 2024 + Tips to Hustle With AI Tools Like ChatGPT”
Thanks for the information.