How to Make Money Online: Part One

By
FB @ FabulouslyBroke.com
 – January 17, 2011Posted in: Career

Everyone always wants to know how you can make money online, especially if you’re in debt and trying to clear it.

Every penny counts, so here goes: my mini guide, complete with notes and personal experiences.

MAIN WAYS TO MAKE MONEY ONLINE

  1. Surveys
  2. Swagbucks
  3. Freelance
  4. Write an e-book
  5. Sell your stuff
  6. Make stuff and sell it
  7. Start a blog

DO NOT FORGET TO REPORT ANY INCOME YOU MAKE TO YOUR TAX AGENCY.

SURVEYS

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Probably the easiest and quickest way to make money online is to sign up for surveys. You usually start by filling out this long questionnaire about yourself, then based on your answers, companies send you surveys to fill out targeted to your demographic.

You receive these surveys by email and you should turn them around in a short amount of time to show commitment.

You can sign up for these companies and fill out surveys to get paid.

Survey Bounty has all of the major survey companies listed by country, so you can go down the list and sign up for all of them one by one.

FB’S PERSONAL EXPERIENCE:

I’ve tried the survey thing and found it very, VERY time-consuming for the amount of money being paid out. That being said, if you are dedicated and committed to getting ANY amount of money, and you have the time to do it — why not?

Just be forewarned that it isn’t just a page or two. Sometimes these things run pages long, and if you can’t sit down to read the questions, click on the buttons or answer the questions and get the job done in half an hour uninterrupted then this is not for you.

SWAGBUCKS

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The basic idea is that you use Swagbucks to search the way you’d normally search with let’s say, Google, and for each search you make, there’s a chance for you to earn something called swagbucks. As you build up a wealth of swagbucks, you can trade them in for gift certificates and even cash.

For instance, 700 Swagbucks gets you $5 USD deposited into your Paypal account.

You can also win prizes of points if you pay attention to Swagbucks codes and so on, so the points actually rack up pretty quickly.

FB’S PERSONAL EXPERIENCE:

What I liked is I didn’t have to do much except search on there. For me, it was better than filling out pages and pages of surveys.

My scoop on Swagbucks can be located here.

If you want to sign up for it, you can start by registering with my referral ID here and they’ll start you off with a couple of Swagbucks to get the ball rolling.

FREELANCE YOUR SKILLS

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If you have programming, design, drawing, or writing skills, freelancing is for you.

You can bid on projects, sell your photographs and design for other people. A lot of these sites might also charge you a membership fee each month, and/or take a commission on your paid work.

A lot of it is writing, but not always.

FB`S PERSONAL EXPERIENCE:

I freelance on Investopedia. I have to tell you that even doing that is a bit like blogging.

You still have to grow a thick skin with all the nasty comments and emails that come through, but it is a bit more flexible than having a blog.

That being said, they probably never would have hired me had they not seen my blog to begin with, so it is a bit of a catch-22 to get the gig in the first place.

WRITE AN E-BOOK/GUIDE

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A lot of BLOGGERS do this once they have a successful blog in their niche, but who’s to say you can’t write your own e-book and just sell it?

E-Junkie allows you to market your book on other bloggers’ sites, by giving them a commission for every book they sell for you.

You can also sell your e-book on Amazon by doing the following:

  1. You own the copyright to the book and no one else (company or individual) does.
  2. You need an International Standard Book Number (ISBN). You can buy one online or multiple ISBNs.
  3. Start an account with MobiPocket and convert your ebook into their format
As for writing the e-book itself:
  • Find your target market: who are you writing for?
  • What do people want to read? What are their problems and your solution?
  • How are you going to market it? With a blog? Website? How will people trust your words?
  • If you blog, people will naturally want to read your book based on your blog
  • Reviews. You need big names to review your book so other people will buy it.
  • How are you going to sell it? Affiliate programs like E-Junkie, Amazon, direct?

Basically, you need to tell and teach people what they want to learn and read about. This is not as easy as it seems.

FB`S PERSONAL EXPERIENCE:

Nada. This is probably why I’m not an internet millionaire.

If I were to write a book, it’d probably be about money and/or minimalism, but I just feel like there’s SO MUCH information available already that I’d just be another small little voice in a sea of strong, super popular ones.

I guess I don’t see the value in being another person talking about personal finance, debt or living simply. *shrug*

I’m mulling over doing this but I don’t want to subject people to crap just because I don’t have a clear vision.

SELL YOUR STUFF

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Got stuff lying around? One person’s trash could be another person’s treasure.

Where you can sell stuff, and even gift cards you don’t want any more:

FB’S PERSONAL EXPERIENCE:

I wrote a post on how to do it properly: FB`S GUIDE TO SELLING ONLINE.

It takes time to photograph everything, write a description, handle the sales, package the items, ship it and follow up.

It`s a lot of setup in the beginning but it`s easy once everything is done.

MAKE STUFF AND SELL IT

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Are you a hands-on person? Make stuff and sell it.

This can be anything from baking (really, I`ve seen it), to crafts, clothing, jewellery, custom creations, shoes.. you name it.

If you can make it, you can sell it.

Places to sell your creations:

FB`S PERSONAL EXPERIENCE:

I am not crafty whatsoever, but I do enjoy buying things on Etsy. I appreciate that the people on there are independents and I really enjoy supporting artisans. Plus, the stuff is beautiful and rare in the sense that I generally don`t see anyone else wearing the same things as I do.

The only thing I am not keen on buying on Etsy is really the clothes. I know they are custom made to fit me, but I still feel uneasy without having tried any of it on beforehand.

Hence why I stick to things, rather than clothes. Just something to think about.

Speaking of blogs and websites, the very last way you can make money online is to start a blog.

HOW TO MAKE MONEY ONLINE: PART TWO (BLOGGING)

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About the Author

Just a girl trying to find a balance between being a Shopaholic and a Saver. I cleared $60,000 in 18 months earning $65,000 gross/year. Now I am self-employed, and you can read more about my story here, or visit my other blog: The Everyday Minimalist.