Six online side-hustle ideas to make money

Today’s highly digital economy has made the job market very competitive. But it also means that you don’t have to wait for a layoff to look for a remote job. There are enough opportunities to find and develop such an option as a side-hustle right away.

While some people engage in side-hustles to earn money, others do it to follow their passion or gain experience in a field they would like to pursue in the future, to ensure a seamless transition. Whatever the reasons, you just have to spare a few hours every day to make some extra bucks through an online side job. Here are 6 online side-hustle ideas that you can take up along with your 9-to-5 work setup.

1) Online tutoring: There is a vast audience that wants to learn something or the other. So online tutoring is an extremely versatile side-hustle. You can teach subjects like maths, English or economics to school students or simply offer expert classes on cooking, visual content creation, writing or art. There are enough opportunities to teach hard and soft skills, too. You don’t have to devote many hours; one or two hours per subject should suffice. 

And there is no need for any capital investment as you just need a phone or a laptop to take classes. With time, you can also make this a permanent business and grow the audience online.

2) Freelance writing: Freelance writing is undoubtedly the most commonly preferred online side-hustle. As a writer, you get the flexibility to write blogs, well-researched articles, scripts or crisp short-form content for businesses, media houses or creative agencies. You can get paid per piece or monthly, depending on the need. Plus, with the availability of platforms like Freelance, Fiverr and Upwork, you can also work on international projects that pay really well. 

Along with writing, if you are a grammar Nazi or like to simply refine content, you can also operate as a freelance editor and fill positions as a book editor, managing editor or editor-in-chief.

3) Affiliate marketing – Another highly lucrative online side-hustle is affiliate marketing. Here, individuals have to promote the products and services of a company and they receive a commission for each sale. To get started, you have to join an affiliate programme offered by platforms such as Amazon and Flipkart. Pick a specific product or service that you wish to endorse. Then you just have to incorporate the affiliate link in the content you generate to drive sales. 

This can be through a blog post, product review or social media post. Every time a person clicks on that link and makes a purchase, you receive a commission.

4) Social media influencing – In the current age of Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn, having a strong presence on social media platforms can be leveraged to earn a significant amount of cash. Brands these days are on the hunt for micro-influencers who are ready to collaborate to promote their products and services.

 To succeed in this side-hustle, you need to first choose an area that aligns with your interest — such as fashion, beauty, food, career advice or finance — and then create high-quality, engaging content to seek the right audience. To monetise your influence on social media, you can generate sponsored posts, earn a commission through affiliate links, and engage in long-term partnerships with brands. Along with brands, social media platforms also start paying for every post once you have a substantial number of followers.

5) Graphic designing – A highly in-demand side-hustle in India at the moment is graphic designing. You can work on a contractual or freelance basis to create logos for startups and businesses, design engaging materials for social media platforms, and develop user interfaces for websites and mobile-based apps. Individuals can also produce posters, flyers, brochures and other materials for a multitude of clients, depending on the level of designing skills. 

To find the right clients, individuals should sign up on freelance platforms or promote their services on their own social media handles.

6) Stock photography – If your phone’s gallery is stuffed with pictures of sunsets, trees, dogs, travel destinations, candid shots of everyday life, or anything that looks visually appealing, you might have the skills to become a photographer. All you have to do is pick a niche — food and drinks, nature and travel, business and technology, lifestyle or people.

 Shoot good-looking pictures of these subjects and upload them on stock photo websites from where businesses/individuals can purchase and pay for each picture. Shutterstock, GettyImages and Adobe Stock are websites where you can sell the pictures.