Ways to earn money from home, How To Earn Extra Money at Home: 10 Ideas

The internet is full of ways people can make money from home. Here are some of the best ways to earn extra income remotely.

Looking for a way to make extra money from home? Whether you’re a student, a caregiver, or just have some free time, you can make extra money from home with an online job. Think about your current skills and experience and how you can monetize them.

As a freelancer, you can choose when you work. Work when you can and take on projects that are convenient for you. Once you start building your reputation and client list, you might even be able to turn one of these side hustles into your full-time job.

If you’re looking for ways to make extra money, here are some ideas you can start using right now:

1. Start a blog

2. Take surveys

3. Test websites and apps

4. Become a private tutor

5. Consider freelancing

6. Become a virtual assistant

7. Help brands with their marketing

8. Become a copywriter

9. Work as a data entry specialist

10. Start an online business

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Successful bloggers choose a niche and create content around that specific topic. Ideally, you’ll position yourself as an expert on that topic and write useful blog posts that will rank high in search engines. Think about what’s trending and what topics you know a lot about and are passionate about.

On your blog, you can primarily write articles like recipes and product reviews or branch out into different types of content, including videos and images. You can also promote your blog on social media channels like Instagram or YouTube to help grow your audience.

All you need to start a blog is a platform and engaging content. The great thing about blogging is that once you have a website, the main cost is the time it takes to create content. Blogging can be a fun hobby and a creative outlet that can earn you extra income over time.

If you need help setting up your website, you can shop Project CatalogTM and find a freelancer to create your blog that works within your budget.

As a blogger, if you can get enough traffic to your website, you can make money as an affiliate partner or advertiser. Affiliate partners get a commission for each sale they make, either a flat fee or a percentage.

Let’s say you have a blog about fitness. A yoga company might want to work with you as an affiliate to promote their equipment. You can earn 10% commission on each sale from your blog link (or personal code).

If you’re passionate about freelancing, you can join Upwork’s affiliate program. As an Upwork affiliate, you earn 70% of the first deal (up to $150) for every new client you refer to the platform. You’ll also earn a 5% commission on recurring deals (up to $150).

Advertising platforms like Google AdSense look for high-traffic websites to advertise on. You can work with Google AdSense and pay a flat fee (often a few cents per click) to host an ad. This can add up quickly if your blog has thousands of daily or weekly users.

Companies create surveys for market research that are looking for honest feedback. Survey responses can determine which product to launch next or which brand slogan to use. Survey administrators want the highest quality participants they can get so that the data is more accurate.

If you fall into the survey’s target demographic, you may be able to get paid to take surveys from home. Some surveys may be short, with just a few multiple-choice questions, while others are longer and require written responses.

To take a survey, you need to meet the survey audience requirements. The survey may have specific eligibility criteria. Generally, no special skills or training are required to take a survey.

Many survey sites pay participants in points that can be redeemed for a gift card to your favorite store, a regular Visa gift card, or loaded into your PayPal account. Two popular sites for taking surveys are MyPoints and Swagbucks.

When you complete surveys on MyPoints, you earn points. Each point is worth about $0.06. Most surveys are worth between 50 and 100 points, which works out to between $3 and $6 per survey.

Swagbuck participants earn Swagbucks (SB). Every 100 SB is equal to one dollar. Most surveys pay between $0.05-$2.50.

You can find survey jobs on Upwork; some are longer and more involved and can pay $5 or $10 per survey.

Before releasing a new website or app to the public, companies hire beta testers. As a tester, you explore the website, app, or even a video game to make sure it’s ready for release. The company may ask you to document any bugs you encounter and provide feedback at the end. Testing apps, websites, and games can be a fun side gig for tech-savvy individuals.

Beta testing can have varying levels of involvement. An app company might need testers to download their new app and test the login process. Before releasing a video game, a gaming company may want to have experienced testers spend hours playing the game and documenting bugs, errors, and their likes and dislikes.

All you need to become a tester is the right hardware and software. Know what computer and phone you have and make sure you have the latest software updates. App, game, and web testers typically want to test their software on a variety of devices, from iOS to Android and from PC to Mac.

Testing an app or website pays an average of $5-25/hour on Upwork.

Check out what mobile app and game testing jobs are currently available on Upwork.

If you have knowledge in a specific subject, you can earn extra income as a private tutor. Consider whether you are comfortable teaching others. It could be a school subject like algebra, a test like the SAT, or even a specific software like Photoshop. Working as a tutor is a great gig for college students, helping them strengthen their understanding of the material while teaching others.

Tutoring is a job you can do outside of your 9-5 routine or even from home on the weekends. As a private tutor, you can provide ongoing weekly services to students who are struggling with a specific subject or are preparing for a one-time exam. Parents often hire tutors to help with homework and test preparation.

Tutors need to be subject matter experts and be able to communicate and explain concepts. A degree in the subject is a bonus, but not always necessary, as long as you can demonstrate your knowledge and skills. You can become certified by the Association of Coaching and Tutoring Professions or the National Tutoring Association.

Online tutors earn an average of $20-45/hour on Upwork, but it depends on experience and the specific subject.

See what online tutoring jobs are available on Upwork right now.

In 2022, according to an Upwork survey, 39% of workers had freelanced in the past year. Freelancing has become a popular alternative to being a 9-5 worker. As a freelancer, you can work from home and set your schedule based on which projects and clients you say yes to.

Upwork clients look for freelancers with a variety of talents. The most successful freelancers choose a niche and then work to build their reputation, positioning themselves as experts. Think about your skills and how you can market them to their clients.

If you want to start freelancing, all you need to do is create your Upwork profile and portfolio. Browse open jobs on the Talent MarketplaceTM and submit job offers that interest you. A client who likes your proposal may invite you to interview for a job. You can also create fixed-price pre-scoped services in the Project CatalogTM to offer to clients.

As a freelancer, you can set your rates and choose which projects you want to submit offers for. What you make as a freelancer depends on a variety of factors, such as your niche, years of experience, and specific skill sets. Check out our hourly rate guide to check averages for different categories and skills.

See what freelance job clients are posting on Upwork right now.

Ways to earn money from home, Businesses and organizations across a variety of industries hire virtual assistants to help with administrative tasks. As a virtual assistant, you can gain experience working in a corporate environment and develop your skills in areas such as human resources and marketing.

Being a virtual assistant is a great side hustle for steady work. These jobs often offer part-time and ongoing support.

If you want to specialize in virtual assistance, such as social media or bookkeeping, you’ll need to take courses and earn a certification. Working as a virtual assistant is usually an entry-level position that you can do with basic computer skills and learn on the job. As you build your virtual assistant skills, you can offer your clients more services.

Virtual assistants on Upwork earn an average of $18-35/hour, depending on skills and experience.

Check out what virtual assistant jobs are available on Upwork right now.

Ways to earn money from home, Marketing is a demanding job that you can do from home, even if you’re working to develop your skills and build your reputation. Brands hire independent professionals to help with digital marketing—how they reach their customers online.

Each brand may have a different marketing strategy depending on their goals. One brand may focus on sales, needing marketing campaigns that generate conversions or leads. Another brand may want to increase awareness, letting customers know who they are and what they do through messaging and content.

Marketing is a broad term, and while you can find a full-time job as a marketing manager, you can freelance as a digital marketer and specialize in something more specific to make money.

While you can earn a degree in marketing or advertising, it’s not always necessary. If you want to work in marketing to make money, you can get relevant certifications and start gaining experience and building your portfolio.

The amount you can earn working in marketing depends on your skills, experience, and niche. On average, marketers on Upwork earn $25-45/hour.

See what marketing jobs clients are posting on Upwork right now.

If you’re a talented writer, you may be able to make money as a copywriter. Brands and organizations need writers who sell and persuade through copy. Compared to other types of writing, like content writing, copywriters typically focus on sales-driven copy with clear calls to action (CTAs).

The main focus areas of copywriting are branding, social media, and advertising. You might find yourself writing social media captions, ad copy, or an SEO landing page. Companies hire copywriters throughout their organizations to help them create the content they need.

If you want to get a job as a copywriter, you need to have strong writing and editing skills. You may have limited characters or space to create copy that drives action. Your final copy should be error-free and always on-brand, following your client’s brief or instructions. Copywriters should have knowledge of best practices for social media, advertising, and SEO content.

On Upwork, copywriters earn an average of $19-45/hour.

See what copywriting jobs are available on Upwork right now.

Ways to earn money from home, Companies need help managing and organizing their data. As a data entry clerk or specialist, you work with spreadsheets or databases, adding data, and checking for accuracy. Clients in a variety of industries hire data entry specialists to input customer data, check for any inconsistencies, and run reports as needed.

A data entry specialist is a skill-driven job that typically doesn’t require a degree or specific certification. As a data entry specialist, you should demonstrate excellent attention to detail, fast and accurate typing speed, and the ability to work with spreadsheets, text documents, and new database software when needed.

Data entry specialists on Upwork make an average of $10-20/hour.

See what data entry jobs Upwork clients are posting right now.

Do you have a craft or hobby that you can use to make extra money? Starting a business and selling products or services to customers and clients can be a great way to earn extra income. You could have an e-commerce site and sell products or offer an online service like travel planning.

Once you have an idea, you need to decide which platform you will use to sell your product or service. You can create your own business website or use an e-commerce site like Etsy to market and sell your products. If you want to serve clients directly, create a profile on Upwork and bid on projects that fit your skills.

All you need is an idea and a business plan. First, figure out what product or service you want to sell. Next, you need to decide where you will sell it, whether it’s a business website or a marketplace like Etsy or Upwork. Once you have your business model, it’s all about marketing and getting clients.

The amount of money you can make depends on your business. If you’re selling a product, you need to calculate your profit margin (how much it costs to produce it minus how much you sell it for). When selling a service, if you don’t charge an hourly rate, divide the total cost by the time it takes to complete the task to figure out your hourly earnings.

Upwork is the world’s job marketplace, where clients from all over the world go to find the help they need from independent professionals. Once you’ve created your profile, you can start bidding on jobs on the talent marketplace that match your current skill set.

Every job you do helps build your reputation, earning you more client feedback. As an independent professional, you choose which jobs to bid on and interview for. You can earn extra money from home, working hours and projects that suit you.