How to Make Money Online? With 5 Real Examples

Looking how to make money online? You can start earning an income from the comfort of your own home! Learn how to make money online to be your own boss, and I share with you 5 real examples on how I make money on the internet. 

My Experience

This is a common question I get asked, and it’s something I briefly mentioned on my FAQ page but here I will get into more detail. Most bloggers start with Google AdWords installed on their site because I think it’s the easiest to have, but unless you’re not making substantial traffic it won’t make you much.

You need to think outside the box. There are many other resources that you can start implementing, and if you get consistent enough with a great niche you should start seeing results.

Keep in mind that if you’re new to blogging there’s a lot into it. If you enjoy writing, you have a blog name, and you know exactly what your blog niche is about then you’re good to go. Now you need to consider the time needed to write a blog post. Think about the blog post title, are you going to schedule it?, prepare any images you’re going to include, is your image Pinterest-friendly? and all this work takes time. From my understanding blog posts with over 1,000 words, and posting three times a week for over 6 months will rank you better. This means each blog post provides a lot of value to the person who’s reading it, and it’s well written. I haven’t reached this level yet because I do blogging on and off.

The way I’m currently managing to blog is to bulk schedule. This means in one day I work for around six hours to create four blog posts. This way I have two blog posts for this, and next week. Tomorrow I will spend a few hours filming a couple of videos. On another day I will spend a few hours finishing my two eBooks. And so on. Each day I work on something different so for me, it’s like having a part-time job I can do from home. I don’t let social media distract me, and I check emails once or twice a day so they don’t accumulate.

All of this is part of managing your time very well and applying the following resources to your blog, Instagram, and/or YouTube income.

So these are some other great ways to make some side income or eventually make it into your full-time job!

1. Amazon Associates Program

I believe this is the first affiliate marking program I joined because I heard everyone online talk about it. For me, it was so easy to join. This was a long time ago so I believe it took me either days or a couple of weeks to be accepted. I’ve read that for some it might take months but that might have changed.

So what is Amazon Associates? Basically, it means that if you recommend a product you will get a commission back. You can recommend anything Amazon has to offer like beauty products, clothes, technology, books, toys, and much more. I’ve read about people who have specific blog niches, and this is how they make a full-time income!

A lot of people already buy from Amazon, and many buyers have the One-Click option so people really trust this site. And if you already put a lot of time working from home this is a great way to make some income. Amazon offers small percentages depending on the category. They have different percentages for jewelry, clothes, beauty, and so on. You can incorporate the Amazon affiliate links on your blog posts, Instagram stories swipe-up feature, and in the description of your YouTube videos.

Keep in mind that in order to start seeing results you need to start building a following, and be consistent. This also means you only share products you really like and use which offers transparency to your followers. Other people offer detailed reviews for products they see online.

Other major affiliate programs that I use are ShareASale, RakutenRakuten, and Awin.

This is my Ebates lifetime cash back.

3. ShopStyle Collective

If you’re into fashion/style and sharing outfits then ShopStyle is your way to go. I love using ShopStyle Collective because it’s so easy to use. In the beginning, it might seem intimidating, but once you get the hang of it you will know how to use it in no time.

If you are someone that likes taking outfit photos you need this site in your life! You basically tag the clothing pieces you’re wearing, and if someone buys anything you make a commission. This website is so handy to use on your blog, share a link on Instagram stories if you want to share about a sale, share it on your Facebook page, Twitter, basically wherever.

Another similar site is RewardStyle. I went with ShopStyle because they easily accepted my application. I never heard back from RewardStyle. RewardStyle is pickier about who they accept, so you better impress them with your super nice Instagram feed!

Real example:
You can see how I used the ShopStyle Collective widget on this blog post: Black & White Striped Romper Outfit (I placed the widget at the bottom of the blog post. Each clickable product image has a heart underneath). In this post, you can see I added each product you see in the photos like the romper I’m wearing, the sunglasses I have, the bracelet, and the vegan nail polish I had (which by the way I enjoyed working with them!), similar sandals I found, and jewelry. So basically you can add about anything you are wearing. You can add the exact same pieces or similar items you find. Here’s another example with a different outfit.

4. YouTube 

The fourth way you can make money online is through YouTube! I’m sure most of you already know this. YouTube is kind of like blogging in the sense that it works like SEO (search engine optimization). If you are comfortable in front of the camera, and you already have a niche then you’re good to go. But I’ve also seen some successful accounts where they never show their face and have been able to make it too. Like people who share nail polish designs, do toy reviews and revamp old machinery, and nobody knows who they are. So the possibilities are endless.

Once you have your YouTube account, make sure to apply for Monetization. This will be in the settings of your YouTube account. YouTube’s monetization is connected to Google Adsense. Google Adsense will pay for your ads on your blog, and videos.

Again, with like any of these methods to make money online you won’t see a real difference until you put the time and effort into your niche/brand. The channels that do well are the ones that share consistent, valuable content. Two or three videos per week are recommended. Google considers these accounts more serious and therefore recommends these videos to more viewers.

I already make a side income from my channel but I know I can do better once I incorporate more videos into my schedule.

Also, keep in mind all the work that is needed to put a video together. Set up the camera on a tripod, and set up lighting, are you going to include close-up shots?, is it a review type of video, is it a recipe video (these take longer to produce if you need to constantly move the camera around), plan an outfit to wear, if you’re a female also think about your hair & makeup, do your own video editing, update the video description box, share on social media. Creating videos to share takes time.

Real example:
My most popular videos provide me with a small steady income each month. My channel was doing so much better when I was consistent, and posting once or twice per week.

5. Sponsored Posts 

The fifth and last way to make money online is through brand collaborations. I get emails almost daily from brands that want to work with me. This means a brand will send you a product/s for you to review, and share on social media platforms.

The reality is a lot of these brands want to send you a product without paying you. In the beginning, I think it was fine to accept products without being compensated, and while growing your accounts.

I’m at a point where I have a good idea of what to charge, but you always want to ask the brand first what is their budget. For example, I’m going with a low number example but if they offer $50, negotiate for $60 or $70. It’s a numbers game. Sometimes they might offer more than what you had in mind, and some will undervalue your work. It also depends on how big the brand is. If it’s a huge brand I would take the opportunity no matter what. But if it’s a smaller brand I want to be compensated for my time.

A rule of thumb for Instagram is that you can charge about $25 for every 1K followers you have. If you have 2K you can charge $50, about $75 for 3K, and so on. But brands also want to see if their followers are real. Are your followers engaging with your content? Are they liking and commenting? Brands look into all of this.

Bonus: Once you start negotiating with brands you will start feeling more comfortable, and you will have a better idea of what to charge for blog posts, videos, etc. Negotiating with brands makes you feel more comfortable negotiating for other things too. Now I’m at a point where if I go to a job interview I like to negotiate my hourly rate, I let them know why I think I deserve the pay I would like. Something I felt intimidated to do before.

Real example:
You can see some of the brands I have worked with on my Press page. I also recommend you have a Press page ready (kind of like a portfolio) so brands can see your past work. I also share with brands What I Offer for Instagram, and my Testimonials page with satisfied brands I have worked with.

Wow, this has taken me a long time to put together! (I’ve been writing for a couple of hours hah!) I really hope you find some value in this, and that it’s been helpful to give you more insight into the blogging / YouTube / Instagram world. Thanks for reading, and until the next blog post! Have a great day :))

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