As many workforces shift their focus from working in an office building to working from home, remote working opportunities are only expanding. However, for individuals with an entrepreneurial spirit who want to make some money from home for free, either on the side or without signing up for a full-time gig, there are still avenues to pursue.
By Caitlyn Moorhead
- Focus Groups
- Online Researcher
- Photography
- Social Media Consultant
- Transcribing
- Virtual Assistant
- Website Reviewer
- YouTube Channel
Free Money-Making Opportunities You Can Do From Home
You don’t have to worry about overhead with these side hustles, and you also will have no expenses on gas or time spent commuting with these ways to make some quick cash at home.
- Focus groups
- Online researcher
- Selling photos and photography
- Social media consultant
- Transcribe files
- Virtual assistant
- Website reviewer
- YouTube channel
1. Focus Groups
Online focus groups can pay their participants anywhere between $20 to $200 an hour. Participating in a focus group can greatly range in responsibility, and the pay reflects the varying degrees of difficulty. Whether you are filling out surveys, doing market research or answering questions about a product, participating in online focus groups can be a great way to make some extra cash as companies are always looking for feedback.
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2. Online Researcher
If you are good at Googling, consider that many companies will pay you to find reliable sources and information for them in varying fields. Doing web deep dives now can now be accompanied by a paycheck. Here are examples of companies that consistently hire online researchers:
- 10EQS
- Boston Scientific
- Chainlink Labs
- CrowdStrike
- Edmentum
- Humana
- Parexel
- Robert Half International
- Twilio
- Wonder
3. Selling Photos and Photography
If you are someone who has a healthy arsenal of photos you have stockpiled, you can sell them as stock images to companies. Anytime someone downloads your image from the company you would earn a small commission. Here are a few examples of websites where you can sell your photos:
- 500px
- Alamy
- Adobe Stock
- Burst
- Etsy
- Getty Images
- iStock
- Shutterstock
- Stocksy
- Zenfolio
Being a photographer is an ideal freelance job to get paid under the table and you can make, on average, around $18.73 an hour depending on the gig. Weddings, family photoshoots and parties are fertile ground for photographers and are events where the hirers can easily pay in cash. Though for some aspects you may have to leave your home, you can also set up a studio in your house and use the equipment you already own for jobs such as corporate headshots or family photos.
4. Social Media Consultant
Social media is a must for any business to have, and just because companies have to have a social media presence, does not mean they know how to successfully operate their accounts. If you have social media savvy and know how to gain followers, you could loan out your skills to companies in a consulting capacity. It’s pretty straightforward to promote yourself as your own profile serves as your portfolio. Expertise in the following platforms goes a long way:
- Snapchat
- TikTok
- Tumblr
- YouTube
5. Transcribe Files
Medical transcriptionists transcribe and type up the medical reports of physicians and other healthcare practitioners and can make around $34,220 annually. This position is well suited to those with typing skills and some knowledge of medical terminology. Transcribing is essentially just writing down and recording what has been dictated to you for filing purposes.
There are also many other transcribing opportunities with audio and video files in other fields. Many companies prefer a human to artificial intelligence to accurately transcribe videos and speech files into text in a part-time or freelance capacity.
6. Virtual Assistant
Virtual assistants or virtual administrative assistants tend to average an annual salary of $66,870. This position operates as high-level support for businesses or business heads. They organize schedules, meetings, and conference calls and correspond through phones and emails. The expansion of technology with all avenues of communication allows this position to now be worked remotely. It’s office work without the office.
7. Website Reviewer
A quick and easy way to get some extra money for free is to review websites or apps for various companies. Many sites pay in cash or merchandise to review products, give testimonials or critique the user experience of the website or app itself. Here are examples of places that pay you to review products:
- American Consumer Opinion
- BetaTesting
- Harris Poll Online
- Homescan
- McCormick & Company
- Pinecone Research
- Review Stream
- Testbirds
- TryMyUI
- UserTesting
8. YouTube Channel
YouTube is a great platform to grow some extra cash. You can set up your free account through your Google account and start a channel under your name. Here you can do anything from skits to tutorials but it does help to find your own niche and focus on it. In order to make money you need to have an audience and gain followers which adds up to more views. Here is how you can monetize your channel:
- Gain at least 1,000 subscribers
- Run ads on your channel
- Partner with brands to get sponsorships or sponsored content
- Become an affiliate.
Final Take
In today’s economy any income, whether it is a full-time job or a side-hustle gig, is welcome. There are many avenues to pursue when chasing down your next dollar, and for many of them, you don’t need to leave your home.
Data is accurate as of Jan. 3, 2023, and is subject to change.
How can I make $300 a day from home?
Here are some examples of where you can make $300 a day from home:
Become a YouTube ads partner
Buy and sell websites
Create online courses
Freelance writing
Resell stuff online
How can I make $100 at home today?
Here are some examples of where you can make $100 a day from home:
Get paid to play games online
Take part in online research
Take surveys for companies
Secret shopping
Watch videos online
What are real ways to make money from home?
Some of the best areas to start looking into for making money from home are the following:
Focus groups
Online researcher
Selling photos and photography
Social media consultant
Transcribe files
Virtual assistant
Website reviewer
YouTube channel
Here are some examples of where you can make $300 a day from home:
Become a YouTube ads partner
Buy and sell websites
Create online courses
Freelance writing
Resell stuff online
Become a YouTube ads partner
Buy and sell websites
Create online courses
Freelance writing
Resell stuff online
Here are some examples of where you can make $100 a day from home:
Get paid to play games online
Take part in online research
Take surveys for companies
Secret shopping
Watch videos online
Get paid to play games online
Take part in online research
Take surveys for companies
Secret shopping
Watch videos online
Some of the best areas to start looking into for making money from home are the following:
Focus groups
Online researcher
Selling photos and photography
Social media consultant
Transcribe files
Virtual assistant
Website reviewer
YouTube channel
Gigworker. 2022.
“8 Paid Focus Group Opportunities to Make Money Online.”
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
“U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "
