If you want to start a side hustle or just make a few extra dollars, the idea of marketing yourself on social media might feel overwhelming. Social media is cluttered, competitive, and can be expensive for even well-established small businesses to buy ads and build an audience. What if you just want to make money online without all the extra hassle?
Fortunately, there are many ways to make money online — and put extra cash in your savings account — without social media. Let’s look at a few!
1. Make money by doing online surveys
Have you ever gotten strange-looking texts or voicemails from companies claiming to be recruiting for a focus group? Some of those messages are legit! Market research is a big industry that helps companies learn about what people want to buy and how people feel about their products. You can make money online by taking market research surveys. Check out sites like Survey Junkie and Swagbucks.
Taking online surveys is not a huge money maker, but it could be worth your time. Swagbucks data says that the typical online survey might pay people $0.25 to $5 each to complete, and many survey-takers can make $50 to $250 per month, or $600 to $3,000 per year! Wouldn’t it be great to have a few extra thousand dollars in the bank or your brokerage account, just from the time you spend on your phone?
2. Do online “jury duty” for mock trials
Most people don’t love the idea of getting called for jury duty because it can disrupt your schedule for weeks and might not pay much money. But what if you could make money working from home as an online “juror” for mock trials? Similarly to online surveys, there are websites (eJury and OnlineVerdict are two examples) that hire people to serve as virtual jurors to provide feedback for actual legal cases.
Attorneys often want to get feedback from real people before a case goes to court. You don’t have to be a legal expert to be a virtual juror, and your feedback does not have any legally binding results. It’s like serving on a jury consulting focus group — you help the parties to a lawsuit decide if they have a strong enough case to proceed to trial. OnlineVerdict says that its jurors typically earn $30 to $350 per case.
3. Sign up with Rover to walk dogs or care for pets
There is strong demand for pet care, and many people in your neighborhood might need your help with walking dogs, hosting pets for daycare or overnight boarding, and other pet services. If you’re an animal lover, you can start a pet care side hustle paying $17 to $43 or more — and you might find plenty of clients just by signing up for platforms like Rover, without marketing yourself on social media.
4. Make money with online tutoring and sharing expertise
People all over the world are trying to learn English — and they’re willing to spend money to learn from native English speakers. My first job out of college was teaching English in Japan. Today, Americans who love to meet people from other countries and cultures can make money online by teaching English. Preply is an online tutoring site where people can connect with tutors — it says that English tutors on Preply charge about $15 to $25 per hour.
Do you have special expertise in a certain profession or industry? If so, you can make money online by sharing your knowledge at JustAnswer (justanswer.com). This site connects verified experts like doctors, veterinarians, lawyers, accountants, mechanics, home improvement contractors, and tech support professionals with people who need urgent answers to real-life questions — and you get paid for answering questions. Make money online within the JustAnswer website — no social media required.
5. Do online freelance work
There are many helpful freelance job sites and talent platforms, like Fiverr, FlexJobs, Freelancer.com, and Upwork, where you can find freelance gigs and meet new clients — without having to spend time and money on social media.
If you have the right freelance skills, like graphic design, software development, web design, copywriting, proofreading, project management, or other relevant expertise, you can make money online as a freelancer. And if you hustle hard and choose the right freelance job sites that work well for you, you might find plenty of freelance clients within the talent platforms, without using social media marketing.
Bottom line
Social media marketing can be one of the most time-consuming parts of running a small business. Fortunately, there are good ways to make money online without social media. Whether you want to make a few hundred dollars per month or thousands of dollars per year, there are opportunities to start a side hustle without the hassles and expenses of social media.
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