Ever since I quit my job, I’ve been looking for ways to generate some passive income. While I never want to go back to working in an office, it would be nice to know that I was making money without trying for the months that my workload is lighter than I would like it to be.
And while I haven’t solidified a passive revenue stream, I’ve found some ways to make extra cash when I need it.
1. Amazon Mechanical Turk
If you haven’t heard of this program, it’s essentially a virtual assistant task database. People and companies submit tasks and surveys you can complete for small fees. Depending on how much time you want to dedicate to completing tasks (as well as the types of tasks you accept) will determine the amount of money you’ll make.
The payments are deposited into an Amazon Payments account and you can then easily transfer it to your own bank.
2. Survey Sites
When it comes to survey sites, I’ve joined them all. Sometimes, the surveys aren’t worth the payoff. But other times, I just plow through surveys instead of mindless watching Netflix again.
The survey sites I’ve had the most success with are Survey Junkie, Inbox Dollars and Swagbucks. It really is a hit or miss source of income but if you dedicate some of your free time to completing the surveys it can definitely amount to money for groceries or maybe to treat yo’ self.
3. MyPoints
I’m putting MyPoints in a category of its own even though it is a site you can earn points for surveys. However, it’s so much more than that. Like Ebates, you can earn points (which convert to gift cards) by shopping, visiting websites, taking surveys and watching videos. They even offer monthly goal bonuses if you complete the tasks you commit to completing by the end of the month.
Once you’ve racked up enough points, you can redeem them for gift cards. Since I’m looking for more cash, I always cash my points in for PayPal gift cards.
4. Affiliate Marketing
While I’m not generating an income from affiliate links at the time I’m writing this post, I do have some accounts in place. When I talk about products, I insert a link using my affiliate code and hope that at some point, someone will want to buy the items. The affiliate links don’t cost you anything more to purchase through them but I earn a commission for any sales that my links drive. It’s an easy way to support bloggers, especially if you’re just going to buy those items anyway.
Currently, I’m all signed up for Amazon Affiliates but I’ll be looking into other sites once my blog starts generating more traffic.
5. Blogging
While I thoroughly enjoy writing, I started up my blog with ulterior motives. It’s not the easiest way to generate a passive income because blogging is hard work, but it is a profitable one if you do it right. Having a background in writing and digital marketing, I have the tools and understanding of what I need to do to get my blog off the ground. I just don’t have the motivation and drive to dedicate all my effort since I am spending the majority of my days in front of a computer for my clients. The screen fatigue is real when it comes to sitting down and furthering my own blogs and brands but it’s a necessary evil to push through until things start running on their own.
6. Influencer Marketing
As a micro-influencer, I’ve been offered compensation to post about products. Sometimes it is just a product but there are some brands that see the value in smaller influencers. This revenue stream isn’t steady or anything to brag about, but it is a huge motivator to put more effort into my Instagram game. I plan to talk more about this in a future post, so if you have any specific questions about influencer marketing, let me know!
The freelancer struggle is real. Some months are just naturally slower than others. Or you could be me now, complaining to anyone who will listen about how busy I am. I’m thankful for all the clients I’ve connected with and work I’ve gotten so far, but finding a way to generate a passive income will give me that peace of mind I’m currently lacking.
If you’ve got any other tips on alternative ways to make money, let me know in the comments!