There aren't really that many ways to make money on the internet, is there?

[Silver7]

I mean beta reading, editing books, being a commission artist, ghost writing and making youtube videos are the main ways internet users make money, am I write?

I tried doing the paid survey thing online but it didn't work out, I'm not looking for ways to make lots of money at once but I was hoping that there would be many different ways I could earn something small like even just $5 or $8 USD. If I could keep on earning small amounts it would build up over time, so that's my goal but I mean if there's a way for me to earn up to $100 USD or more, then I would definitely take that route as well.

Also note, when I say ways to make money on the internet, I'm not talking about doing the kind of business online where you would need special skills, I'm talking about doing things anybody can do online to make a little money. I mentioned surveys earlier, I tried doing it and the survey websites won't grant a access because of the country I'm currently in.

What are your thoughts?

[Chocolate]

Have you tried illustrating a children’s story for either a publisher or self-publishing on Amazon? I heard they do extremely well! I’ve never tried it but I might based on hearing the stats from other creators.

[DasIstWunderblyat]

Try scamming people too

[thecrystalrook]

There are plenty of ways, but you need to be able to build a following nowadays. Twitch streaming can become a good source if you can create content that people want to watch.

[ButterflyEmpress]

Ugh... that survey thing is such a headache. You waste your time filing out the 1st few parts of the form only to get kicked out because you weren't what the demographic they were looking for. I tried to lie, but that didn't work either. Or the survey has enough participants which makes me wonder why'd they leave it up.

I've been using QMee for the past 10 years and have yet to complete a single survey. The only way I've made any money from them is randomly from search engines. Sometimes a bunch of links will pop up that has money attached if you click them so I'd click a link, go back, and click the others 'til they disappear. I'd just look up things like "Men's Swimwear" and it'll activate, but not always. So far I've only made $12 so it's pretty slow

[bulgariansumo]

A few years ago, I was able to make roughly $100 a week doing transcription work through Rev, but jobs dried up during the holiday season and never really came back. You miiiight still be able earn $10 USD a week. I think you have to be at least 18 to sign up, though.

[darthmongoose]

There are plenty of ways to make money on the internet, but you need to input a lot of time upfront and build up a strong base of varied income streams, so it won't just happen overnight. You also need a website and you need to be easy for non-artists/writers to find and commission you. Advertising in the right places using SEO-friendly wording makes a huge difference.

Things I've done that have made pretty great money online:

D&D content. I made a D&D character class called the Spellbinder and sell it on the Dungeon Master's Guild. It's made me thousands of pounds over the years. When it was new, it was bringing in a solid $200 or so a month. It took a lot of work, but then once it was done, it became a solid passive income stream.
Side note: If it wasn't US-only, I'd totally sell assets for Roll20 as well, there's so much money to be made making tokens and maps for that.

Portrait commissions, book covers and Tabletop RPG character portraits. If you can't find art commissions, either your art still needs some development and polish, or you're looking in the wrong places. A common issue I see is people advertising commissions in places where artists hang out, instead of places where people who can't draw but would want art hang out. Honestly, almost anyone can be made to want art if you show them a nice portrait of somebody. Who doesn't want a cute drawing of themselves for their social media avatar!?

Unity/Unreal Engine Asset packs. If you have a little basic skill with 3D modelling or animation, or even things like voice acting, you can churn out a ton of this sort of thing. If you can find a niche in terms of style or subject, you're set.

Comics: Yes, comics. If you make a comic that's got polished presentation and where each update delivers something engaging, and you have a patreon, you can make money. Errant isn't a massive earner, but it's growing, and it's still made me a couple of thousand pounds so far, which is a solid side income stream.
The problem a lot of people have is that they want their comics to be purely self-expression and to never have to change anything for their audience...but they also want their audience to support it as if it was made for them. The secret to making money off a comic, is you have to go in with the aim of entertaining your audience, even if you're also being entertained. Make it nicely presented, make it easy to find, give it a punchy story hook and give it a core concept with appeal; either broad appeal or very strong niche appeal. It's the same with novels.

[moontokkym]

I mean, the problem is basically in the question :

Also note, when I say ways to make money on the internet, I'm not talking about doing the kind of business online where you would need special skills, I'm talking about doing things anybody can do online to make a little money.

It sounds like you want to make money with no marketable skills and little input/effort on your part doing something that litteraly anyone can do... All the jobs you listed at the outset require special skills. Competition on the internet is brutal even when we're talking about specialist skills because you're competing with every other person who has that skill in the world... And you're trying to compete with basically everyone on earth with access to a computer.

To get any money on the internet you either have to work a hell of a lot either learning skills or marketing yourself (usually both) OR scamming people doing MLM stuff or get rich quick schemes (which are also a bad idea because most people who try those end up getting scammed out of money themselves). The only easy money to be had is if you own stuff that people want that you can rent out, and that's far from an option for most people.

[darthmongoose]

Yeah, Moontokkym is right on the money (lol, literally).

Making content or offering people services they actually want, and then putting it in a place where it's easy to find, and presenting it in a way that looks reassuringly professional is so very important, and the easier to do or create the thing you're trying to sell is, the higher the odds that somebody else will have thought to do it.

It's vital to either: Offer a thing other people aren't offering, OR to offer that thing but to advertise it somewhere nobody else thought to but has a big potential market, OR to offer that thing but with better value, either because you do it better or because you do it cheaper or faster.
Some people manage to make a living while being utterly mediocre at what they do, but have found a nice little niche they can advertise to, or they can offer prices other people just couldn't because they live somewhere with a low living cost, or their work is actually pretty shoddy, but their marketing looks so professional, with a great logo and a website with nice design and a google-friendly name and wording, everyone gets a great first impression and chooses to use their services or buy their products.

As an example, being an artist who knows about rock climbing has got me work in the past, because I can draw cartoons with accurate rock climbing gear in styles that will appeal to climbers, and climbers know where to find me. I might be the only pro cartoonist they know, so picking me is easier than trawling online for a cartoonist they might not know. Use your secondary skills and interests, or things like your community or languages you speak to your advantage. In that field, I don't need to be the best artist, I just need to be roughly pro standard and easy to get hold of.

But with comics or games art, it's a lot harder to compete because I'm in a place where people can see they have a lot of choice, and a lot of it is really good. In these cases, I'd only describe the quality of my artwork work compared to other people's as "decent", I'm not the world's top artist, so while I am always striving to improve, I focus on the areas where I do have a leg-up, like humour and storytelling, and the consistency and flexibility of my output. Then I have to take my presentation very seriously on top of that. Having a reputation for being reliable and easy to work with helps for getting jobs, and having really polished and carefully designed presentation on my comics helps me get readers, Tapas features etc.

If you want to do pro creative work, learning some basic design is definitely worth it as a general tip for everyone.

[nofacedrawer]

If your art is popular enough you can try to be a publisher on sites like Comicad Network (based on the defunct project wonderful), still, it wont make you rich
It's hard to make money with art, I, myself never won more than a few bucks with it.

If you are just starting, writing wont take you very far, it's near to impossible to get popular with letters alone, you need to be able to produce god like art to get people's attention, still, not many people can do that kind of art, so, your odds aren't good my friend

[thepenmonster]

How much skin are you willing to show?

[LunarScyphozoa]

Hopefully not much in that way since I get the impression op is a minor.

[river121693]

One of my good online hustle is grading grade State exams and SAT. Even with this job tho, I needed to pass an interview and have good experience and credentials. You have to remember that theres no such thing as a job that doesn't require skills or experience because you are not only trying to get the job but also compete with more experienced folks. If you don't have marketable skills, you won't get picked.

Another route you could try that others have suggested is to invest in your own online business--I have friends who sell jewelry and 3D printed toys on pinterest. It's no easier, and its only a side hustle for all of them, but you will be reliant on yourself rather than being picked by a company.

Is there a reason you can't get a job IRL btw? If you're a minor or have 0 experience, its probably way easier to find work irl than online. Plus the job experience and connection is much more valuable for career building than doing surveys.

[PaytonButler]

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