Anyone who’s seen the movie Nerve would agree that there are unlimited ways to make some extra funds, we are only constrained by our imagination. In the vast and unlimited space that is the internet, the possibilities are stretching and stretching, opening up new frontiers to what can be accomplished via our virtual real estate.
With zero costs required for entry, level playing ground, unique skills, or in some cases, requiring no skill at all, and lots of resources to acquire knowledge, there are no limitations to what you can access online as well as ideas we could come up with. So it could be as simple as picking up on a distinct idea, gain a loyal following of visitors and readers, and you could be on your way to regularly bankrolling your bank account.
Below are some non-conventional ways you could put additional money in your pocket.
1. Apps that earn You money
Smartphone users do have unlimited access to the apps stores, with millions of apps available for download. With most of these apps going for the price of free (with in-app purchases included), users can download an unlimited number of apps, just for the kick of seeing what these apps can do. And if any of these apps serves their interest, they could opt for the paid option.
However, what if, rather than simply fiddle with these apps for free, or coughing up some cash to get the paid version, you could earn money via these apps instead.
- Ibotta
Ibotta, pays you for making purchases in-store or via your mobile phone. All that’s required is any form of proof or verification of purchase. Users can select offers based on their interests, make purchases in select stores, and via the Ibotta app, send proof of purchase to Ibotta. Payments are made within 48 hours.
- Shopkick
Similar to Ibotta, Shopkick also pays you for your buying experience, i.e. by walking into stores or shopping online. You simply decide the products of interests, walk into stores to make purchases, scan receipts via the Shopkick app, and earn rewards.
- Checkout 51
Checkout 51 makes it that even if you do not have a smartphone, thus cannot install the app to scan your receipts, you can make use of your computer, to earn rewards. Checkout 51 enables you to view offers from favorite brands, make purchases, and earn cash back rewards.
- Swagbucks
Swagbucks provides you the thrill of paying you for everything you already do online. From browsing, to watching videos, to shopping, to taking part in surveys, you can earn Swagbucks gift cards, which you can later convert to cash.
Quora Knowledge Prizes
If you’ve ever contributed an answer to a question on Quora, you probably didn’t know you could earn money for providing an ‘expert’ view to these questions. Quora is a question-and-answer website, whose primary objective, through the access of the site to an unlimited number of users, is to find “the best answer to any question”. The most appreciated answers on Quora sometimes rack up a hundred thousand upvotes. Users from different background, educational qualification and geographical location post questions, and they get responses from a similarly wide range of audience.
Not too long ago, Quora introduced its Knowledge Prizes. This means that some questions asked are going to be sponsored by individuals, companies etc. interested in accessing the answers to these questions. So if you are great in your niche, and you can dream up the answer to the reinvention of fusion energy, you might just get to win a prize on Quora.
Authors could pay you to read their books
If you are a reading enthusiast, you might be able to put your skills to earning you some groceries money. Emerging or would-be authors, who are looking to put one leg through the publishing door, do look for people to purchase their books and have them reviewed. You purchase the books on the online website i.e. Amazon, Goodreads, Google Play etc. You read through the contents, observing what excites you and what could be improved upon. You expertly have these reviewed. The rating for a book could go to between $5 to $10. So if you are able to review ten books in a week, that would total to a hundred bucks a week, and four hundred dollars a month. This, you could earn, for doing something you absolutely love.
Sell up some links on your website
How about if you could, while providing your readers quality, engaging content, earn some money along the way by offering websites, links and mention on your website. First, this is going to involve you actually having to have a website. Second, you would have to optimize the site and draw to it. As one of the ways to build a website’s credibility is having other websites link to it, you could have several websites developed, and offer to link web pages from the buyers’ websites to your site for a small fee. Having to get these done on a regular basis, adds up to a sumptuous amount, when you evaluate your monthly earnings.
Online Casino earnings
Do you remember the movie Runner Runner, how graduate student (Justin Timberlake) attempts to pay his tuition by engaging in gambling online? Though the possibility might seem far-fetched, the movie is based on an actual gambling incident, and thus online gambling is more in the limelight than you would imagine. Playing casino could be so lucrative, some people refer to this method ‘roulette echt geld’ (means ‘roulette real money’).
So you no longer have to make a stop by the neighboring store or visit Vegas, to mine the riches of the casino. With websites like JackpotCity, Free Online Slot machines, and others, you can stay in your living room, or by the beachside, roll the dice or swing the roulette, get the thrill from engaging in the game; with the ease of sending your winnings straight into your bank account.
There are some caveats to be aware of. First, it would be convenient to confirm that online gambling is allowed in your country. Also, similar to real-life casinos, while playing the game, do be conscious that you are gambling, and so Fate or Fortune is not entirely in your hands.
Bonus Tip
Launch a premium content website
If you’ve ever read an article, blog post or news story, you probably guessed that somebody is putting these up on the net for you to read. What if you could put up some content and get paid when visitors want to have access to it?
This is going involve gaining some credibility. However, if you are quite good at snooping around, you have the inside scoop on events or simply good at unearthing deals worth knowing about; you might want to consider having your own news or gossip website, with subscription offered for the premium content. The next step is to include exclusive content and then drive traffic to the site. Not only do you have the potentiality of earning advertising dollars, you do get a regular income from your premium subscribers. Check out The Times, Harvard Business Review or Fortune Magazine’s subscription platforms. If you think it is not feasible, do read up the biography of Felix Dennis, history of the HuffPost (formerly Huffington Post) or check out the Perez Hilton’s website.
Premium content is one of such methods to generate passive revenue. It basically starts with identifying what people are interested in knowing, are willing to pay for, and offering that to them.
