As you work on your future bestselling novel, sometimes you need an income to keep you going while you write. The best side hustles for writers take advantage of the one skill set we all know you already have; writing.
They also don’t need a ton of time to implement and manage.
We’ve put together a list of some of the top side hustles right now.
Online Chat Assistant
There are thousands of businesses online that have chat features for visitors to their websites to use. The challenge is, for many of these businesses, it’s too expensive or not necessary to have someone monitor their chat 24/7. This is where online chat assistants come in. You get paid to reply to live chat messages on business websites or social media accounts.
Depending on the business, this may include answering customer questions, opening support tickets, providing links to different resources or sales pages, and offering discounts.
When it comes to side hustles for writers, this is a great one, as you can show off your talent using short bursts of brilliance.
Here’s an example of a service offering online chat gigs which offer up to US$30 per hour for responding to Facebook chats or sending TikTok direct messages. According to their website, assistants can make up to $1,000 per week depending on how many hours you can put into it.
Online Tutoring
If you’re knowledgeable in a particular subject, you can offer tutoring services online and earn money. Marketplaces like Preply, TutorOcean, and TutorMe make it super easy to get signed up and earning money in no time.
Freelance Writing
You can offer your writing services to websites, magazines, and blogs and get paid. Through websites like Freelancer and Fiverr, you can quickly get linked up with people looking for writing services. And there is an endless stream of them.
Now, with tools like Jasper, the research part of your writing and the outlining of your articles is so much faster.
We also have a section on Valley of Writers that links to several resources to help you launch a career or business as a freelance writer.
Virtual Assistant
You can offer your various skills to individuals and businesses. These include scheduling appointments, managing emails, and updating blogs. Once again, if you go into Freelancer, Fiverr, and other gig marketplaces, you will find many people looking for virtual assistants to fulfill different tasks.
Online Surveys
There are many survey websites that pay you for providing your opinions on various topics. For instance, Survey Junkie has a community of millions of people.
But, as they say in the FAQs on their home page, “You won’t get rich taking surveys and it’s not meant to take the place of a full-time job but it can supplement your income and give you a little extra flexibility in your budget. Complete three surveys daily and earn as much as $40 monthly. Share more, earn more, and make it worth your while!”
Affiliate Marketing
You can promote products or services from other companies on your website or social media. Affiliates earn a commission for each sale made through their unique affiliate link.
The best affiliate programs offer you as much as 85% of the value of a sale meaning more income per sale. Others offer recurring revenue, meaning you’re building an income stream with each person you refer. This is provided they remain a client of that business.
How to get started? Check out an affiliate marketplace like Clickbank or ShareASale.
A word about money-making opportunities
In conclusion, it’s worth noting that most money-making opportunities require work. None of these are get-rich-quick pathways. For every opportunity you try, even the easy ones, you need to apply yourself and be consistent to get worthwhile results. All the best!