10 ways to make money online

With the COVID lockdown experienced in many countries in 2020, a lot of people had to discover creative ways to make money online, like checking the best stocks to buy, as dividend stocks are one of the most straightforward paths for individuals to generate second income.. Making money online has been around for some time but it was made more prominent during and after the COVID lockdown. Since people were confined to their individual homes, they resorted to the internet to earn money.

These money making activities do require simple skills that can be learnt online and they are truly rewarding. Some people have abandoned their day jobs to continue with these gigs as they find that them cheaper and less stressful.

Of course, you would obviously need a laptop or a desktop with access to the Internet for these gigs.

So here are ten ways to make money online.

1. Become a copywriter. With rise in online marketing, there is a need for companies to get online prospects to either buy what they are selling or take some form of action. This is where the copywriter comes in. A copywriter is someone who strategically delivers words (spoken or written) to get people to take some form of action. Copywriters help create brochures, catalogs, jingle lyrics, newspaper advertisements, scripts for television or radio commercials, social media posts, e.t.c. Copywriting is one of the most essential elements of effective online marketing and copywriters are one of the highest paid writers in the world. 
2. Sell your photos online. There is a famous quotation that says, “Pictures speak louder than words.” This is the reason why anyone that is involved in photography can earn money online or offline. With the growing capacity of smartphone cameras nowadays, you can capture good quality photos that can be sold online with a relatively good smartphone. This is the business of global companies like Shutterstock, Getty images which are repositories of images that are available for sale to the public. You can create your own database of images and sell them or provide them to global databases for sale. The beauty of this is that Photos can be sold any number of times which means you can continue to make money without any new effort. However I must advise that you will need to invest in knowing how to take good pictures.
3. Creating How-To Videos. With a good camera/phone setup and some lighting, you can create videos on how-to subjects that you are comfortable with. For instance, you can create videos on how to cook Jollof Rice or even how to use Microsoft Excel. You can then upload the videos to YouTube. To monetize these videos, you charge a subscription fee or password protect the content for paying customers only.
4. Podcasting. A podcast is a recording of audio discussion on a specific topic made available on the Internet that can be listened to. The word “podcast” is derived from “pod” as in Apple’s iPod, the popular portable audio player, and “cast” from “broadcast”, meaning “to transmit for general or public use.” According to podcast statistics, 51 percent of US consumers above the age of 12 listen to podcasts – a number that has been steadily growing year-after-year. Podcasters make money through sponsorships, affiliates, sale of complementary products and you can even ask your fans to send you money to support your show.
5. Video-editing. With the rise in video content development, there is the need to edit videos so that they are good to publish. According to Wikipedia, video editing is the manipulation and arrangement of video shots. It is used to structure and present all video information, including films and television shows, video advertisements and video essays. However, you have to acquire the video editing skills to be proficient in this business.
6. Proofreading. Do you know you can still make money proofreading? Simply put, proofreading is the process of reviewing the final draft of a piece of writing to ensure consistency and accuracy in grammar, spelling, punctuation, and formatting. This can be done online also. To excel in this job, you need to have the eyes of a hawk and an insane mastery of the English language, grammar and punctuation.
7. Online Tutoring. Online tutoring is basically the process of tutoring in an online, virtual, or networked, environment, in which teachers and learners participate from separate physical locations. This is a fast-growing sector of the education world. From test pep to language learning, these are just some of the best options for tutors looking for earn money online. There are also numerous online platforms that you can join to provide this service.
8. Become a Virtual Assistant. According to Payscale, Virtual assistants average $15.72 per hour with the 90th percentile making around $28 per hour, which translates into between $32,068 – $57,120 per year in salary before bonuses. A virtual assistant offers administrative services to clients from remote locations. Some of the activities of a virtual assistant include making phone calls, keeping up with email accounts, managing social media accounts, scheduling appointments, making travel arrangements and more. All these activities can be done from the comfort of your home. Some of the skills you need to be successful at this job include strong organisational skills, effective communication skills, interpersonal skills, good working knowledge of the internet and a bit more.
9. Buying and Selling online. This is essentially buying an item at a low price and selling it for a higher price. To succeed in this, you have to firstly, figure out what to sell and where to source for it. You then decide whether you sell through your own website and/or sell on a marketplace like Amazon, Jumia, Jiji or even Instagram. Do not forget that you should also promote your products on your chosen platform so as to attract prospective customers.
10. Internet Research and Surveys. Another way to earn money online is to partake in Internet research and/or filling out surveys. According to Pew Research Centre, the number of surveys being conducted over the internet has increased dramatically in the last 10 years, driven by a dramatic rise in internet penetration and the relatively low cost of conducting web surveys in comparison with other methods. Online surveys are convenient for respondents to take on their own time and at their own pace. There are legitimate survey websites that are willing to pay you to take surveys so be on the lookout.