5 ways to make money in your sleep
1.Sell stock content
Credit: Nicolas Alejandro – Flickr
Websites, advertisers, self-publishers and app creators all need
secondary content, from images to music, video and sound effects. If you
spend your spare time snapping, sketching or singing anyway, this could
be the route for you.
How it works: You upload your work to several
library sites for users to browse, pick and pay for. Royalties are
typically low so you’ll need to build up a bank of work before it starts
paying off. It’s also worth checking what’s trending or is always in demand and submit on those themes.
You don’t need to be a pro to get successful with stock: niche ideas
are in just as much demand as flawless execution. Think photos, logos,
jingles, stickers, icons, buttons, banners and beeps. The sky’s the
limit!
Try these on for size
Shutterstock: photos, video, illustrations, music
iStock: photos, video, illustrations, audio
Dreamstime, Fotolia, Picfair: photos
Patternbank: fabric designs
LINE: emoji, stickers
Dafont, MyFonts: typography
Envato: everything from graphics to web themes and music
While not as simple as using a stock site, you can also sell music and sound FX through iTunes and Soundcloud, and anything else through your own site/store.
Some sites ask you to submit your best
samples before they’ll accept you as a contributor. If one says no, try
the others – there are loads of paying stock sites out there.
2.Write an eBook
- Credit: Kate TerWith eBooks predicted to outsell print books by 2018, if you’ve a passion for publishing then digital has to be worth a punt.Your secret stash of short stories is a great place to start – but if you’re in it for the money rather than the Pulitzer, see what’s selling and work back from there. Check the best-seller lists but don’t fixate on fiction. There’s a chart for everything from politics to poker so, if there’s a topic you know (perhaps something related to your studies?),Click hear
Credit: Jason Howie – FlickrThe question isn’t whether you’ll make a million (… unlikely), but whether you need to be a coding ninja. The surprising answer is: nope.If you’ve got a functional app in mind (i.e., it ‘does something’, or extends built-in messaging, camera or system tools) you’ll need to talk some kind of computer lingo – or find someone who does and split your profits! Until then, MIT’s free browser-based App Inventor lets you drag and drop ‘building blocks’ instead of churning out code.If games are your thing, it’s possible to create professional apps – from Sonic-style endless runners to Angry Birds physics puzzles – with next to no coding. You’ll need to get your hands on a ‘game engine’: a bit of kit that helps you design, develop and deploy apps right from your desktop. There are several out there including Unity, which is free, is drag-drop friendly and supports multi-platform publishing (build once and launch to IOS, Android and PC at the same time – a must if you want to maximise potential sales)....
Affiliate marketing
Credit: Moyan Brenn – Flickr
Want your own internetz store, but don’t have anything to sell? Start a
site that plugs products and businesses on other sites for a cut of the
sale instead.
How it works: You add special tracking links on your own website
or blog, or pop ‘em out through social media. If someone follows your
link – and buys the item – you get a referral fee. You don’t need to
faff about with storage and shipping as the stores take care of that
themselves.Click hear
Print-on-demand products
Credit: 55Laney69 – Flickr
From t-shirts to baby bibs, there are scores of stores that sell
customisable gear and gadgets: the opportunity lies in selling your
inspiration to other customers.
One of the best-known marketplaces is CafePress,
which sells just about anything that has a blank surface. Whoever you
go with, sign up for a seller’s account (to sell via the store) or a
shop account (to sell from your own site).
You then upload your best illustrations, photos or jokes, and pick
which products can be customized with your art. If someone buys an item
from your range, you get a cut of the sale – without having to
manufacture, stock or ship anything. You don’t even need any ideas of
your own: if you’re fresh out of inspiration, you can list other
people’s custom products for a referral fee instead.
Top tip: go for cute or funny images, logos and
quotes that work on multiple products, from pens to pet accessories toClick hear
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