Many bloggers dream of becoming digital entrepreneurs. However, monetizing a blog takes a lot of time and effort. Even then, ad revenue is rarely enough to live on. Enter the best side hustles — side income streams that can add to your financial stability while improving your blogging skills and audience reach. A little extra always helps!
In this comprehensive guide, I’ll talk about ways to make money on the side tailored to your unique strengths as a blogger. We’ll explore everything from weekend side hustles to starting a side business, with expert tips and tricks on how to get started. You’ll learn how to expand your income stream, hone your skill set, and create reliable side gigs.
Let’s get started…
1. Freelance Writing
Writing captivating content is a fundamental skill for new and experienced bloggers alike. Combine that with your knowledge of SEO, the ability to structure blog posts effectively, and practice interacting with readers, and you’ve got everything you need for the freelance writing hustle.
Hundreds of thousands of businesses and entrepreneurs host blogs on their sites. They always need new content, so this is an incredibly lucrative side hustle. You can also use your writing expertise to offer everything from industry reports to love letters.
How to get started:
- Decide how much you’ll charge for your writing. Most freelance writers charge per word, with $0.01 as the absolute minimum.
- Add a page to your blog advertising your rates and contact details. Post some of your previous work to showcase your strengths and range.
- Find some blogs or businesses whose content needs a little TLC, and email them to offer your skills. If you don’t want to make the first move, you can join freelancing communities like Fiverr or UpWork.
2. Freelance Photography
Some bloggers use stock-free photos in their posts and call it a day. If you like to go the extra mile and take pictures for your blog, you have a ready-made part-time side hustle. Plus, freelance photography is a great way to make money on the side because you probably already have everything you need.
However, unlike other side gigs, there’s less opportunity to work remotely as a freelance photographer. This limits your customer base to those in your local area. If you are willing to travel, factor those expenses into your side gig’s potential profits.
How to get started:
- Decide on a niche…or don’t. If you’re confident enough, you could switch from product photography to wedding photography in one day.
- Create packages that detail how long you’ll be available to take photos, how many frames customers will receive, and whether you’ll edit photos afterward. Be sure to mention what camera(s) and lenses you use, and whether you offer bespoke packages.
- List your prices on your blog or social media alongside previous examples of your photography work. Using Instagram is a great way to get your name out there, but you can also advertise through word of mouth.
3. Affiliate Marketing
Since you won’t need anything but your blog, this is one of the easiest and best side hustles for bloggers. Many businesses offer affiliate programs that bloggers can join, which allow you to earn a commission. This is a great first step if you want to create a side income by monetizing your blog.
The business you partner with will provide you with an affiliate link. Depending on the requirements, you'll need to clearly post that link on your blog or within a specific post. Then, you’ll receive a commission every time one of your readers clicks or purchases something through that link.
How to get started:
- Do some research and sign up for a few affiliate programs. Remember to scrutinize their requirements to make sure you’re a good fit. That said, nothing is stopping you from joining multiple affiliate programs.
- Once you’re approved, add the affiliate links to your blogs or create high-quality content that encourages readers to click through.
- Remember to clearly state that you earn a commission from an affiliate link whenever you post it.
4. Online Courses and Workshops
If you’ve been writing about your niche for a long while, chances are you’ve got the expertise necessary to write a course on it. If your blog has returning readers, that’s another good sign that you could master a weekend side hustle writing online courses.
The main benefit of this side income stream is that it's completely passive after the initial writing is finished. You’ll simply need to upload your course to a site like Udemy or Skillshare, market it to your readers, and wait for purchases to pick up.
How to get started:
- Once you have your topic, outline the course structure, module titles, and learning outcomes. Also, perform market research on your readers and how you can best satisfy their educational goals.
- Don’t just copy and paste the information you’ve already posted to your blog. Though your posts may contain valuable tips, if readers are paying for a course, they want in-depth, industry-specific, actionable advice.
- Write and refine until you’re happy with your course. Then, decide on a price point. If you’re entirely new to this side hustle, you’ll probably want to price it on the lower end of the spectrum. However, don’t price too low, as it might devalue your experience and professionalism.
5. Podcast Hosting
Similarly, if you feel equipped to talk about your niche for an extended period, you should consider podcasting as a way to make money on the side. People who regularly listen to podcasts are expected to reach 100 million in 2024. Thus, podcasting can set you apart as a thought leader and draw more readers to your blog.
With so many podcasts out there, you’ll need a unique take on your niche to draw listeners in. After you’ve carved out a space in this popular part-time side hustle, and built up a significant back catalog of episodes, you can monetize your podcast with sponsorships.
How to get started:
- First, decide on a topic and choose a catchy title for your podcast. You’ll also need artwork for your podcast cover image, and may want to set up a separate social media account for your show.
- In the saturated world of podcasting, an easy way to start strong is by offering a high-quality listening experience. Invest in equipment like microphones, headphones, and audio editing software.
- Upload your podcast to streaming services like Spotify, Apple, or Google Podcasts. Use your blog to promote your podcast, but don’t neglect podcast SEO as a way to drive organic traffic.
6. Consulting Services
This is the best side hustle for bloggers who’ve been in the game for a while. Every day, 500 new WordPress sites are created, and you can bet some of those are budding bloggers and SEO-illiterate businesses wondering how to make their mark in this ever-changing industry.
This is your chance to offer your expertise through a consulting side gig. You can help improve a blog’s content, suggest SEO or social media strategies, offer advice on monetization, or even share the best WordPress plugins for bloggers. The opportunities for your consulting hustle are endless.
How to get started:
- Decide whether to offer consultancy on one specific area of blogging, like SEO, or provide a full-service package. Of course, there’s no reason why you couldn’t do both.
- List your blogging strengths and achievements on a dedicated consulting page or a separate site. Clearly outline what you can offer new bloggers and how you’ll drive their success.
- Utilize social media or cold emailing techniques to reach new bloggers and offer your services. You can also combine this with a freelance writing or photography side hustle.
7. e-Commerce Store
If you’ve built a dedicated readership, you can start a side business selling merch, services, or digital products in your niche. For example, if you took my advice on side gigs and wrote a course, you could sell it directly through your blog’s store.
Though this is definitely a lucrative side hustle, be aware that you’ll need some capital readily available to get set up. Also, depending on how much product your eCommerce store sells, this won’t be a weekend side hustle. Set out how much time you will dedicate to your side business early, and stick to your schedule.
How to get started:
- Outline your strengths and find products or services that align with your content. It’s worth reading over your blog’s analytics to get a feel for your readership, the kind of products they’d like, and how to market to them.
- Gather the necessary materials. If you’ve decided to market prints of your art, you’ll need to contact professional printers. Or, if you’re a food blogger making private-label sauces, you’ll need to partner with manufacturers.
- Use plugins like WooCommerce to add a store directly to your blog. List your products with optimized descriptions, and decide on a price point.
- Don’t forget to find out whether you need any licenses to sell your products online. Additionally, update your privacy policy page to clearly state how you’ll collect and store customers’ financial information.
8. Blog Management
To end this list of the best side hustles, why not use your skills running a blog to help others run theirs? Social media management has become a vital service for brands in the digital age, and blogs are no different. Maintaining a blog is time-consuming, as you probably know, so businesses are often ready and willing to outsource this hustle.
You’ll need to handle everything from content to community engagement, but you can pair this side gig with freelance writing or your blog consultancy business. If you have the necessary digital marketing skills, you could expand this part-time side hustle to full-service social media management.
How to get started:
- Create a promotional media kit that details your skills and experience as a blogger. You can send this to prospective clients or post it on your blog to attract readers who want to turn their own blogs into lucrative side hustles.
- Decide whether to charge by the hour, day or through set packages. Your clients’ needs will likely dictate the scope of work, so try to be flexible regarding pricing.
- Reach out to businesses that may need help running their blogs. These will usually be sole traders struggling to balance the administrative side of running a business with increasing their visibility.
In Conclusion…
Exploring ways to make money on the side can be incredibly beneficial for bloggers. Lucrative side hustles will support you financially and offer an opportunity to enhance your blogging skills.
This article outlined some of the best side hustles for bloggers, but there are many more. As long as your side income stream is enough to support your blogging endeavor, you can take on whatever hustles you like.
Do you have side gigs that didn’t appear on this list? Please share them with us in the comments below!