Ever wonder how professional speakers make money when they’re
busy speaking at conferences across the country? Or how big businesses can
afford to fly senior executives in private jets to far-flung destinations
like Paris and Hong Kong?
If you’re good at speaking, it’s easy to make money online by taking
part in online chats or webinars where you can talk for a couple of minutes
or an hour. You don’t need to have a large social media following to get
started. You simply need to have a microphone and a computer or mobile phone.
Here’s how to make money for talking online.
Find An Online Chat Platform
The first thing you need to do is find an online chat platform.
Traditionally, these have been text-based, like Yahoo! AOL Chat and
Hootsuite Messenger. But, more and more, platforms like Skype, Discord,
and Facebook Messenger are becoming places where people can have real
conversations. So even if you don’t necessarily want to talk
business, you might find that you have a genuine interest in the subject
matter.
Pick Your Topic Carefully
Just like with any paid activity, you have to pick your topic carefully
and make sure that you have the necessary expertise to back it up. For
example, if you’re an expert in social media marketing, it might be wise
to tackle the topic of social media marketing rather than web development
or design. When you’re searching for online chats or webinars to
participate in, make sure that the platform is relevant to your niche. For
example, if you’re an attorney, you might want to participate in a
legal education chat or webinar.
Use Your Special Expertise
If you can, bring some value to the table that the other participants
don’t have. The best way to do this is by leveraging your expertise. If you
have a specific skill set that you can bring to the table, like legal
expertise, apply it to the chat topic you’ve chosen. For example, if you’re
an attorney participating in a legal education conversation, you can
offer your legal expertise as a free resource to the other participants.
Similarly, if you’ve got a financial expert on your staff, you can
potentially make some extra cash by contributing financial advice to
financial education platforms like Seeking Alpha or making money tips for
the “young investors” group on the StockTwiitter platform.
Create An Audience
Just like with any other type of content, you have to have an
audience. Creating an audience for your chat or webinar content is a
two-step process. First, you need to populate your chosen platform with
interested party listening to your content. Second, you need to make sure
that they show up to listen. To do this, use social media platforms
like Facebook or LinkedIn to share your content. When you do this,
you’re essentially advertising your content to potential customers,
creating an audience for your chat or webinar content.
Earn Passive Income
The most common way that people make money online is through
“passive income.” Basically, you’ll be giving away your knowledge and
experience for free, but you’ll be earning a profit (usually in the
form of a commission or affiliate marketing fees) for directing people to
your website or to a particular product or service that you promote.
The great thing about active income is that it’s always needed. Most
people will never become wealthy simply by receiving money passively. But
they will become extremely wealthy if they can create a passive source of
income. For example, if you run a blog about fashion, you can potentially
earn a small income from affiliate marketing if you’re selling a
fashion-related product (like an outfit or a shoe). Or, you can
create a chat channel about fashion trends and get paid a small
commission each time someone joins the chat and pays for a product
recommendation.
Monetising Your Social Media Profits
If you’ve got a sizable following on social media, you can
monetise your audience by promoting products and services that are
relevant to your niche. You can do this by simply liking relevant
products and sharing them with your audience. You can also take it a step
further and put cash in your pocket by becoming an affiliate marketer
for relevant products and services. There are lots of companies like
ClickBank and Shopify that will pay you to promote their products. Just
make sure that you comply with all relevant regulations
(like privacy and cookie policy compliance).
Make Money On Mobile
More and more people are discovering the advantages of mobile
computers and mobile phones. While traditional desktop and laptop
computers have benefited from increased processing power and the ability
to connect online, mobile devices have gained the ability to connect
naturally in the real world. As a result, we’re now seeing a rise in
virtual tourism and MMOs (massively multiplayer online) on mobile devices.
If you’re a game developer, it’s easy to see how you might want to
develop a mobile game. Or, if you’ve got a knack for design, you can
create mobile-optimised websites that are simple to navigate on small
screens (like phones and tablets). Just make sure that you’re aware of
all the challenges that a small screen presents (like the lack of
browser optimization and the small buttons and fonts).
If you’re looking for ways to earn quick cash, consider trying
skimming. Just like cash skimming at the malls (also known as “shoplifting”) the concept is the same; you’re stealing money from the store by shoplifting merchandise with your smartphone. Skimming is easy to learn and requires little to no experience. You’re basically running an instore shopping cart valet service. Just like at a mall, you’re able to load your shopping cart with as much merchandise as you can fit in it, and then hide it somewhere in the store for the clerk to find when they ring up your order.
The best part is that you’re not running a risk of being caught by the store’s security. Instead, you’re using your smartphone’s geolocation feature to detect when the clerk is leaving the store and then shoplifting that merchandise for you whenever they’re out of sight. You’ll also need a smartphone that’s sensitive enough to detect the beacon pairs that these companies use to track customers and inventory.
While skimming is illegal, it’s not uncommon for shoppers to steal from stores when they’re done with their shopping. And, since it’s easily available on the street, it’s likely that many people have been involved in some way (most have been trained well enough to know better but often times it comes down to good habits and no real conscience or thieving proclivities).
Make Money On The Go
If you’re looking for ways to make quick cash, consider trying
“on-the-go” money making. Traveling and being on the move is becoming more
and more possible as mobile devices have become more portable and small enough
to fit in a backpack.