Pricing frameworks and revenue strategies for online educators

You’ve worked hard to create your newest digital product, and you want to make sure it does well. That means you need to promote your digital products in order to get them in front of the right audience.

Promoting your digital products may seem daunting, but there are a number of simple tactics you can use to reach potential customers. You’ve probably already got at least a few channels up and running where you can start promoting your products. Start by employing these six promotional strategies and watch as the sales pour in.

1. Create a virtual storefront

First things first, make it easy for your customers to see what digital products you have and buy them. You can create a sales page on your Teachable school to optimize your products. Or create a page on your website or blog that showcases those products.

With Teachable, you can easily host a full-fledged online course or upload standalone digital products for your audience to purchase and download. You’ll then have a shareable link that makes it easy for your customers to find and purchase your digital products.

Here’s an example of what your Teachable storefront with multiple courses and/or digital products could look like:

Customize your storefront to fit your branding and preferred look and feel. Place the link in your website’s navigation to gain more traction and share it on social media.

Or, incorporate it into some of the additional tactics we have below.

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2. Build a landing page

A storefront to house all of your digital products is key to making purchasing easy. Building out a landing page that explains all of the value of your product and why people should buy it is another great selling point.

Teachable allows you to create a fully customized landing page with images, screenshots, videos, copy, and more, but you may also choose to use a tool like:

• WordPress
• Squarespace
• Wix
• Leadpages
• OptinMonster

The above tools allow you to create your own website or build out a standalone landing page you can use to promote your digital product.

Take a look at this example below of a digital product landing page created in Teachable that showcases a massive bundle of social media templates and examples.

Interested buyers can scroll through the entire landing page to discover all of the various templates available in the bundle and learn more about why these templates could be so valuable to their business.

Use your landing page to give sneak peeks into your digital product, explain the value behind it, and lead landing page visitors to the sales page so they can make a purchase.

3. Create Twitter threads

A Twitter thread is a string of tweets used to explain a topic that’s requiring more than the 180 characters allotted in a single tweet. They’re also a favorite of the Twitter algorithm, so incorporating threads into your Twitter strategy is a great way to reach a bigger audience.

Here’s an example of what this might look like from Erica Schneider, content editor and writing expert who created a course on social writing. She wrote out a Twitter thread explaining five things the best writers master.

In the last tweet, she shared a call to action to join the next cohort of her social writing course. By first showcasing her expertise with free value and then creating a CTA to sign up for a paid option with even more value, she’s likely to get a lot more bites than a basic “Check out my new course” tweet.

4. Share on Instagram stories

Instagram is another great social media platform to utilize for promoting your digital products—especially on your Instagram Stories. Instagram recently released the option to add a link sticker in an Instagram Story to all users (previously, users had to reach 10,000 followers to access the swipe up link).

This makes it a great avenue for promoting new digital products and linking to your storefront or landing page. Plus, users can create Story Highlights on their profile that house their Stories permanently—even after their first 24 hours is up.

Here’s an example of an Instagram Story one creator posted to share details and a link to her online course:

The above example now lives in a highlight on her profile with even more graphics detailing out each of the modules of the course. You can easily create similar graphics with your own branding details using a tool like Canva or Visme.

5. Promote in your email newsletter

Do you have an email newsletter that you send out weekly or monthly with tips and tricks for your audience? This is the perfect place to promote new digital products.

Freelance writer Kat Boogaard created a digital shop that houses templates, courses, and other resources that new writers can use to jumpstart their careers. She then mentions this shop at the end of every newsletter she sends out:

This is one great way to promote your digital products. Or, you can take a page out of another freelancer writer Kaleigh Moore’s book and dedicate an entire newsletter to sharing a new digital product—even offering a discount code if you choose to bring in even more new customers.

6. Mention in your YouTube videos

If you have a YouTube channel where you regularly post videos, consider creating a video where you mention your latest digital product or even provide a tutorial on how best to use it. Then you can leverage your audience on YouTube too.

Here’s a great example of a YouTube video detailing how to plan out your week using a Notion dashboard—with a link to purchase the dashboard bundle in the video description.

Not only does this help you add even more ideas to your video content calendar, it can also promote your latest digital products and even share use cases, proving its value and why people should consider purchasing it.

Promote your digital products and get more sales

Start ramping up your digital product sales by learning some of the top promotional tactics. Eventually, these strategies will become second nature. And you’ll start seeing sales pour in each time you launch and announce a new digital product. Get started by creating your Teachable school with your digital downloads today.

Deciding to start offering digital downloads as a product, and actually creating those downloads, are two very different tasks. Creating a download might require new skills that you haven’t perfectly honed yet, but that’s okay! Everyone has to start somewhere, and as a creator, you already know that you have valuable information to share. So why not try your hand at putting it in digital download form too as part of your strategy?

You can use these downloads as high-quality lead magnets to help grow your audience or show people the value you might offer in your coaching or course products. Or you could completely dive in and use your downloads as a whole new revenue stream for your online creation business.

Luckily, I have been in your shoes before. I created and sold digital downloads and have tips to share to make the journey easier for you.

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Tips for creating digital downloads

1. Identify your target audience

Before you start creating your digital download, it’s important to have a clear understanding of who you are selling to. What students will most benefit from the knowledge you want to share? This will help you create digital download content that resonates with your prospective students and addresses their specific needs and interests.

If you’re creating a digital download to use as a lead magnet, think about what information would be best to share with that audience. They’re mostly likely people who are just exploring the topic you teach, or are on the fence about purchasing a whole course. Make sure your digital download has information that would inspire the confidence to buy.

2. Offer value

To sell your digital download, you need to convince people that it’s valuable enough for them to spend money on it. Make sure your product provides value to your audience by solving a problem or meeting a need they have. After they download your product they should have complete clarity and answers about their questions. But at the same time the download can prompt more questions where the student might want to take a course or purchase another product to learn more about the topic.

You could also offer your downloads as supplemental content to your other offerings. An example of these could be selling a downloadable time management guide or planner if you offer courses or coaching on time management. While students wouldn’t need to use one with the other, it could help them get the most out of both product offerings.

3. Use a catchy title and compelling product description

The title and product description are crucial for attracting potential buyers. Make sure they accurately reflect the content of your digital download and use persuasive language to entice people to purchase. You should keep this copy consistent across all channels. So if you promote your download in an email, make sure you use the same title, description, and wording when you promote the same thing on your sales page. This will cut down on confusion or any sort of lag time. When a lead decides to buy your download, they’ll be able to quickly make sure they know what they’re buying and it’s the product they want.

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4. Create professional-looking graphics

The visuals of your digital download are important for making a good impression on potential buyers. You want to position yourself as an expert in your area of knowledge. So if your download product looks like an essay you wrote in a Google Doc, it may be lacking the high-quality experience you want your students to have. Use high-quality images and graphics to make your product look professional and attractive. To do this you can use a tool like Canva with pre-designed templates to drop your knowledge into. Before diving into an empty template, take a look around and see what Canva, or any other tool you use, has to offer. Play around with a few and take your time finding the right fit.

5. Price your digital download appropriately

Determine how much your digital download is worth based on the value it provides to your audience and the time and effort you put into creating it. Be sure to consider the cost of any materials you used and any ongoing expenses you may have. One of the best things about digital downloads is they are very affordable to create, and you can sell them repeatedly. This lends itself to affordable pricing so you can reach a larger audience with an affordable digital download and later sell them a premium course or coaching experience. Once the initial lift of creating the download is done, the main thing you’ve got to do is update it when necessary, and promote it. So the cost of labor goes down with each sale you make.

6. Promote your digital download

Once you’ve created your product, it’s important to get the word out about it. Use social media, email marketing, and other online marketing tactics to promote your digital download to your target audience. Be sure to have your downloads featured on your sales page. That way, when someone finds themselves exploring your products, they can find your introductory download. Then they might become a repeat buyer or level up to become a student of yours.

Start creating

With these tips under your belt hopefully you feel ready to start creating your own digital download. Remember, when it comes to downloads the possibilities are endless. You could start out with something simple like a wallpaper or screensaver or a calendar. Or you might even choose to turn one of your most successful blog posts into a download by adding more information and beautiful design to it. Whatever it ends up being, keep in mind that your first might not be your best, but it’s better than nothing. And over time you’ll have some of your own tips on creating digital downloads to offer.

When I started selling digital downloads more than 10 years ago it was a different experience than it is today. There were fewer examples of how to do things successfully. When I built my own knowledge business it was the definition of building the plane as I was flying it. Today, selling digital downloads is a core component of eCommerce businesses. And the tools out there make it easier than ever to become a successful business owner and creator online.

As you are building your business there are a few tips that can help you sell digital downloads successfully. I’ve put a few of these tips together so that you can learn from my own experience. These are the things I wish I had known back then. Hopefully, it will help you find success on your business journey.

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1. The best place to market your digital downloads is your existing ecosystem

When you’re just starting out it can be intimidating to figure out where to start selling your products. I know initially felt like I had to promote my content across my social media accounts to my audience. But over time I learned that instead of relying on social media to post about what I was selling, I could utilize my blog to reach my audience.

So I started to use my blog to share free content that was valuable and helpful. Then I linked those readers to the digital downloads I was selling within that free content. If the free content on my blog was good enough, those most interested would convert and buy the digital download version. Using my blog this way I was able to show people the level of quality they could get free of charge. This got them excited about the high quality of my content that they actually had to pay for.

2. Digital downloads aren’t always the end goal of a sales process

I learned that digital downloads are great but they aren’t the end of the line in terms of business growth. They’re much closer to being just the beginning. Think of your digital download as something in between a free lead magnet and a premium offering. It should not be your best knowledge content available. Your free lead magnets can lead people to paid content, a digital download acts as a middle-ground piece of content.

It monetizes what you know more than a free resource might. But it’s also affordable and easily accessible to almost anyone who might be interested. It functions to help expand your audience and is used as a tool to both build your revenue and act as a lead magnet for larger-scale courses and coaching offerings at the same time. Don’t let the digital download be the goal of all your sales. After the digital download, take the emails of people purchasing and upsell something else, a premium knowledge experience with more interaction with you, the expert.

3. Creating a sales page early on is important

It might not seem like a priority when you’ve only got your first download ready to sell, but a sales page for your digital downloads is actually incredibly important to your success. A sales page is a dedicated page on your website where you can showcase your digital product, or products, and explain the features and benefits. It should include plenty of images and videos to help potential customers understand what they are buying.

When I first started selling digital downloads I was using tools that simply dropped a checkout link into a blog post. But I didn’t have a website landing page that could sell a visitor on the value of that digital download. So there was no way for me to ensure that if they were interested in the downloads that it would meet their needs. As a result, while my digital downloads did sell well, they didn’t sell as well as they could have if I’d completed this one extra step in the process.

4. Spend your energy wisely

As a creator or a business owner, it’s so important to spend your energy wisely. Every minute and hour you spend creating and working on your business should be spent well. One thing I spent time on that I wish I hadn’t early on was worrying too much about copyright infringement. I spent too much time trying to watermark and prevent someone from re-sharing a download they purchased from me and not enough time building out a sales funnel, adding premium products to my offering, or ensuring the digital downloads provided a well-designed experience for my students.

5. You can sell digital download access as a long-term investment

Making your digital download a long-term investment for the student makes it all the more valuable to them. One of my flagship digital downloads was a template that I updated frequently. My mistake was when I updated the download in my system but didn’t let previous purchasers know there was a new version they could access.

When I did finally figure out I could send out regular updates to the product to people who had already purchased that added a whole new level of value for my customers. They saw this digital download as something more than a simple transactional product they purchased. And instead, they saw it as an investment they relied on over the years. By sending out communications to that buyer list every time there was a new version, it was also an opportunity to market my latest products to my most loyal customers, providing large bumps in revenue for my business.

6. Make sure your download is mobile-friendly

The last lesson I wish I had learned earlier is to make everything mobile-friendly. More and more people accessing the internet on their smartphones, so it’s important to make sure your digital download is mobile-friendly. Chances are some of your students or audience will be looking at or using your download on their phone or tablet at some point. And making sure that experience is a good one is necessary. This will make it easy for people to purchase your digital product on the go, read it, access it, and use it from any device. And they’ll buy other products from you with the confidence that they’ll be able to access it the way they want to, when they want to.

Learning from creator experiences

These experiences I had while creating and selling digital downloads are just some of the things you’ll come across too if you choose to create and sell a digital product. But you’ll likely also learn many other lessons along the way. Each creator’s audience is different and has different needs. So keep that in mind when taking advice and when creating content for your students.

You might also find that you learn some lessons pretty quickly once you start selling your first download. But that’s okay, it’s all part of the process of being a creator and how we get better and grow.

If you’re looking to grow your online eCommerce business in 2023, the key is to keep an eye on trending products. While it’s true that you can find success in any niche when it comes to running an online store, selling trending products that are high in demand is the easiest way to make money online.

So, whether you’re looking to take your existing eCommerce business to the next level or you’re only looking to start with an easy side hustle, let’s take a look at the most popular products to sell online.

High-demand trending products to sell

Planners

Average selling price: $7-$90

Target market: productivity and time management enthusiasts

Average monthly global Google search volume: 100K – 1M

Top countries: Zimbabwe, Puerto Rico, Australia

Planners are popular not only before the new school year or the 1st of January. People who are interested in productivity and time management are always using planners to organize their lives. You can easily create a printable planner if you prefer to sell digital downloads or find a production company that will help you print physical copies of your ideal planner for sale.

Jewelry

Average selling price: $35 – 350

Target market: fashion and luxury lifestyle lovers

Average monthly global Google search volume: 100K – 1M

Top countries: United States, Puerto Rico, Canada

The jewelry industry is valued at over $250 billion. Brands like Anna Luisa and Mejuri are working with the biggest influencers to create new collections. “Dangling earrings” is one of the best-selling categories on AliExpress, which just goes to show that the demand for jewelry is there, and people are always looking for new pieces to add to their collections.

Vintage clothing

Average selling price: $11.99 – $100

Target market: sustainable fashion enthusiasts

Average monthly global Google search volume: 100K – 1M

Top countries: New Zeland, United Kingdom, Ireland

Nasty Gal started the obsession with vintage clothing and second-hand fashion over ten years ago. And the trend data shows that demand for eco-friendly fashion is still on the rise. Go thrifting to your local second-hand shop or goodwill to find goods to resell for a higher price in your online store.

Scented candles

Average selling price: $15 – $100

Target market: interior design enthusiasts, homebodies

Average monthly global Google search volume: 10K – 100K

Top countries: Trinidad & Tobago, United Kingdom, Philipines

Scented candles are extremely popular during all seasons, not only autumn and winter. You can buy wax and essential oils to make your custom-made candles to sell, or you can simply buy them wholesale and resell them for a profit.

Skincare

Average selling price: $20 – $100

Target market: beauty enthusiasts

Average monthly global Google search volume: 100K – 1M

Top countries: Indonesia, Malaysia, Ireland

The beauty industry is worth over 570 million, with skincare being one of the most popular products on the market. Celebrities like Kylie Jenner contributed to the rise of the popularity of skincare products amongst younger people, and the demand continues to grow.

Some of the most popular skincare products are:

• Lip masks
• Face masks
• Feet masks
• Acne patches

Online courses

Average selling price: $19.99 – $799

Target market: self-improvement and education enthusiasts

Average monthly global Google search volume: 10K – 100K

Top countries: Botswana, Zimbabwe, South Africa

Online courses are one of the best work-from-home business ideas for women and men, no matter where in the world you are or what industry you are interested in. You can create an online course in a matter of days, and due to the low production costs, the majority of the profit goes directly back to you.

Smartwatch

Average selling price: $30 – $150

Target market: fitness, productivity, and technology enthusiasts

Average monthly global Google search volume: 100K – 1M

Top countries: Nepal, United Arab Emirates, India

Smartwatches are popular amongst people who love fitness and want to track their steps, calories burned, and sleep quality. But it’s also becoming more and more popular amongst all people due to how convenient it is to have it with you instead of your phone.

Travel tumbler

Average selling price: $15 – $30

Target market: coffee and tea enthusiasts

Average monthly global Google search volume: 1K – 10K

Top countries: Canada, Singapour, United States

Stainless steel travel tumblers are one of those products that will always be useful as people travel more and more for work and pleasure. This product sells well on Amazon as it’s a primary place where people go to buy kitchen and drinkware items. Plus it’s great to sell as merch if you’ve got a big audience looking to buy from you.

Scalp treatment

Average selling price: $20 – $40

Target market: beauty enthusiasts

Average monthly global Google search volume: 10K – 100K

Top countries: Singapour, Trinidad & Tobago, Jamaica

Scalp and hair treatments are becoming more popular as the beauty industry grows. You can sell this product on your website or on Amazon. And if you have the budget for marketing, then utilizing influencer marketing is the best use of your money because people always look to their favorite influencers for beauty product recommendations.

Printable art

Average selling price: $5 – $20

Target market: interior design lovers

Average monthly global Google search volume: 1K – 10K

Top countries: New Zealand, Australia, United States

If you want to know the best way how to make passive income with your eCommerce business, it’s fairly straightforward – digital downloads. Printable art is one of the types of trending digital products.

While the average selling price is lower compared with some of the other products on this list, what’s great about printable art is that the profits are much higher due to the fact that the production and delivery cost is extremely low.

Trending eCommerce products

Office supplies

Average selling price: $5 – $40

Target market: productivity and planning enthusiasts

Average monthly global Google search volume: 10K – 100K

Top countries: New Zealand, Malta, Jamaica

Stickers

Stickers are a popular item to sell. You can create custom stickers yourself by buying an at-home sticker maker. Or, you can design them and get them printed at your local printing shop. The designs can be anything you want, from cool art to quotes and pop culture figures. And the best part is that stickers are super easy to ship! They weigh almost nothing, so the packaging and shipping are cost-effective.

Stationery

Stationery items like pens, pencils, notebooks, calendars, and many more are always in demand. You can even sell some of it digitally too cutting your costs even more. Most students buy supplies for school throughout the year, and despite digital planners available, even people who work in the office still use paper stationery.

Books

Whether you choose to sell new books or resell used books, the demand for books is very high to this day. You can easily open an independent book store online, where you choose which titles to carry, or you can thrift books in your local second-hand store and resell them online.

eBooks

Just like you can sell books, you can also sell ebooks. Whether you write them or not is up to you. But creating your own ebooks and selling them on Teachable to complement a course you’re teaching or to go along with coaching is a great online product to sell. Remember when you’re an expert in something people want to learn from you. So why not consolidate your knowledge into one package and make it easy for people to buy?

Pet toys

Average selling price: $15 – $30

Target market: pet owners and lovers

Average monthly global Google search volume: 1K – 10K

Top countries: Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom

It’s never been a better time to be a pet than it is right now! In 2021, Americans spent over $100 billion on their pets. Of course, that includes health insurance, food, and other essentials. But pet toys are also on that list, and trend reports show that people are not done spoiling their beloved furry friends.  

Shapewear

Average selling price: $20 – $100

Target market: fashion and beauty enthusiasts

Average monthly global Google search volume: 10K – 100K

Top countries: Australia, Ireland, United Kingdom

Thanks to Kim Kardashian and her brand SKIMS, the demand for shapewear has been growing rapidly in recent years. While Kim Kardashian is influential all on her own, influencer marketing has been one of the reasons why shapewear has been so popular.

A lot of people are sharing their best SKIMS shapewear finds and Amazon alternatives that are more budget-friendly on their social media profiles, which drives the popularity of the product further. So, there is definitely a demand for more shapewear.  

Wellness supplements

Average selling price: $10-$50

Target market: wellness and health enthusiasts

Average monthly global Google search volume: 10K – 100K

Top countries: South Africa, United States, Canada

Matcha tea

Matcha is a finely ground and processed green tea leaf powder originating from East Asia. It’s been growing in popularity in recent years amongst health and wellness enthusiasts due to all the amazing health benefits.

Ashwagandha

Ashwagandha is a medicinal herb commonly grown in parts of Asia and Africa. It’s an adaptogen that helps fight stress and bad mood. In the fitness and wellness community, it’s a very popular supplement, and due to social media, it’s a trending product that many people recommend.

Mushroom coffee

Mushroom coffee is an adaptogen drink made out of ground medicinal mushrooms and coffee beans. It’s said to have many health benefits for immunity and brain function, and it’s been growing in popularity in recent years due to brands like Four Sigmatic.

Other trending wellness supplements worth selling:

• Vegan protein powder
• Vegan collagen

Press on nails

Average selling price: $10 – $20

Target market: beauty enthusiasts

Average monthly global Google search volume: 100K – 1M

Top countries: Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago, United States

Press on nails is a trending product that’s super easy to ship and cheap to buy wholesale. You can get a good deal on websites like AliExpress, where they sell a huge variety of different press on nails for less than a dollar, and sell it on Amazon, where it goes for anywhere from $8 to $20 per nail kit.

Trending dropshipping products

If you want to start an eCommerce business, but don’t want to handle the shipping and storing of the goods, then dropshipping is the way to go. Here are the most popular dropshipping product categories:

Clothing

Average selling price: $10 – $60

Target market: fashion enthusiasts

Average monthly global Google search volume: 100K – 1M

Top countries: South Africa, New Zealand, United Kingdom

T-shirts

T-shirts with funny slogans or ones that feature a fandom like Marvel, Harry Potter, and even Lionel Messi are always trending. People like to buy them for themselves and for their friends and family. Use platforms like Teespring to design t-shirts for your store with ease.

Athleisure

Athleisure includes many different types of clothing: yoga pants, sports bras, cycling shorts, pump covers, and many more. There is a huge market for fitness clothing, as gym-goers are always looking for a better outfit.

Outfit set

In recent years, loungewear has become a popular choice for everyday wear when people want something stylish yet comfortable. Matching loungewear sets are selling like hotcakes on popular fashion websites like Shein, Asos, and Fashion Nova during all seasons.

Other popular clothing items:

• Tote bags
• Hoodies
• Men’s socks
• Swimwear

Phone accessories

Average selling price: $10 -$50

Target market: technology and music enthusiasts

Average monthly global Google search volume: 10K – 100K

Top countries: Jamaica, Nigeria, Sri Lanka

With phones being one of the essential items people own, it’s no wonder that phone accessories are always trending. There are many different products you can sell in your eCommerce store:

• Phone cases
• Fast charger
• Camera lens protector
• Car charger
• Earphones & headphones
• Power bank

Beauty and makeup

Average selling price: $10 – $90

Target market: beauty enthusiasts

Average monthly global Google search volume: 10K – 100K

Top countries: Philippines, Sri Lanka, Kenya

When the pandemic forced many people to learn how to do beauty procedures at home, the demand for at-home gel nail kits and hair extensions skyrocketed. And these products, amongst some others, still remain popular products to this day.

Here is a list of trending beauty products you can easily sell in your online store:

• Sleep eye mask
• Loofah sponge
• False eyelashes
• Hair extensions & wigs
• Gel nail kits
• Vitamin C serum
• Hair oil

Home improvement

Average selling price: $10 – $60

Target market: interior design and organization enthusiasts

Average monthly global Google search volume: 100K – 1M

Top countries: United States, Canada, Ireland

Drawer organizers

Marie Condo started a massive home organization movement which hasn’t stopped even though her Netflix show has ended. On TikTok, home organization videos are extremely popular, with hashtag #homeorganization having over 700M videos.

It’s natural that the obsession with an organized home makes people want to buy drawer organizers. And these are particularly popular on Amazon as people tend to share “Amazon finds” on social media with their followers.

Mugs

Mugs are always on trend because people will always want to drink tea or coffee. So, why not do it from a cool mug with a funny slogan on the side? Use merch websites like Teespring to create eye-catching designs for your mugs and sell them directly to your customers.

Other home improvement products you can sell:

• Wall art
• RGB lights
• Automatic pet feeder
• Air fryer
• Portable blender

Where to sell trending products

When it comes to selling trending products, you have a few different avenues to explore:

Teachable

With Teachable you can sell online courses, coaching, and digital downloads. So whatever you might be looking to share with your audience you can use the platform to sell it. If you sell digital downloads like calendars or stickers you could then also have a course where you teach others to make the same things. Teachable users Lisa and Lucy Zhou of Sticker Guru do exactly that. So many people were asking them how they make their foiled stickers when they were selling them online that they created a course to teach others how to do the same. You could use the same model to give your audience a behind-the-scenes look and help them start their own side hustle or business by offering courses.

Etsy

Etsy is one of the biggest online marketplaces in the world. The platform is designed with small business owners in mind, allowing you to set up your Etsy Store and start selling online and physical products in less than 15 minutes.

Listing your products for sale is not for free – there is a small listing fee, and Etsy also takes a small cut of your profits. However, Etsy allows you to optimize your product listings for SEO. Add keywords to the product description and title so that when someone puts in a search term in Etsy’s search bar, they can find your online store with ease.

Etsy also has built-in marketing tools like Google Ads, which gives you an opportunity to pay for advertising directly through the platform to get your trending products to sell faster.

While Etsy is great for selling all kinds of products, it’s particularly great for online business owners who sell digital products. You can upload the digital downloads directly into the platform and set up an automated delivery to the customer, so you don’t have to worry about a thing.  

Amazon

Amazon is the biggest eCommerce business in the world. It has a huge selection of products in various categories, where anyone can open an eCommerce store and sell their products. Selling on Amazon is best for physical goods. However, if you’re selling audiobooks or ebooks, the platform is also a must to be on to have the best chances of finding your target market.

There is a fee to get started selling on Amazon. You have to choose between two plans:

• Individual: $0.99/item sold + additional selling fees. This plan is for businesses that sell less than 40 items a month.
• Professional: $39.99/month + additional selling fees. This plan is for businesses that sell more than 40 items a month.

Amazon also allows you to promote your products on their platform with paid advertising so that when people search for products, your store pops up at the top of the search results. You can also choose to ship your products yourself. Or, you can choose a service where Amazon takes care of shipping products for you.

What’s great about selling on Amazon is that people most often review products directly on the platform. And good reviews of your products is the best way to sell more products.

Shopify

If you’d like to have your own eCommerce store instead of selling through a third-party platform, then setting up an online store with Shopify is a great option. Shopify allows you to create a custom eCommerce website that fits your brand.

You can choose between three plans, depending on the size of your business:

• Basic: $29.99/month. You get all the basics you need to run an online store.
• Shopify: $79.99/month. This plan offers more advanced reporting and staff accounts for medium-sized businesses.
• Advanced: $299/month. This plan offers lower transaction fees for credit cards.

Creating a website with Shopify is super easy, even if you have a limited experience with website design. They have drag and drop editor, and you can find custom-made templates to purchase if you want something more unique.

FAQ

Still have questions about what products to sell? Let’s look at a few most frequently asked questions people have about selling trending products.

What products are high in demand right now?

There are a few products that are in high demand at the moment. Google Trends shows that people are most interested in buying wellness and beauty products like:

• Vegan protein powder
• Matcha tea
• Ashwagandha
• Vitamin C serum
• Lip liners
• Skincare

AliExpress reports that there are multiple products trending amongst various categories:

• In the Health & Beauty category, false eyelashes
• In the Home & Garden category, drawer organizers
• In the Accessories category, dangling earrings
• In the Home Improvement category, LED Strips

And lastly, if we look at Amazon’s best-seller list amongst various categories, we can see that the top trending products are:

• Car vacuum cleaners in the Automotive category
• Stainless steel tumblers in Kitchen & Dining category
• Scalp and hair oil in Beauty & Personal Care category

What products sold the most in 2022?

Trending items that sold the most in 2022 vary amongst different categories and seasons. According to Google Trends, sundresses were extremely popular throughout spring and season. Pet supplies like pee pads, pet beds, food, and treats have sold very well throughout the year, seeing the biggest peek around November/December.

Some of the other top trending products that have sold very well in 2022 are:

• Skincare products like face masks and face serums
• Wellness products like matcha tea, protein powder, and ashwagandha
• Home organization items like drawer organizers and non-slip hangers
• Electronics like car chargers, fast chargers, earphones, and headphones

For someone who has never worked in sales, marketing your online course and trying to get people to buy can be an intimidating process. Luckily, the first sale is the hardest. Once you’ve gotten over that hurdle, you’ll get into the selling “groove” and you should have an easier time making your next sales. But that brings us back to square one: making that very first sale.

Luckily, there are tried and true methods for selling your online course, and the important part for you is to figure out which ones will work best for you. Here are our favorite ways to make your first online course sale. We’ve ranked them from most successful to least.

In no way do you need to try and execute all of these strategies or even half of them. Choose the one or two that stand out to you and go from there.

In this blog post we’re going to go over:

• The most common and successful ways to make your first sale on Teachable
• Tips on how to get started with each method even if you’re a total beginner
• How exactly to make the first sale using each method

Make your first sale with an email list

If you’ve spent any time here on the Teachable blog, you might be sick of hearing us talk about the power of a targeted and warm email list.

In short, your email list is comprised of people who opted to follow you in exchange for the value you provide. Whether they sign up during a webinar you host, to get a free piece of content, or to get access to your valuable emails, these are your highest converting audience members.

How to grow your email list

People sign up for your email list in exchange for value. The quickest way to entice people to join is by creating a lead magnet. A lead magnet is a free download, worksheet, PDF, report, video, or whatever you choose that is informative and helpful to your audience. It should be valuable enough that your audience will be excited to sign up and glad they did even after they receive the freebie.

At Teachable we recommend that course creators use a free mini course as their lead magnet. It can be very short, but it needs to provide real value. Cassidy from Succulents and Sunshine has a great example of a mini course here.

How to keep your email list warm

One of the most important things your can do to have a high-converting email list is to keep it warm. You can’t expect people to sign up in August and not hear from you again until May and still be interested in your course. In fact, people will likely forget about who you are and what you do by then.

To keep your email list warm, send regular updates and newsletters. Now, you don’t have to be emailing 3x a week, but weekly or bi-weekly emails will keep you on your audience’s radar. Just be sure it’s consistent so your followers know when to expect to hear from you.

Make sure that you’re sending high-quality, targeted content that will help establish you as an authority and someone to turn to in your niche. When you’re deciding when to send your newsletter, consider these factors:

• When is your audience active? Are they stay-at-home moms checking their inboxes at the 3pm pick-up line or are they businesswomen not getting home from work until 6pm?
• When do you usually check your inbox? Nobody will have more in common with your audience than you do, so check your habits. Your audience likely has similar ones.
• When is your audience spending the most time online? Maybe they’re checking their emails at 3pm, but not actually spending any real time online until after their kids sleep at 9pm.

What if my list has gone cold?

Don’t fear, you can re-warm your list and turn it into a conversion machine. The first thing you should do is send an introduction email. Segment out anyone who has signed up in the last month, and send everyone else a re-introduction.

Let them know who you are, what you’ve been up to, and what your greatest resources are—and send them something that’s incredibly high value so that they stick around. From there, send regular emails so they don’t forget you.

How to sell to your email list

Selling to your email list can be a lot of fun if they’re warm, because they’ll be more engaged and excited about what you have to sell. We recommend selling in two different phases. Pre-sales and actual sales.

Pre-sales

Your pre-sale phase will come in a one-two punch.

Day 1 is the course teaser

This is when you tell your subscribers that you’ll have an exciting announcement coming out soon, and that you’ll be opening an online course. This is where you start building anticipation, which will keep readers engaged and coming back for more.

Day 2 covers the course details

In this email, you answer, “What’s in the course?” and you explain in detail what your milestones and lessons are for the entire course. You’ll end by telling them that the course is going to become available tomorrow, but you won’t share the sales page yet.

Sales

On Day 3, you’ll announce that your course is open

This email is your big moment, when you finally get to share that your course is available. You’ll link to your sales page, and you might consider including a few testimonials in your email. You’ll also need to make it clear that this is a limited-time offer.

Day 4 is your FAQ email

Using an FAQ email is the perfect opportunity for you to appeal to your subscribers’ logical side and squash any concerns they might have about your course. Tell them about your 30-day guarantee, and reassure them that they’ll have lifetime access.

Share what the course includes, and see if you can anticipate their questions. You’ll provide the questions and answers right in the body of your email. Again, the CTA for this email will be to click on your sales page link, and you’ll want to reiterate that this offer ends on X date at Y time.

Day 5 is the surprise bonus email

This is a fun opportunity for you to tell you subscribers that you’re giving them a new surprise that you haven’t mentioned on the sales page if they buy now. This should either be bonus content or an even steeper discount.

Day 6 is the thank-you & social proof email

At this point, you want to thank everyone for reading your emails and being part of your launch. Hopefully by now you may have gotten excited emails or social media posts from new customers, so you can include some anonymized screenshots where new customers are raving about your content.

By now you’re nearing the end of your launch, so now Day 7

The day before your launch ends—is the logical argument. You’ll tell everyone that your course will be closing, and you’ll build a logical argument convincing them why they need to buy right now. Remind them about your bonus, and remind them how soon the sales window closes.

Then finally you’ll arrive at Day 8, the final day in your launch

On this last day, you’ll be sending not one but two emails. It seems like a lot, but trust us on this one! It’s worked for our most successful instructors here at Teachable.

The morning email goes out at 11 AM

You’ll announce that today is the absolute last day to get the course, and that sales end at midnight.

Then the afternoon email should go out around 3 or 4 PM

This is their last chance email, when you’ll reiterate that sales close at midnight, and that they won’t want to miss out on this opportunity. Congratulations! Chances are you’ve made your first (and probably second, fifth, and tenth) sale by launching to your email list!

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Make your first sale with a YouTube channel

YouTube is a great platform for making a connection with your audience and really showing off who you are and what you’re capable of. If you can establish a high-quality YouTube channel with engaged followers, converting some of them to your paid course is pretty basic.

Making your first sale on YouTube is as simple as:

1. Making high quality content
2. Proving you have something to offer
3. Selling a product that will solve your audience’s problems

If you think that YouTube is the right platform for you, keep in mind that YouTube favors a few things:

• Regular uploads
• HD quality
• SEO optimized description boxes

If you can accomplish all three, you’ll likely find more success on the platform than someone who is sporadically uploading and not optimizing anything. Now, you don’t need any of those things to be successful on YouTube, but they will certainly help.

How to make your first sale on YouTube

Theoretically, all it takes is for one video to go viral, but you can never count on a video going viral—it’s largely up to chance. So, instead, you will need to go in with a solid strategy. Our recommendation is creating a four-part series warming your audience up to you and your online course.

Step one - establish your expertise

Create a valuable video walking your audience through some aspect of what your online course is going to cover. Don’t worry about giving away bits and pieces of what will be included in your main product, your focus here should be providing value.

For example, if you’re a gardening course creator, you can create a video walking your audience through setting up an indoor gardening space start to finish. Be detailed and clear and prove that you’re an authority when it comes to gardening.

Step two - mention your paid product

This video should also be incredibly high value. Introduce the topic by saying, “Hey, I’ve been working on creating an online course on ________ and I was so excited about ________ that I had to share this section with your right now.

At the end of the video, let your audience know when you expect the course sales page to be live.

Step three - host a Q&A

You can really establish yourself as an authority here by hosting a Q&A. Ask everyone who follows you on social or who is on your email list to submit questions to answer. No shame, if you don’t get questions have your friends and family send you some, or make some up based on what people have come to you for advice on in the past!

It doesn’t matter who is asking so long as you can host a valuable Q&A where you’re able to flex your expertise.

Step four - announce your online course or digital product

Announce your online course! If you’re okay with the clickbait game, title your video something like, “I am so excited…” for the first hour or two to get people curious and clicking, and then change the title to be optimized for SEO after your first wave of views. In this video walk your audience through what your course is, the value it provides, and what people will get from taking it. Be excited and high-energy so that your audience feels excited. Make sure to link to your sales page in the description.

Do this after you post your YouTube video

Go back into your first three videos and add an annotation at the beginning letting everyone know to check your description box for a link to your online course.

In-real-life (IRL) marketing

People love to connect with real people. Anonymous names and pictures on the internet can be stiff and uninviting and they don’t always invite trust. Whether you’re able to speak at a conference or just go to a networking event, making an in person appeal can go a long way.

Giving an impassioned talk about what you have to offer and your history in your niche can resonate with people like you wouldn’t believe. If there is a local conference happening in your niche, reach out to the coordinators to see if there is a need for speakers or panelists.

Again, people are going to feel more connected to you after seeing you in person, and having the opportunity to engage with you in a real way will build trust and make it easier to convert the audience into customers. And even if your local conference doesn’t have an opening for speakers, attending is great for networking.

Hosting in-person events

If you want to take things into your own hands, you could also host an in-person event to people interested in your area of expertise. Hosting a live training for people in your area gives you the opportunity to better connect with your potential customers and gain their trust.

You could do this by turning the first lesson in your online course into an in-person presentation and teaching it where your audience hangs out whether that’s a university, yoga studio, culinary school, or somewhere else entirely.

If you don’t have any local places that totally make sense for your live training, consider reaching out to your local library or co-working space. In my area, our co-working space will actually give anyone who hosts an event a free month membership because they’re so grateful to get people in the building and interested in the space.

How to sell at in-person events

The key here is to really connect with the people you speak with and present a solution to the problems they might be having.

Print out business cards (or DIY some) with a link to your sales page and maybe even a coupon code. If people feel like you provided value at the event, they’re more likely to feel like they can trust your paid product to provide value, too.

Use Twitter (X) to make your first sale

X is interesting because it’s a platform where people are still excited to engage. They don’t want to scroll through boring tweet after boring tweet. They want something funny or clever to retweet or respond to, so consider getting outside your comfort zone.

How to get your first sale on Twitter

The most important thing to keep in mind on Twitter is that you do not want to come across as salesy or pushy. Twitter champions authenticity, so at least 80% of your tweets should be stand alone tweets that aren’t linking to your sales page or people will be less likely to follow.

Build your following and clout on the platform by tweeting real and engaging quips that are relevant to your audience. Whether you’re a food blogger rejoicing in finding the perfect avocado or a tech blogger celebrating your first app in the app store, spend most of your time being you. You can also tweet out other people’s content to build positive relationship and your niche and provide value to your followers.

The other 20% of the time you can self-promote. Once your audience trusts that you provide value, promote the heck out of your content. Don’t just tweet a link to your sales page. Instead attach images or valuable quotes from your course so people don’t just scroll past. You can also incentivize people to retweet or share by offering a coupon in exchange for a retweet.

Also, choose your most enticing promotion tweet and pin it to the top of your profile. Your pinned tweet will be the first thing anyone sees when they go to your profile.

Leverage Instagram to make your first digital sale

Selling on Instagram is great for visual brands or people who already have a following on the platform. Instagram is a bit trickier to sell on compared to other sites because they don’t allow you to link within your posts. But, you can add a link to your bio, and if you have over 10,000 followers you can add a link to your Instagram stories.

Instagram is all about engagement. If you’re not engaging with people, you’re not going to grow and you’re not going to get on anybody’s radar. Make sure to follow others in your niche and people who might be interested in your topic. Spend time going through your feed to like and comment on pictures that catch your attention.

Beyond that, it’s important to post high-quality content. Instagram is a visual platform, so the accounts that are growing the quickest are the ones posting the most beautiful imagery.

Getting your first sale on Instagram

We recommend finding a picture that is somehow related to your course topic and editing a text overlay on top of it. Keep the text simple and clean so it doesn’t make your picture look spammy, and have it say something like “Exciting announcement!”

From there, use the caption to announce your online course and direct people to click the link in your bio. Instagram is tricky because people have a short attention span and will oftentimes just mindlessly scroll. If you don’t have an engaged Instagram audience, this might not be the right method for you.

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Before I dove head-first into the world of editorial to become a full-time food and travel writer, I was an entertainment publicist for TLC. After launching hit shows such as Here Comes Honey Boo Boo and My Crazy Obsession, I rose up in the company ranks quite quickly and followed a very linear, corporate-esque path to “success.” 

But for a 20-something who accomplished so much in so little time, I felt like there was a significant void in my day-to-day life. Did I enjoy what I was doing? Sometimes. Did it tap into my primary interest in writing? Not so much. 

So in a desperate attempt to pivot careers, I knew that I would have to take on a side hustle that could evolve into something bigger. This started as various blogging gigs for websites that ranged from entertainment to finance. I even wrote under an alias to avoid an inevitable phone call from H.R (since I was likely in violation of my company employment contract).  

This commitment to change eventually morphed into the job I have today, of which I am extremely grateful. But it didn’t come without hard work, sacrifice, and lessons learned along the way. Here are five things I wish I knew before delving into taking on additional, yet more rewarding work.

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1. Exercise patience

Should this side hustle be the job you aspire to have full-time, a transition may not happen overnight. There must be a willingness and openness to know that the process takes time and you’ll likely experience setbacks along the way. In my situation, I begrudgingly accepted work that didn’t directly appeal to me or my interests. This meant copywriting for banks and healthcare companies, both of which were the keyboard tapping equivalent to watching paint dry.

 That said, I knew these opportunities would allow me to hone in on my skills so that I could eventually write about the things I enjoyed and write about them well. Don’t just treat a side hustle as a gateway to an end goal. Use it as a unique chance to learn and grow as you await your first big break. 

2. Surround yourself with mentors

It is important to surround yourself with people who not only inspire, but are happy to teach you the ins and outs of the industry you’re hoping to excel in. Find mentors who are not only willing to take you under their wing, but also motivate you into absorbing as much knowledge from the path they’ve already forged. This is something you can pay forward once you’ve garnered years of experience and your own career wisdom, because nothing makes the journey more worthwhile than the affirmation you receive from someone you respect and admire. 

3. Don’t be afraid to ask for favors 

I got my first on-air TV segment by reminding an executive producer of a local show that I booked her a handful of A-level talent at TLC. A simple nudge and request can go a long way, especially because smart business professionals never want to burn bridges. Not only did she agree to put me on air, but she also allowed me to continue monthly so that I could develop this talent for communicating and become an asset to the show. 

There will be times when people ask the same of you, as with the aforementioned mentorship, and it’s simply good karma to put into the universe what you expect in return. But don’t get greedy and make sure you’re entirely self-aware: There is a fine line between asking and begging and nobody appreciates the latter. 

4. Establish some financial security

When I was offered my first full-time editorial gig, I took a $23,000 pay cut. This lifestyle change would not have been possible if I hadn’t spent a few years establishing a foundation of financial security. Through your side hustle, you may be required to take on projects for free, but if it’s something you’re ultra passionate about and it doesn’t *feel* like work, these temporary monetary hardships will be entirely worth it (and you’ll soon be rewarded tenfold!). 

If you’re putting out an actual product, keep scale in mind. You don’t want to invest too much money too soon and find yourself in ruin if things don’t work out. This will turn the passion into a source of disdain, which defeats the entire purpose of pursuing a dream. Be smart about the money you invest and consider hiring a financial advisor to weigh in during every step of the way. 

5. Take as many risks as possible

The beauty of a side hustle is that you have the opportunity to fail and sometimes fail miserably. Since it’s not your primary source of income, taking risks won’t affect your bottom line. In fact, they may just pay off well enough to make that jump from point A to point B so that you can quit your current job and have your outside work become your daily focus. 

Put yourself in uncomfortable positions (such as taking a night class, accepting part-time work, asking a CEO for coffee, or writing for a bank, wink wink) that will help you develop a deeper understanding of not only your chosen career field, but the obstacles you may face along the way (and how you overcame them!). It’s better to suffer and experience defeat and frustration in the beginning phases because this will shed light on whether or not the ultimate objective is worth the struggle. You may need to change directions, put a pause altogether, or (fingers crossed) feel even more motivated to get over these temporary humps and become the best version of yourself. But you’ll never know unless you step out of your routine and challenge your norm.

Maybe you’ve had that hobby or interest for your whole life, or it’s something you’ve picked up more recently. Either way, it’s an endeavor that you love to do, and you’ve invested the time and effort into learning a lot about it, and getting really good at it. At this point, you’re so well-versed in it, you could teach someone else about it.

It’s usually at this moment that the question starts to arise: how do you know when it’s time to turn that passion into a side-hustle? This is an important question to explore before you take the leap into showing others how it’s done, so we’ve compiled the top five indicators that you’re ready.

Related: 30 easy side hustles ideas to start from home

Sign 1: People are turning to you for advice

‍Whether they want your help with learning for themselves, or they ask for recommendations relating to that hobby, you’re seen as a trusted source when it comes to this topic. If you’re well-versed in something that’s very niche, like how to paint rainbow murals, they may not be asking you for insight directly, but they know you’re an authority when it comes to this. They would recommend you as a resource and expert to others that might be seeking your services or to learn the same skills. 

Sign 2: You’ve put in the hours

This isn’t just an activity you picked up as a whim last weekend—you’ve dedicated time and energy into this passion, and have really built up your understanding and experience with it. However, that’s not to say you need to know every single aspect of it. You just need to be well-versed enough to show people who are a few steps behind you in the process, and you know you have the expertise to do that. 

Sign 3: You’re excited to keep learning more about your passion

‍Even though the courses, content, and guidance you may be offering to others will cover aspects of your passion that you’re already proficient in (like the basics), you’re still excited to learn more about your hobby. Showing others how it’s done requires a deeper level of understanding than just knowing how to do it yourself. It’s essential that you have a willingness to learn even more and truly perfect your knowledge of what you’re going to teach. 

Sign 4: You have a strong “why”

‍As with any passion, there is a story behind it, and it’s likely that you learned much more than just the skill itself in the process. What led you into this hobby? Even if your story is that you were naturally drawn to it since you were a kid, what’s the “why” behind why you stuck with it? How did it help you, what has it taught you? Having a strong “why” helps you feel grounded and connected to that passion, especially when things get challenging in the learning process. If you have solid answers to these questions, it’s an indicator you’re far along enough in your process to share it with others. 

Sign 5: You believe in the transformational power of this passion‍

Looking back on your journey, you can see how dedicating yourself to this passion resulted in some kind of transformation. Whether that was feeling more self-sufficient by growing your own food, gaining confidence as you learned an instrument, or anything in between, you recognize the potential for inner transformation that this hobby can bring. You want others to be able to access and reap the benefits of this passion just as much as you have. 

So, how did your answers stack up? It doesn’t have to be a firm “yes” for every single one, but if you said yes to at least two of them, this is a strong indicator that it’s time to shift your passion into a side-hustle. Keep in mind that many of these can develop in tandem. Maybe you have a strong “why”, and you’ve put in the hours, but you feel unsure about how this hobby that you're passionate about has transformed you. That’s okay—now can be a great time to do some inner reflection about that. 

At the end of the day, if you’re passionate not only about partaking in the activity itself, but about how awesome it is, and you believe that others can benefit from learning it, too, then it’s time to start sharing that. You can start small by creating a downloadable, or a mini course, or go all in with offering community and coaching. Whatever you choose, your future students (and your bank account) will be sure to thank you for sharing your passions with the world.

Ready to start hustling? Download our free guide to becoming an online entrepreneur below!

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In recent years, more people have started their own businesses. In fact, a report from the Commerce Institute shows that there were about five million new businesses started in 2022. If you’re looking for low-cost business ideas with high-profit potential, you’re in the right place. We’ve compiled a list of 34 opportunities with low startup costs.

Lucrative low-cost businesses to start in 2024

There are many low-cost business ideas that you can start online. We’ve compiled a list of the most profitable options with information on how to begin, startup costs, and earning potential.

1. Sell digital products and downloads

Many Teachable creators earn money by selling digital products and downloads. And if you have something to teach others, you can sell a digital product.

For example, Darnell Brown is a business coach. He’s been using Teachable for years to create digital downloads to help his clients start and grow their businesses.

Tips to get started:

• Create digital products like ebooks, podcasts, and how-to guides to sell online.
• Use a platform like Teachable to create and sell digital downloads.
• After your digital product is ready, promote it on social media, email, and other marketing channels.
• Over time, create new products to increase your customer base and make passive income.
• Take the Digital Product Jumpstart: A step-by-step program to launch your first digital product. Learn more »

Startup costs: With Teachable, creating and selling your digital products is easy and affordable. And you can join at no cost, then select from various pricing plans to fit your needs. Whether you’re selling courses, coaching, or digital downloads the no-code platform means you can start now.

How much money can you make: Earning potential for selling digital downloads depends on your products, audience, and topic. Some creators make up to six figures annually.

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2. Offer copywriting services

Copywriting is one of the best low-cost business ideas with high potential profit because it’s versatile.

Most companies need copywriters to craft landing pages, social media posts, advertising copy, blogs, video scripts, and more. And they also prefer working with freelance writers because they can save on overhead costs.

Tips to get started:

• Learn grammar and search engine optimization (SEO) best practices.
• Build writing skills like paying attention to detail and creative thinking.
• Decide what content you’ll write. Examples include marketing material, websites, emails, and ads.
• Put together a website and portfolio of your copywriting so you can share it with potential clients.
• Help clients meet their goals by researching their brand, audience, and marketing trends.

Startup costs: If you have experience copywriting for brands, you can start at no cost. But, if you’re building skills, then a copywriting course usually costs about $300. Creating a portfolio website will cost about $0 to $65 per month.

How much money can you make: Many freelance copywriters charge per word, hour, or project. So your earning potential also depends on the type of content you write.

When it comes to blogs, highly experienced writers charge $100 or more an hour, or anywhere from .25 to $1 per word. If you write 10,000 words per month, you can earn $2,500 to $10,000 monthly.

3. Become a virtual assistant

Because online businesses are booming, the demand for virtual assistants is higher than ever.

Tips to get started:

Consider taking a course to learn virtual assistant skills. Then, create a website to display your services, which usually include:

• Managing emails
• Handling social media and blogging
• Scheduling appointments
• Making phone calls

Startup costs: Similar to copywriting, startup costs are low for virtual assistants. You’ll likely spend anywhere from a few hundred to a thousand dollars on courses to learn the necessary skill set and create a website to market your services.

How much money can you make: Your income as a virtual assistant can vary depending on your services and experiences. Many virtual assistants charge up to $100 per hour.

4. Host workshops

Like with many other low-cost business ideas with high-profit potential, if you have the knowledge to share, you can host workshops. Workshops might be in-person or online and last anywhere from an hour to a few days.

Tips to get started:

• Workshop hosts must be comfortable speaking to and engaging an audience.
• Decide what kind of workshop you’ll host: online or in-person, seminars, or boot camps. Seminars are shorter and best if you plan to organize and host with little or no help. Meanwhile, boot camps are multi-day workshops and usually include various hosts and speakers.
• Organize and host a workshop where you’ll teach others how to do something. For example, you might arrange a creative writing workshop if you’re a writer.

Startup costs:

There are various costs to consider when hosting a workshop.

• Location or online platform cost – A small space runs anywhere from a few hundred dollars to a thousand, depending on how long you use it. You can also host your workshop online using Teachable, which integrates Zoom. The free version covers a 30-minute workshop and a small class size.
• Audio and visual equipment – Microphones run between $30 and $100, while cameras start at about $500.
• Printed materials – Print shops usually charge a few cents per page.
• Refreshments – Depending on the length of your workshop, you may provide snacks and drinks.

How much money can you make: If you only host one workshop per month and charge 30 people $250 per workshop, you can make $90,000 per year.

5. Sell online courses

Online courses are an excellent way to share your knowledge with others from the comfort of your home. With platforms like Teachable, it’s easier than ever to get started with an online course business and generate significant profit. Courses are even one of the top five sources of income for bloggers today.

Tips to get started:

• Outline what you want to teach. Teachable creators have sold online courses teaching others about various topics, including fitness, houseplant care, and 3D design.
• Create a course curriculum and record videos of your lessons.
• Prepare your course using Teachable. You can upload your content, design your course with ready-made templates, set up pricing, and manage your course after it’s published.
• Scale your business by creating multiple courses over time.
• Join Online Course Academy™️ for a step by step guide to creating and selling your own profitable online course. Learn more »

Startup costs: Teachable makes creating and selling courses simple and affordable. Various plans range from $0 to $375 per month.

How much money can you make: It’s possible to earn upwards of $200,000 per year selling online courses. Thousands of Teachable creators earn a comfortable income from online courses. For example, Julia McCoy earned $150,000 from one online course.

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6. Design and sell low-content books

You can create low-content books in little time and easily sell them online. Low-content books don’t require much writing on your part. They usually have pages that the person buying fills in, similar to workbooks.

Examples of low-content books include:

• Planners
• Journals
• Log books
• Coloring books

Tips to get started:

• Choose a niche–a focus for your book. For example, a plant expert might create a gardening journal. Amazon’s search feature offers suggestions based on popular searches, so you can start there.
• Create your low-content book(s) with templates or DIY on Canva. Then, use a platform like Teachable to upload and sell your digital content. You can also use Amazon to sell hard copies.
• Increase your income by creating more low-content books over time.

Startup costs: You can create content on Canva and join Teachable at no cost. It’s free to sell on Amazon, but you pay for printing and shipping after you sell a book.

How much money you can make: Low-content books usually sell for $4 to $15. If you sell 300 low-content books per month, you can make up to $4,500. That said, 60% of that usually goes to Amazon for printing and shipping.

7. Start a clothes-flipping business

If you enjoy shopping and are looking for a low-cost business idea, try clothes flipping.

Tips to get started:

• Buy used clothing items and accessories like jewelry and shoes for a low price at thrift stores, flea markets, yard sales, and online.
• Wash and spruce up your items before reselling them at a higher price.
• Sell your items on sites like Poshmark and eBay. You can also create an online shop using a website platform like Shopify, but it’s best to already have an audience to direct to your site.

Startup costs: You can begin clothes flipping at no cost by starting with items you already have. And once you start earning money, you can buy new-to-you items to grow your inventory and increase sales.

How much money can you make: Your earning potential depends on where you find and sell your items and how much time you put into it. The casual thrifters make around $300 per month on average.

More devoted thrifters earn as much as $70,000 to $100,000 dollars per year. This couple earned $12,000 to $15,000 monthly as full-time clothes flippers and sellers.

8. Help students as an online tutor

Do you enjoy teaching and have a subject you’re passionate about? If so, you might want to start an online tutoring business that costs little to nothing to start.

Tips to get started:

• First, determine what topic you’ll teach. Choose something you’re an expert in. For example, a musician might teach music.
• Pick a platform to teach on. There are some tutoring marketplaces, but they’ll take a large percentage of your earnings. Another option is using Teachable and Zoom.
• Create lessons. Some tutoring marketplaces have lesson guidelines, so review the details before committing to one.

Startup costs: If you already have a computer, you should only need noise-canceling headphones and a microphone to get started. This means you can start with less than $100.

How much money can you make: Online tutors can earn $35-$150 per hour. If you tutor for one hour each week, you’ll earn $1,400 to $6,000 monthly.

9. Become a personal trainer

If you’re passionate about fitness and looking for low-cost business ideas with high profit potential, consider becoming a personal trainer.

Tips to get started:

• Choose a specialty such as strength training, weight loss, or senior fitness.
• Create exercise plans based on your focus.
• Start finding clients by sharing your personal training services with your local gym and your network.

Startup costs: This is one of the easiest and most affordable businesses to start because the only investment you’ll need is a personal training certification for less than $100.

How much money can you make: On average, private personal trainers earn up to $70,000 annually. But, running a personal training business can be more lucrative. If you start doing 10 personal training sessions a week at $150 each, you’ll make $1,500 monthly.

10. Illustrate books

Becoming a freelance illustrator is one of the best jobs for artists and costs little to start. While many illustrators attend art school, this is optional.

Tips to get started:

• Consider what you like to draw. Many illustrators focus on children’s books, but you can also be a product, editorial, or comic book illustrator.
• Once you know more about what kind of illustrations you want to do, you’ll need to gather the necessary art supplies.
• Create a website to host your services and portfolio.

Startup costs: Art supplies and tools like Adobe Illustrator will cost anywhere from $200 to $500. A website costs less than $100 monthly.

How much money can you make: Beginner illustrators typically charge $25 to $100 per hour. However, most experienced illustrators charge per project. Ultimately, you should price your services based on how complex each project is and how much time and effort it takes to complete.

You can also package several illustrations into a bundle price. Some illustrators charge anywhere from $500 to $5,000, so don’t be afraid to negotiate higher prices.

11. Offer social media management

Do you enjoy social media, connecting with others, and getting creative? As influencing and social media marketing are rising, so is the demand for social media managers. A recent report shows the market will grow from $17.5 billion in 2022 to $51.8 billion in 2027.

Tips to get started:

• Learn about SEO, copywriting, and social media trends.
• Consider what services you’ll offer. Social media management services may include creating strategies and content, publishing posts, and managing engagement.
• Create a portfolio with sample posts and a media kit. Then, reach out to brands and pitch your services.

Startup costs: Social media managers need a website to share their services and portfolio, which usually costs $0 to $65 monthly.

How much money can you make: Social media managers charge $25 to $250 per hour, depending on experience and services. Like many other online businesses, you can increase your earnings by generating passive income through digital products. Specifically, you might create social media templates that brands can buy.

12. Edit photos

Photo editing is as important as ever, with a high need for visuals to promote businesses, services, and products. While a photography business requires startup money for cameras, lighting, and other equipment, photo editing doesn’t.

Tips to get started:

• Create a website with a portfolio to show work samples.
• Work with clients to edit and retouch their existing photos.
• Help brands review and select images.

Startup costs: A website costs less than $100 monthly, and the popular Adobe Lightroom for editing starts at $9.99 monthly.

How much money can you make: Photo editors can make $40 to more than $100 per hour. On the low end, you can earn $1,600 monthly. On the high end, $4,000 monthly.

13. Help with event planning

Event planning is an excellent low-cost business idea with high profit potential for those with organizational, multi-tasking, and planning skills.

Tips to get started:

• Set goals for your business and research successful event planning companies. Then use this to create a business plan.
• Learn about event planning services–organizing meetings, choosing venues, working with vendors, planning event logistics, and coordinating payments.

Startup costs: Event planning startup costs usually only include a website ($0 to $65 monthly). But, you might also hire a professional photographer or videographer to record content from events for your marketing.

How much money can you make: Earning potential depends on what kind of events you plan and where. Private event planners charge between $50 and $150 hourly. You can also earn a commission from event vendors.

14. Develop websites

Website developers create and maintain websites to help companies meet their goals, and they’re in high demand.

Tips to get started:

• Take an online course to learn how to become a website developer.
• Create a website to showcase services and testimonials.
• Most website developers work as freelancers and find clients on freelance platforms. You can also pitch companies via email or LinkedIn.

Startup costs: Web design courses usually cost $100 to $1,000, while a website costs less than $100 monthly.

How much money can you make: The average cost to build a website for a small business ranges from $5,000 to $20,000. However, more complex web development projects cost more.

In your first few years of running a web development business, you can earn $80,000 to $250,000 or more.

15. Plan vacations

If you like traveling and are good at planning, why not earn money by becoming a travel planner?

Tips to get started:

• Find clients by sharing your services with people you know and through word of mouth.
• Help clients plan their next vacation by putting together an itinerary.
• Research and book flights, accommodations, and activities.

Startup costs: Around $0 to 65 monthly for website costs.

How much money can you make: Although travel planners that work for an agency don’t earn a high salary, you have more opportunities running your own business.

If you charge $30 to $100 hourly and work at least 10 hours a week, you’ll earn $1,200 to $4,000 monthly. You can also increase your earning potential by creating passive income with a blog, travel guides, and more.

16. Become a blogger

Learning how to start a blog and make money is how many creators begin their business journey.

Tips to get started:

• Choose a niche–a focus for your blog. The most profitable blog niches are food, personal finance, lifestyle or parenting, and travel.
• Make your blog profitable with ads, online courses, affiliate marketing, and more.
• Consistently publish blog posts about topics your audience wants to read about.

Startup costs: To start a blog, you need a website. This costs $0 to $65 monthly.

How much money can you make: With so many ways to monetize a blog, a blogger’s earning potential is high. For example, Lauren McManus and her business partner have two blogs and make six figures per month.

Bloggers in the most profitable niches earn between $5,000 to $9,000 monthly.

17. Help others by coaching

If you enjoy helping others, consider becoming a life coach. The life coaching industry brought in $1.5 billion in 2022, with an expected annual growth rate of 4.85%.

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Tips to get started:

• Choose what type of coaching you want to do. Options include relationship, career, nutrition, and finance coaching.
• Consider getting a life coaching certificate.
• Create a website to display your services and start finding clients.

Startup costs: Coaching programs start at about $1,000.

How much money you can make: Freelance life coaches usually charge $75 to $250 per hour.

18. Sell graphic designs

Graphic design is one of the top low-cost business ideas for creatives. There’s ample opportunity for graphic designers because every industry has design needs.

Tips to get started:

• Combine your art skills with technology to create graphic designs.
• Build a portfolio of your graphic design projects.
• Pitch your services to people who might need a graphic designer. You can also use freelance platforms to find clients.

Startup costs: You can make designs using software like Adobe Creative Cloud, which is about $60 per month.

How much money you can make: Graphic designers can charge up to $200 per hour, but usually set rates by the project. For example, you might charge $500-$1,500 for a logo and upwards of $2,500 to $10,000 for a full brand identity package.

19. Upcycle furniture

Another low-cost business idea for creatives is upcycling furniture. Once a popular side hustle, people now find it a lucrative full-time job.

Tips to get started:

• Gather used furniture from yard sales, thrift stores, and flea markets.
• Clean and refresh pieces before selling them.
• Sell your furniture on platforms like OfferUp and Facebook Marketplace. You can also create a website or social media page to list your items.

Startup costs: You can start at no cost by cleaning up and selling items you already have. When you start making money, buy used items and materials for flipping.

How much money you can make: Furniture flippers often make up to $500 per piece. If you upcycle and sell 10 pieces of furniture per month, you can earn $5,000.

20. Become a fashion consultant

Are you passionate about fashion? If so, you could be a fashion consultant and offer clients style advice.

Tips to get started:

• Define your niche. Fashion consultants often style wardrobes, wedding attire, or jewelry.
• Connect with potential clients by networking in your community and on social media.

Startup costs: A fashion consultant can start by creating a website for under $100.

How much money you can make: Fashion consultants usually charge an hourly fee of up to $100 or a daily rate of about $1,000.

21. Walk dogs

The dog walking industry has grown in recent years and has an expected growth rate of 11.52% from 2022 to 2030. Dog lovers who enjoy staying active can start their own dog walking business.

Tips to get started:

• Perform market research to identify your services and rates. Dog walkers often offer home and dog park visits, short and longer walks, and overnight pet sitting.
• Find clients through networking, word of mouth, and dog-walking apps like Rover.

Startup costs: You can start walking dogs for people you know at no cost.

How much money you can make: Dog walkers usually charge up to $50 per hour.

22. Offer data entry services

If you’re tech-savvy and organized, you could offer data entry services and update online records for companies.

Tips to get started:

• Learn data entry skills using a platform like Skillshare.
• Create a website for your services and testimonials.
• Network and use freelancing platforms to find clients.

Startup costs: You can learn data entry skills for free or take a course starting at a few hundred dollars.

How much money you can make: Freelance data entry clerks charge up to $50 per hour.

23. Become an influencer or digital content creator

Influencers or digital content creators are experts on a specific topic and share their content to earn money.

Tips to get started:

• Create content in your niche—travel, beauty, wellness, or something else.
• Choose a platform to get started. Many influencers use YouTube, TikTok, or Instagram. Over time, you might use multiple platforms.
• Decide how you’ll earn money. Sponsorships, paid aids, and selling merch are common ways to earn money as an influencer.
• Build a media kit and pitch brands directly to earn sponsorships.

Startup costs: Most influencers don’t pay anything to start.

How much money you can make: Earning potential varies based on different income sources. That said, some influencers report earning a few thousand dollars per post. So, if you share five branded posts per month, you could make $15,000.

24. Edit videos

With many companies relying on video for marketing, video editing jobs are booming. This is the ideal low-cost business idea because it requires little equipment or startup costs.

Tips to get started:

• Practice editing videos and create a portfolio.
• Decide what kind of videos you want to edit. While ad videos are common, you can also edit documentaries and music videos.
• Connect with potential clients and share your work samples and services via your website.

Startup costs: You can create a website with your portfolio and services for less than $100.

How much money you can make: Video editors usually earn $50 to $150 per hour.

25. Become a yoga instructor

The global yoga industry was $105.9 billion in 2022 and expects to hit $177.6 billion by 2028. If becoming a yoga instructor is on your bucket list, now’s a perfect time.

Tips to get started:

• Decide what style of yoga you want to teach. Common ones include yin, vinyasa, ashtanga, and children’s yoga.
• Attend a yoga teacher training program.
• Find a studio to teach at or create your own yoga courses using Teachable, which is how Zabie Yamasaki earns money as a yoga instructor.

Startup costs: Yoga teacher training programs usually cost a few thousand dollars. Most of them offer payment plans.

How much money you can make: Yoga instructors usually charge about $20 per class. If you teach 10 classes to 10 students each, you can earn $2,000 per week.

26. Design print

Another lucrative business idea for creatives is designing print. Print designers use digital software to create visuals for physical items, including

• Brochures
• Business cards
• Labels
• Merchandise

Tips to get started:

• Create spec pieces and become familiar with Adobe and other print design software.
• Add your portfolio and offers to a website.
• Pitch your services to people who need a print designer. You can also use freelance platforms to find clients.

Startup costs: Adobe Creative Cloud costs about $100 per month. A website costs $0 to $65 to start.

How much money you can make: Print designer rates are similar to graphic designers. You can earn anywhere from $25 to $150 per hour, but it depends on the project.

27. Perform SEO audits

Search engine optimization (SEO) helps companies increase traffic to their sites and get more potential customers to view their products and services. It can be a lucrative way to make money online, especially if you’re familiar with technical SEO.

Tips to get started:

• Consider taking a course to learn how to perform SEO audits.
• Create a website to display your packages and testimonials.
• Connect with your target audience and pitch your services.

Startup costs: There are no costs to get started. You can find various free SEO courses you can take and get your first clients on platforms like Upwork.

How much money you can make: If you know technical SEO, you can charge $1,500 to $5,000 for a basic SEO audit. You can earn $2,000 to $5,000 monthly.

28. Write songs

Being a songwriter is one of the best low-cost business ideas with high profit potential for musicians.

Tips to get started:

• Consider taking a songwriting course.
• Practice writing songs. Use this to create your portfolio.
• Join the International Songwriters Association and freelance platforms and pitch your songs.

Startup costs: You can take songwriting courses for free and create a portfolio for free.

How much money you can make: As a new songwriter, you can charge up to $500 per song and increase this as you gain experience.

29. Sell stock photography

If you have a camera and take good photos, selling stock photography is an easy, low-cost business opportunity.

Tips to get started:

• Join Shutterstock and other stock photo websites.
• Create a profile and upload your photos.
• Consider starting a blog to scale your business and sell pictures on your website.

Startup costs: You can join stock photo sites for free.

How much money you can make: You can usually earn up to $40 for one image.

30. Offer IT support

With an expected growth of 10.36% by 2027, the IT support industry offers excellent earning potential.

Tips to get started:

• Consider taking a course to learn the necessary skills.
• Make a website for your business.
• Work with clients to troubleshoot technical issues and offer support.

Startup costs: IT support courses usually cost $0 to $1,000. You can start your website for free.

How much money you can make: Freelance IT support providers charge an average of $100 per hour.

31. Provide childcare services

If you’re looking for an in-person job and like working with children, childcare offers excellent opportunities.

Tips to get started:

• Identify your services and the number and age of children you’ll work with.
• Get CPR and first-aid certified.
• Gain experience by offering services to people you know.

Startup costs: You can take a CPR and first-aid class for less than $100.

How much money you can make: Earning potential depends on your experience and where you live. Many freelance childcare providers charge up to $40 per hour.

32. Develop apps

App development is one of the fastest-growing industries, offering ample job opportunities.

Tips to get started:

• Learn about coding and programming.
• Choose a platform–Android or iOS.
• Practice your skills and turn an idea into an app. Use this as a work sample.
• Join freelancing platforms to find clients.

Startup costs: If you take a course, it’ll cost up to $100.

How much money you can make: Most app developers charge $5,000 to $10,000 per project.

33. Become a beauty consultant

Beauty consulting is a great low-cost business idea with high profit potential for skin, hair, or nail experts.

Tips to get started:

• Do market research to help you choose a focus area and your services.
• Work with people you know to gain experience and build a portfolio.
• Find clients through word of mouth and freelance platforms.

Startup costs: Supplies to start can cost up to $500. You can create a portfolio at no cost.

How much money you can make: Beauty consultants can earn up to $50 per hour.

34. Offer content editing and proofreading

Because all industries produce written content, there’s always a need for editors and proofreaders.

Tips to get started:

• Decide what type of content you want to edit and proofread.
• Consider taking a course to learn editing and proofreading skills.
• Create a website for your services and portfolio.
• Pitch your services to potential clients. You can also use freelance platforms.

Startup costs: There are many free online courses. A website costs $0 to $65 per month.

How much money you can make: You can charge up to $100 per hour.

How to select a low-cost business idea with high profit

With so many low-cost business ideas with high profit potential, there are several ways you can choose the best option:

• Consider your current skill set
• Determine your goals
• Evaluate your budget
• Check demand
• Identify your niche market and ideal client

Consider your current skill set

If you choose a job you already have the skill set for, you’ll save on startup costs and time. Make a list of your skills and interests to help you pick your business idea.

Determine your goals

To start a business that aligns with your personal and career goals, use these questions to guide you:

• What kind of work do you enjoy?
• How many hours do you want to work per week or month?
• Do you want most of your work to be online or in-person?
• How much would you like to earn?
• Do you want to work alone or have a collaborative job?

After you answer these questions, consider jobs that allow you to meet these goals.

Evaluate your budget

Startup costs for the businesses on this list vary based on these factors:

• Necessary training
• Equipment
• Website and other software

Determine what your budget is to get started. Here are some high-profit job ideas based on various budgets.

Budget of $100:

• Sell digital products and downloads
• Start a clothes or furniture flipping business
• Design and sell low-content books
• Offer social media management
• Edit photos
• Help with event planning
• Plan vacations
• Become a blogger or influencer
• Become a fashion consultant
• Walk dogs
• Perform SEO audits
• Write songs
• Sell stock photography
• Provide childcare services
• Develop apps
• Offer content editing and proofreading

Budget of $500:

• Become a virtual assistant
• Sell online courses
• Help students as an online tutor
• Offer copywriting services
• Illustrate books
• Develop websites
• Sell graphic or print design
• Offer data entry services
• Become a beauty consultant

Budget of $1,000+:

• Host workshops
• Help others by coaching
• Become a yoga instructor
• Manage ecommerce stores
• Offer IT support

Check demand

Once you narrow down business ideas, check their demand to ensure there’s earning potential.

Use social media and other online communities for market research. You can also do keyword research at no cost using Semrush Keyword Magic Tool to see what industries people are searching for.

Identify your target audience

Consider who you want to work with by thinking about your target audience.

• What problem does your ideal client or customer have?
• What results do they want?
• How can you offer results?
• What’s your target audience’s budget?
• What product(s) or service(s) can you offer your ideal client or customer?

Start a profitable business without spending a fortune

With so many low-cost business ideas with high profit potential, there are many ways to earn money without a significant investment.

Thousands of Teachable creators have started lucrative businesses for little to nothing. Start today with a free Teachable account.

TL;DR: This guide covers 25 ways to make money online in 2026, from quick, low-skill gigs like paid surveys and microtasks to high-earning, scalable businesses like online courses, coaching, and digital downloads. Most methods need no upfront investment, just time. If you already have expertise or an audience, courses, coaching, and digital downloads offer the highest income ceiling, and teaching what you already know is usually the fastest path to income that keeps selling once it's built. Teachable brings course sales, coaching, and digital downloads together in one platform, so you can start selling without stitching together separate tools.

The internet has made it possible to earn a real income without a traditional job, a physical storefront, or a large startup budget. Some methods pay immediately. Others take months to build but generate revenue that runs without trading time for every dollar.

Below are 25 ways to make money online in 2026, from quick side income to full-time businesses. We have organised them roughly by how fast you can earn and how high the income ceiling is. Teaching, coaching, and selling knowledge get the deepest coverage here, since they carry the highest income ceiling of anything on this list.

Quick income: Low barrier, limited ceiling

These methods can generate cash fast but rarely scale past a few hundred dollars a month without significant time investment.

1. Complete paid online surveys

Survey platforms like Prolific, Swagbucks, and Survey Junkie pay you for your opinions, typically $2 to $15 per hour depending on the platform (Prolific tends to pay more than Swagbucks or Survey Junkie). It requires zero setup and pays immediately, but it's a starting point, not a strategy.

2. Do microtasks

Platforms like Clickworker and Amazon Mechanical Turk pay for small data labelling, transcription, and content moderation tasks. The work is simple and immediate, but the per-hour rate is low, typically $3 to $8 per hour.

3. Test websites and apps

UserTesting pays $10 for a standard 20-minute screen-and-voice usability test, with live
sessions paying $30 to $120. Sign up, complete a sample test, and get placed on projects that match your profile.

Skill-based income: Medium barrier, scalable ceiling

These methods pay more per hour and can grow, but they require a marketable skill and some setup time.

4. Sell an online course

If you have real expertise, in fitness, finance, languages, coding, design, or any hard skill, packaging it into an online course is one of the highest-leverage things you can do. A course you record once can sell indefinitely.

The income range is wide: some creators earn a few hundred dollars a month; others build six-figure businesses. What determines the outcome is the specificity of the problem you solve and the size of your audience.

You do not need a large following to start. A small, engaged email list is often enough to
validate and launch a first course.

Teachable lets you build, price, and sell a course without writing a line of code. Payments, tax remittance across 45+ countries, and student management are handled automatically. Start a 7-day free trial and have a live, purchasable course ready before it ends.

5. Offer online coaching

Coaching is the fastest way to monetise expertise without building a full course. You sell your time, attention, and guidance directly to a student or client, typically in one-on-one video sessions.

Coaching rates range from $50 to $500+ per session depending on the niche and your track record. Finance, business, fitness, and career coaching consistently command higher rates than general life coaching.

The advantage of coaching over courses is speed: you can book your first client this week using nothing more than a scheduling link and a payment form. The disadvantage is that it does not scale beyond your available hours unless you eventually productise the knowledge into a course.

Teachable's coaching product lets you sell one-on-one or group coaching sessions directly from your school, with scheduling, video calls, and payment handling built in, so you are not managing separate tools for booking and billing.

6. Sell digital downloads

Digital products (templates, ebooks, guides, Notion dashboards, Lightroom presets, spreadsheet tools) sell once and deliver automatically. There is no inventory, no shipping, and no manual fulfilment.

The best digital products solve one specific, annoying problem. A "financial tracking spreadsheet for freelancers" sells better than a "personal finance template" because the audience and the pain point are both specific.

Teachable's digital downloads feature lets you sell PDFs, files, and templates alongside or instead of a full course, on the same platform with the same payment processing.

7. Freelance your skills

Freelancing means selling a specific service (writing, design, video editing, web development, social media management, bookkeeping) directly to clients on a per-project or retainer basis.

The fastest way to get started is to list on Upwork or Fiverr, or to reach out directly to businesses in your network that might need what you do. Most freelancers earn $20 to $75 per hour, and specialists with niche skills and a proven track record charge $75 to $150+.

The ceiling on freelancing is your available hours. Many freelancers eventually transition into consulting, productised services, or teaching what they know.

8. Become a virtual assistant

Virtual assistants (VAs) handle administrative tasks for business owners: inbox management, scheduling, data entry, research, social media posting, customer support. The work is flexible and remote, and demand is strong.

Starting rates run $15 to $25 per hour for general VA work. Specialised VAs, those who handle podcast editing, launch coordination, or bookkeeping, earn $35 to $75 per hour. Platforms like Fancy Hands, Time Etc, and Belay are common starting points.

9. Offer social media management

Small businesses consistently struggle to maintain a consistent social media presence. If you understand how platforms work, you can charge $300 to $1,500 per month to plan, create, and schedule content for a single client.

Start with one or two local or online businesses in your network. A short case study from your first client is all you need to land the next one.

10. Do content writing or copywriting

Content writers produce blog posts, articles, and educational content. Copywriters write sales pages, email sequences, and ad copy. Both are in demand and can be done entirely remotely.

Content rates start at $0.05 to $0.15 per word for general topics; specialist writers covering finance, legal, medical, or technical subjects earn $0.20 to $0.50 per word. Copywriting rates are project-based and higher: a sales page can command $500 to $3,000+.

11. Offer graphic design services

Logo design, brand identity, social media graphics, presentation decks, and infographics are all marketable design services. Tools like Canva have lowered the barrier for basic design work; professional designers use Adobe Illustrator, Figma, and Photoshop for more complex projects.

Beginners can start on Fiverr at $50 to $200 per project. Experienced designers working with
established clients charge $100 to $250 per hour or set project rates.

12. Tutor online

Online tutoring platforms like Wyzant, Preply, and Varsity Tutors connect you with students
who need help in academic subjects, languages, or professional skills. You set your rate, choose your availability, and work entirely via video call.

Rates range from $20 to $80 per hour depending on the subject and your credentials. STEM subjects and language tutoring (particularly Mandarin, Spanish, and English as a second language) command the highest rates.

Audience-based income: Higher barrier, highest ceiling

These methods require building an audience first, which takes time, but once the audience exists, the income can scale significantly beyond what your available hours allow.

13. Start a YouTube channel

YouTube pays creators through the YouTube Partner Program (ads), which requires 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours to access. Ad revenue alone is modest: most creators earn $1 to $5 per 1,000 views. The real money comes from layering in sponsorships, affiliate links, and course or product sales once an audience is built.

The fastest-growing YouTube niches in 2026 include personal finance, productivity, AI tools, fitness, and language learning, all areas where a knowledge-based course is a natural next step.

14. Write a newsletter

Email newsletters are the most direct connection between a creator and their audience. Platforms like Substack, Beehiiv, and ConvertKit let you publish and monetise a newsletter through paid subscriptions, sponsorships, or product sales.

The email list is the one business asset that does not disappear when an algorithm changes. Most creators who build sustainable online income treat their list as the core of their business, not a side channel.

15. Become an affiliate marketer

Affiliate marketing means earning a commission every time someone makes a purchase through your unique tracking link. You recommend products or services you already use, embed the links in content (blog posts, videos, emails), and get paid when someone buys.

Commissions range from 2% to 50%+ depending on the product category. Software products and digital services pay the highest affiliate rates, often 20% to 30% recurring for subscription products.

The prerequisite is an audience, or at least a content channel (a blog, a YouTube channel, a newsletter) that can direct traffic to your affiliate links. Without that, affiliate marketing does not work.

16. Create a membership community

A paid membership charges subscribers a recurring fee, typically $15 to $100 per month, for access to exclusive content, a community, live Q&As, or a combination. The appeal is predictable, recurring revenue instead of the launch-and-wait-for-the-next-launch cycle.

Memberships work best when the audience has a recurring problem that benefits from ongoing guidance: fitness accountability, a professional learning community, a writing group, or a business mastermind.

17. Sell a podcast sponsorship

Podcast advertising pays $15 to $25 CPM for pre-roll placements and $25 to $40 CPM for mid-roll, with finance and business podcasts often commanding $50 CPM or more. A podcast with 5,000 downloads per episode can earn $75 to $200 per episode from a single mid-roll sponsor.

Podcast sponsorships are most accessible once you have a consistent audience and a clear
niche. Advertisers pay a premium for highly targeted audiences: a finance podcast attracts finance
sponsors; a parenting podcast attracts family product brands.

18. Build and monetise a blog

A blog earns through a combination of display advertising (Google AdSense, Mediavine), affiliate links, sponsored posts, and your own products. Blogging takes 12 to 24 months to generate meaningful traffic from SEO, which makes it a long-term play, but a blog that ranks for high-intent informational queries can generate income for years with minimal maintenance.

E-commerce and product income

These methods turn a physical or licensable asset into recurring or one-off sales, with margins and
effort varying widely by category.

19. Sell print-on-demand products

Print-on-demand services (Printify, Printful, Redbubble) let you design custom merchandise (t-shirts, mugs, phone cases, tote bags) and sell it without holding inventory. When a customer orders, the supplier prints and ships directly. Your margin is the difference between your retail price and the supplier's base cost.

This model requires no upfront investment, but margins are thin (typically $2 to $8 per item) and standing out requires either a strong brand or a very specific niche audience.

20. Flip items online

Buying underpriced items on Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, estate sales, or thrift stores and reselling them on eBay or Amazon is a legitimate side income with no ceiling beyond the time and capital you put in. Furniture, electronics, collectibles, and sneakers are reliable categories.

21. Sell stock photos or videos

Photographers and videographers can upload content to Shutterstock, Adobe Stock, or Getty Images and earn a royalty every time a buyer licenses the image. Rates are low per download ($0.25 to $2 for photos, $15 to $50 for video clips), but a large, well-tagged library can generate consistent revenue that runs without trading your time.

22. Do voice-over work

Voice-over actors record narration for explainer videos, audiobooks, e-learning modules, and advertisements. Platforms like Voices.com, Voice123, and ACX (for audiobooks) connect voice actors with clients. A decent USB microphone and a quiet recording space are the main startup costs.

Rates start at $150 to $250 per finished hour of audio for newer voice actors; experienced professionals can reach $400 or more.

23. Offer bookkeeping or accounting services

If you have a background in finance or accounting, bookkeeping for small businesses is one of the highest-paying remote service businesses. Rates run $25 to $75 per hour for general bookkeeping; CPAs charge $150 to $400 per hour for more complex tax and audit work.

Demand is steady and clients are often long-term, making this a recurring-revenue service business rather than a project-based one.

24. Become an online translator or transcriptionist

Translators who work in high-demand language pairs (English-Mandarin, English-Spanish, English-German) earn $0.08 to $0.30 per source word for general content and $0.20 to $0.60+ per word for legal or medical documents. Transcriptionists typically earn $1.00 to $3.00 per audio minute for professional human transcription, depending on audio quality and turnaround time.

Platforms like Rev, TranscribeMe, and Lionbridge are standard starting points.

25. Consult in your area of expertise

Consulting is coaching's higher-priced cousin. Where coaching focuses on guiding someone through a process, consulting means being hired to diagnose a problem and recommend or implement a solution. Consultants typically work with businesses rather than individuals, and rates reflect that: $100 to $500 per hour is standard for business, marketing, operations, or technology consulting.

The transition from freelancer to consultant is mostly a positioning shift: you stop selling hours and start selling outcomes.

Which method is right for you?

The honest answer is that the best method depends on what you already know, how much time you have, and how quickly you need income.

• If you need cash fast: Freelancing, virtual assistant work, or tutoring can generate income within days of signing up on a platform. They trade time for money directly, which limits how much you can earn, but they work immediately.
• If you want income that does not depend on your available hours: Online courses, digital downloads, and affiliate marketing all generate revenue that is not directly tied to time. They take longer to build, but a course you record once can sell for years.
• If you already have expertise and a small audience: Teaching what you know through a course, coaching, or a paid newsletter, is the fastest path from knowledge to income. You do not need 10,000 followers. A few hundred people who trust your expertise is enough to validate and launch.

Creators who reach consistent monthly revenue fastest are rarely the ones who wait until everything is ready. Launching early, selling to a small audience, and using that feedback to improve tends to outperform waiting for a "ready" product. On Teachable, creators already earning $100,000 or more a year are growing that income by 10% or more year-over-year, evidence that revenue keeps building once a course, coaching offer, or digital download is live.

Start a 7-day free trial on Teachable and have a live, purchasable course ready before it ends. See the pricing page for plan details.

Frequently asked questions

How do I make $100 a day online?

Reaching $100 per day online ($3,000/month) typically requires either a service business (freelancing, coaching, virtual assistant work) or a product business (online courses, digital downloads, affiliate marketing) that is past its initial launch phase. Freelancing and tutoring are the fastest ways to reach $100 per day because every session pays immediately; courses and digital products take longer to set up but can hit $100/day without requiring your active time once the audience is in place.

What is the most profitable way to make money online?

On a per-hour-invested basis, online courses and coaching have the highest income ceiling for knowledge workers. A course that takes 40 hours to build and sells for $300 to the right audience can generate $300 per sale indefinitely. The most profitable approach is usually to combine a course (for revenue that runs without trading your time) with coaching (for premium, personalised income), a pairing Teachable's own Bundles feature is built to support.

Can I make money online without any experience?

Yes, but the ceiling is lower without experience. Survey completion, microtasks, and print-on-demand require no prior experience and pay immediately. Freelancing, tutoring, and virtual assistant work require some baseline skill but are accessible to most people. Courses and coaching require real, demonstrable expertise: you need to have actually done the thing you are teaching.

How long does it take to start making money online?

Surveys and microtasks can pay within 24 hours. Freelancing and virtual assistant work typically pays within 1 to 4 weeks of actively applying to platforms. An online course can generate its first sale within days of launching if you already have an email list; without one, expect 1 to 3 months of content and audience building before your first sale. Affiliate marketing and blogging typically take 3 to 12 months to produce meaningful income.

Is selling online courses still profitable in 2026?

Yes. Selling courses directly from your own platform means you set your own pricing and control your own discoverability, instead of competing inside a marketplace's algorithm and fee structure. Courses that solve a specific, painful problem for a defined audience continue to perform well.

Key terms glossary

Digital product: A downloadable or online-only item like a course, ebook, template, or app, sold without shipping or physical inventory.

Affiliate marketing: Earning a commission by promoting someone else's product through a personal tracking link, paid only when a sale happens.

Recurring revenue: Income that repeats on a set schedule, such as a monthly membership or subscription, instead of requiring a new sale each time.

Print-on-demand: A production model where a supplier prints and ships a custom product, like a t-shirt or mug, only after a customer orders it.

Gig economy: The market for short-term, flexible work booked through online platforms, such as surveys, freelance projects, or virtual assistant tasks.

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